Anyone else ever feel like they're just going through the motions at work? Like, what's the point, really?

Hard luck with any applies. Even after reaching out to people for referrals on LinkedIn. Can’t leave the current job due to financial constraints of family

Well, i guess this is harsh reality, as you work more and go towards top, you would see that 'valuable work' feeling decreases. Rather some say that in any role in any company, you would get 20-30% kind of work you want to do or enjoy doing and rest is the BAU boring stuff. This percentage might be slightly different for different roles and companies but more or less for the average time period, this is it. So that's how corporates work i guess and that's what you need to learn and hang on. Soon enough you will have family and personal life which will make you ignore this aspect and it will be normal for you.

Facing the same issue, not finding any value to what I am doing. Really feel unmotivated to travel to office these days.

Either you need a change of role or a change of career. It’s a hassle and struggle to do what interests you and might not pay as much , but there would be job satisfaction. And there is no alternative to hard work and smart-work. So , if you are a risk taker - change your career and if you think you just need a role change , consider doing that and find time to follow your passions and interests. This approach has helped me. Hope it helps u too! At the end we all seek happiness from what we do. For some people the happiness is money , for some its job satisfaction.

Business roles do tend to be like that especially in the earlier stages of our careers - direct impact especially in Knowledge roles (research, strategy, advisory) is not as attributable as in other roles such as Marketing/Sales. I would say - Continue to ask generic & broader questions to your seniors and clients. Do a survey of sorts in terms of how your work helps and how it can be improved. That is what has helped me often. Very generic answer, I know, happy to connect separately as well in case you want to share more details and discuss.

Happens to many. What do you think you don't like about your work?