I'm 41 and still working a software engineer. When I was younger I wanted to get a job in SV but could never pass those interviews - now I no longer care and w

I'm 41 and still working a software engineer. When I was younger I wanted to get a job in SV but could never pass those interviews - now I no longer care and work remotely from rural Alaska :) I may step away from being a FTE and go full time consulting/contracting eventually, as being involved in company politics and chasing promotions is something that no longer interests me. After spending nine years as an Army officer I have no burning desire to be in charge of anyone. My ideal working environment is a small team of very experienced/talented engineers working on greenfield projects. I've had that a few times in my career, though not currently. My mother is well into her 60s and still working as a software engineer (also mostly remote now). She declined promotions that would have taken her out of coding over the years - so we're at about the same level of seniority now. I imagine she'll keep working as long as she's able - she seems to enjoy the work more than I do.