I think you hit the nail on the head. A good therapist will point this out as well. The OP's entire self identity is wrapped up in their career - which explain

I think you hit the nail on the head. A good therapist will point this out as well. The OP's entire self identity is wrapped up in their career - which explains, also, their great success. It's a common ailment in high pressure, high money industries, and especially common in tech. And now, the inevitable existential crisis when that is over - what now? They spent 20-30 years doing nothing but focusing on their job, and tying their self-worth to external validation. I think what a therapist would say is to focus on yourself rather than extrinsic rewards. You need to learn to be happy with yourself and not rely on validation of others or society to do that for you. Finding a hobby that gives you a lot of personal satisfaction is one approach.