37 here. Lost my job, a job that I loved, worked really hard at, and poured my hear and soul into in 2017. Spent the next 2 years being depressed. Worked different jobs before settling on being a lyft driver. In late 2019, I started teaching myself options trading. I decided that If I was going to work really hard at something again, then it was going to be something I do for myself. I was done answering to a boss or to a customer.

I had been investing in the stock market from a young age and always thought about actively trading with the money I had saved up, but I was always busy with work to ever pursue that notion. It wasn't until I hit my bottom did I decide to take more risks. After spending months teaching myself, I began trading, pretty much right after the COVID crash. The timing was kind of perfect, because with COVID I really wasn't motivated to be driving people around with lyft, I had been teaching myself options trading already, and being at home all day put me in a position to slowly dip my tows in the water with trading until I got to the point where I felt comfortable doing it full time.

I still teach myself everyday, keep a journal, and take copious notes on how to improve. I will NEVER go back to work in the traditional sense. I pay careful attention to managing my risk so that I am never in a position that I will have to again.