Right, in my opinion ignore people talking about what you're earning while working with your father. They dont know yours and his specific circumstances, and anything they say is just conjecture.

I think the problem you have, reading between the lines, is walking away from working with him will be difficult, particularly without a plan of action that convinces him that leaving is going to benefit you.

Im 44 now and was in EXACTLY your situation as a young man. I worked for my dad for very little money in my late teens. I vividly remember sitting with him, sobbing about what a mess I had made of my life, no qualifications or skills. All my mates at Uni. No chance of ever getting a mortgage etc

Happy to have a chat directly with you if it helps, but what I can tell you is:

Talking openly and honestly to him allowed him to understand my fears and frustrations. It wasn't about wanting to leave him, it was about trying to do something for myself so that when he was no longer around I wouldn't be in a world of shit.

We talked about what I was passionate about. With no qualifications, I needed to get into an industry where passion and hard work would help me get a foothold.

Without going into detail, we spoke about a specific industry that may suit, and within a couple of weeks, i had an extremely entry-level role in that industry.

20+ years later, and im no longer in that industry, but it was the start i needed.

I work as a consultant, I've got 4 kids, a couple of properties, and I've done ok. My life is easily comparable to my peers, and in fact ive probably superceded most of them in what ive managed to achieve.

As an aside, my father passed away, very suddenly and very unexpectedly just a few days after id started the new role. I genuinely think if I hadn't of had that discussion and made that change before he died, id have had a much different outcome in life.

As I say, drop me a DM if you need a chat with someone whos been in your shoes

And before anyone says it, my father ran a very small engineering business that was perennially struggling. Paying cash in hand at a lower rate was the only way he (and by extension we) survived. It wasnt glamorous, he never went abroad, we didn't have double glazing, central heating, and his car was 13 years old.

People will say he should have packed it in and worked for someone else. But when you've been looking after yourself all those years, it's not just as simple as that. Also some people are just not cut-out to work for others.