how do you avoid burnout and getting taken advantage of?
timr: Given the audience of this site, I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that the top answers so far are variants of "do a startup".  That's all well and good, but it doesn't really get at the heart of your question.  Assuming that you're even in a position to start a company of your own, in all likelihood, a startup will only mean that you spend the next years of your life working like a dog, with little to no financial upside.  It's not a panacea, and it's not an answer to your question.If you're truly working 80 hour weeks, sacrificing your personal life and youth for a tiny stake in another man's dream, then yes, you're being exploited.  You're an employee, not a martyr for a cause.  The salary and stock options are compensation for a slice of your (extremely limited) time on this planet.  So you need to get your head straight, and take responsibility for what you are: you're a mercenary.  You're trading money for labor.Stock options are like lottery tickets; they're probably worthless.  Value them as such.  So do the math, decide if the total expected compensation is worth the time you're giving.  If you're not being paid enough, cut back on your hours.  Eighty hour weeks are exceptional situations, not the norm.  Adjust your schedule appropriately, and remember that it's perfectly acceptable to demand more compensation for your time.  It's also acceptable to refuse to work longer hours at any price.But that's all strategic advice.  Tactically, I think it's pretty easy:  take a sabbatical.  Get some space.  If you don't have enough money to do that, start saving, then take a sabbatical when you do.  Perhaps even work an hourly job doing mindless labor to make ends meet.  Fix your problems in your relationship by focusing on your relationship, and make a regular habit of sitting on a rock somewhere, staring at the ocean, and thinking really hard about what you want out of life, what you're willing to sacrifice to get it, and how (or if) those two things can meet.Finally, remember that it's not wrong to change your goals to accommodate your life, even if everyone else around you is doing the opposite.