So? If you want to contribute, you can do it on your own time (review your contract first) and/or make the business case to your team and get signoff from the

So? If you want to contribute, you can do it on your own time (review your contract first) and/or make the business case to your team and get signoff from the relevant people. The business case normally isn't too hard: show how your team benefits from the contributions. "Reputation" is hard to manage but recruiting is easy. From a technical perspective, it just takes showing that some of the bugs/features you've handled in the system are easier maintained as part of the core system instead of an internal fork. I've done the same while working for software companies, non-tech companies that used software, and even the US federal government. Finally, if you're working in software development and getting a "shitty salary" do something else. There are probably a dozen other companies hiring within a mile of where you work right now. Stop blaming others and go after what you want.