This question about life after SRS has been a central and a very important issue to me before my SRS and afterward. I have always been passionate about my career. Given, my humble circumstances of life, from a very early age, I have always have had big hopes and dreams for the future. Hard work was something that I did not just accept, but learned to embrace as a path to career success. I found that the quality, not the amount, of my passion and ambitions changed with SRS.
But, my transition did have a major impact on every aspect of my life, including having a profound affect on my career. I have more than 10 years of college and a number of degrees and find myself significantly under employed, working at a marginally professional job in which I am accepted (tolerated) for who I am. Unfortunately, I do not totally pass as a female. Therefore, I am anxious about risking what I have and seeking a new and untested job situation, even though I feel that I am professionally stagnating.
I should not be overly negative. I have a beautiful three bedroom apartment of my own, a stable job that pays me roughly a modest middle class income, and am saving more than $2,000 per month. But, in spite of my career efforts and attempt at savings, I see myself as still playing catch up professionally and financially relative to others of my age and with my advanced education. Sadly, I do not believe that many would view me as achieving middle class success.
So, even though, I have a relatively stable (boring and even stagnating) moderately normal life, I have major concerns about my future career and financiers. Further, I have had to make major sacrifices socially for my job and consequently I am very socially isolated and alone which I feel intensely.
