That kind of thinking helps ward off mediocrity. Whenever I deal with somebody in my company, I really hope they think their work is important and I appreciate it in a positive way, even if their work isn't important and I'll only notice if they fail to deliver (in which case it will just set me back a week.)

Having a realistic perception of your own importance leads to depression and to performing at the bare minimum necessary to stay employed. I don't bother much with reality anymore; I prefer sanity and success to reality ;-)

I feel like the stuff I studied in school leads 90% of the grads in my field to making electronic doodads that no one needs or websites that contribute nothing to society. Working on something that might, actually, help another person in serious way seems pretty rare these days.

You are not curing cancer.

Unless he is; there are computational biologists who try to use math/programming to cure cancer.

That's my point.