Mind you, I'm not FAANG material nor the entrepreneurial sort. The feeling is mutual: I'm not interested in devoting my time to reach those heights in the workplace. They are not interested in hiring people like me. I don't apply for those jobs, and they don't try to recruit me. I'm sure the work is fine there but I can't see myself getting excited about it.

Now, let's talk about my FTP or VO2max and what I'm doing to increase my numbers. I'm really interested in my HRV and what factors affect it. I'm presently also interested in building an analog compressor - electronics are cool - and not at all interested in Tensorflow, deep learning, or spending my free time taking Coursera classes. Why would I spend time learning Rust when I can be improving my flexibility with some yoga? But that's just me.

And finally, I do get what I "deserve" on the job front: I'll always be a middle-of-the-pack guy and not a hot shot. I'm not lazy, but my ambitions are not in career advancement. So I get paid accordingly. But to me, a real hot shot is a 52 year old guy nailing a sub-20 5K.