not a poster but damn do i feel this. i have a problem where every date/talking stage feels like an extended job interview. i also feel like i'm frequently stuck in what i call the "self improvement rut." typically have these downturns/ruts when faced with rejection or ghosting. it leads to critiquing how i acted when i met the person i was interested in and how i can improve myself for future dates or potential partners/friends. i recognize my big problems as sometimes i have painful social anxiety and lack of confidence in myself. however, i'm not really sure how many personality flaws i can really fix, or if they're even truly flaws; sometimes i'm just like "this is who i am, it's kind of immutable at this point."
there's also the money thing but that's fixed by ladder climbing and/or education/training. but those aren't guarantees to higher income. idk sorry for rambling, i'm a little younger, but i empathize with this sentiment.
they're all already staffed by deranged cold warriors (return of the China lobby?), nepo failkids and other flavors of ghouls. business as usual!