Sorry if I came off as rude, because that was not the intention. I'm a freelancer, and my best friend is an employee (both developers). He knows I earn a lot m

Sorry if I came off as rude, because that was not the intention. I'm a freelancer, and my best friend is an employee (both developers). He knows I earn a lot more money, but he explicitly chooses to stay as employee. Why? Because all of the things that you mention. Plus, when he goes home, he spends time with his family and hobbies. For me, my company is always there. Still need to do administration, see which things I can write off, etc. I used to think everyone would be like me, once they know how companies really work. But that is not the case. I'm pretty sure everyone knows what they can expect from the company, after a few years in the workforce. So I definitely don't consider your choice as wrong. It's really about which things you prefer in life.