I'm having a tough debate with myself, so, well, I'd like some advice from outside points of view!

Right now, I'm a full time student. However, I'm not working. This is the first time I've ever stopped working to be just a student. I've been student for over 4 years, but I've always had a job at the same time in the past.

So, although I'm taking out loans and am doing okay financially, I feel great shame in not working. I'm worried about what other people would think of me not working, since so many other students work. My future job would pay well, so I don't think paying off loans would be too much trouble, but I worry that I should be working for extra money and to pay off loans.

I've been battling depression for a long while, but recently it's been really rearing its ugly head. I hoped taking a break from work would help with this.

I have a feeling this was partly due to my last job. The last job I had required me to be very, very social, and I avoid being social as much as I can usually. Although I was a good employee and left on a positive note (because I was moving), I feel like the job scared me from working in general. I'd come home physically, but mostly mentally, exhausted, and often would immediately lay down and sleep for way too long, only to wake up and do it all over again. Being so social was one of the most draining experiences of my life. I lost all interest in everything and absolutely dreaded coming in to work everyday. I'd spend all day very anxious and just feeling awful. But, I have a strong work ethic that won't let me do an underwhelming performance no matter what, so I pushed through it for over a year. Strangely, all the social contact has made me much worse socially. Before the job, I was very professional and polite in my mannerisms, but now it's been tarnished to some extent, and I've lost a lot of that professional edge. I'll have to rebuild it now.

Now I know I shouldn't work in jobs which require me to be very social anymore, which is a shame because it's been the experience list of work I've been building.

So I had an idea: what if I run a business from home while attending school?

It'd be something I'm skilled in and there seems to be a market for. I'd also have the opportunity to not have to work with so many people like in the past.

However, I feel a lot of doubts. I'm not too worried about how it won't take off immediately and might take a year or more to get going. I'm more worried about if I'm just shirking my responsibilities to do something silly. Or I just don't want to face adult responsibility and difficulties.

I mean, I wonder if I should be working a regular job, and running a home business is a silly idea that will lose precious experience working as an employee.

I should mention that I'm studying for an engineering degree. The one I'm in requires a lot of study at home, so I'm thinking that not working a regular retail job or similar might not mean hurt me so much in the long run as far as experience goes.

I'm also wondering if I should build any side skills, like bookkeeping, in case I desperately need a job someday.

Thanks so much for reading.