My father grew up on a Minnesota farm, homesteaded by European immigrants. He got drafted into the army and married my German mom in Nuremberg after WWII. They provided for me enough to get educated, learn to program, and become a college dropout, software entrepreneur, and multimillionaire.

To answer your questions: yes, the work was worth it, because it led to having no financial concerns, which is very relaxing, and financial success let me help and support family members and let my wife support charities. I doubt there would have been a "more fun" path for me because I enjoyed programming so much.