[imphamus]

First and foremost, don't be so hard on yourself. It takes courage to make a career change and you're pursuing something in which you find interesting. You're also doing it to make a positive difference. That's commendable.

Everything you're doing (got a degree, networked, staying vigilant) is the right thing to do, but you can't take the economy and the tech bubble out on yourself. You have no control over those variables and you're better than that.

If this is a field you want to continue in, you may want to try and leverage your non-profit creds and see what NP consortiums are out there. You may be more valuable with that combination than you think.

I didn't have an account here until I read your post and I knew I had to create one to reply. Chin up, friend. You'll be alright and at the very least, I hope you take away that you're always more than the sum of your parts.

[aireo]

Frankly, I'm humbled that you created an account to reply to my post. Thank you for taking the time to do so.

> You'll be alright and at the very least, I hope you take away that you're always more than the sum of your parts.

> You have no control over those variables and you're better than that.

These are life-long lessons that I continuously learn and re-learn and, imo, can never be overstated. Thank you.

> ... you may want to try and leverage your non-profit creds and see what NP consortiums are out there.

This is excellent advice, and something I will start doing.

Thank you again for the advice and kindness. It means a lot.