Hello everyone! I'd like to share my experience working so far and ask for general advice/opinions. I'm 26yo (M) and have a degree in engineering. I've had almost 3 years of experience so far. I've entered the field quite excited and hopeful to learn and grow myself but the last months have been making me worried.
Currently I have a 9-6 office job. I wake up every day almost at 7AM just to avoid traffic and get to the office on time, even though my job could be done remotely most of the days (my company doesn't like that). I spend all day in front of a computer screen having meetings and working on the projects. I actually enjoy my tasks and what I do, but almost everyone on this company looks miserable. Most people here are around 35-45 year old and are clearly overloaded with work. Some of old my coworkers say they can only sleep 4h or 5h at most during working days. Our salaries aren't that great either, despite our company bragging having a growth in profits in the last months. One of my younger coworkers is currently involved in one of our biggest projects so far and he doesn't get paid that much. Almost everyone is obsessed with work, to the point where I'm one of the very few who doesn't take his laptop home to work during the weekends. Some people here clearly became the typical NPC with a white or blue shirt and fancy pants and shoes that have nothing to talk about during coffee breaks except work. Some of them are rude too, to the point of calling you “lazy” if you leave work at your usual hour instead of staying a few more minutes, sometimes hours, like your typical ol' classic bootlicker.
Now, here's the thing: I had a two week vacation on July and I loved it. I traveled for a few days to France ALONE and I had a blast there. It made me realize I want to travel more, visit more places, but at the same time I actually enjoy what I do and I wouln't mind keep doing some work in this field for a while (the problem is the very strict company environment and the people/salary).
So help me, what do I do and what can I expect? The field where I'm working in is cool, but most of the companies on this very specific field seem to pay very little, especially in my country (unless you create your own company or go freelancing). I'm currently studying for a master's degree and I want to stay in this company while I do it, so I can have a “stable” income while paying for my studies and other expenses. I'm tired of watching everyone around me have the same boring routine over and over again and be in constant stress because of workload and deadlines. Having only 14 days or so of vacation per year sounds so little considering I'd love to travel more around the world (and just feel like a free human) while still maintaining a stable and decent job.
I know I'm still 26 and I'm young, but I'm slowly getting the idea that this is what awaits me and many people are already beyond salvation: wasted precious years in their offices with horrible wages and treated like a disposable number instead of a human. Everywhere I look I see more and more people of my age going through same path, and it feels grim and scary. What do I do? Is there no way of escaping this? Am I worrying for no reason?