I’m a programmer. All my work is ultimately, at best, useless.
That’s one of the most important lessons any good programmer learns at some point. We aren’t building monuments in software, everything we do is disposable and will eventually be someone else’s curse in the future.
Our work products are disposable, but there's still a difference in what our projects do over the course of their life. They could be a net positive, neutral, or harmful to society, or they might just be dead on arrival and never see the light of day after months of work.
That’s one of the most important lessons any good programmer learns at some point. We aren’t building monuments in software, everything we do is disposable and will eventually be someone else’s curse in the future.