No simple answer here. I also spent years as an A&P and eventually got on with a long haul freight operator as a mechanic, then became a pfe after a few years. Eventually got into the right set of a jet and moved to a legacy pax carrier now. It took a lot of time, some luck and good friends to get where I am today. Spent a lot of time commuting and also away from home, now live in base, home every night with the family and could not be happier. Its a crapshoot no matter what you do. I've always had the bug and finally got lucky. It was a long road, but no regrets here. 14-18 days off a month making 100k. 5 years from now it could be different, you never know until its all over, good luck.