If I had no money at all, I might take option 2. But I have a pretty sizable 401k and some money in a taxable brokerage. I'd take $5k after tax in a heartbeat. Easy path to a few million.
Invest the leftover money and it becomes like double the worth every 8-10 years.
I'm most worried about medical bills. Having more time will help me keep track of my health.
I work 12 hour days occasionally in software development. It's definitely not something I want to do 5 days a week for 5 years. I'll only be able to last a year at most. If the job is fun and not that stressful, I can probably handle the 5 years.
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