This is where I am going wrong. I am supposed to sit at the office for 7-8 hours, and then take work home when something is unfinished, and needs ASAP solving, which happens often.
I often wonder if this is the wrong company or I am in the long line of work.
I am incredibly curious and love to learn new things all the time. If this is what typical "work" looks like, then I may have chosen the wrong line of work.
Remember this is India, and I was happy enough to work in a product based company, as opposed to a service based one. But damn, expectations don't match at all.
Are you still in India? It's very much a cultural thing, I've seen it first hand from people I've worked with.
But no, not all companies are like that. I can't speak specifically to companies that are based on India or hire in India, those may just seek to perpetuate that culture for their own financial gain.
European people I've worked with were very particular about when they worked and how much time they took off work. They normally get like 5 or 6 or more weeks of paid time off per year.
In North America it's not as employee friendly as Europe, but not every company overworks people. Some do, but not all.
Definitely look around, talk to people you know or have worked with before to better understand your options. Do your interview prep, stay sharp and look for better opportunities. Don't burn yourself out, you'll get nothing out of it, you'll only hurt yourself or your family prioritizing work outside work hours.
I read a comment or a quote, I'll paraphrase it here because I can't remember it exactly: burnout happens when the effort you put in doesn't pay off as you expected in the end.
Don't get me wrong, we all have had jobs like that and at certain points of your career is good to have that kind of pressure/grind to quickly progress your skills, but at a certain point you need to give your mind a break.
One thing that I'd try in your situation is to have a talk with your manager and try to allocate a few hours of your week for personal development. "Most" companies should be ok with this as it is usually a win-win for both the employee and the company and that way you'd have time to pursue other technical interests that may or may not be directly related to your job. If this idea doesn't sit well with your manager it might time for you to start updating your linkedIn profile...
I often wonder if this is the wrong company or I am in the long line of work.
I am incredibly curious and love to learn new things all the time. If this is what typical "work" looks like, then I may have chosen the wrong line of work.
Remember this is India, and I was happy enough to work in a product based company, as opposed to a service based one. But damn, expectations don't match at all.