u/CarpenterNext4001

Before you tell me I'm an idiot I've already had that argument with myself about fifty times.
Got recruited last month. Big tech company. $240K total comp. Interesting role. Good team. Recruiter was surprised when I said no. Honestly so was I for about thirty seconds.
My business clears $78K after two years. Some months are tight. No benefits. No 401K match. No safety net except what I build myself.
But at 6pm today I closed my laptop and picked up my kids. Tomorrow I have one meeting. One that I scheduled. Thursday I might take off if the weather's nice and nobody has to approve that.
At the $240K job I know exactly what happens. I've been there before. Back to back meetings. Slack messages at dinner. Sunday nights planning Monday mornings. A manager. Performance reviews. All of it. I know what it costs even when the paycheck is generous.
This might be stupid. In five years I might cringe at this post. But I've been on both sides. Right now I'm choosing the side where I pick up my kids at 3 and nobody needs to sign off on it.
The spreadsheet says take the money. Something else says don't. I'm going with the something else and trying not to second-guess it every morning.