Everyone's journey is different. I left finance to pursue aviation (the total opposite of your experience). Once I get to the airlines maybe I'll form a small firm on the side but I realized what I wanted in life and the kind of people I want around me. Money
prestige power isn't everything . Find what works for you and its different for everyone.
I worked in finance before and after the crash. After the crash pilots were hurting but finance was abysmal. Guys with PhD's (literally rocket scientists) taking entry level jobs. Desks that were 20 people cut down to 2. It really was just survival by any means necessary back then.
I ended up starting my own firm which went well then decided to go in house at a larger firm. Moved around at a few firms climbed to senior roles at a primary (finance lingo for one of the big boy banks). What I realized is that senior management at many of the larger financial institutions today were not the best just the most ruthless / dishonest / connected or lucky. People were literally sabotaging each other to get ahead, even today. Many heads of very large institutions don't really understand finance today, they've just created and climbed in a beauracracy that allows it.
I took a look at life and what I wanted and while I haven't experienced it as yet I think QOL as an airline pilot is far better than in corporate America. This is subjective but I'd rather have a dense schedule with a max number of hours per month or year and defined days off.
QOL in finance as you climb gets worse and worse. My average work week was 80 to 100 hours per week. When it's busy there have been stretches where I literally live on the trading floor or in an office for 2 week stretches. Once I have a line if I need more money I'll find or create a side hustle. Even as a wide body captain at a major I'll never make what I was making before but hey I'm ok with that. The are other perks, I'll get to watch sunrises at FL350 every morning.
Happiness is very subjective, glad you found yours. Side bar the fact you're writing this or those articles something inside of you misses flying. Hope you make it big time enough to but a gulfstream or citation and get to fly yourself around! Cheers.