Being someone else's employee is a dead-end job after 35-40. It has nothing to do with software development. The easiest way to counter that, is to at least engage in subcontracting. But then again, the whole idea of selling your hours to someone else is in itself a long-term dead-end strategy. Instead, build a platform and sell something else than your own hours on it. That is what your employer is doing anyway. So, why not do it yourself too?