Bringing a non-trivial code base up to even half-decent standards can be a monumental task, and because such code bases are inherently overly complex and risky

Bringing a non-trivial code base up to even half-decent standards can be a monumental task, and because such code bases are inherently overly complex and risky to change there's only so much you can do without breaking production constantly. It's a lose-lose proposition, which is why I'd never want to be "the programmer" at some place like that, no matter the pay.