I think that is a pretty healthy point of view.
When I was first out of school I worked for a consultancy for a little over 4 years. There I worked on everything from medical pipetting robots, to surgical tools, to educational children’s toys, to footwear, eyewear, and time pieces. As much as I tried to get into the medical based product because of the good it did, it just wasn’t for me. I enjoyed, was passionate about, and found more meaning in doing the more culturally resonate type of product. It took a good deal of time for me to realize and come to terms with this. Year later, I remember standing on a BART train heading from SF to Berkley when something hit me like a ton of bricks. 4 people riding in that car of the train were wearing sneakers I had designed. It is a small thing perhaps, but for some reason out of the 1,000s of possible shoes they could have purchased, those one spoke to them in some way, and it felt good. I had a similar experience with a my mechanic wearing a watch I had worked on. I’ve had that feeling a lot over the last 15 years. For me, those brief moments of connection with people are just amazing. It is especially good when I’ve come across someone using a product I worked on that has ben out of production for some time. Then I feel like I’ve done my job. They have formed a connection with the product that has convinced them to keep it, to take care of it, to not throw it away for this seasons new shiny thing. That is a win for me.
In what I’m doing now, designing audio product from $20 all the way to $5,000+, there is this sense of connection with the music. The product is just a medium to get the user to a more perfect and transportive experience of taking in music. Music is one of those things, you could say it is superfluous, yet every culture produces music. It was present at the birth of civilization. I personally find a lot of joy in being a small part of the current instantiation of that human experience.
Everyone finds their own center of passion. I’m happy that there are people who love designing surgical implements, and water treatment devices, and all manner of things that people use. This is a diverse field. There are many differences among us. You can be who you need to be.