I think this rings home. I work as a software engineer in Western Europe: programming is my hobby I and love it, but I only show "passion" on personal projects. I do my 9-5 at my work because it just doesn't make much sense to me to give all my "intellect" to my employer.

I'd see it as the opposite. Most of the American companies I apply with do some kind of community, note taking tool, communication tool, help people save money on vacations. None of these are world-changing applications.

Whereas in developing countries, you're helping people with prepaid solar power. You're helping them save time and costs transferring cash (many still don't have credit cards). Some people have only one form of entertainment, and I've worked on that once. There's just a lot of problems that have skipped the PC era and gone straight into the smartphone-browser era.

Though like the people who build highways, it's common to get treated as just another form of disposable labor.