Getting employed to "do what just happens to cross my mind" is quite rare, typically you need to have a Noble prize or similar associated with your career to get that kind of position.
Just because there is some marginal usefulness of what you just thought up for society, doesn't mean that society is obliged to pay you for it.
If your product has actual value, then there is always the time honoured avenue of selling it, just like every baker, farmer, artist etc. has to do .
@simon Sure, I understand that. This is a product talk. If you have a product, sell it.
What I do, is not products. It's R&D. Taking two or more things, mushing them together and seeing if it blows up or cures white spots on the map.
From some things I do, products grow. Like Every Door and other editors, Easy Transit, Nik4. Or other people take my R&D and form it into products they sell, like RocketData and InkAtlas did.
Cashable "value" comes from general public. My audience is mappers.