I'd also like more opinions and stories on this topic. My story is somewhat similar, started programming at a very early age, then worked professionally since 13 non-stop (first job writing credit card processing apps). Post-university, I've been in the industry for 15+ years as well. Excuse the rant that follows, but hopefully it will get others to chime in.

In University, I made an initial attempt to get out of the industry as I already lost my passion for it, so I majored in Statistics, Finance, Management Science, and did Computer Engineering as a safety. I had to pay for school somehow, so I also worked proper software engineering jobs while in school. Once I graduated, my father passed away a few days after and I was stuck knowing I'd never get any financial support, so I continued in the industry, always wanting to move out at some point. The familial responsibility, stress, company loyalty, etc. prevented me from ever getting out.

I've been checking all the job ads every few weeks, for years to find an alternative career. And of course I mean "all" types of jobs, not just tangential tech jobs. Currently taking some time off to recover from burnout by tired of dipping into my savings and ready to go back to work for various reasons. It's just sad because on a mental and emotional level, returning to a programming job depresses the hell out of me and I am not sure what else there is for me approaching 40. I worked on my own startup a bit and it was going well, but I struggled to find a reputable and competent partner, and the thought of doing it on my own and not pulling in a regular income for another year seems too much for now, so at the very least I need to work on my project on the side until something changes.

I've come to the point where I really hate computers, but I feel at this age it gets harder and harder to do something different. Sometimes I would rather just do something more simple, productive, and real. I worked in many different parts of the industry already and I've touched just about every major language there is, worked for startups, consulting, you name it. I've done sales engineering, team lead, project management, etc., but usually my dev skills would take the forefront and regardless of my job description because of necessity - lack of staff (ex: startups/wearing many hats), mistakes of others, being the most senior person skills/experience wise, and so on.

Programming only feels hard at this point because of awful colleagues, unreasonable deadlines/circumstances, and technical debt usually created by others. Just about every company's product bores me and most I wonder who needs what they make and why, and I get tired of the typical dysfunction and ridiculous "culture" be it brogrammers or overly enthusiastic corporate nonsense. I try to swallow my pride and be professional about it all, but I find myself secretly hating everyone and everything at most workplaces. I'm tired of working tons of unpaid overtime for silly reasons and likewise I don't want to work somewhere where the job/company is a joke.

I'd love to just do something "normal." I can't envision working in tech at 60 or being able to retire early either for various reasons. I can empathize because it's tough, especially when you get used to a salary and lifestyle. Lived overseas and had a much simpler life for a bit, but in the end it gets to be the same grind on a different scale, so I suppose it's more about the job than the pay. In the US though it's harder to make ends meet if your pay is very low, so I'm looking for something in-between at least.

Thought about teaching, but they make it very hard for many reasons to break into when you're older and I'm not sure I feel like grabbing a master's in education just to slash my salary dramatically. Private schools are an option of course, but much less stable in terms of long-term prospects, just seen too many friends in that world struggle long-term.

Anyway, I think for most people who are past early 30s, starting your own business is logical. The question is what, how, and with what capital depending on the business. Easier said than done.