Part 3/10:
Thus began my journey into middle age, forced to confront the reality of being jobless. But contrary to the immediate dread, I found myself in a position I had secretly prepared for over a decade. My obsession with saving and investing culminated in a financial milestone: I had accumulated $2.2 million. No, I wasn't in the league of Jeff Bezos, but the financial cushion I had built meant I could finally escape quarterly meetings and annual evaluations.