> My friend is a respected surgeon, but when he clocks out of the hospital he goes cycling and to the beach.
But to become a surgeon, he probably had to put in ridiculous hours for years as a med student and then resident.
Going through that gauntlet is what earned him the reasonable hours and good pay, by reducing his competition.
Similarly the people doing leetcode are doing it to stand above the competition and make big bucks in silicon valley. The people working reasonable hours in Spain are making much less extravagant salaries.
Basically the general rule is if you desire above average money, you have to put in above average effort at some point in your career.
If you want to put in average effort, you have to be happy with average salary. Which is fine for many people.
But you won't get FAANG/surgeon pay if you never put in above average effort.
But to become a surgeon, he probably had to put in ridiculous hours for years as a med student and then resident.
Going through that gauntlet is what earned him the reasonable hours and good pay, by reducing his competition.
Similarly the people doing leetcode are doing it to stand above the competition and make big bucks in silicon valley. The people working reasonable hours in Spain are making much less extravagant salaries.
Basically the general rule is if you desire above average money, you have to put in above average effort at some point in your career.
If you want to put in average effort, you have to be happy with average salary. Which is fine for many people.
But you won't get FAANG/surgeon pay if you never put in above average effort.