It bothered me some to write it. I tried to address that, perhaps not very well, in my closing sentences.
Some people have a personality compatible with your perspective -- and a personal marketing position that will allow them to succeed from it. Others don't -- have that kind of personality or credentials that get past some of the current crap in the hiring process.
For myself, I wish I'd listened to less "career counseling advice" and "HR speak" when I was starting out. It really screwed me, to some extent.
I hear/read about a lot of younger workers really struggling to find work, at present. I don't know whether that might apply to the OP, especially if they take some "time off". If it were a startup effort, I might be more positive -- in part because that would look like no/less of a gap in the resume.
The OP currently has what seems all to familiar to me as akin to some of the corporate positions I've held. If they are not permanently exiting that environment, meaning marketplace/ type of employer, some of the concerns I expressed about finding the next job might be relevant.
Anyway, I'll further qualify what I said before as "food for thought". And also say that I screwed myself by being too attentive to others' suggestions (e.g. "pay your dues", "get along"), when I was young.
P.S. Thanks for your reply. I hope it has helped/spurred me to (at least somewhat) better qualify what I said.
P.P.S. Personal aside: I think I need to just shut up for a while and work on some of my own problems.
