[grey-area]

You seem to have a terrible job, you should fix that.

Meanwhile many people happily make a living programming in a mostly stress-free, creative environment where every day brings new challenges and the codebase is well ordered and easy to navigate.

Also, tracking down bugs is fun! I can see how it would not be fun in a terrible codebase and have experienced that side of things, but nobody is forcing you to work at a particular company.

[lpapez]

> but nobody is forcing you to work at a particular company.

It really isn't all that simple. I felt the same way when I was younger - "just switch jobs yo" - but as I grow up I realize that there are increasingly many external life factors forcing people into an unhealthy work environments which can be outside their control.

I work in a shitty legacy PHP codebase, but I do it for the great money and can accept the pain willingly. It is much easier to tolerate things when you know there is an exit nearby, but I imagine people can get much more jaded when their visa depends on the shitty employer, debts loom over their head, medical costs are piling up, kids require feeding every month etc.

[grey-area]

It really is that simple and as I reach the end of my career I appreciate that more.

Life is too short to stay in bad situations for a long time. Of course it’s sometimes hard to move/switch job but it’s never impossible and why spend most of your waking life on something you hate with unremitting passion like the OP?

[pdimitar]

> Life is too short to stay in bad situations for a long time

Life is also too short to get evicted of "your" house (that the bank actually owns) when you miss 3 mortgage payments because you left because "life is too short to stay in bad situations".

[grey-area]

Don’t do that then. You can wait to leave a job till you have another lined up. It’s not always easy or simple but it’s certainly possible.

[pdimitar]

I am forgiven to have been exhausted by the grind and for trying to be loyal and go all-in where I am hired.

Wait, it turned out I am not forgiven and just taken advantage of.

So yeah, I am trying. Not easy by any means. But lesson learned, though way too late in my life and career. I'll definitely be doing that going forward.

[pdimitar]

> You seem to have a terrible job, you should fix that.

You hiring?

Because what your parent commenter describes are at least 90% of all programming jobs. Everywhere. And I am being generous by not saying 98% because it's likely closer to that number.

"Many people" could be true only in the absolute numerical sense of the world. Say, 500K out of the dozens of millions.