Salaam - 35 and Feeling Stuck, Is This My Life?
As-salamu alaykum. I'm 35 and feeling pretty lost. I'm a man who's still a virgin and still living with my parents - yes, at 35. I made bad choices in my 20s and ended up with 2 DUIs. Alhamdulillah I'm over seven years sober now, but I still feel stuck. I studied graphic design and got a bachelor's, but all I really have to show is some mediocre student work. The only other job I had I left after the second DUI, so there's not much to put on my record. I did a web dev/software bootcamp and that got me the job I have now, but it still doesn't pay enough for me to move into my own place - rent is just too high. My current role doesn't involve much relevant tech work, so I can't realistically apply for proper tech positions in this market. No matter what I try, it feels like I fall short and I'm not enough. My dream is to become a voice actor, and I'm slowly working toward it, but I can't set up a proper recording space at my parents' house because they keep a lot of stuff around (not extreme, just lots of books, mail, boxes). That kind of career takes years to build, if it works out at all. I can't even find a day job that pays as much or more than I earn now, so I don't know how I'd get my own place to start making real progress. I feel trapped, like I'll be here forever. I don't know if I can make a better life. People tell me "look how far you've come," but that doesn't always feel helpful when I'm thinking about my future. I feel at a dead end at 35. Does this sound familiar to anyone, or am I just uniquely hopeless? JazakAllahu khair for any advice or kind words.