Thank you for expounding, but man, I have so many "wait, what? who?" reactions to that narrative.
I'm addicted to coding, not work. I know this because I've tried other jobs, even in late career, and they sucked in comparison and brought me no joy.
"The company" is mine, so yeah, probably it doesn't care about me, but it's definitely not dropping me without consent. :)
48, soon 49, heart still going. Not even sure what that's referring to. I don't feel stressed in these crunches, I feel excited! I build cool shit! They pay me to build cool shit! They pay me way too much to build cool shit!
I guess I don't know what I would balance that excitement with. I have cool hobbies too, and those have their place, but... I just don't resonate with your take and view on the industry.
IF someone hated coding, creating, or the tech industry itself -- then I could squint and get behind your balance suggestions. For them. :)
Thanks for sharing the perspective though. If nothing else, you're fanning my gratitude flame.
Don't get me wrong, I still love to code, and I still work on open source projects and I still believe in a future where sharing of mutual contributions lead to a better outcome for everyone. That's not my point.
I also am building up my own company for the last couple years. But I want it to be a sustainable company that promotes a healthy lifestyle and that doesn't overwork its employees, and one that doesn't aim for 2 years turnover/rehiring of staff...because I think these are the typical effects of a toxic work environment, and reflects the values I don't agree with, both on a personal and a professional level.
In the end we both have a different leading style, I guess!?