[dsacco]

Honestly, I hate to say this but your perspective here sounds more like outright arrogance than anything inherent to the job. You speak about these jobs as if they're utterly beneath you and inflicting misery on your time. I'll reiterate: I have done most of the jobs you mention, and while I certainly didn't feel personally fulfilled by them or buy into the company mission, I didn't spend my time in abject misery - I made the most of it and found that my coworkers could actually be fun, even if they weren't bound for tech or a similarly intellectually exciting field.

I personally don't believe there's anything inherent to any job that makes it meaningful or not meaningful; you admit that your opinion is subjective but then provide a backhanded compliment about the parent being able to enjoy "meaningless shit work"...it doesn't sound like you've conceded that it's subjective there. With a few poignant exceptions, you can choose whether or not to derive meaning and enjoyment from a job, even if you recognize that it's not what you ultimately want to do.

[Domenic_S]

I spent about a decade in retail-ish jobs (started young). They are substantially easier to deal with when you know you have something else waiting for you. The difference between a lifer and a just-passing-through youngster is hard to overstate.