First off: as you'll gather from HN, career prospects for software developers aren't what they used to be. And even for better-experienced ones, their job might

First off: as you'll gather from HN, career prospects for software developers aren't what they used to be. And even for better-experienced ones, their job might move from develop/bughunting to writing specs, review code, "prompt engineering" & set up AI agents to write code for them. Or more management / sales related. You may want to consider doing some 'low-profile' (but decent paying) job to pay the bills, with side gigs/hobbies you do 100% for fun. As so many people do. Small or big company? Difficult choice, I'd think it's more important to find one whose company culture (& goals) fits you best. Or go freelance - which has its own pros & cons. Have you ever considered a career in science? There's still many things unexplored, and new fields opening up. Or related like engineering (civil engineering? Bridge design etc), architecture (of buildings ;-) The main point is motivation. Get clear for yourself the "why" for pursuing something. Oh and stick around on HN! Many geat ideas pass by here. Good luck!