By the way, who the heck do you think "people like me" actually are?
I went into the space business as a startup entrepreneur. My degree was in architecture. I learned what I needed to know from the ground up and from older and wiser heads. I did things on my own terms. My son is the only one in my family who's ever worn a tie to work.
I took a shot at some brass rings and missed. The job paid pretty well when I had it, I was doing what I wanted to, and I would do it again. A lot of the big wheels in the current private space industry used to work for us.
Now I'm trying to reinvent myself as a writer. I can't retire. Self-employed entrepreneurs don't get unemployment benefits, cushy pensions, or other safety nets.