You are my age, and I intend this to be friendly. Gizmo is right. You have too much potential left to be so negative. This negative view of employment in our in

You are my age, and I intend this to be friendly. Gizmo is right. You have too much potential left to be so negative. This negative view of employment in our industry is not unique to software. The same concerns about getting stuck in a career-killing, life-draining job are found in most professions. I don't know you personally, so I am hesitant to put words in your mouth or infer what you are feeling. So I'll just talk about myself. What made the difference for me was attitude. It sounds trite but it's true. Some people are too motivated to let themselves be beaten down by a bad job or a bad boss. They continue to struggle through until they change things for the better. I used to be that kind of person, but I gave up hope. I had to find a way to convince myself that I was smart enough, could work hard enough, and could be persistent enough to force positive change in my life. That I would carve a good path through life with my bare hands if I had to. The other alternative was for that negative view of career option to become a self-fulfilling prophesy. I have three children myself, the oldest of which is 4 years old. For their sake I cannot kill myself no matter how bad I feel about my prospects. But also for their sake I cannot let myself get beaten back into a hopeless corner where I come home depressed every day about my life. If I come home every day dead already, what hope do they have of seeing the wonder and beauty of life that makes it worth living? Even without the responsibility of kids I have seen too much good in life to ever be convinced that death is preferable.