Apply for govt positions. If you hate your job and are underpaid anyway, you can have an actual career, pension, and maybe help some folks along the way. I’d have to take a fifty percent pay cut to go into government work and I’m too old to reap the benefits, but sometimes I regret not taking that path. I’ve known a lot of happy people in government work. Not that it’s not frustrating as fuck in some ways, but it kinda sounds like that’s not really a downgrade for you.

I wish I could say it made me happy but it’s quite the opposite. I feel out of my depth every day and I’ve never been promoted or such, and I’ve been with the company for almost ten years.

I’ve learned recently to really ask for the promotions and recognition I feel like I deserve