FranklinBluth
FNG
Basically in the same position as the OP, only a couple years older and in Minnesota. Wife and I have good paying jobs and live reasonably close to relatives, and as other parents of young kids can attest, that is no small thing. We also have a school district locally that we like quite a lot. But if you've seen any news out of MN, you can tell things have gone sideways and aren't getting better any time soon, which has prompted us to consider moving.
In the short term to gain a bit of flexibility I decided to go the self employed route. A couple years ago we bought a small (cheap) place in Alaska that allows me to stage gear and base trips out of (kids included!). Unfortunately my self employed work has zero remote options, so any time away that I spend in AK is unpaid. But as I tell my buddies, I don't have to ask the boss for time off to go to the cabin and go fishing or hunting. And it's hard to put a price on that kind of freedom. I'd definitely encourage anyone starting over career-wise to try and figure out how to make self employment work, particularly if you're re-locating to take advantage of hunting/fishing.
In the short term to gain a bit of flexibility I decided to go the self employed route. A couple years ago we bought a small (cheap) place in Alaska that allows me to stage gear and base trips out of (kids included!). Unfortunately my self employed work has zero remote options, so any time away that I spend in AK is unpaid. But as I tell my buddies, I don't have to ask the boss for time off to go to the cabin and go fishing or hunting. And it's hard to put a price on that kind of freedom. I'd definitely encourage anyone starting over career-wise to try and figure out how to make self employment work, particularly if you're re-locating to take advantage of hunting/fishing.