adam....i've enjoyed your posts and thoughtful insights.
and my answer to your question as to whether i am more satisfied with a job when i have total involvement is yes,most definately.
i have come to this juncture in my career from a not so typical path....although golf design has always been a passion, from an early age i have always pursued multiple goals ,and worked hard to learn what i needed to know to achieve these.
i am largely self taught with the world as a classroom.
for what ever reason ,i am first and foremost a designer who looks at most things i see as an opportunity express this.
[i mean when will they start making cereal containers with zip lock tops , or convertible top pick-ups ,spicy ketchup etc. ?they finally just figured out pop lid soup cans,soon to be pop lid everything].
my early career consisted of nursery work ,plant propagation and growing ,dry stone masonry and related hardscape construction ,greenskeeping,landscaping,framing and building construction....i used my body daily as a tool until past thirty.
my middle career consists of landscape and building architectural design, site and land planning, resort design ,general contracting and developement and my aforementioned passion ,golf course design.
these are all areas i am paid for and comfortable working in....
i don't mean to suggest that i need to pursue all these disciplines simultaneously but to be channelled into less can be frustrating when working with un-allied professionals.
i prefer the team approach when it works...but i also enjoy a new challenge.
....and least you begin to 'gel' , it sure doesn't hurt to re-invent yourself every 15 years or so........