[pauldavis]

I have some experience in this situation. About 20 years ago, I transitioned from employee to consultant. I do IT projects like fractional or temporary CTO in smaller organizations.

I do projects that last from 6 to 18 months, and in each one I learn about a new business, and often learn about a new technology. it keeps things fresh and interesting.

I can do this because my skill set is pretty broad and I have spent time building and maintaining a big network over my career - not necessarily attributes that can be acquired quickly.

I guess the only actionable advice is to consider working out side FAANG, and be open to consulting vs. employee. There's plenty of reward and plenty of interesting work out here.