I could see that if they were all W2. But near the tail end of my more aggressive efforts I started branching into 1099 work and they don't mind at all.

I also have a much wider breadth of technology experience now so it really opened the doors on the opportunities I qualify for.

I've shaved something like 5-7 years off my retirement age with this short stint. Even if I just coast at a single job from here on out, I think it was worth it. You are 100% correct that salary isn't everything. I'm really hoping to grow the 1099 portfolio at this point, there's something a little freeing about it, weirdly enough.