I feel very alone and isolated right now...

I quit my job to go back to school briefly to get a much better (and higher paying job), so it means I don't get to see work friends every day. And being back in school, I'm around people at least 10 years younger than me so I don't feel like I belong. I don't know how they see me...I'm the only non-traditional student in the program and they've pretty much had all their classes together so they're all friends and know each other well and I'm just the stranger that joined them at the last second.

Almost all meetup groups I would be interested in seem to meet when I work or am otherwise busy most of the time so I can't be there on a weekly basis. Then there are the events that I'd like to go to, but it's not safe going alone (like anything at a bar, for example).

The only people I really have for company at the moment are a former coworker and my recent ex. Luckily, he still talks to me every day or I would be even worse off than I am.

I just don't know what to do to be less lonely. I'm not an introvert. I'm just really shy and have been hurt enough that it takes me a while to open up most places. Also, I've been lonely as long as I can remember. It got better last year when I worked at a place I actually fit in, but it's worse now that I don't have that place anymore. The big issue is there are very few places where I fit in. I don't usually fit in with people I have things in common with or hobby groups so there's less incentive to go that route. I can't fit in with the people I desperately want to fit in with which makes me feel so depressed. It's just hopeless I guess.