Earn the degree.
Get the job, and the paycheck.
Work hard - learning all the things.
Land some cool assignments.
Work harder - longer hours, more responsibility.
Get the promotion. Better title, better office. Bigger paycheck.
The money is good, so you work harder.
Always focused on the next step, convinced it has to be better.
Boredom creeps in.
You can't even remember why you started down this path in the first place.
Every day feels the same.
You ask "Is this all there is?"
Every day.
"Isn't there something more?"
You burn out. Hard.
And start working on your escape plan.