And so the cycle continues. New folks enter the industry and get some real paper in their pockets. "I don't see what the big deal is. Work hard. Play hard."
They get married. Have kids. "Oh woah. Those twelve hour work days are really hard to manage without neglecting attention to my family. They keep complaining I'm always on my laptop and work just laid off 15% of the workforce, so I have even more on my plate."
A divorce later. "They were fine with the money but didn't want to deal with what it takes to get it. Work hard! Play hard! Send alimony!"
…or…
Disillusionment. "I worked like a dog for all those years, missed my kids' first words, first steps, first everythings. And for what? A few extra options in a startup that didn't end up going anywhere?"
At this point, you try to explain to the young bucks about how there needs to be a work-life balance, but they are as stubborn and brainwashed as you were. "Shut up, old man. Just put the work in. Work hard! Play hard!"
Wash, rinse, repeat every 15-20 years.
1% follow the mantra, get rich, and pay their way out of troubles: more foreign vacations, housekeeper, therapy for kids, etc. Then they talk about how smart they are and how "no one wants to work anymore".
The other 99% have health problems and regret all the unpaid overtime instead of seeing their kid's crappy school play, crappy piano recital, crappy soccer game, and all the other "crappy" events that end up being the greatest when you see your kid light up just from you being there and proud of them for giving it their all. Because "all" isn't about an extra soccer goal. It never was.
