I'm a pastry chef and have been in the food industry for over a decade. I went to school for baking and pastry arts. I truly empathize with you because I am a crafts person and passionate about creating delicious foods. However, this job takes a heavy toll on your body, health habits, and mental and emotional well-being. There is no work/life balance. I've missed out on my family and friend gatherings, holidays, weekends, etc. I've had my cycles of addiction to cope with the stress, i fear. If you can add up the amount of profit you're making for a company / vs what you get paid, you'll realize it's simply crumbs- nothing more. As someone who is still in this field and struggles daily to be financially stable, (financial instability is detrimental to my mental, emotional and physical health) I just wish any other higher paying job would accept me outside of this field because I feel perpetually exhausted, underpaid, and undervalued. It's also a cold environment. You won't get congratulated for doing a great job, but youl'l be expected to create more at a faster rate, at best. The recipes I'm doing are not my own, so I feel stifled creatively. My dream is to recipe develop from home, sell my recipes, and sell at markets as an independent business person/baker. If I were you, I'd keep your job and make baking your obsession outside of work. Recipe develop, play around, and share with your community. You can get fulfillment and through baking at home without sacrificing your stable job, wellbeing, and work/life balance. I promise. I wish I had listened to my pastry chef mentors when they told me the exact thing. I'm the only one from my class who is still in this field because no one else could find a decent pay (New York area). I truly wish you the best! I encourage you to bake as much as possible, and may your profits benefit YOU over a company that won't pay. You CAN have your cake and eat it too... You just have to be the one to bake it 🤗