An attitude recalibration may be helpful in this case. Software engineering is merely your "profession", and you perform it in exchange for other people providi

An attitude recalibration may be helpful in this case. Software engineering is merely your "profession", and you perform it in exchange for other people providing you with clean water, cheap goods, security, etc. (Whether that's a fair trade is a different discussion). Unless you're an owner or a shareholder you're essentially a skilled laborer. Clock in, ply your trade, clock out. If they're jerking you around on hours get a better job or "quiet quit". Do things you like and feel fulfilled about in your free time, it's better to take joy and meaning in the society that you theoretically are working for the privilege of living in rather than looking for that satisfaction in your work. A quote I often think about from an article titled Smart Guy Productivity--"Son, I don't go to a place called fun, I go to a place called work."