I burned out last year, luckily I had the funds to quit without anything lined up and been semi-retired ever since. I'd like to work again but modern software jobs ask for too much. Why should I dedicate so much of my life and brainpower to 24/7 oncall and managing development? No amount of money is worth the stress.
It's more stressful, more difficult, but working for yourself, on things you care about, is the difference between being engaged and burning out. It satisfies me deep in my soul. These days I work harder than I have ever have in my life, and I feel more free than I have ever felt before.
We are not made to slave for someone else. Let alone 8 hours a day, sitting in a cubicle, preparing TPS reports, for 50 years. I still have post-traumatic guilt when I take an afternoon off or I take a longer lunch break.
Go build something you care about, with your hands and sweat.
As someone who is considering doing the same, would you mind sharing how many times your yearly expenses you consider enough to quit without anything lined up?
Not OP, but I quit 10 years ago without a clear plan with around 1.5 years of runway. Did a bit of freelancing after that and now run my own company. I'm usually more on the risk-averse side of things, but that felt safe enough for me.
Exclusively from previous work relationships. Mostly around network infrastructure stuff (BGP automation) and e-commerce full-stack development and operation. I explicitly only took gigs that where very clear in scope to ensure I had enough time to try out my own ideas.
I get why you ask but it really doesn't matter, when you burn out you have no choice but to quit. The money determines how long you can relax before getting your next job.
