Try part-time freelancing. That&#x27;s how I&#x27;ve been able to survive these last 5 years. I spend about 20 hours a week working for clients and the rest of my time (usually another 40 hours a week) I spend on my own projects. I don&#x27;t make a lot of money, but I make enough to live on. And I get to spend most of my time doing what I love.<p>Freelancing is hard. It&#x27;s especially difficult to get into a part time situation. Most clients don&#x27;t want a consultant, they want an employee they don&#x27;t have to file HR paperwork for. But if you network enough, you&#x27;ll get there and it will be fine.<p>I think, if you can get out of the soul-crushing chasm of despair that is wage employment, you&#x27;ll find that software development is indeed your calling. You just don&#x27;t like being treated like a child in that calling.