RE: Being loyal or being taken advantage of?

I'm with you on that man! There was something I saw a while ago that really resonated with me.

"At the end of the day who is going to remember the long hours, the missed parties, the missed sporting events and the missing person: your company or your family? Do what you can but don't kill yourself day in and day out, because it impacts your family long-term and your company won't remember any of it."

I have absolutely changed some things in this regard. I've taken steps to modify my work style to end when it ends and that's it. Yes I could work into the wee hours of the night but then it takes time away from my wife and son. Do I get extra compensation for something they don't factor into my salary? Nope!

One of the reasons I switched jobs, and would switch jobs again if push came to shove, is that I needed my leadership to support me in a decision. They flat-out refused to do so and I knew that it wasn't worth it at the end of the day. I also knew I made the right decision because when I left that company, my director, who was the CIO mind you, didn't SAY A WORD. My 2nd to last day was a department-wide meeting where they would normally say people are moving on. Not a fucking PEEP from that asshole. At that point I knew I 150% made the RIGHT decision. The late hours and all that shit I did for them, all went down the toilet when they truly didn't care about me at the end of the day. That was a real eye-opener.

Just keep this type of stuff in mind as you are doing, and make it a point to just keep your resume up to date. You never want to be caught off-guard and you will feel empowered by having the upper hand.