[truprajutr]

Just wanted to say that you are not alone in this. I am likely a bit older, have a (pity) PhD in a technical field and am in a comparable situation career-wise.

I think it's mostly a result of my ADHD and related traits like weakened communication skills, poor impulse control and the learned helplessness that eventually comes with all it. Switching fields and generally fleeing from one thing to the other does not help as well.

It gets to the point when I notice less skilled and less diligent folks getting further just because they had not been traumatized and hence were able to manage their work life more adequately.

All the things I learned or did (relatively) well are only due to my sustained intrinsic interest in them. I haven't learned much new stuff recently (nothing in any depth for sure) and I am not sure I am still able.

I would love to have a mentor who has similar interests but is rather successful career-wise. Not sure if such combination exists or how to find one. My boss at work is great but he's too different.

[morpheos137]

I probably have ADHD and poor impulse control too. It works in some roles, but not so good with planning boot strapping from nothing and following through on a plan. If you are already rich and empowered ADHD may be more manageable if you can rapidly switch your attention from one thing to another and then have people under you actually execute on the details.