Industry is not a bad idea. But most crucially, the thing you feel is an identity slipping away. Academia has priesthoods, and so does industry. When you fall o

Industry is not a bad idea. But most crucially, the thing you feel is an identity slipping away. Academia has priesthoods, and so does industry. When you fall out of the fold, it can be a hard crash. People who can't find a fit tend towards taking odd jobs or a van down by the river. That's the real thing driving discontent at 30 - "I'm not making it, maybe I'm all washed up." But you are most likely done with priesthoods. Your second act looks different from your first. Studying something of genuine interest is a crucial first step. It may be apparently trivial, in which case you call it "art". It may be of obvious import, and then it is "philosophy". The thing you study and the thing that brings in money may coincide, and that will make for a contented life for a time. But there will be little public indication that you might be succeeding at the personal journey. You must create your own rubrics and principles of operation.