While not exactly what you're talking about, I did some contract SEO work recently that left me feeling like I'd done something even worse. A friend there got m

While not exactly what you're talking about, I did some contract SEO work recently that left me feeling like I'd done something even worse. A friend there got me the interview and spoke well of me. We'd worked together in local TV journalism, where I worked for years after he left. (I'm aware, many would consider local TV news trash in its right right. ;) ) I'll always appreciate his looking out for me like he did, but I'm one of those crazy people who thinks advertising in general is just... Grating. And doing it for something I don't care about? I thought I could stomach it and go forward, but I felt horrible. Now, I still did the work, and I don't think I did a poorer job, I just felt really dissatisfied about it, and the work took me far longer to do it than I should've. I ended up ending the contract myself after a couple of months. I mean, there were a couple of good jobs in the contract... It's just, I can see how someone could do well in that field helping elevate bad or mediocre companies/people get more attention that they deserve. And that's horrible to me. I want to do some work I can believe in. Like you said, it can take real creativity and ability, and I still have the utmost respect for my friend who works at the marketing company. I personally just felt so weird writing and doing that work behind the scenes for that reason, after years of working in journalism and enjoying that I felt I was contributing, even to some degree, to the public good.