Maybe the issue is that these jobs are basically seasonal but we are trying to force them to be secure jobs in office? I can imagine there is a lot of people who like to jump project to project and not get caught in maintenance, like I do. I think these (secure job / project hopping) are very different things that shouldn't be compared, and people should not forget about the nature of the job at hand (and, IMHO, shouldn't force it to be something it is not).
I think it's more to do with the demand for talent. The people with their sights on mega success need talented tech people to bring those ideas to reality. Problem is their ain't enough of those people to go around, so as a result salaries are high - but long hours and overtime are expected. As part of the process of convincing people to do that managers try to play to our egos and say we'll e successful and rich of we do.
At a previous job, a developer for a logistics firm, we got reviewed on the amount of overtime that we gave to the company. I refused to do overtime unless it was to fix a problem of my own making. My manager told me that was a very unprofessional attitude. My response was to say that I spent seven years at University getting my BSc and MSc. I lived on ramen and cheap Tennents lager. Why should I give away those hard acquired skills for free? "To be successful!!" my manager said. I told him I was successful. I earned a decent salary and was able to provide for my family and put savings aside... what more did I need?
Later the MD of that company would give a speech at the summer party saying that if you put in less than 10 hours a week overtime then you didn't value success and didn't care for your family.
