I did some freelance work prior to this and those gigs involved me developing a full application for the client. They'd give their idea/requirements and I'd make it from the ground. up. I loved that. I love being able to see a program come to life in front of me. I love to start with that blank canvas and through sheer will and dexterity forming it into something beautiful. That's what I like about software development.
At my new job, however, I've been thrown into a massive legacy codebase and am given specific features to add to implement on top of this already incredibly complex monolith that I can hardly understand. The technology being used is actually pretty interesting and novel, it's not just another Java enterprise app or massive Angular webapp. But I'm not able to really create anything. Any productivity I could have is drained by just navigating the existing maze of code. I might get to add a new feature, but there's not true creation happening. None of those features are challenging or novel. I feel like I'm filling in a coloring book rather than painting on a canvas.
Not sure what the point of this rant is, I'm just a little frustrated. I was so happy to have the chance to get paid to do what I love, but I'm not loving what I'm getting paid to do. I'd try to find another job but I don't want to have short periods of employment on my resume and my lack of a degree or any other credentials would make it difficult to ever get to the interview stage. Any suggestions for how I can find passion in my existing job or how I could pivot early in my career so that I can get in at projects inception and be a founding developer?