cog already said, rightfully, it's only a number. cog is right. But it's a reward as well. At some point, you'll realize, these numbers, ranks, salary (beyond comfort) are just numbers. Do the rewards they represent matter to you?

Look at it this way. 3k points, you become a saint, then your name goes on a page of saints. 5 years of some language, 10 years of computing, then you become a good programmer, maybe architect quality.

It's not what you put in, it's what you get out. The journey is sometimes more important.