[codegeek]

You sound like a good candidate to be a freelancer. Decide your own hours, mostly your own terms and take breaks whenever you want. Only problem is that you have to learn to sell a lot more than what you do as a regular job candidate.

"I only like to stay for a year or less at a given place and then quit "

This is going to start looking bad after a while for full-time jobs. It is perfectly ok if you are freelancing though.

"I have no interest in becoming a lead or a senior dev"

Yep, call yourself whatever you want and get shit done for clients. No titles.

[muzani]

Freelancer here. Sorry for the downvote.

But 40h/week is not what you get when you're freelancing. Freelance is a mix of sales, dev, consulting. You may get 20h/week some days, 60h/week other days. There's an awful lot of stress that comes with arguing with yourself and pushing yourself to keep moving.

I think OP just wants to be comfortable and relaxed.

[swatcoder]

Freelancer here.

You can absolutely be comfortable and relaxed and have a steady schedule as a freelancer. Freelancing does incorporate more activities and skills than being an employee with the underlying trade and so it doesn't suit everyone. It might not suit the OP.

But not for because of instability. You can fit all those other activities and skills into the same schedule as the trade work with good discipline and experienced planning. And you can counter the financial stress of any feast/famine cycling of the work with good budgeting.

For most, it takes some time to get the hang of it, but freelancing is not a perpetual hustle. You don't keep arguing with yourself and pushing yourself forever. It just becomes a job that you happen to run for yourself.

[scarface74]

There is always W2 contracting. Find a few local recruiting companies. You officially work for the recruiting company but you work for short 6-12 month stints for companies. If you’re good in the right market, you should be able to find gigs fast with no sales are marketing.

[Swinx43]

In the UK that is what is known as Contracting. It definitely sounds right for the OP.

You typically get your contracts through recruiters and they typically last 3 to 6 months (sometimes longer). No sales and hustling, just doing your tech work and keeping up to date in your field.

[muzani]

Oh, that's a bit different than what "freelancer" brings to mind.

Yeah, those jobs bring in good money and are uncommitted, probably right for OP.

[wolco]

He wants a corporate job or a job at a larger firm or with a government entity. Startups are fun and not fun.

Freelancing involves so much more unpaid work. It's a mini startup, you are in charge. Startups can be easier mentally because you have a mission.

[tdsamardzhiev]

I have a friend who says "I left 9-5 to work 9-24"