Contracting

If you allow me, I will question the importance you're giving the financial outcome.

You are already a very well-paid engineer making $350K/year. Let's say you find a contracting gig that pays $100/hour and you can do it for 10 hours/week. Let's assume you get $30K/year total, since the work will likely be inconsistent.

Will the $30K of additional income make a meaningful difference to your quality of life? Will it greatly accelerate your savings goals? Probably not, since it's < 10% of your TC.

What is a better way to spend your time? In my opinion:

1. Get involved in a community or group of people that is exceptional. This will lead to startups or compelling opportunities.
2. Learn a skill that is both valuable and rare (you can often do this by being at the cutting edge of a new field/technique).
3. Build a side project and leverage your position to make something both free and ad-free. Get a ton of users and watch how the whole world opens up to you.

In the short term, the above paths will obviously lead to "leaving money on the table." But it is the long-term optimal strategy, both for compensation and for an exciting career.

Good luck 🫡 please share what you build!