[paulryanrogers]

Yet at the end you have the gold, so to speak. At smaller creative places you may end up feeling fulfilled and entirely unable to support yourself or family financially. It's not binary either. There is a spectrum.

I spent years on creative pursuits at college in gaming, got no money for it, then took a corp job. Ultimately I regret pouring out so much creative energy, especially since it was modding based on IP I didn't own. Anyway, my creative pursuits today are so modest and routine it would make the younger me scoff. And yet now I'm satisfied with a corporate job and hobbies like home improvement and occasional game playing and podcast recording.