> I could throw a rock and a hit a consulting opportunity for $200/hour.

then why are you interviewing?

There are more benefits to a stable job than money.

Yet most people, if potential income was comparable, would prefer to be their own boss vs having a job

For context, I am a full time, base pay + RSU earning consultant in the Professional Services department at AWS. I would much rather have the consistency of a pay check going into my account every month and stock (RSUs) being deposited into my brokerage account twice a year than hustling for a contract work - even if I got paid 50% more.

Besides, I don’t have to prove my competence with every client. The mere fact that I have an email address that ends with @amazon.com automatically gives me credibility.

I’m not interviewing. I would only do consulting as a Plan B while looking for a permanent job. I work in the cloud consulting department at $BigTech now. I get the same amount deposited in my bank account every month whether I have 10 hours of billable work or 40. I also get a known amount of RSUs deposited in my brokerage account every six months.