I’ll be turning 28 towards the end of this year. Starting from my late teens, I’ve tried figuring out what makes me content in life, and what kind of career seems fulfilling to me. I’ve always had an interest in reading on geopolitics and picturing myself in the future as a geopolitical analyst or International Relations scholar. I read non-fiction books and watch documentaries on those topics during my free time a hobby. Nonetheless, prioritizing job security, I chose a career in the Tech Field and I barely got through my college CS degree. I’ve been working in programming for around 3 years and it pays enough to manage my expenses; I’ve got a small apartment, a small car and I live frugally and save a lot (which I’m considering to invest in real estate or some pension scheme so that I can retire early or help in my transition to another career).
Considering stuff like having a family, starting a business or generating a passive income source, I’m quite behind my friends. Besides that, I’m not exactly exerting myself at work; I’m doing what’s necessary to get by and that’s it. I feel like I made a big compromise in life by not taking the risk and pursuing a career in something that I liked. I can’t imagine myself being stuck in this line of work for the next 20-30 years, but I feel like switching careers or starting over is going to be disastrous in 30s. I’m nearing 30 and I feel just as lost as I was when my 20s began. It’s really an ugly thing to be a man baby, realizing that my colleagues, and even my parents, had achieved way more by this age.
I wish there was some sort of a middle path where I could transition into a career that I liked without risking everything. What would be your advice?