If you do not have commitments such as a family to provide for, you should take time off, assuming you have a cushion saved up. Take time to travel and learn so

If you do not have commitments such as a family to provide for, you should take time off, assuming you have a cushion saved up. Take time to travel and learn some skills outside of technology for a year. An example is teaching english in a non-english speaking country, like Thailand, a trade, e.g., plumbing, if you can find someone to apprentice for. This is if you already have a college degree. If you do not have a college degree, then register for classes at a community college and complete as many directly relevant credits (e.g., Discrete Math, Relational Databases, etc.) that can be transferred for a degree. If you get a degree in Computer Science and Engineering, you will have a lot more opportunities, and there will be a floor for pay. Finally, after doing one or both of these for 1-2 years, look to get back into the industry. This time, you will have less chance of being underpaid and also have more confidence in your own ability. Note: Leetcode interviews are hard even for people with degrees in Computer Science. This is even more true for people who graduated a long time ago. Basing a lot of your self-worth on Leetcode will be harmful no matter what, so you must develop a coping mechanism for that, which may include not interviewing at companies that heavily emphasize this type of interview.