Yeah, it can feel stupid to let go of a "golden ticket". But, like others, I suggest looking into going the FIRE (financially independent, retired early) route.

Yeah, it can feel stupid to let go of a "golden ticket". But, like others, I suggest looking into going the FIRE (financially independent, retired early) route. Once FIRE'd, you'll be in a better place to start your company. That $1.1M of unsheltered assets, invested properly, can yield you more than $40K of passive, nearly tax-free income. But, you'll need to get your expenses down to live off of that and start investing that cash hoard. Take the next year to work on that. Over the course of that proceeding year, you'll earn another $500K. The $300K-400K of this that you'll take-home can be put toward long-term housing (whether that be renting or owning). If you keep your income low enough, a huge portion of your health care premiums will be subsidized. I just this year started my own FIRE "experiment". Feel free to email me or read here - https://blog.michaelscepaniak.com/starting-stopping-working https://blog.michaelscepaniak.com/starting-stopping-working