$2750 USD is 2 days of pay? In what world? That's some parts of the world yearly gross.

$1375/day is $170 per hour or about $300k annually (five days a week, 8 weeks off). Pretty reasonable rate for a senior software developer contract in the US.

Eh, I think of this hobby more like a video game — fun to play, even if you don't win (but more fun if you do).

I wax skis for people as a side hustle. People ask me whether it's worth it. I tell them I enjoy doing it and it brings me beer money, so it's definitely worth it, even if the hourly rate is less than working at McBurger.