By your assessment, I too probably “fell off.” But you know what? I am happier than I have ever been doing what I love, even if it’s not what I was “expected” to do. I got every fancy advanced degree in the book and use exactly zero of them currently. But I love my job - it pays decently, is low stress, and gives me great work-life balance, which seems to be a sad rarity for many these days. I left the stress, I left the pointless competition. I am happy. You can kiss my you know what.
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