[ospzfmbbzr]

Yeah I'm a bit jaded too. Would I get into this business today? Probably not.

Mostly because of the potential employers, who they hire and why, and how success is 'measured' these days. I've been contract only for 17 years and I'll never go back to employment. I guess I'm lucky to have the option, but if I didn't I'd find another non-employment way to earn a living.

As you say the problem is that individual contributor quality isn't valued as it should be -- it's not prioritized above say compliance with 'all the current things.'

Engineering culture is mostly absent everywhere nowadays and in it's place a culture of entitlement and groupthink -- the hallmarks of failing institutions.