>>7076031I have no pape for this feel. Just put one up for sharing's sake. I have worked through/with my severe mental illness every day for 12 years and have gotten to a point where I am a professional in my field, even though I'm a college dropout. I am lauded by my colleagues as intelligent and exceptional at what I do. Except the whole field I chose is crumbling and will only continue to do so; there are no jobs and the ones around pay so little that it's a joke. I am at a point where I put so much effort into this to get to the end point, the goal, only to find that this shangri la is just ruins and old notes saying "get out while you can." I feel betrayed somehow, and after using this career as a northern star for 12 years to give me purpose, I'm completely lost. I feel myself slipping back into mental illness and it terrifies me.