u/xpokeraxx

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and maybe writing it out will help me make sense of it.
I’ve been working in cloud infrastructure for around 4–5 years now, and I’m at a weird point in my career where I don’t know whether I want to start again somewhere else or just continue playing along with the way things are.
I recently had an injury that has put me on medical restrictions and, among other things, made me realize how dependent my current job is on being physically present. With a no-WFH policy, I don’t really know how long the company can accommodate me, especially when I don’t even know how long recovery is going to take.
That has pushed something else to the front of my mind.
I’ve been thinking about making a career move for a while now. But honestly, I’m at a stage where I’m questioning whether I should keep pushing toward something better or simply accept that this is how the industry works and learn to play along.
I’m not really the typical “yes sir, whatever needs to be done” kind of person.
I don’t enjoy being another piece of furniture that clocks in for nine hours because that’s what company policy says.
I like troubleshooting.
I like building things.
I like getting my hands dirty, learning something I don’t know, figuring out why something isn’t working, trying something unconventional, and then finding a way to implement it properly within the constraints of the environment.
Basically, think outside the box — then figure out how to make it work inside the box.
And when I pick up a problem, I tend to get restless until it’s either solved or I’m confident that it’s under control.
That’s always been the part of engineering I’ve enjoyed.
But lately I’ve started wondering whether that mindset is actually valued anymore.
Maybe I’m looking for something that the industry doesn’t really need from someone at my level.
Maybe I’m overthinking it.
Or maybe I’ve just been in the wrong environments.
I’m at a stage where I want to look at the bigger picture without losing the eye for detail. I want to keep evolving instead of simply getting comfortable doing the same thing because that’s how it has always been done.
And now, because of the injury, there’s also a practical clock ticking in the background.
I need to start looking seriously at remote opportunities because I genuinely don’t know how long my current situation is going to remain workable.
So I guess I’m asking people who are further along in their careers:
Does this mindset still have a place in the industry?
Is there still room for engineers who genuinely enjoy troubleshooting, building, experimenting and taking ownership — or does career progression eventually become more about managing expectations, following processes and playing the corporate game?
And if you’ve reached a similar point in your career, how did you decide whether to start over somewhere new or just learn to play along?