I live in Canada & I've done the spreadsheet math. I can probably ~triple my salary if I go balls to the walls. Insurance is a drop in the bucket (I can just outright buy my drugs). I'm just kinda comfy where I'm at, and I'm having fun at my job.
Agree, I've never seen a benefit package that gets me excited. With our health care system here, the FTE jobs are a lot less compelling vs the contractor route. About 1/20 that go the FTE equity route seem to hit the jackpot.
I gain security and confidence in my employment by knowing the code base, the stack and the business domain. I pick projects that are core to the success of the company. In twenty five years, I was only laid off once and in that case, 18 of 20 were let go in 2008 when an engineering firm lost all their work.
Some people are just unable to stop. My wife was like that in her small business. Her mindset was something like: I can't watch TV, I'm wasting money I could be earning. Even if there's no work right now, you can always do business development. It can become a trap.
