I’m a 42-year-old man currently working in an office job that requires a lot of interaction with people. Despite being well-paid, I often feel isolated and unliked, both at work and outside of it. In meetings and social gatherings, I notice that colleagues tend to physically distance themselves from me, and when I try to engage in conversation, they often give short responses before turning their attention to others. This pattern has persisted across various jobs, and I’ve even been overlooked for promotions. Although I’ve tried therapy and other methods to improve my social interactions, the situation hasn’t changed much. Recently, I’ve started to accept that I may not be well-liked and have shifted my focus away from this issue towards personal interests like DIY projects, exercise, and cooking, which has been somewhat therapeutic. I’ve realized that my previous obsession with 'getting ahead' may have caused me to lose sight of what truly matters. With this newfound perspective, I’m considering a career change to reduce my interactions with people and the office politics that come with it. I took a career break from my office job and applied for a position as a bus driver. Although it pays less than half of my current salary, I believe that the potential for a less stressful work environment could be worth the pay cut. I’m curious if anyone else has made a similar switch to a less people-oriented job and how it turned out for them.