When I was in similar situation I started a side project in my own time. It might work well if your side project is not within the same field as your day job.

When I was in similar situation I started a side project in my own time. It might work well if your side project is not within the same field as your day job. This might give you some ideas on where to go in the future (tech-wise). In terms of money - generally more you earn the better however sometimes you might find a post where you can advance your `status` (so sometimes working 2 years on meaningful role in startup might in long run result in much better wage compared to "safe job" even if startup's idea did not work).