Jibes aside, this is my strategy for 2017.
I will be seeing a life coach early in the new year. That way I hope to figure out what it is that I want to really do. My concerns remain static i.e. every company is raising the bar higher and higher and self-taught people have no place. If it means going the full monty and starting a business, then so be it. I would love to sit and draw all day, sadly those jobs do not pay enough, and I found out recently that, the graphic design/media business is ruthless.
In the meantime, I am hoping to find a developer role somewhere, and I will be pretty careful this time before just taking the job out of desperation... I will ask questions and seek out ex-employees and look for signs. I will keep in mind a list of non-negotiables this time.
I really appreciate all the help that some here have extended to me. This forum really lives up to the notion that it is a big family with a big heart, and I mean that sincerely.