Settling Down In Unsettled Times

I got some unsolicited advice from my aunt about how I should do more to find a full-time job and not spend the three years on my post-PhD visa in temp jobs because I will be nearly 40 by the end of it. I should look to "settle down" as soon as possible. For most desis, that means, get a high-paying job, get married and have kids. I know I cut a sorry figure in the eyes of some of my extended family members, although some of them have the good grace to never hint about it. 35, single, no job, hasn't even finished his PhD, unsettled in every possible way. This particular aunt doesn't really care about marriage and kids but both her sons are in high-flying jobs City jobs and the contrast between us couldn't be starker, both in terms of our financial situation (which is obvious) and in life goals (which I don't think she cares about). I would never ever want to be an investment banker or tax consultant in the City, even if I could. In any case, trying to predict what will happen in the next five months feels like a high-risk exercise, much less five years. I have previously argued that the combination of problems that our world is facing may lead to shifts in attitudes towards what it means to have a settled life. But, those attitudes won't change overnight or ever, in the case of some people.