Sigh, IT is so disappointing these days. Hell, most fields have become so digitized now that IT as a role has meshed into regular business functions. Between that, cargo cult programming methodologies, off shoring, and general diversity BS, it's tough.
I started at the helpdesk and then became a business analyst (begrudgingly). I was laid off 2 years later.
Agile is seriously the biggest POS out there and is really communism just repackaged.
OK, I take that back. Just like communism sort of works on kibbutzes, agile works well with small teams. The abomination that you get at the big corporates is really this nasty hybrid of waterfall with agile characteristics AKA the SDLC lifecycle you (aka Klaus Schwab WEF great reset communism).
And just like communism, everyone just isn't doing agile right!
I swear, I sit in a few meetings with scrum masters and product owners who some how always managed to talk, talk, talk but never actually get anything done. It's a consistent trait amongst all of them.
If you can get an IT job at a small to midsize company in a 2nd or 3rd tier city, you're basically set for life. The pay will be consistent, the work light, and the quality of life way higher.
For those looking for a job: when you apply for jobs online, they ask you to fill out those EEOC diversity questionnaire BS. Long story short: lie .
It should go without saying in this day and age, but you should always lie about your ethnicity on any forms.
I sometimes will randomly click an ethnicity (except white and asian). Very often I consider myself pacific islander, hispanic, black, and for fun native American. By law they can't use this for hiring criteria, but the truth is they totally use it to filter for diversity hires.
Use this to your advantage. I've had interview rates go way up.