I feel like getting into embedded programming would be trading one dumpster fire for another.

I try and limit my exposure to too much web dev crazy ness, usually by avoiding any 'framework' that requires its own command line tool.

Personally I find embedded (actual embedded as in having 20-100kb to work with, not 4gb Pi’s) far less dumpster fire than web dev; it is constrained and there are only so many options once you studied the specsheets and assembled your circuit. It is often like codegolf but for a lot of money and you cannot have bugs because you cannot (easily) send updates. At least I like that kind of thing.

I hope to find time and tech to advance for me to help the dumpster fire: if you see projects like GuiLite it definitely is possible to make things efficient and solid. So that is me hoping for enough advances in webassembly.

For now, embedded I find a lot more fun.

Embedded development is fascinating. I work in embedded professionally and what I've always enjoyed about it is working closely with the hardware engineers (this for a project where the hardware is designed and built in-house). It's a different perspective and I've learned a lot from working with them.

Maybe link to WebAssembly?