Honestly I hope you're right. I think many people (especially nowadays) pick SWE as a well-paying stable profession without being motivated by a noble quest for knowledge and enjoyment. And even though I personally may have passion now, I think it's possible that I may lose it later as I run into negative experiences like burnout.
I wouldn't say it's a noble quest; it's just what I like to do. I agree, there are a lot of people who now get into SWE because they want a stable, high-paying job, and not because they actually want to do it. If they can't get hired in their 40s, I say good riddance. People who are only in it for the money--and do the minimum to get by--aren't good coworkers. I hope they find a career they enjoy.
It's unfortunate that tech eats so many people who would rather be academics, researchers, artists, craftsmen. I get it; tech pays stupid high salaries to smart people who can do it, but want to do something else. I've run into a lot of PhD physicists who are coders because there are only so many jobs for a physicist, and they invariably pay less than entry-level web coding jobs. Many of them find they enjoy software, and make for great coworkers. But there are a lot of people who only do it for the money, and science, art, and other fields are worse for it. Tech eats everything.
I'm fortunate, I guess, in that I started in a tech career because it was what I enjoyed as a hobby. When I started out, it wasn't the best way to make a buck. My first few jobs paid less than I was making working in construction, and far less than a teacher made. I got lucky, financially.
