A good opinionated take, although I would say the inability to find a new job at the moment stems not only (and not as much) from the state of UX but the state of tech and the global economy in general. Unpredictable macroeconomic situation forces companies to stop hiring, let people go, scale down, or shut down, and UX will not be in high demand for what looks like at least a while, until things normalise.

I believe designer's growth is not as much impeded by their inability to work on something from scratch but by their inability to reflect (I'm writing a big piece on that): at the big company, there's not only the software that others have worked on, new challenges that you get to solve emerge daily, just look out for them. I am working on an app that went live years ago, and yet, there is so much for me to do, I don't spend a day without learning something new or doing something new with it.

We definitely see an influx of new designers now, and many have high expectations, and the reality is harsh. I'm with you on UX not being easy nor being a quick pathway to money and fame. It's hard work, learning, and compromise. But I do have high hopes for its future.

Happy to chat and discuss further!