how material is necessary? You could get more socially useful (though still indirect) work with a minimal skillset change if you go into civic tech. Some city job, or a nonprofit doing data analytics on police crimes or something. I've been daydreaming about becoming a welder or bus driver, or salting for unions at "entry-level" jobs.
askchapo
Ask Hexbear is the place to ask and answer ~~thought-provoking~~ questions.
Rules:
-
Posts must ask a question.
-
If the question asked is serious, answer seriously.
-
Questions where you want to learn more about socialism are allowed, but questions in bad faith are not.
-
Try !feedback@hexbear.net if you're having questions about regarding moderation, site policy, the site itself, development, volunteering or the mod team.
So I know that you've been through rehab and it's hard to imagine a person who has done rehab who doesn't experience mental illness alongside it. (Yes, there are unicorns but unicorns are rare.)
My advice to you would be to pursue peer work jobs.
You might be able to do peer work in the evenings or on the weekend voluntarily or perhaps in a paid position (generally speaking peer work roles aren't high paying.)
Keep your current profession for the time being, get into peer work to scratch that itch and in doing so set yourself up for getting paid peer work jobs or beginning to climb the ladder with middle-management peer work jobs as they occasionally emerge by building your experience and your CV. While you're doing that, if you are capable of taking on more, try doing a bit of correspondence learning to work on a qualification as a social worker.
Of all the qualifications, a social worker has a lot of lateral mobility and generally a lot more scope for helping people than most jobs.
I realized the same thing a long time ago (because I'm old, not because I'm a remarkably good person). First I worked in telemarketing and aggressive sales, then when I couldn't do that any more I moved on to mail distribution. Sorting mail by zip code and weight and helping failed deliveries find the right person an so on. I really appreciated how at least me doing my job wasn't actively hurting anyone, but it wasn't really enough. Now I work helping neurodivergent kids pass school. The pay is shit, but wow have I managed to dodge this whole "alienation" thing that is so big in socialist theory. I don't know what your threshold is or what people make in different occupations where you live, but take a look at education. The materially helping people part is there from the start, and whatever education you already do have is likely to at least help. Pay may be an issue, but you should at least look into it.
Considering that you already are in the tech environment, have you considered biotechnology/bioinformatics? It's what I'm switching my major to.
Become a machinist and weasel your way into a medical device contract manufacturing shop
Find like minded people and form a co-op