I think a more important message is being buried here. Yes, the work itself should be rewarding, but there are so many programmers out there who bleed their hea

I think a more important message is being buried here. Yes, the work itself should be rewarding, but there are so many programmers out there who bleed their heart into code, but as a profession they only work on soulless projects. There's no "canary in the mine" in regards to positive feedback: you got what you wanted, a job as a programmer, so enjoy it or suck it up. Even if it sucks. Personally I consider taking up my hobby, programming/development/web, as my all-or-nothing full-time career to be one of my biggest mistakes.