u/Turbulent_Swimmer900

I've reached the end of my rope. Some people complain about a bad job. Mine is just bland. I went back to school in my late 20s to pivot into what I thought was interesting work. I couldn't get grants so I had to take whatever money came my way.

That money was from the paper industry. They owned my soul and controlled my internships. On the bright side, I had a job all lined up. Also on the bright side, I get to travel occasionally and walk around a mill with my thumb up my butt. Hands-on.

But the industry and my company and especially my office are all slowly dying. And I mean that financially and literally. They're so old. They're working well past retirement. I had to move to a little town that has nothing going on. I can't make friends here. I've tried for over a year and given up. My dates mostly come from larger cities that are 60-90 miles away.

I felt like I was dying since I got here. I have invested locally as best I can. I took martial arts lessons and taught swimming lessons. I hit all the bars. I frequented the breakfast café. I even made (older) friends at a brewery 30 minutes down the road.

Most days I do nothing. Maybe 2 hours of work and then stare at my computer or phone. I insist on sitting in a cube instead of an office because the boss won't let me have either of the empty offices with windows. The cube has windows.

I just feel like I have socially and professionally atrophied. I want to quit at the end of the month and go travel Europe. Everyone's saying "in this economy?" Yeah, kinda. I've been scoping jobs for a few months and can't bring myself to apply because I don't want more of the same.

So I don't know what to do. Travel for a few months, rent from family, and pick back up? Line up a job now and forget happiness? I'm shooting for 100k+ as a relatively new mechanical engineer. At this point, if I'm going to be bored, I don't care if it's engineering. I'm smart and can explain things well. What would you all recommend?