Laid off 10 years ago after 13 years at one company. Never landed another full-time job. Now in my 40s with two young kids and I can't see the path forward.

I'm in my 40s, married, with two young kids. I spent 13+ years at one company in a jack of all trades role (marketing, IT, sales) and was laid off 10 years ago. The day after the layoff, my wife and I found out she was pregnant with our first child.

Job hunting became my full-time job. I interviewed anywhere that would have me, worked with interview coaches, and rewrote my resume endlessly. I regularly made it to second or third round interviews, then got ghosted or turned down. My scattered experience probably didn't help. After two years I finally landed a full-time temp position that lasted a year and a half. I hoped it would convert to permanent, but it didn't (there was also a discrimination situation there), and it ended right before Covid, which made finding the next thing even harder.

Since then I've pieced together whatever I could do remotely: reselling on eBay until sales dried up (I'm still sitting on inventory that ties up capital we need), a day trading attempt I deeply regret, and a string of self-started projects, websites, apps, anything I thought might catch. Nothing has gained real traction.

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, which explains a lot about my past and my present. I want to be clear that I'm not sitting around hoping things change on their own. I'm in therapy, I'm on medication, and I'm working hard on myself. But the paralysis and anxiety I deal with are real, and some days they win.

The practical constraints: my kids have short school days and we can't afford childcare, so I need to be home in the afternoons. My wife works full time but her income doesn't cover our expenses, and my earnings are small. The house needs expensive repairs. Realistically, I need remote or flexible work. And I'll admit something harder: after a decade of rejection, the idea of walking back into a traditional office 9 to 5 feels beyond me right now. I'm working on that too, but it's where I am today.

I know I'm creative and I generate ideas constantly. But on paper I have one long generalist job, a decade of self-employment, and no grad school. This is the age when people are supposed to be peaking in their careers, and instead I feel like I'm letting my family down every day.

I know the easy answer is "take any job, anywhere." If that's your advice, I understand where it comes from, but it's not that simple for me right now, and I'm hoping for something more specific.

**My questions for anyone who's been here:**

1. What remote or flexible paths would you realistically pursue with a generalist background (marketing, IT, sales, e-commerce) and afternoons blocked for school pickup?

2. Has anyone rebuilt a career in their 40s after a long gap or a stretch of self-employment? How did you frame those years to employers?

3. If you've dealt with ADHD, anxiety, or burnout while trying to restart a career, what actually moved the needle for you?

Any perspective is welcome. Thanks for reading.

**TLDR:** Laid off 10 years ago after 13 years at one company. Couldn't land another full-time role despite years of trying. Spent the last several years reselling and building projects that haven't gained traction. Recently diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, in treatment and working on myself. In my 40s, two young kids, wife works full time, looking for a realistic remote or flexible way to rebuild.