[enasterosophes]

Yep, absolutely. I share the first-hand experience of this paradox: it's good to work on something you feel passionate about, yet at the same time working on something is a surefire way to kill your passion for it.

I'll probably be stuck doing tech forever, because I'm good at it, and although I feel bored and exasperated with the bullshit, I wouldn't go so far as to say I hate it. There are worse ways to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. Tech is reliable like that.

Still, the last year or so I've started putting more effort into learning non-STEM skills like music and art. Things that don't involve staring at screens (which rules out writing, which I'm also okay at.)

While I doubt I could ever earn a living from such things, it's nice to have options. These pursuits also provide an avenue for meeting people who don't feel the need to fill every conversation with inane debates about the same old cybersecurity issues, enterprise vs FOSS, text editor and other workflow holy wars, and what steaming piles of tech stacks are "cool" this year.