[muzani]

I moved down a role into a larger company. It came with higher pay so it's pretty good. Generally companies with a principal role are pretty big though, so I'm not sure how practical that is.

It's not exactly less stressful as you have built habits at your current role, and a role change means building new routines and dealing with new problems.

I personally found long breaks more stressful because you're probably used to working hard and the change from work to rest and rest to work can be jarring. Another alternative is frequent shorter breaks, maybe weeks per quarter.

[MEXot5Xz]

Short breaks sound like what I need!

Spot on about working hard there, I'd probably end up learning or writing code most days in my break anyway, just not for an employer.

I'm pretty open to moving down into another company when my time comes (I change job roughly every 3-5 years, as good things take time to materialise). I'm in Australia where there are not as many (good) opportunities at this level (compared to the US) but I can travel once the new born is flight ready.