Okay so I had this feeling in my early 30s. I got in a bad relationship when I was 15 and she was 21. We moved in together when I was 16. Married at 19 kid at 20. I missed all the High school stuff and felt college was out of the question. Kids mom became a junkie and took off stole everything and found out the house was in foreclosure. Single dad in my 20's. Became a mechanic because I could make a little more than most other jobs at the time. My credit was wrecked and I was broke. Technically made too much for assistance. We ate so much spaghetti it's not even funny. Being poor is so expensive. I had a hernia and had surgery. Insurance decided it was pre existing and denied the claim. So they garnished my wages. Had a POS car that I couldn't afford to have insurance or even get tags. Got pulled over and lost the car. Was renting a shit house with an old boiler and my first gas bill was almost $400. Couldn't pay it and had my gas shut off. Luckily the house had a fireplace and we would all sleep in the living room until one night an ember started a fire in the wall. Back to negative.
So this whole time I just kept working on becoming better at my job and as a father. At one point I had 3 jobs. I would work at the Dealership during the day. Rebuild transmissions for an independent shop at night after I stopped home and fed the kids and got them situated with homework and bedtime. Then would bartend for events on Friday and Saturday night. Finally I started to get ahead. Over the next few years I got a car and started working on my credit. Rented a little nicer house. Even cut out the night job because I had started making decent money at the dealership.
So one day I wake up and I'm in my 30s and I felt like I missed so much. I just felt like I was so far behind the 8 ball. My body was beat up and I was just exhausted. Then I hurt my neck and had to have a few vertebrae fused together. I really couldn't wrench the way I used too. So I decided I was going to start a new career. I applied for jobs that were way out of my league. Interviewed a million times. Then one day I got a call for a Project Manager job that wanted a college degree that I didn't have. Man, I fucking sold myself. I got the job pending an Excell test because I needed to be fluent in that. I had almost no knowledge on Excell but that weekend I studied every video, book and tip on how to do it. I nailed it
Fast forward to now, I am remarried to the most wonderful person in the world. She adopted my daughter even though she was a teenager at this point and they have the most wonderful relationship as a mother/daughter. We have a beautiful 14 acre property and a wonderful life. Our daughter actually just bought her first house. My point is if you work your ass off there is a way and you can change that direction. It is fucking hard and will feel impossible but it can be done. Good luck friend.