Picard’s alternate life in Tapestry isn’t about how much worse his life is as a mid-rank science officer who just clocks in and out every day, it’s about the Picard who has lived one life being placed into another life of which he has no memory and no connections. Of course the man who’s been the captain is unsatisfied with the life he witnesses in Tapestry, because it’s not his life, and he would never be happy there.
But the Science Picard who did live that life, who got promoted up to a position onboard the flagship of the Federation, how are we or Captain Picard to know how he feels about his life? I mean, we’re made to understand that getting onto the Enterprise is a big deal, so he might have worked his ass off to get there, and he might enjoy his work, his life, and perhaps his average service record speaks to a Picard that isn’t a work-obsessed isolationist that made the sacrifices to be a captain of the most advanced ship in Starfleet. Perhaps Science Picard found a balance that allows him to do work he likes, in a position he still had to earn, and still maintain a balance that allows him to pursue interests beyond that work, something Starfleet and the Federation are always going on about but is rarely shown among Starfleet personnel on shows that are so focused on their designated roles and duties.
I’d be interested to read about Science Picard’s life, just to see.