New ask Hacker News story: Ask HN: Should I climb the software engineering Ladder or build a side hustle?

Ask HN: Should I climb the software engineering Ladder or build a side hustle?
4 by AdityaSanthosh | 2 comments on Hacker News.
I have little over 2 Years of Experience. I had joined the Industry in 2021 when developers are making a lot money here in India thanks to Startup VC Funding. I had job-hopped a bit and got to a decent salary at my current role but the market has changed dramatically. I have been applying to several companies passively and actively since couple of months resulting in vain. Now, I am very much passionate about software but I am also flexible. I do get some decent ideas in IT sometimes. Should I just keep upskilling myself in promotion to mid-level engineer/ grinding leetcode or do a side hustle completely unrelated(or related) to software? I am flexible with anything. My Long term goals are Financial Independence and stimulating work