This is good advice is you have the capital to back that. Not everyone is/has been on US SWE salaries though. There's also a non-trivial amount of meta-work in

This is good advice is you have the capital to back that. Not everyone is/has been on US SWE salaries though. There's also a non-trivial amount of meta-work in a self venture that's frankly not that fun. Speaking as someone also non-US, without a financial safety net, and with a diverse background, larger orgs - both public and private sector - can be an interesting place for a multidisciplinary skillset. This is particularly true if you enjoy switching roles. While absolutely not the best path for optimising monetary gain you may be able to land a substantive role then continue to pursue new projects and secondments as opportunity tweaks your interest. This removes some of the volatility and risk while keeping the intellectual stimulation of a new challenge if that's what you enjoy.