i learned (2 decades+ later) that i was the cheapest guy they could find several times and my experiences taught me the hard way that the only way you can make progress is if you live/breath/eat/shit it as hardcore as you can working 60+ hours weeks during the honeymoon period or you too will be walking out the door.

we recently hired new grads and they don't exhibit this kind of asshattery like the new hires at the companies i worked for in the past did and i'm wondering if it representative of a labor aristocracy that's starting to struggle since my old companies were both faang and old-silicon while this new company is a non-profit that serves my local community.