After years of steadily moving up the ranks towards a hoped for director position, I was laid off twice in 2 different companies. After the last one I realized I was not in a position to put in a multi years effort to climb up again-to probably get smacked down again.
So I started applying for jobs that were under my last positions that happened to be salary non-exempt. It was what I considered to be the easiest part of the work that comprises my industry-and honestly I enjoyed that work way more than the next tier Responsibilities.
I landed a great position after some back and forth on my reasons for going backwards. Letting them know up front that I always enjoyed the basic work more and had no intention of leaving for a higher role. They in turn liked that I had higher experience and knew they could get that type of work out of me.
My latest position I have been in for a year. I received a 45% raise midyear when I was offered a position and my current employer met the rate. I work on a 35 hour week with a paid lunch. I get paid OT and can do almost as much or as little as I want. My hours are so predictable I actually have a side gig 3 days a week. I got a 15% bonus in December that I was unaware of.
I make more now for less effort than I ever did in my higher positions. Lesson I learned was/is, stop the climb. Stop where you enjoy the work the most and where you still have control over your life.