I’m doomed to the fiat mines until death it seems. I think the bitcoin standard is still a long time away

I did this almost by accident. I found myself following all the latest lightning protocol developments and in awe of this incredible new network. When a job opening was published, I jumped on it - mostly just to ask the devs some questions. Next thing I know I've got a job offer, so of course I took it.

It's been over a year now, and has been a highly rewarding experience. The transition wasn't easy, but I wouldn't call it rocky either. Working in open source development is a humbling experience with no room for ego. Likewise for working with some of the brightest minds I've encountered.

One interesting bit is how the developers in this space almost have their own lingua Franca so to speak in the form of cryptographic tricks and tools that aren't heavily utilized in broader industry (but it's taken for granted that engineers in this space are familiar with them for the most part.) They're all useful and fun to learn, but it can seem like a deluge of information at times, so be prepared. I had to do a lot of background reading of the bitcoin and lightning dev mailing lists just to get up-to-speed enough to follow the discussion. (bitcoinsearch.xyz makes this easier now!)

Life is short - if you find a job you're interested in that can help move along a project (bitcoin) you're passionate about, go for it. In my case it's been as challenging as it has been rewarding. I can't think of anything more meaningful I could be doing with my time.

Earning Bitcoin can be done remotely, so that's not as difficult.

It depends on where you live how easy it is to pay your bills with Bitcoin.

If you live in El Salvador, then you are Bitcoin native. Easy.

If you live in some countries, such as Canada, Australia, and others, then there are services that accept Bitcoin and deal with your payments.

Unfortunately, we are in the age of frontiers. You have to put in the work to build a Citadel around you. Its not often that you can escape to a Citadel.

There is of course, El Zonte, if you're ready for that plunge, but otherwise, its a long difficult road, even if you take a remote job paying in Bitcoin, if you aren't willing to also move out of a higher paying, but higher living costs country to a lower paying, but lower living costs country.