I guess the fact of the matter is that working just sucks unless you're in control of the vision and sharing the profits. So you find areas that interest you and where you feel you can make a difference to make it suck less. For me personally, I get a lot of leeway for designing projects, which makes things fun and enjoyable. I also get a bonus :-)

In addition, I have my music and filmmaking hobbies. It did take a long time to get here though. I spent at least 10 years doing the kind of work OP describes and wanted any way out that I could.

Currently, there's a lot of demand for cybersecurity, devops, and big data. They pay really well. Any sysadmin with enough passion and interest could pick up those areas within a couple of years of working at it. You can't try to live out to retirement pushing the same button all day. Those days are gone. You have to take an active role in designing your career path by pushing for new projects at work and learning new things at home.