[shahbaby]

> I should care about what I am building

I think that's the root of the problem.

The company could lay you off tomorrow. At which point all that thought and care that you put into your work instantly becomes meaningless not only to you but also to your potential new employers.

You will be lucky if any of the skills in your day-to-day job are actually tested in an interview. If you get a chance to speak about your work, it'll only be at a high level.

While you're training to perform as a code-monkey for interviews, back at the company, your carefully thought out designs are benefitting not only the cogs that replaced you but also the people who made the decision to drop you.

The better the system runs without you, the more easily they will be able to justify not needing you.

I'm not saying you should actively try to make a system harder to maintain just don't worry so much if it becomes that way due to "leadership". Remember that they get paid multiples of your salary to make these type of decisions.