Yes, but there are a few caveats. 1. Most of the happiness-finding comes from cutting expenses and complexity, not from leaving "tech". If you want to live in

Yes, but there are a few caveats. 1. Most of the happiness-finding comes from cutting expenses and complexity, not from leaving "tech". If you want to live in San Francisco or New York, you need a high-paying job, and you'll have to worry about security deposits and commutes. If you'd be happy in New Hampshire or Mexico-- and most people would be-- you don't. 2. It takes a fair bit of savings, and some luck. Make sure you have bridges unburned and contacts so that if your yoga studio fails, you can get back into technology. I don't think it's the work itself that's bothering you; I think it's the political nature of technology when you slide in at a low level and have no credibility. 3. OP: you, personally, have been bumping along the bottom of tech. It's not that tech is a horrible place (although people do burn out now and then). You've just been getting a string of shitty jobs. 4. Here's a counterintuitive idea, related to #3. You've already gotten over the hard part, which is getting people to pay you as a freelancer. Double your rate. Double it again, maybe. You could be getting shitty work because you charge too little. Perhaps you'll be happier if you charge more and get better projects. To add to that, you'll have more time (because you'll be doing less work, most likely) to build your skills and move on to something better. 5. If #4 fails, include training time (to get the skills to move to better work) in your billable hours.