[chinese_dan]

I also had the exact same problem. Long hours, no appreciation, and I didn't have a very good personal life.

I started my own company and all of those problems went away. At first there was a lot of sacrifice, but once the business is stable, you can pretty much figure out the hours you need to work.

Most employers aren't going to care if you are seeing your friends and family. This isn't their responsibility.

If you can't handle a certain job because of the hours, it might be time to change careers. Some jobs will have long hours, no matter where you work.