<p>^^^ But you work for yourself, so you can do whatever you want. </p>
<p>In the top offices in places like NY, punishingly long hours and low pay are the norm. I’m not extrapolating from a personal situation–all the “design” firms are that way, and you can look it up. There’s a fair amount of discussion online. If I wanted to generalize from my own position, I could say the same as you–how else would I have time to chat on the internet? (And if you read more closely, you’ll see that I mentioned children in the office on Saturdays only. They certainly wouldn’t have been allowed on other days.) </p>
<p>But it would be doing a genuine disservice to potential entrants into the field to mislead them about the long hours and low pay which are endemic to the profession. However, if you are happy doing the working drawings for industrial buildings and shopping plazas in Omaha or Kansas City, you’ll have easier working conditions. The reason for this is logic itself: there’s far less competition for such positions.</p>