> jobs that are regarded as satisfying and challenging are approached by so many talented people that they don't have to pay very well and the conditions are usually not great.

Agree! If I could be a florist on a developers salary I would jump at it and never look back.

Yes, I am beginning to realize that a lot of people actually don't want to bang their heads against the wall regularly at work. I do, though :/

Solving an insanely hard problem I have struggled with for days, weeks, or months is the most satisfying thing I've ever experienced.

They don't owe me a purposeful, challenging job with a livable wage you are ABSOLUTELY right. However, I don't owe anyone 40+ hours a week when I get nothing out of it but the ability to pay rent and eat.

I am okay with dying. I don't see a point in living a life where I spend my days contributing to a company that does nothing for the world and I am bored out of my mind. I would rather work at McDonald's if that's the case. I am being serious! Money is only a secondary goal.

My ultimate goal is to work for myself and I will at some point. Hopefully that means starting a company focused on genomics, big data, or healthcare, but if not I will buy a gas station and run it myself.

I spent 4 years in a healthcare company in a job that REQUIRED a BS in the life sciences. I never had single day where I was challenged by the goals set by my managers. For 2 years I doubled those goals every single month, some days I was able to quadruple those goals. I was the highest performing one in the department, I asked regularly for new "opportunities" only to get more crap that would not have been challenging for me at the age of 15.

I am sorry that doesn't fit with your world view, it was the worst experience I have ever had and I won't go into another job where they promise me career growth, opportunities, and challenges after I "prove myself." I've already wasted a HUGE amount of time, the past 4 years have been extremely inefficient compared to what I could have been learning in a challenging job.

The only reason I went to college was because I thought it would lead to a job that was actually challenging. My parents never had those, they don't have beyond a high school education. So fuck me for believing education could lead to a challenging job (and you better believe I am prepared for extensive work on top of my education). I've been working since I was 15, I had a full-time job the last half of my senior year in high-school as a stock room manager and yet I still have never had a regularly challenging job. I have never had less than a stellar performance review.

BUT, all my experience isn't the right experience. It seems I am assumed to be borderline mentally-retarded on anything I have not done 100x before.

How did you make this transition? Did you take the necessary course work in school, or take time off of work? Where do you get meaningful recommendations after leaving school?