I can't speak to "data" jobs in particular, but I have had programming jobs in my career where I felt like the OP, and ones where I didn't. If it is important

I can't speak to "data" jobs in particular, but I have had programming jobs in my career where I felt like the OP, and ones where I didn't. If it is important to you that your work be valuable in some way, I suggest you not give up. Do what you can to find work that is. It is out there, maybe you have to better yourself to raise the odds, so try to do that if you can.