I need some real talk. I'm in a situation I'm sure some of you have been in, and I'm struggling to see the way out. My job... well, it *pays*. Pays the bills and then some. But the cost is absolutely insane and I'm hitting a wall. * **I have no time:** I'm clocking **160 to 180 hours every month (sometimes even more)**. Do the math. That's 45 - 60+ hour weeks, constantly. My entire life is work. * **The culture is absolute garbage:** It's a toxic mix of stress, micromanagement, and pointless drama. I'm completely drained by the end of the day. * **The Golden Handcuffs are real:** The paycheck is the only thing holding me here. It feels like I'm selling my soul and all my time for a number in my bank account. The ROI on my happiness is zero. I'm not just venting (okay, maybe a little). I'm desperate to build my own thing and get out. But how do you even start when you're already running on empty? **For those of you who broke free:** 1. **How did you find the energy?** Seriously. After a 12-hour day of this crap, the last thing I want to do is "hustle." Did you just power through on pure caffeine and rage, or did you have to quit first to get your spark back? 2. **Im a senior engineer** and im also locked in that world im pivoting hard to AI currently going through heavy math while coding but im just lost really lost what to do with my knowledge, current job market is horrific and nothing really nothing that i come up with looks like a good idea so i dont have the will to do any MVP's (Probably connected to a fact im completely broken). 3. **Mindset tips?** How do you stop feeling like a beaten-down employee and start feeling like a founder when your job is actively killing your spirit? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for listening to my late-night panic post.