The hours were insane. To be honest, there were no hours I was not working.
Yes. It can be like this for sure and I have had periods of years where it has been. These days, I am still working a lot, plus Hive on top. It isn't for everyone.
After a couple of years of grinding, I made a decision to go with the regular job where I don't have to grind as much. I was not looking to not work but it was definitely much easier and mundane.
This is why I took the second job, it gave me a little more security, meaning I didn't have the pressure to perform. I kept working my business though.
The sense of control in work is something that is hard as an employee. What often ends up happening is that employees take control of what they can, which is often why there is a lot of pettiness in offices.