[tymerry]

Yes, the pandemic motivated me to take an earlier retirement that switched into part time work, and perhaps a career change.

Wife and I had worked toward FIRE for a while. In 2021 it became financial viable. We have been transient in North America and Europe since October 2021. Our plan was to never work again, but some friends convinced me to take a contract job that is ~25 hours a week.

My motivations for leaving: New manager due to re-org, company's goals changed, non-necessity of work for survival, identity issues around career, pressure from family because I wasn't happy. All those motivations lead to suicidal thoughts. I have always done ux, design, and front end development. I think I am going to start a more traditional computer science education path because I find it enjoyable and could be fun for a second career.