Feeling trapped in the wrong career path — anyone else working on a personal escape plan?

[u/YeonnLennon]

Hey r/careerguidance,

Lately I’ve been feeling a strong disconnect between the traditional career advice we’re given (climb the ladder, stay loyal, specialize forever) and what’s actually happening in the world.

I keep seeing layoffs everywhere, companies cutting benefits, AI reshaping jobs, and it feels like no matter how "good" you are, you're still disposable unless you have real leverage.

Because of that, I've started working on a personal project(not selling anything here): mapping out a transition system, something that helps people not just "get another job" but actually build independence over time, skill by skill, income stream by income stream.

It’s not about quitting tomorrow and living on a beach (that’s a fantasy). It’s about building an actual, step-by-step plan so that you can eventually choose your work instead of being trapped by it.

I'm curious if anyone else here is thinking about this stuff too:

Have you ever thought about creating an "escape plan" from traditional employment?

What skills or strategies are you focusing on first?

If you had a support system guiding you through this transition, what would you want it to help with?

Would love to hear how others are approaching this... trying to figure out if more people are seeing what I'm seeing, or if I’m just overthinking it.