I don't know what "the rat race" and "keeping up" have to do with it, but being bored or otherwise unhappy is reason enough for a change, as far as I'm concerne

I don't know what "the rat race" and "keeping up" have to do with it, but being bored or otherwise unhappy is reason enough for a change, as far as I'm concerned. Life's too short to waste 8 hours a day being unhappy. Nobody's going to reward you for it, it's not impressing anybody, and companies won't hesitate to lay you off anyway, no matter how long you've been there. Besides that, a person can do their job, collect a check and go home regardless of which company they work for, so why stick with a one that isn't satisfying? Why not see what the other options are and get a fuller perspective? The software world is huge, and you'll never experience it all working at the same company forever.