My job isn't quite a "bullshit" job as defined by Graeber but has similar problems (administrative hurdles, lots of running in place doing nothing, lack of fulfillment, etc). However, I worked my first job at 14 and have been employed consistently since then in a whole variety of bullshit jobs. Lack of fulfillment through work is definitely a reason I'm seeking FIRE.
I feel like if one is satisfied with their career, the RE part has no appeal, so a lack of satisfaction has to be the root for most people here.
But I need to figure out how to just accept this with neutral emotion. I'm working for 10.5 more years with a high-BS-quotient job, technically a great job. How can I stop ruminating how unreasonable all the BS is? It's such an emotional waste.
Some employers have a lot more BS than others. So shop around. And also consider the personal consultant way, selling yourself. From a former coworker who was a programmer, I understood that being a consultant in your own company is so much less BS than having a job.
That's one thing on this forum people commonly say that I have difficulty with -- go find something you like better, life's too short! -- but Graeber's theory undermines that recommendation. Salary and BS are inversely proportional, so I'd have to step down from a high salary to reduce the BS element. I've taken substantial salary cuts twice already and, thankfully, recovered each time. But why would I do that a third time to try again?
Don't get my wrong, I have plans to do something completely different after FI, but is it really rational for someone who has tried three different careers to try a fourth? Walk away from $250K/yr to become a barista or sailing instructor for $15/hr?
At this point I'm just trying to come to accept that BS is ubiquitous in professional services jobs and waste less mental energy being pissed off at the job.
I hope this doesn't come off as too argumentative, because I really appreciate the response and I'm honestly trying to figure this out.