Let's call it SWExit, software engineering exit.
I've lost a lot of the motivation to work as Software Engineer (15+ yrs). All the talk, news (nonsense) about the future of Software Engineering, LLMs, AI and related technologies is far from what I hoped my work to be. If I'm just reduced to an advanced administrator through LLMs, then I'll might as well be a chef or something else that is fulfilling.
What strategies do you suggest for someone struggling to find motivation at this stage?
a) Sabbatical year b) Move up the ladder c) Change career path d) get over it, accept it and do the minimum
To each alternative there's more to comment, e.g. option b) requires interest in the product to be a good leader - I refuse to do meaningless work.
You'll probably do meaninglessness in whatever job you end up picking.
> What strategies do you suggest for someone struggling to find motivation at this stage?
Be realistic about alternatives - what you like/dislike, how much runway (financial/mental) you have to explore, whereabouts you're based etc.
You're experienced and you seem to already have identified what you don't like. Software is practically everywhere, and it doesn't engineer itself. The aspects you talk about relate to noise that has become intolerable and there are many sectors, especially when the stakes are real, that eschew this "nonsense".
Have you considered working at places that don't "identify" as "tech companies/software companies" but where software is very present? Industry/Manufacturing, construction, automotive, aerospace, energy, logistics/supply chain, etc...
All these need software and they need actual, tangible, results.