> "Being stuck in problem solving" IMHO is a veritable source of professional happiness, not a detraction from it, among the best developers I know.
Depends on the problem being solved. Debugging platform or OS problems are a minefield of frustration.
Some problems presented to developers are also very far afield from their strengths and interests, like UI and UX, and so also might be of little real interest despite being important problems.
My read on the quote is the problem comes from the "being stuck" part, not the "problem solving" part.
For example, finding a corner case bug in a library you rely on is generally unpleasant. Sure, part of problem solving may involve either fixing it, working around it, or choosing another library. Before choosing an option, it makes sense to weigh the costs and benefits.
To make a long story short, if enough things pile up at the same time, it can feels unsatisfying because less new user-facing benefit is being created.
One solution, if it works for you, is to take a balanced view of productivity means; namely, a blend of short- and long-term value.
Depends on the problem being solved. Debugging platform or OS problems are a minefield of frustration.
Some problems presented to developers are also very far afield from their strengths and interests, like UI and UX, and so also might be of little real interest despite being important problems.