Thank you for mentioning the insanity of perpetually and badly reinventing the wheel.

I’m in my 40s now, and I realized last year I’m utterly burned out. The passion for programming is just gone. I get home from work now and the last thing I want to do is look at code again. My garage is filled with Arduino projects I can’t bring myself to finish or throw out.

Unlike you, I haven’t found another career path, but I did find solace in making music. At least it is much more permanent than software and something I can share with my kids.

Art, in general, survives time, whereas it has become apparent that software does not.

One thing about woodworking is that parts of it are easier for someone who has had a career in thinking logically and several steps ahead. If you also have had experience laying out user interfaces, that can help too. However there is the flip side, in that a number of techniques in woodworking aren't easily discoverable unless you've been working in the field for a while, and it is all too easy to get hurt (even when not using power equipment). I personally love doing projects, but on every single one I end up getting some sort of injury (typically something small like a splinter under the fingernail, or a tool slipping causing an abrasion on my hand, but annoying none the less).

But you are right, in that there can be a good bit of coin to be had with furniture building, especially if you can draw on some standardized design principles to output good customized pieces. Think things like a closet organizer that is "perfect" for a customer's bedroom. Or things like cranking out desks needed by students doing school from home.

In fact, I probably could have made a killing in selling "pandemic" desks (there were absolutely no desks to be found at the beginning of the school year). I made a couple for family members, made out of real hard wood (no partical board) for about $130 in lumber and connecting hardware -- nice 3-drawer desk units. I basically used rail-and-stile frames to make the back, sides, and drawer box using pocket screws, then 1/4 inch plywood tacked from the inside of the drawer box. Took about 3 hours to cut, drill, and assemble everything but the drawers themselves. If I was out of work I probably would have made a bunch and sold them for $350 a piece.

As soon as I reach this age, I will try to work as Appliance technician, fixing stuff like refrigerator, laundry machine, etc.. It is something that I do for fun, and I see a real shortage in this market. People call you, you fix it. Done. No deployment, no issue tracker or SCRUM.