I'm in my 40s. I got a job at a YC startup without a Github, Twitter, any OSS contributions, Stackoverflow activity, and without even knowing the primary langu

I'm in my 40s. I got a job at a YC startup without a Github, Twitter, any OSS contributions, Stackoverflow activity, and without even knowing the primary language that they develop here. If you live in an area outside of SV where programming jobs aren't as prevalent, I would be a bit more careful. Instead of using your 401k which is a terrible idea, you really should have a savings account that you should dip into. Therefore I would continue working for the next year or 2, keep working but save every dime you can so that in 2 years you can take 3-6 months off. In the meanwhile, apply to every single job you can.