I echo this sentiment. My "real life" has improved massively because of the fact that I work in technology. Money can't solve all your problems but there is a class of important problems that only money can solve effectively and tech. is a good way of making that money. I'm extremely grateful for this and wouldn't diss it.

On a more general level, the stress of working on multiple projects, dealing with different kinds of people, managing a team etc. all take their toll on a person but what kind of job doesn't? There's some amount of sacrifice that is necessary for any worthwhile endeavour. The trick is learning to manage it effectively.

A personal lesson I've learnt over the covid years is that being able to compartmentalise (or sometimes integrate) these different aspects of ones life effectively and not let one affect the others is a skill that's as vital as it's neglected. Dragging the doom and gloom of an extremely unpleasant client interaction back home to ones family is not acceptable. Physical barriers between different compartments of ones life are easy to build. Mental and emotional ones are harder but are equally if not more important. Nuclear fallout in one compartment shouldn't affect the flowers growing in another.