> For those who like the Marvel movies, I think Tony Stark ended up doing rather well with the gift of life that he'd received in the first Iron Man movie.
A fictional superhuman-level engineer may not be the best example you could use here.
I think the point is that Stark wasn’t shown having extensive personal friendships, family life, etc. - but he used what he did have (technical ability) to do meaningful work. Obviously, the scope of that work is fantastical, but what’s the point of storytelling if we don’t take inspiration from our characters?
Well it's a lot easier to find meaningful work when one has superhuman abilities. Unlike many in our industry, I am not deluded enough to believe that my talents are particularly special. Further, since I'm not a billionaire like Stark, I have to find a job that I can support myself with foremost, which means meaningfulness takes a back seat. It is very unlikely I would be able to find both.
I don’t have any meaningful technical abilities, but I have a job that lets me help people, invest in their futures, and generally live my values. I only
make about 45k at age 35 and will never FIRE. So it goes.
Stark is not inspiring to me - but I believe having inspirations is important. Why throw cold water on that because it doesn’t resonate with you.
A fictional superhuman-level engineer may not be the best example you could use here.