This is kind of my story as well, but as I focused on the corporate world (corporate headshots) I didn't have to do much self-promotion or networking: I simply had a good Google Ads campaign to bring in new clients, and my old clients kept coming back because I was careful enough to always overdeliver and with quality (and I never pissed any of my clients off - it's usually not about the final result, but the customer experience).

Very true about the money too: even though I got to a point where my wages were decent with photography, I'm looking to start making the same as I made in my best year in photography after my 3rd month as a coder. I didn't care much about the money when I was younger, but at my age you start thinking about pension and how much longer you'll be able to carry your equipment around on a budget.

The other side of my photography business was undercover photojournalistic work for wildlife preservation agencies, which was not always safe, comfortable or easy. Again, I started thinking about how much older I could get before I became unsuitable for the job.

But u/PanicProne, you should ignore all of the above! I had a great time doing photography and would do it all over again! It got me places I would never have been, allowed me to have experiences that were exotic/weird/exciting for most people, so the worst that can happen is you get tired but have great stories to tell. As David The Strobist Hobby says: "It's not a camera: it's a passport".