I'm doing this, working 4 days per week and working around 6 hours per day. I genuinely feel happy. It also keeps programming genuinely interesting. I am going to interview for a FAANG position soon and despite the fact that the salary is 4x, I'm not sure I should take it. My disposable income is high due to my costs being really low and man... it's chill!

I've done something similar in the corporate world. I moved into the business side of things, work from home, and mostly have meetings. I can work 3-5 hours a day and maintain my income.

What I gave up is the future earning potential of a software engineering career. As an engineer, I should be doubling my income in the next 5-10 years and I will no longer do that.

This right here. I left software for a little, but finding a role like this brought me back. I go for a walk/gym in the morning, get some work done, play guitar, cook lunch and dinner, do some more work. You really can't find work much better.