Neither. My motivation isn’t about climbing ladders or being at the top.
Just want a bit of challenge, interesting, and get paid well for it. The ladder means having to become a manager and deal with shit to get paid enough.
So, went freelance. Be your own boss, potentially get paid well, arrange your own salary/expenses/holidays etc (and have certain tax benefits 😉 ), and can continue doing actual interesting work but not have to manage people, suck up to the boss, or deal with office politics and follow corporate rules (in theory).
Downside is it’s not a stable job. Though plan for days/weeks/months on the bench and you iron it out, and get a chunk of time off.
Though being in IT I found quickly that permanent jobs aren’t stable anyway and the whole redundancy process is a stressful experience (though sometimes profitable). Freelance/contracting you can be out the door quick, which is both good and bad.
Above all though, my priority is my life and enjoying it. Work provides the money that’s all. Unless my work could involve bikes 😀