I believe many of us choose our careers for the wrong reasons. Probably with good intentions but with the wrong scope in mind.
Somewhere along the way we forget the sensation of getting better at something. That feeling of continuous improvement with the hope to reach mastery one day.
Most of us have been chasing a career, but instead of reaching meritocracy, we got distracted by the bells and whistles around the career.
High salary, a nice-sounding title, top tier firm on the CV and most probably that high social status endorphin kick we get when we hang around with other successful people. Missing out the most important part. To master a craft.
Whatever occupation you might have, there is a certain comfort knowing that you are becoming better than yesterday. You made each day count and you learned something. Nothing is too trivial to learn if it is the first time you absorb it. Even the second or third time for that matter.
Not a single soul can take that glow away from you. That "Heureka" moment giving you a hit from solving a problem.
It is an earned privilege to be able to work with something you can put in extra hours on to become better at. Think about it.
8 hours a day is a decent amount of time to spend on your work. But if you have the passion and drive to dig deeper, you shouldn't hold yourself back. This is more than just a job. It is way to mastery.