Start a business. Even if it fails it will help you migrate towards a not pure software engineering role which, as you are now seeing, is highly cyclical.
It is 100% okay if the business fails. I cannot stress this enough. Starting and running even a failed business combined with your technical ability will separate you from almost all other candidates if you need to re-enter the job market.
You sound like you are in a lower wage country so I would recommend a marketing or sales tool. That is typically a growth industry during slowdowns as sales people search for new tools to turn their numbers around. That makes it easier to sell to people in higher wage countries without having a physical presence that is sometimes important in typical b2b sales.
It is 100% okay if the business fails. I cannot stress this enough. Starting and running even a failed business combined with your technical ability will separate you from almost all other candidates if you need to re-enter the job market.
You sound like you are in a lower wage country so I would recommend a marketing or sales tool. That is typically a growth industry during slowdowns as sales people search for new tools to turn their numbers around. That makes it easier to sell to people in higher wage countries without having a physical presence that is sometimes important in typical b2b sales.