Comment by Krei-se

The reason great artists spend so much time developing their skills is that the result no one knew they wanted comes from skill and the new possibilities emerging from that.

So as a software developer now might be the best time to throw system design on it's head and develop without a direction but make sure everything is as good as one can forge it.

Surprising functionality and stuff not found elsewhere then more or less simply emerges from that.

Granted - that has a certain freedom and no pressure to make money as a prerequisite but so do the 5 years noted here.