[In_Iowa_not_from]

$100K+ is low?

If you're working 60+ hours a week, that is definitely low for the education and experience required.

A person making $30/hr working 60 hrs/week would make about $110K. You can make that kind of money in Iowa with a welding certificagte from a community college. Some of the union factory jobs here start at even more than that for unskilled labor.

Making that and having to live in an expensive location like Silicon Valley? That would be a joke.

[grey_whiskers]

I might drop out and work at a local factory.

No more 20 hour days.

[GingisK]

I have worked independently from corporate employment for many years. My work is all done with 1099 reporting. I design uP based circuits, and then write the software that goes on them. If the client wishes, I then write user and technical documents for the project. Any photos that go into those documents are of my making. I also have a small machine shop and a 3D printer, so I can deliver prototype gizmos that are ready for functional demonstrations.

I've never been unemployed, and they pay me at my asking rate. Its a odd little niche. This has kept me insulated from corporate grief. It is disappointing to hear about these dirty corporate treatments of my peers.