as i've said (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43836353)
try working outside the software industry for someone who needs some software. I had a great time in the 90s working on digital audio gear.
I've tried to go back to that a few times, but it's actually pretty hard to do these days. After a few decades of trillions of dollars of investment, pretty much every tiny niche has become a company / app with dozens of developers, or available as an online customizable SaaS, or something that can be vibe coded.