I second this. I'm yet to become my own boss, but now more than ever people have the power to build their own business and I think this will become more prominent as people continue to exit the conventional 9 to 5. Literally just by writing on SN frequently has gotten me close to landing a writing freelance gig that I would have never thought of applying for before.

I read somewhere the importance of 'start small, think big'. In my mind, the think big part is to think about building your own business and making something for yourself without having to rely on someone choosing you. In this way all the work you put in for the expansion of your own knowledge can be used however you please and is not dependent on the whims of others.

My gf is job hunting right now and like many others is struggling to land anything. So I told her she can continue job hunting but also start building towards having her own business whatever it may be. Because she is a very capable and intelligent person and it would be so much cooler to see her build towards her own thing than working for someone just for the money.

So @Fabs don't become discouraged because of the current broken system. Your mentality to want to continue learning even though it may seem like it isn't paying off is you still stacking knowledge and continuing the process of 'starting small'. But don't forget to 'think big' because the literal difference between someone who finds immense success in life and someone who succumbs to being average is how big they dare to think.

You got this friend!