Our field is notoriously hard to quantify in terms of productivity. The metrics (Lines of Code, Velocity, etc) are all garbage. Rather than learning how to manage what they can't measure, they just latch onto hours of work.
They have no clue on how to make things more efficient so they just demand longer hours.
> I'm not sure there is any consideration for a work life balance.
There isn't. The entire idea of working long hours & long weeks immediately falls apart under the slightest interrogation.
Anyone who's done serious knowledge work knows it's physically tiring to actually use your brain, so much so that even doing it at full 100% throttle for merely 8 hours is farcical. Anyone can work for 12 hours a day if they're sitting on their ass barely doing anything.
This also readily shows in the stats. Japan ain't a productivity superpower. Despite the praise of Indian H1Bers, India sure ain't a productivity superpower either.
Long hours are just pointless virtue signalling. "Look how loyal to the company I am". Something the western world was suppose to be better than.
> For a young person starting out, that may be acceptable.
It's just desperation. With cost of living so high many don't have a choice. And this field's allergy to unionization hasn't made it better.
The few who proudly proclaim their ability to "work 80 hour weeks" are delusional.