how do you avoid burnout and getting taken advantage of?
patkai: I've been in the same shoes several times and I had to realize that it is a personality issue. I was raised to be respectful, helpful and a "good guy" and nobody taught me how to negotiate for a salary or how to draw the line for helpfulness. Those who are different will take advantage of you without noticing, and I can't even claim that they are the bad guys. Once I realized this - and that it's not that easy to change - I established my own startup/consultancy and I work harder than ever, but certainly don't feel exploited, only exhausted :) A good alternative may be to learn to stand up for yourself, easier said than done. You could also consider working for a different kind of company where you can have some slack sometimes, usually the bigger ones are like that. Or come to Europe, we invented "work-life balance" ;)