I could always go back to the same exact thing I was doing before, bound to repeat the cycle of burnout and recovery over and over. But lately I've been romanticizing the idea of intentionally switching to a job that is beneath my ability -- something that doesn't take such a toll on the rest of my waking life. I've imagined all sorts of scenarios: pushing a maintenance cart around some gigantic campus fixing fluorescent lights, or wrangling some nasty inter-department spreadsheets using scripting knowledge that nobody knows I have, or just going back to being a junior-level engineer in some other field where I have no relevant experience (embedded systems have been calling to me lately).
I am not a financially independent person, although I have already made all of the major life purchases that I intend to make. I've got a house with manageable mortgage payments, don't expect any kids, and in all honesty I could comfortably live on less than half of what my most recent job was paying -- and they weren't even close to FAANG-level salaries.
So I call on the experience of the community here: Has anybody left a career path that constantly challenged you to the point of exhaustion to do something... easier? Did it work out like you hoped, or do you regret it? Any other tips, even tangentially related to the question?
Thanks. I really mean that.