IBM's education benefit paid for me to get a MS in info. systems management and an MBA before I retired, and I was lucky enough to leave just in time to get into consulting on the Y2K problem. And since I was the last technical person in the area and IBM did not replace me with anyone technical, I had a bunch of captive clients! They put me in the 39% bracket a couple of times.
Today I teach managerial economics to MBA students part-time, and have almost nothing at all to do with computers. Not much money, but no more 2 AM calls, or working for 3 days without sleep to resolve some glitch. Strangely enough, I don't have the ACADEMIC credentials to teach anything in information systems at the graduate level, which is a bit irritating. And my wife isn't happy about the lower income, but we have a million or so stashed away, in addition to social security and the IBM pension, so I like it just fine.
Sounds like you have done well....my timing was lousy.....left
well before the 2k event.