In my career, solo programming gigs have generally been much better paid compared to employee jobs, with the right tax planning and living in the right countrie

In my career, solo programming gigs have generally been much better paid compared to employee jobs, with the right tax planning and living in the right countries. Even ignoring tax advantages, contractor's daily rates tend to include things I rarely use like sick pay, holidays, missed stock options. Unless you're working for a FANG where stock options are pretty much guaranteed money, working solo is generally a good deal. If the value you're bringing to the table is that you live in a cheap country, you'll get paid less (but still a lot compared to your cost of living, most likely)