You already have a good setup. As they say the only thing you can't buy is time. As long as everyone's core needs are met making more money won't make anyone happier. Even if you don't have kids it's a mental health plus to have some energy to put toward things that aren't work.

To add a different perspective, if the GP follows this advice, they won't have the funds to do the project. As a parent I feel caught between these two competing goals all the time: Should I not work and spend time with my kids doing nothing? Or should I work so that I have money to do fun things with my kids in the little time I have left?

Or is my desire to have fun with my kids not relevant? Is it more important that I work all the time so that they have a chance of an upper-middle class life when I'm gone? Is it fair to reduce their chances of financial freedom later because I wanted to spend time with them now?

I think people over-estimate the need to spend lots of money to have good experiences. I spent lots of time taking apart super cheap old electronics from HAM radio meets and thrift stores. When you're a kid it's all new to you anyway so it isn't essential to do projects involving the latest and greatest. While the 20k$ project in the article is super impressive, it kind of has to be when one allocates that much cash to a side project. Seems like alot of pressure.

I dont think more hours worked corresponds monotonically with financial well-being of descendants. Learning to get things done through creative use of limited resources is an important skill for making money too. There can be value in having to do some salvage instead of having everything pre-stocked. There is also no better way to appreciate the value of a tool than to first go without it.

Yeah I often wonder about that. Less money means fewer prospects. I think what can help make the decision to your last question is what do you value? Do you think your children need to live an upper middle class life to be happy and fulfilled? Or can you provide that happiness and fulfillment to them (and the lessons you teach them along the way) by spending time with them? Like, can you help your children cope with the stress of adult life by spending time with them when they're young and providing them with values and experiences that help Burress them against the harsh realities of later life? How much does money help with that? It's hard to strike that good balance I think.

As for switching jobs to software, ideally, I'd find a remote job then at least that way I could be more flexible with my time and place. Although my summers wouldnt be free.