Originally Posted by
Yartemis
What do I do now? I don't want to give up but I'm not enthused about moving forward either. Would I be better focussing on another area like aerobatics?
I'd say you need to understand exactly
what it is about flying that you enjoy and to be blunt with you, formulate achievable goals that you can enjoy reaching. If it's hands-on, 'in the control loop' flying of an aircraft, then I'd look at aerobatics, some form of air racing (navigational rather than Reno!), bush flying, flying safaris etc. Go and try a ride in some different types, twins, tail draggers, see what floats your boat (seaplane?) - if you're set on going weightless (at least momentarily) I'd recommend competition aerobatics. Jump into a Pitts for example; mastering
that will keep you engaged very nicely for years to come.
You are lucky enough to have a good job with apparently good remuneration - frankly, I'd hang onto that with both hands (and both feet) and use as a means to fund your passion of flying. Going commercial now would be akin to going parachuting with a rucksack. My LinkedIn feed is jammed with out of work type-rated flight crew driving forklift trucks and vans. BA is about to release another 1000 highly skilled aircrew into the wilderness.
Mid 30s at the stage you're at, thinking about space flight is... well, it shows you're an optimist! The last application acceptance rate at NASA is 0.065%. The lower orbit market might grow from practically zero to not much - pilot shortage is going to be the smallest problem on the table with those programs!
Given you're not already a test pilot and would need 1000hrs jet time PIC to get through the first sift, your best (and cheapest) chance of making that first sift is learning Russian and gaining a PhD in a strong STEM topic, achievable in 5-7 years part-time if you are tenacious enough. Although you'd still need to gain some actual research experience - assuming you don't already work in the field?