... the company has no issue with me working from home ... I have a 1 year old son who I get to see all day every day ... a lovely wife, am financially secure ... I cannot stand the job I do.

Well cry me a river. The reality is that most people don't love their jobs, but would love to be in your situation. Most working parents don't get to spend all day with their children. They just try to put in their eight hours of tedium and idiotic bosses, then fight rush hour to get back home to their families. I don't mean to sound harsh, but you do need a reality check. Right now, how much you dislike your job doesn't matter. Your real problem is that your family is in a precarious financial situation. To wit:

• Your recurring expenses (mortgage etc) are based on your salary, which is significantly above the norm. Thus your living expenses are as much as 67% too high. Extra income above the norm for your profession & experience should never be used to increase your recurring expenses. Take a vacation instead, or save it for your son's college.

• You bought a house while real estate was overpriced. Now you're stuck with it as it would likely take several years before you can sell it and break even.

• The comute, should you actually have to travel to work, would cost three hours of productive time per day.

• You are assuming (by lack of admission) that your job situation will last indefinitely. However, it appears your employer has achieved bastard stepchild status with the parent company, so don't count on it.

My guess is that you're fairly young, because these are typical mistakes made by people who don't have the benefit of hindsight. You are lucky enough to have extra time on your hands - Use It! You can further your education, pick up additional work, start a business or whatever. Just be sure it has a payoff, you are not presently in a situation where you can afford to do volunteer work. You need to start working on increasing your income and reducing your expenses before the axe falls. Consider this your greatest challenge, to create a foundation for long term financial stability for your family. Once that's done, you will have better opportunities to do satisfying work.

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