Unfortunately society doesn't value all types of work equally. The value they put on the type of work you're qualified to do is not a referendum on you personally, though. It is just hard because you can do something that has tremendous dignity and value and importance and what you get paid for it is pretty much untethered from the actual value. It is what the market will bear, which is another thing entirely.

Imagine yourself getting paid, say, $200 an hour for doing specialty software development work. That's more than either of us makes by quite a lot, but I know a guy who has pulled that hourly rate for years now, as a sub-sub contractor at a large aeronautics company. And all he's doing is holding together a human resources system with chewing gum and baling wire. Does that make him a "better" person than either of us? I don't think so. It is just dumb luck.

One must obtain one's value from someplace other than what their employer is willing to pay them or how kind their spouse is willing to be or how generally hard life is; those are random, inaccurate measures.

May I gently suggest you are looking to your job satisfaction and pay and social status for things they'll never give you.

Take your self-worth instead from the degree to which you stand and are true to your own values -- things like that.

sorry to see that you're having a hard time financially. i think there are far too many people in your situation. i don't believe the govt statistics where they use average income to come up with income levels for the average worker. those numbers are skewed to the high side by the top 20%, especially the top 1 %. median numbers tell a whole different story. the govt is just trying to sell the idea of a false prosperity.
people my age were lucky to experience real growth in our incomes. at least up until 30 yrs or so ago. i really believe that income & conditions peaked for the working class way back then & have been getting steadily worse.

I feel very similar. Hang in there.

Honestly, I am always interested in what you have to say. Here, I genuinely feel we care about the members. I would agree with Mizbehavin except sometimes its how we look at things. Paid work isn't the same as being employed. We can all be employed, in volunteering, in offering advice to others. You are a skilled man, could you offer support to younger people coming into the work place? You have so much to give