As an oldie who has lived through multiple hype cycles - Don't take the "retire early" crowd seriously. Over the decades, I have seen too many friends who have

As an oldie who has lived through multiple hype cycles - Don't take the "retire early" crowd seriously. Over the decades, I have seen too many friends who have fallen for this story, 'hit their numbers' and loose their minds after 'retiring'. This is because the mind just unravels(unable to find meaning), if it doesn't have daily structure and purpose. You are ready to retire, not just when you are financially independent but when you have settled into a pattern that is sustainable long term, of daily 'meaning formation'. AI will create problems too. Anything that grows in complexity also generates more issues. Never less issues. Don't believe the hype. Tune it out. Focus on problems. Not tools. Another thing I learnt is - Balance the work "has to feel good" story with whatever responsibilities you have or will have in life. So if people depend on you or will depend on you in future, don't make the decision purely on I want work to feel like play. It's easier to keep work and play separate than to try and merge them. Both are required though for 'meaning formation' but balance it out. So look for both in separate areas. Try looking for work with teams that are multi-disciplinary. If you head back to Uni don't just roam the comp sci dept. Go look depts and ask them if they need you skills. This is where the most "fun" happens imho. But people head where the money is and end up doing a lot more boring stuff. Software is everywhere so you can get involved with whatever you want - chemistry, biology, astrophysics etc etc if you just go look. All the best!