Considering

I’ve been in my current job for almost two years. It’s my first role after completing my PhD in Computer Science. While the company offers good benefits and compensation, I’ve been feeling increasingly stressed, and I don’t feel that the role is helping me build transferable skills, particularly in software engineering. As a result, I’ve been considering leaving for some time. There are also a few other factors contributing to this feeling, such as the weather and a limited social life, which have made the overall experience more challenging. At this point, I’ve been able to save enough money to support myself for at least 1.5 years. I’ve been thinking about transitioning to a remote job, moving closer to friends and family, and using the time to work on personal projects that I’m interested in. Even if those projects don’t fully succeed, I would still gain valuable experience and learn new technologies I’ve been wanting to explore. However, given the current job market and how competitive it is, I’ve become hesitant about leaving a stable position and taking that leap. I’m unsure whether this decision is more emotional than rational, so I wanted to get outside perspectives on what others would do in a similar situation or how they would approach this decision. Thanks