Been there, done that. I burned out completely 10+ years ago to the point where I wasn't able to understand the simplest text. Luckily my wife earned enough tha

Been there, done that. I burned out completely 10+ years ago to the point where I wasn't able to understand the simplest text. Luckily my wife earned enough that I could stay at home with kids and I was househusband (is it a word?) for two years. I didn't look at any IT related stuff during these years and this was a right decision at least for me. For all other points I'd say "It really depends on location and culture", but I have some words to say about 1. Don't afraid to start low to rebuild your confidence. I was at expert level before burnout, but started at user support level when I returned. It helped enormously to get my confidence back. I wouldn't been able to do that if I would have to start immediately from the position/level I left.