I’ve worked 2nd (afternoon), swing (evening), and 3rd (overnight) shifts for the majority of my life. I recently moved into a training position where I’m Monday through Friday, 8am to ~5:30pm (I get OT while I’m cleaning up and writing reports).
As much as the 2nd/swing/3rd shifts screw with your life in other ways, the difficulty in scheduling any kind of life services outside of working hours is maddening. Doctor’s appointment? Nope. DMV? Maybe Saturday, if you’re lucky. Chaperone your kids field trip? Hahahhah no.
I don’t want to burn sick time for a doctor’s appointment (I need to save those for when my kid is actually sick), and I sure as hell don’t want to use up a “vacation” day for it. How tf are you supposed to get anything done?
Add kids and being chronically ill to that.
But honestly, you can find your place. I’d recommend not making your passion to your work as not to lose/spoil it but you need to at least like it. It’s tricky. So that at best work is still work, but not pissing you off all the time.
Then you’ll have the energy for other things too.
And regarding finding your place it can also be taken literally. Other countries work in very different ways, yours might not be the best fit for you. You take as given what the local options are, but there are others. I recall a video of an American who already knew Germany well but still his socks were blown off by the wildly different working environment here for example. (sick days? Wtf lol) it’s hard enough here for me with all these benefits, I literally would not have survived in the US for various reasons.
That might sound like an exaggeration but it’s not. It’s a fact due to my medical history. And if I had survived I’d be broke, but I’m not.