I walked a 48... sort of. I'm self-employed now, starting a business that will keep me busy part-time from now until whenever. Time to turn profit from startup costs will be more than 2 years, but it will continue generating profit for several years after I disconnect myself from primary involvement, 10-15 years from now. In the meantime, my workload is self-determined, no longer killing myself with long hours for "the man".
Last year's vacation (two weeks at the beach) was the first of my adult life, where I was able to enjoy a nice mix of working (for myself) before the rest of the family woke up each morning, and then unplug and enjoy free time the rest of the day. Looking to attempt longer vacations in coming years, as my kids are growing up quick, and I've missed too much of it already.
If you're in a situation of needing to find health insurance, or life insurance, look toward professional organizations. Most of them offer group plans for self-employed individuals, and since their members generally represent lower-risk groups, the rates can be better than you might find elsewhere. I can say for sure that IEEE does not require you to be an actual electrical engineer to join, most others I suspect are the same.
