I live in a small town (around 50,000 people) and have struggled a lot with meeting women, and just making friends in general post-college. I'm a 25 year old male, focused on academics and looking good on "paper" for six years to get a Master's degree with almost perfect grades, then land a stable job making good money in the same town I grew up in. And, now, it's all hitting me, that none of these achievements matter at all to me and I'm actually getting legitimately and truly depressed for the first time in my life.

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I have used the free versions of Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge for the majority of the last year--gotten a fair number of matches but only two dates that went nowhere. Have approached over 100 women in person over the past year--also basically nothing, although met up with one woman a few times who I met in a park last year, but that's it. I also have zero male friends, because all of the people I used to hangout with have moved away. I have searched meetup groups, volunteer organizations, and nothing seems popular or appealing. Are there other avenues of meeting women (and people in general) that I am neglecting, or is it just downright impossible as a post-college guy in a small town? I suppose I could go to bars alone, but I hate most bars tbh if I'm not there with anyone else.

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I suppose my only option is to move, unless there are other potential avenues I'm not thinking of. I never realized just how lonely and depressed I am until recently, because I have always been good at shoving my feelings down and forgetting about them because I've done it my whole life as a defense mechanism to deal with a bunch of fucked up shit. And on top of it, the physical and mental health of both of my parents are deteriorating significantly, and they have essentially no friends either and no one who is capable of helping them and basically can't function without assistance. and are going to have surgeries soon. I want to help them but I also could not handle working a job I hate and being a full-time caregiver for the next 30 years--the thought is so depressing I would truly rather die than do that (not actually suicidal tho). So when I look at my future, I am starting to go into a panic. If I don't make extreme changes soon, I will end up depressed and dying alone.

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I know this is a rant, and maybe this is the wrong sub to post this in. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I thought about quitting my job on the spot soon and just applying to every job I can in every major metro area in the country. But on some level I also like the community I live in. Guess I'm just wondering if I'm missing something or if anyone has suggestions.