Ask HN: Tech career advice for unsexy but decently paying jobs($100k, US remote)

I'm not sure how specific an answer you're looking for. But I would say the options now are the same as they were before the layoffs. I think the layoffs were a reshuffling of resources as far as software developers are concerned. That is to say, I doubt that there are fewer job opportunities than before. They're just in different companies.

My stress-reducing mid-career switch was into a non-profit company doing scientific research in an area that was important to me. I took a pay cut from my previous startup job, but I'm actually happy to go to work every day. The stakes feel lower, since it's not a race against finding product-market fit before the money runs out. At the same time, the victories feel great, because we're saving people's lives rather than selling them useless SaaS products. I can explain what my company does to people, my timelines are on the order of months rather than weeks, there is less of a feeling of constant panic, less cargo cult management style, etc.

The downsides are that the salary isn't fantastic (nor is it terrible), the career ladder doesn't go super high (fine with me) and the software side of the company is more rudimentary than I'm used to, since software is not their main focus.

Hell no. Corporate America makes you run a rat race without faang-level rewards.

If I am going to be made to run a rat race, I want lots of money for it.

I've never really been invited to a lot of meetings. Just avoid places where they expect developers to work on all phases of the development lifecycle. AKA scapegoat.

I'd say look at government, but that is rarely remote. You can look at hourly contracts that aren't through the body shops like TCS, and some of those are still remote.

Otherwise, I'd say you're still in a position that you should consider the same path, but looking to be focused on orgs that have work/life balance highlighted.