> Maybe I'll come back in 9 years and see how my views have changed.

I'm in year 10. My views are pretty much how you've outlined here. Some differences based on my $ENTERPRISE vs yours, but overall not a wide gap.

And I wouldn't say that's necessarily a bad thing. Once you've adapted and realize where to look for who and what and how to prioritize and estimate your time, you're pretty set. Company succeeds and you succeed.

Good luck, OP!