Living by your ideals?

Some time has passed and I have been working "nine to five" (or rather, 7AM-3:30PM) every day for a little more than three weeks. To say that this job has been insulting my humanity is a solid understatement, as it would have been more appropriate to have an industrial robot carry it out. Not to mention the fact that the company itself, aswellas some of their customers, stand for something that diametrically opposes what I am all about.

So this is me. Doing this. For them. Me.

And I am wondering and I am pondering: Was living by your ideals truly just an ephemeral dream? Or even worse: Is it merely a luxury reserved for the rich?