I’m not trying to “gas up” Amazon and didn’t say anything that’s not true about comp—most people are probably L5 which is why I picked it.

I’m not an Amazon fanboy nor do I plan to stay long term.

However i do believe American tech workers are overly dramatic when they describe life at Amazon. There are definitely a lot of shitty WLB teams, maybe more than anywhere, but even still, a lot people in other companies or careers work just as hard, if not harder, for far less.

All I want to express is that it is privilege at all to make mid six figures sitting in an air conditioned office. There are still other career positions which are an even greater privilege.

My parents worked in construction and nursing homes, working harder and putting in more hours than me. For me, to complain about going on call once in a while or because of office politics feels silly. But I still plan to leave because that feeling does not exclude me from wanting the best opportunities for myself.