As an example i am thinking of becoming a carpenter after 7 years of stress doing software development and infrastructure.
- The space evolves at a slower pace than regular "software", so I'm less stressed about keeping up with the latest/greatest;
- Resources are more constrained so there are less whacky design patterns and architecture - just simple code;
- Longer development lifecycle (due to hardware), so less being rushed to ship half-assed features.
There are downsides, too:
- Less cool algorithms (and language features), more shunting around data and debugging;
- Not as well-compensated, but still pretty good;
- Hard to be 100% remote, since you often need access to hardware.
Obviously, my experience is not universal, just my sample of n=1!
I'm building my (last?) office for remote work with a workbench just in case I can make this jump . . . :)
I actually got a small pay increase compared to my previous role! I don't think my salary really compares to what I read about on here (like, I think your average HNer easily makes 2x what I did/do based on the posts I've read) though, so take from that what you will.
Many former colleagues that I have kept in touch with won't give up their lifestyles which they can only afford because of their above average income. Being frugal and happy doesn't suit most folks.
For me, i have no savings, and i have no need for big paychecks. However i also lack skills outside computer this'n'that so i as well consider taking the danish carpenter education which is 4 years with most of it being payed practice at an employer. My hope is that would give me the knowhow to buy some land and create a home plus then severely lower my weekly hours and income.
- Get a remote job
- only work four days. Look for one with very little meetings.
- do your real work 4-5 hours a day, go for a walk, a run, whatever during working hours
Show me another job where I can make 100k basically working 16-20 hours a week.
What I gave up is the future earning potential of a software engineering career. As an engineer, I should be doubling my income in the next 5-10 years and I will no longer do that.