One Year of Job Applications, No Offers—Should I Push Myself Into Entrepreneurship?

I’ve been working in finance for about six years (including a couple of internships) and at my current job for a few years now. The pay is solid, and I’ll have nearly $100k in cash saved in a few months. But despite all that, I’m miserable.

Exactly a year ago, I decided I wanted out of this industry and started applying for other jobs—consulting, tech, big companies, startups—basically anything that felt like a fresh start. Since then, I’ve sent hundreds of applications—honestly, I’ve lost count at this point. I’ve had days where I sent out 20+ applications within just an hour or two and then sent even more later. But out of all of those, I’ve only heard back from about 5-6 places. I’ve landed a few interviews, and I’d say I’m a decent interviewer—not perfect, but I grind extra hard to prepare and feel confident about my responses. I have decent enough experience in my back pocket, but it feels like direct experience is what everyone wants for the roles I’m targeting.

To clarify, I’m not an investment banker. I know people in IB often have an easier time making career pivots because so many places value their skill sets, even without direct experience. That hasn’t been the case for me, and it’s been tough to feel like I’m starting from scratch when my background doesn’t perfectly align with the job description.

At this point, it’s so discouraging. It feels like I’m competing with a flood of people who are way more qualified—especially after the layoffs over the past couple of years—and I’m constantly being told no, or roles get closed, or I get ghosted.

Meanwhile, my current job gives me constant anxiety and has pushed me into depressive states more than once. The work isn’t terrible, but it’s not a good fit for me. The long hours (12-14 hour days sometimes) only make it worse, and I feel like I’m trapped in a cycle I can’t break out of.

Now I’m wondering if I should push myself into entrepreneurship. I’ve saved a decent amount of money to start something and have always been open to the idea of running my own business, but I’ve never had a clear idea of what that business would even be. I feel like I’m at a crossroads—should I keep applying for roles and risk staying stuck? Or do I take the leap into entrepreneurship because it feels like I don’t have many other options right now?

Has anyone else been in a situation like this? What did you do to finally break through? Or if you started a business, how did you figure out where to start?

I feel burned out, exhausted, and completely lost, so any advice or shared experiences would mean a lot.