You might have Imposter Syndrome. Take a step back, and make a list of all your accomplishments. This is not about being self-centered, it's about taking a hon

You might have Imposter Syndrome. Take a step back, and make a list of all your accomplishments. This is not about being self-centered, it's about taking a honest view of your life. During the day-to-day shuffle, with short-term deadlines and other obligations, it's easy to forget about the long path you've taken to get to where you are. You co-founded a company that was acquired - how many people can say that? Even if it was an acqui-hire, does that really make a difference? Why do you feel that this accomplishment is not worthy of praise? You didn't like working at the parent company and so you left to find different work. What is wrong with that? I would bet that most people on HN have been through a similar circumstance. If you don't like working at a certain place and don't fit it, it's not necessarily your fault or anyone's "fault". Furthermore, you had the ability and confidence to leave a job you did not like and take a job that perhaps will be a better fit. Why does it matter that it's not in a "sexy" or "trendy" industry? Reading just the big headline stories on HN or other tech websites will leave you a bubble where it seems like everyone is working for an ultra-trendy hipster startup that will be "the next big thing", when in reality many software developers work in more mundane industries but are still very technically astute and have a fulfilling life. If it's something you can do day after day and it doesn't bother you, in my mind that is great. Don't compare yourself to what others want, compare yourself to what you want. Which leads me to my next point: Why do you believe that you are an underachiever? Compared to what benchmark? There is nothing wrong with being ambitious - motivation often provides the drive to succeed. But if you are always left wanting more, then you never really get to savour the reward from your efforts and hard work. Take a step back and try to figure out what really fulfills you in life. Work is often treated as a means to an end, and there's nothing wrong that. However, some people really do relish work and for them, that is an end in an unto itself. But if that's not what fulfills you, you shouldn't try to pigeon-hole yourself into someone else's goals by way of comparison.