I am in the same boat right now. My boss has come to me and said he can't afford to pay me any longer, while I am very underpaid, but I chose that because I get a ton of freedom to choose technology and can take time off whenever I need it. I have extreme impostor syndrome, and have always been the lead software engineer, so have only had online resources for mentorship. I have written quite a bit of business software, and I've been maintaining software that evaluates banks and credit unions for risk, and have been working on it since 2009.

I read HN, and think that I am probably in a good spot for myself, once I walk away and find something else. Probably almost anything. I crave knowledge and haven't compromised much on the software I've built in the last decade or so, and feel like I can confidently explain my reasoning and techniques for large projects. Most of what I do is under NDA, and I (maybe not-so-smart) have done a TON of work outside of normal hours, but I've always put them back into the company's software. I do feel like you are living the type of life when it comes to being happy and satisfied, so I just wanted you to know I appreciate your comments/posts and outlook on things.