Wanting to coast and rebalance, but also finding myself guilty of wanting to leave my job.
So a bit of context: 31F, married (32M), DINK couple with 600k investments and 200k in home equity. Financially stable and hit coastFIRE to retire by 50, yay!
But this was only possible because of our high income in tech as software engineers. I've found myself to be not just burned out multiple times, but not enjoying and even disliking the core of the projects I've been taking on at work. Unfortunately, due to the industry I'm in, and have been in for 10 years now, I think what happened is my values have shifted and changed to where I don't feel aligned with the company's mission or projects anymore.
The kickers are that my company and team themselves are fantastic. I actually truly appreciate my boss and am learning something new every day. I have a great team, no matter which project I've been on, and I feel supported to accomplish the project goals at hand. I still enjoy learning, quite a lot actually, but I am not getting the fulfillment out of my work that I did previously, nor is it the same type of fulfillment.
The thing that makes this a problem is that I don't feel fulfilled in the project work anymore. The goal and vision for the work is lost on me, and I am ready to find something more fulfilling that fills my cup more than being a cog in a software wheel.
So all that said, I'm looking to take a gap year and not return to my current employer. I've got lots of exciting travels planned for the rest of the year (already paid for or saved up the money for them), and I don't have the capacity to know what I want out of my next endeavor. I want to take this gap year to finally figure out if my career is just filling the bucket of cash flow, or if it truly gives me satisfaction. And if it doesn't, what might my career look like next.
So what's my question.... I think my question is if anyone has any advice if they've been in a similar position? Feeling unsatisfied, looking to find more fulfillment in my day-to-day life, and financially stable enough to make the change, but feeling like something is holding back. Any advice is appreciated as I try to make steps towards a more fulfilling career and life.
Edit: my partner is fully supportive of this gap year idea. His income alone covers our current yearly expenses.