I think most people in tech have severe imposter syndrome. If they are constantly working in or on something they feel they are falling behind. Or lack the passion to constantly be committing to a Github[0] project. In other professions this simply doesn't happen. Once you have your license, degree, or certification you're validated. You're not on a treadmill to constantly prove your competence.
BTW, I love tech but even I'm starting to get exhausted from the constant need to stay ahead of the curve. Now I do 1-2 certifications a year and leave it at that. Which is about what a practicing CPA would do for work outside of their job.
[0] Github is probably thinking, "now why am I in this?" don't worry you were just an obvious, visible example.
If you become a lawyer or consultant, two other high-paying fields, you're next worry is usually "how do I make partner," and everything that's not in service of that feels like work that's holding you back.
Hollywood? That’s how “nerds” are usually represented
Disagree on 2. I think with high pay comes higher requirement to be dedicated. I am sure they exist like all things but most of the well payed law and medical roles all work long hours and require continued education. The jobs that don’t have this, often do not have the same level of comp.
My dedication is mostly weaponized autism not love, though I figure plenty of us can't tell the difference.
Software engineering is generally extremely well compensated for the amount of work. I have found in my career that the more demanding the role, the better compensation. Often enough that it was easy to pick out the roles that did not have adequate comp.
I think it’s also just as easy to find a lower comp role that is not demanding. That’s all I meant.
1. Working on tech is a pretty good way to kill whatever love of tech you might have. As the old adage goes, if you want to enjoy something, don't make it your day job.
2. Why does tech often end up being the field where people think everyone working there needs to be obssessed with? The vast majority of fields and industries are treated like a day job to pay the bills (even some incredibly prestigious/high paying ones like law and medicine), but there seems to be the assumption that this isn't true of the tech industry.