I think your assumption is wrong. Making $200-300k as a self-employed software engineer requires a completely different skillset than getting and maintaining a

I think your assumption is wrong. Making $200-300k as a self-employed software engineer requires a completely different skillset than getting and maintaining a job at a FAANG. The roles have very little carry over. I made ~$400k last year (in cash) as a self-employed engineer. I work maybe 20 hours a week. I would hardly say that getting here was non trivial, but I'd hardly say it's trivial to get a job at a FAANG either.