> I even had an early midlife crisis and earned a law degree

Same. In my case, I paid my way through law school doing software development contract work, which paid better than entry level lawyer work. Now I do a mix of software consulting/contracting and IP technical expert work (patent/copyright infringement analysis, claim charts, etc). I enjoy doing both kinds of work, though I really enjoy legal writing and I'd like to get more into IP litigation, writing pleadings, motions, oppositions, etc.