I watched Good Will Hunting recently and was struck by this scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKQBHkzOYvw), particularly these lines:

              WILL
  What do you mean "cop out?" I mean, w-w-what's
  wrong with layin' brick?
  
              SEAN
  Nothing.
  
              WILL
  There's nothing wrong---That's some-- That's
  somebody's home I'm building.
  
              SEAN
  Right. My dad laid brick. Okay? Busted his ass so I
  could have an education.
  
              WILL
  Exactly. That's an honorable profession. What's wrong
  with..with fixing somebody's car. Someone can get to
  work the next day because of me. There's honor in that.

I don't think you're naive. I think it's hard to find "honor" in a lot of software jobs. If you find a job building a booking app for dog-washers, for example, you might be solving a real problem that someone has. But you're not building someone's house; you're not getting someone to work.