If you work your tail off at a bigco, your upside is golden handcuffs, not actual freedom. You'll perpetually have a net worth on paper that drops precipitously if you leave your job and let your options, RSUs, or whatever expire/die unvested. In the meantime, your base comp may look enormous, but if you break it down to an hourly rate and you're busting your ass for 70+ hours a week, you're just getting paid market rate and working a lot more.
If you want to reach escape velocity by sheer wealth accumulation, you need to own the value of your output.
IMHO the best option is to adjust your expectations and find something more rewarding that loves you back.
If you work your tail off at a bigco, your upside is golden handcuffs, not actual freedom. You'll perpetually have a net worth on paper that drops precipitously if you leave your job and let your options, RSUs, or whatever expire/die unvested. In the meantime, your base comp may look enormous, but if you break it down to an hourly rate and you're busting your ass for 70+ hours a week, you're just getting paid market rate and working a lot more.
If you want to reach escape velocity by sheer wealth accumulation, you need to own the value of your output.
IMHO the best option is to adjust your expectations and find something more rewarding that loves you back.
At length: https://dylanfitzgerald.net/blog/comfortable-satisfaction-pa...