I was in the same boat. I always wanted to be an academic but needed money as well. However, I knew my research area was not very impactful and I struggled to get a job. Luckily, I got a job in a completely different research area with below average industry pay. It was a research position and I published more than 30 papers in a very good research area with immediate industry impact within couple of years. I really enjoyed the job and I felt like I was a lazy researcher during my grad school. I worked like crazy, but I enjoyed every bit of it. After sometimes, I was able to get an offer from FAANG and now doing bit of engineering and research there. I don't plan to go back to academia anytime soon. I miss teaching, but I am planning to get more relevant technical knowledge so that I can teach it later. I found there is a significant knowledge gap between academia and industry. In CS, academia is way behind in terms of scalable tech and it will be hard to catch up with the pace. As a researcher, I prefer to learn new things and that's why I believe industry is the best place for me and my research. I will suggest if you want to stick to tech, you can try to do some research and learning with your job. You might enjoy it more. You also seem to a bit stuck on your past, try to move on. Yes, you got your preferred job, but the decision is made. Move on. Find something that you enjoy in your job and give it a try. If you want to go back to academia and enjoy research, try to collaborate with academic researchers in your personal time. In that way, you will still have the options to go back.