Those who did it, how did you do it? What did you move onto from FAANG?
I'd say it's more "learning to live within the means of a non-FAANG person."
My FAANG colleagues spending 4x what I was on their mortgages in the Bay Area were also technically living within their means, but it also meant they had no choice but to stay handcuffed.
That is the problem. It is about how much you are keeping after taxes. If >75 of that is going to bills, mortgages, cars and the stock drops, then you are essentially keeping far less and you'll find yourself stuck in your job.
Now that AI is everywhere, the loss of their job means a ~5 month runway (If on H-1B you have 2 months) is the reason why folks in the Bay Area at FAANG are terrified of leaving their jobs and find themselves handcuffed.
I don't find anything incorrect in your response per se but I hope those weren't your assumptions about my situation and I didn't specify the details either. I've lived within my means, spend only for comfortable leisure travel, no mortgages; otherwise I wouldn't have achieved FIRE.
Neither am I sacrificing due to work as it's a good team with good WLB, it's just that I'm no longer excited by the work without dreading the Mondays. So as I mentioned in another response it's very likely that I'm actually scared of leaving this comfort level.
What did you ship?
Pretended my base salary was my only salary, and invested the rest.
My strategy is to go until I can't take anymore pain, then just walk away guilt free.
What are you scared of?
I'm working in good team with good WLB but after FIRE while I don't dread the Mondays, I'm no longer excited by the work. I still am able to make decent contributions to my team.
So may be I'm scared of leaving this comfort level.
If work is just so-so, find something that isn't, inside or outside your daily 9-5.
