It's a good question. For me, right now, the thing holding me back is the risk. With a wife, a mortgage, and a baby on the way, leaving a well-paying "safe" job

It's a good question. For me, right now, the thing holding me back is the risk. With a wife, a mortgage, and a baby on the way, leaving a well-paying "safe" job is a somewhat scary prospect. It wouldn't be impossible, but I haven't gathered the courage to make that jump yet. I continue to work on side-projects, hoping to build enough momentum to reduce the risk to the point where making the jump seems reasonable.