> As a parting thought, some of the happiest people I know work a 9-5 job that gives them a reasonable living standard, and have rich and vibrant personal and social lives outside work.

This is the secret. Don’t work in your passion; find a specialization that you don’t hate but also don’t love and set reasonable boundaries on work. If it’s not something you’re passionate about, you will respect those boundaries and the drudgery becomes bearable.

I absolutely love tech and tinkering on code. So much so that I had to stop doing it and actually lean into the managerial battles described in the article. Turns out I’m pretty good at that job, and I like working with people all day, but it’s a career rather than a calling. I also don’t feel compelled to keep pushing to finish a problem and come up for air to see it’s 9pm.