To address both of these also consider looking for software engineering at a company that is not primarily a software company. Especially if it is a small compa

To address both of these also consider looking for software engineering at a company that is not primarily a software company. Especially if it is a small company, there may be significant opportunity to try something else/get experience with it while still being in a more comfortable career position. I don't have a super specific suggestion for somewhere to look, but anecdotally I worked for a small aerospace company and for some time was working on software/networking but was also physically turning bolts assembling a spacecraft, building test equipment, etc., some of the time.