I used to work as a partner at an S-corp contracting firm. My client axed the project I was on and our sales team didn't have anything I was interested in. The

I used to work as a partner at an S-corp contracting firm. My client axed the project I was on and our sales team didn't have anything I was interested in. The founder was still hiring people despite our business being on downward slope for some time so I left to transition to another industry (defense/military, I was in Fintech for years) as an FTE (I already had another client but I did not trust the stability). My current employer (also an ESOP) snatched me up aggressively as I was over qualified for their budgeted salary. It has been awesome for both of us. I got more stability and, for once, interesting work and they got someone who could drive a new product from scratch. My contributions are really starting to punch high and win us new business, so my pay should bump back up soon. I took a chance and it seems to be paying off. My health definitely improved. I recently received my last dividend check from the S-Corp and it was not pretty--I was already bitching when it was twice as much as this last one. So their business is still on a decline despite being, traditionally, a first call from clients.