I also went through both of those downturns while working in a rural area. The first time, which was early in my career, I voluntarily left one job to join anot

I also went through both of those downturns while working in a rural area. The first time, which was early in my career, I voluntarily left one job to join another during it all. I found no issues with the job market at that time. I have found that, in general, tech jobs are often easier to come by in rural areas as tech professionals prefer to not live in such places, leaving no competition for what jobs are available. The second time, later in my career, I did find myself without work, but with the substantial savings I was able to accumulate thanks to a low cost of living, I didn't even bother to look for another job. I essentially took a couple of months of vacation during the worst of it and then employers started knocking on my door again when things started to turn around. I am sure another downturn will come again, and if that means having to move, so be it. I also have no qualms about working in other industries. I'm especially fond of the agriculture industry, which is convenient for me. But, as you well know, having a tech career for long enough to have gone through those two downturns, we're getting into the position that we could start to seriously think about retiring when that time comes. While the average career may not have that luxury, you can save a lot of money with a high tech income. The risk seems overblown to me. If the worst case scenario is having to move back to where you came, that's not a very big risk. You will be there even if you stay put.