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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[–] Kromulent ago (edited ago)
I think of it like walking along a stone path in a thick fog. You can barely make out the next foot stone, but after you take that step, then you can see the next one.
You don't want to go through life like that in general, of course - it's so much better to look ahead! - but sometimes you just can't see, so you just take the very next small step that seems sensible, and take the next step after that. After a while it always clears up.