In one year you could revolutionize your life, if you really wanted it. Based on your comment this could be a reasonable 12 months plan: - Get out of academia

In one year you could revolutionize your life, if you really wanted it. Based on your comment this could be a reasonable 12 months plan: - Get out of academia - Get a 6 figure paying job in the industry - Get out of your current relationship - Rent a one bedroom apartment in a major city close to work and go on binge dating until the feeling of regret will be gone It is likely that after taking all these steps you’d not be feeling depressed anymore, and life would have brought you in some interesting places. I shared similar emotions in regards to dating in my mid 20s (specifically my girlfriend at the time had significantly more dating experience than me and that made me feel utterly inferior), so I did exactly that. I broke up with her, moved from the suburbs to a major city, and after casually dating ~50 women over the course of the following 4 years, I finally settled with my current partner and couldn’t be happier, we’ve been together 5 years and going strong. On top of that I have fun memories of my previous dating phase, which did a lot to boost my self confidence and tame any “missed out” feelings.