Personally that sounds like boring work to me (no offense/judgement intended). I think a lot of people imagine that just getting to code without any “distractio

Personally that sounds like boring work to me (no offense/judgement intended). I think a lot of people imagine that just getting to code without any “distractions” would be ideal, and for some extremely introverted personality types that may be true. But I think even moderately introverted people tend to thrive with more social contact than you are describing. For me, I enjoy some amount of social interaction by way of collaboration with colleagues. Working together with someone (either business/product stakeholder, or on the technical side) to explore a design space and figure out a good solution can be as or more fun than the flow state from coding. Particularly during Covid with reduced socialization outside of work I think that I would go crazy if I had just 8 hours a day of coding with no other interaction. I think it’s totally fine to want something more stimulating from your career. Maybe you can ask for expanded scope from your current role (eg doing more “tech lead” type work). If you are committed to WFH, perhaps try interviewing for a more senior role, which will expose you to more collaboration (All else being equal, it can be easier to get a seniority bump by transitioning to a smaller company, though this might entail a pay cut). If you are not committed to WFH, consider a role with some time in the office. It’s simply much easier to collaborate in person. Though of course, commutes impose their own costs. It’s also possible that this role is a good fit for you, and you are feeling a bit depressed due to the frankly depressing last couple of years. Think about whether your social life and hobbies outside work have suffered, and if there is anything you need to do to restart them. And finally, FIRE is a totally valid goal. Work isn’t everything, if you can find a path to independence that is worth considering. In summary, I think it’s valid that you aren’t finding your current situation fulfilling, and I don’t think it’s wrong to change things up to keep things fresh.