I'll throw this advice in because it's served me well in my career. Somewhat related. 1) You can be a big fish in a big pond with other big fish (eg FAANG). Or

I'll throw this advice in because it's served me well in my career. Somewhat related. 1) You can be a big fish in a big pond with other big fish (eg FAANG). Or you can be a big fish in a pond with small fish (think like a regional grocery chain). Try both to see which makes you happier. There are tradeoffs in both cases. 2) Your boss and the people you work with (ie your local context) is often a much stronger determinant of your happiness than what company banner you're under or your specific title. 3) Try looking at things outside of tech/engineering orgs for places where tech applications would create value. A good friend works in supply chain optimization with a CS background. He tells me that basic automation and data analysis on CSVs larger than what Excel can open is seen as wizardry. He's in great standing in the org and is seen as invaluable.