Could be. I got into this stuff because of hacker ethos stuff I read as a kid, not because tech is more lucrative than working in finance.

This is me. I derive great satisfaction simply being around tech. Maybe it is from watching my father take apart and work with the family PC at age 4 or 5. Now I'm in a rat race against Adderall addicts on hedonic treadmills.

I feel that, but remain indecisive if the best way to enjoy tech. Is it to just find the closest approximation of a fit in a job at a reasonable wage, or to crank compensation to generate better options? As I get older, the latter seems more sustainable.