[hirvi74]

> OMG! I'm not making 250k a year, i'm a failure, I don't have a TRILLION dollar startup, I'm a failure (not saying you feel this way) but you get my point.

I struggle with this thinking. My job is nothing glorious -- boring, plain SWE state government work. I feel unvalued and unchallenged, but I also do not feel confident enough in my abilities to make any meaningful changes. What if I leave and/or and can't find anything? What if I find something and cannot perform well enough to keep it?

I feel like I am not "ready" to leave because I need to gain more valuable skills and knowledge, and I won't get it at my current position (Gov isn't really known for being up to date or using highly valuable tech stacks). I know I could probably accomplish more if I buckled down and put in the work, but I just don't have the mental energy or drive to do so for some reason.

But what if I do land some killer gig? Will I finally be happy? Probably not, and I never want work to be my entire life -- just a means to fund other areas of my life. So, I often flip-flop on if this whole "career game" is even worth playing. . .