My background is in web dev too. I've been a contractor, worked for a couple of startups, a marketing agency, and started a digital agency. My experiences worki

My background is in web dev too. I've been a contractor, worked for a couple of startups, a marketing agency, and started a digital agency. My experiences working in the midwestern USA have been mostly positive, though I've definitely encountered people whose motives were more selfish and potentially manipulative. I think you will encounter those people in any organization, especially corporate. I spent five years building a little digital agency, and got to the point with my partner where we were able to hire a few employees. I took a pay cut for it but it was an incredible growth experience. Agencies are fun because they expose you to a lot of different people and business models. And you can choose who you want to work with, at least to some extent. I will say, most of our work came through our close network initially. Networking and building relationships is essential if you decide to go out on your own. I've learned that even working on boring projects or with more difficult clients can be fulfilling with the right mindset. For me that was a service mindset. Even if it's not the most impactful work, the way I show up for my clients can make an important difference in their lives and in their ability to carry out their mission. It might seem small, like just making their professional life a little more convenient, but the ripple effect can be huge. A little bit of kindness can change someone's day and ripple out into their lives and the lives of the people surrounding them. I left my company last year and took some time off to experiment with new avenues: building software, physical engineering, writing... I thought I might start something more on the software side but after really digging into my values I realized that what is most meaningful to me is to be a helper. I owe so much of my success to being growth-oriented and I want to help others with what I've learned along the way. I started teaching at a local university and joined a leadership coaching certification program which I've since completed. I do a little bit of software contracting on the side but most of my time now is spent developing content and coaching. Hopefully sharing my story is helpful. Best of luck to you! P.S. Try searching HN for "left tech" or "quit tech" and you will find similar threads that you might find insightful - https://hn.algolia.com https://hn.algolia.com