Before side-stepping into software development I studied economics and then environmental policy in school. While studying Geographic Information Systems I discovered Python and really enjoyed it. After graduation a great programming opportunity presented itself before I was able to find a compelling environmental job, so I took it. I told myself it was better to pick up hard skills like programming while I'm young, and could always go back and learn additional soft skills for environmental work later. When I made that decision I'd also envisioned doing more GIS-type work, until I later discovered that most of those jobs are .NET programming which I'm not keen on.

I occasionally look for environmental opportunities but get discouraged because I have no real-world experience and 9 years have passed since I obtained my degree. The possibility of taking an unpaid internship at an environmental organization just to get some experience is unappealing, I feel too old to do something like that, and yes it would be a shot to my pride.

Other areas like digital art are interesting to me and I dabble in them, but at my age I honestly don't know if I can devote years to improving my abilities in order to carve out a career in a creative field like that. Most of these possibilities also mean a dramatic reduction in salary and the lifestyle change that comes with it. I don't have a family to support which makes it easier, but hobbies like international travel would go away.

And that's why I say I may be bored with life in general. After the years of school and hard work I'm potentially starting all over again. I come home from work exhausted and have a few hours to try to figure this out, but have yet to find something appealing. I've considered just taking a break but think I'll end up with more questions than answers, and am not eager to put dead zones on my resume that I'll have to explain. I'd love to hear from people that went through similar transition periods.