Little background....I'm 36, married, 3 kids, dog, etc. I've spent the last 13 years as a residential real estate appraiser. Due to my lack of a college education, I've been limited on how far I can go with licensure/certification for this field. Due to this factor, I've basically been shut down as most banks require a certification which is a step above basic licensure.
I was a heavy pot smoker for about 15 years and I'm a few months into no dope. I feel like I'm just floating along with no real purpose. I'm now a stay at home dad and do all the house shit you'd expect a stay at home parent to do...laundry, cooking, cleaning, getting kids to/from school, grocery shopping...the whole bit. My wife has her own business and we can manage just fine on her salary.
I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what I'm going to next with my life. I know I don't want to be a stay at home dad forever. I've applied for 30+ jobs over the last 12 months but no one wants to hire some one who's been self employed for 13+ years. What did I do wrong?
My question to you Voaters is when you've been in a transitional period in your life, what did you do to figure out the next step? I feel lost and am just looking for some random Internet wisdom. Thanks for your time!
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[–] Voluptuous_Panda 0 points 9 points 9 points (+9|-0) ago
Licensing and certifications are bullshit. Every year, whatever your field they come up with more and more requirements that supposedly make you "better and more qualified in your field." But at the right price of course (and they can be pricey depending on what). Everyone however grudgingly goes on realizing the luducrousness in it all.
Being an entrepreneur is one of the best things you can be. My parents worked their ass off for 16 years in the restaurant business and made quite a chunk of change, climbing out of poverty into a comfortable middle class.
I get why you would feel "stuck" though. It's like just waking up onr day and really realizing where you're at and being super critical about yourself at the moment for no significant improvements. Life is long, and achievements span our lifetimes. Even though Benjamin Franklin had a plethora of accomplishments, it took years of his life to obtain them. Pick up a hobby or something dude.