Should I or should I not play...?

I have had a character for two years that is a 55BLM. I find it absolutely tedious and lame how parties level so I am always reluctant to level...

I feel like I'm always broke and no matter how much I farm, I feel like I never have gil...

As a BLM, I have to keep my INT up as much as I can but I never seem to have enough despite myself being a Tarutaru with the highest level gear that I can afford.

So, after being so frustrated for about two years, what do you guys think? Should I keep playing? (Also FFXIV is coming out so I should also consider that.)

yes go back to it :)
what server you on? Perhaps we could help each other lvl?

If you're frustrated then you should quit. When it starts to feel like a chore you're paying to work a job when you should be paying to enjoy something.

If you really want to keep playing you might have to avoid pigeon-holing yourself. If BLM is the only thing you like and you want to work on only that you'll lead yourself to frustration if you can't meet your goal. You could try leveling some other jobs to make a bit of money here and there.

While I think there are a lot of way to play and have fun and feel that the game has a ton of redeeming value, if you hate the way leveling works it's probably just not for you. Not every game is for everyone.

First of all, unless you get lucky with manaburn parties, you won't be able to get a party at all on BLM. These days, BLMs have been cast aside in favor of meleeburn set-ups at almost all levels, but especially 55+ since nobody wants to do anything except colibri parties. That's something to consider.

Honestly, it's a pretty awful time to start playing FFXI unless you already have a lot of friends playing the game. While it's certainly taken a turn away from punishing anyone for playing casually, it's still a stretch to say that FFXI is by any means casual-friendly. Not sure how that affects you as I don't know your play style.

At this point, I suggest waiting for FFXIV.

Yeah people don't want BLM for level up, but of course when it comes to events they're one of the most highly wanted jobs.

I would say if it frustrates you that much then you should go do something else. The game still has plenty of fun things in it, but it's well past it's peak.

BLM can solo very very well. From level 50-60 I was solo'ing (1 shotting beastmen pets) for very large chain 5's. Needless to say, I got to 60 very quick.

Huh... If I were to get back on FFXI, can you teach me how to do that??

I would think that if I was paying for a game monthly, I better really really enjoy it. You'd probably find it less frustrating if you had more friends playing (sorry ;_;).

To solo BLM just learn to depend on sleeps and bind. Rest your MP in an efficient manner and nuke the crap out of stuff. Most mobs only take a handful of nukes and if you learn to get a feel for the timing then chaining won't be that hard.

Okay, I'm level 55, where do I do that stuff?

While certainly not the end-all-be-all of black mage soloingthis guide is fairly complete in teaching you the basics of soloing (primarily from BST pets and SMN elementals) on black mage as well as a good description of different camps available.

If you're serious about soloing BLM, it's worth looking into.