It's just a different type of enthusiasm. Some places need/want people really enthused for computer science. Other places want people really enthused for whatever domain they are in. Other places want people really enthused for solving customers pain. Other places want people really enthused for a cause. Being enthused for x when a company wants enthusiasm for y just makes it a bad fit. It doesn't make either party wrong/bad/whatever.

I wasn't trying to be judgemental. It could be, for very valid reasons, that genuine enthusiasm for programming just isn't valued or is viewed indifferently at that place rather than necessarily being something that is either going be crushed out of you or else you'll leave or be pushed out...

Edit: grammar.

Genuine enthusiasm is lethal in any work environment. IT is considered a cost center and people who actually care keep asking for things which cost more money or overcomplicate a manager's work day.

I've found it is cultural and more nuanced. IT can mean a lot of things too, many of which are not related to writing software. And if internally developed software is not adding a competitive advantage, should it really be internally developed?

If genuine enthusiasm really is lethal, it sounds like a toxic work environment.