My life was perfect. (F30) I found my dream job 5 years ago. I began working for them 7/7, 10 hours a day for 750 euros. Gradually, I got promoted and ended up earning 4k per month. (Minimum wage in my country is 800 euros). I was living the dream. The team? Perfect. The workload? Dreamlike. I was working from the comfort of my own home.

The reason I quit? This was a publishing company and I self-published my own books under a pen name (my books, not company's property). Which was against policy. And even though they didn't fire me when they found out, they asked me to delete everything and apologize to the team. And I just couldn't. I couldn't throw 2 years of work down the drain. Let alone the money I had invested. So I did the unthinkable and walked away.

And now I am so depressed as I have never been. This feels worse than a break-up. I will miss them. I cry every day. And I can't help but think, 'What I've done?'. I think I've ruined my own life.

I looked up similar stories but everyone has a legitimate reason for quitting. I just feel like the stupidest f*ck on the planet right now for throwing away my dream job for a silly pen name. Perhaps I feel that I deserve the punishment of ruining my life because I 'broke the rules'. I just can't see that I will ever find a job on that level. I've even considered ending it but it would break my husband's heart, even though I've let him down.

I am so lost.

I hate to say it but I'm pretty dumb. I waisted my whole life on drugs and in prison. And now I want to make good money. I can't find a job for shit so I'm going back to school and getting a loan. Bcuz otherwise I'd have zero dollars to my name. But since I'm going to school I need to choose a major.. any good ideas? I love art but I'm not the best at it. I'm so behind on computers it's ridiculous. I really don't know.

I suck at school and just leaning in general. It takes me a lot longer to understand new material and I hate it. I'm just really dumb and slow and I've been like this my whole life. I currently work a customer service job and I've been here for almost a year. My managers and coworkers are VERY patient and kind when it comes to my work.

The problem is, my job is very low paying and I can't see myself doing this for another 30+ years. I don't really know what I want to do though. I'm 31 and I don't have the time or money to go back to school. Even if I did, I just wouldn't know what to study bc everything is either too boring or too overwhelming for me to understand.

I'm a male who just turned 27 w/ relatively little life experience to show for it. I had a pretty decent upbringing in a suburban US town. I grew up an only child but luckily I had friends growing up and wasn't a total loner. My parents weren't flawless, I feel they didn't guide me through my adolescence emotionally. Regardless, they provided for me in every way they could, never abused me, and genuinely loved me. So I know they did the absolute best they could and I harbor no resentment towards them whatsoever. I'm more frustrated w/ myself and struggling to find direction in my life.

My parents are both immigrants from an eastern European country (sorry for being vague, I'm tryna remain as anonymous as possible while providing as much context as possible) so I grew up with no other family here in the US besides my parents. While I had friends, life was pretty lonely w/ no extended family and no siblings despite me having friends. I grew up w/ a ton of insecurities about myself, don't know why or how they started to this day but I think this caused me to develop a maladaptive daydreaming disorder as a coping mechanism. I spent alot of my life up to this point just daydreaming about a life where I don't have the problems/insecurities that I have now. I was also diagnosed adhd in my late teens/early 20s so being undiagnosed adhd as a kid may very well play a factor but I do not tolerate stimulate medication at all so I cannot simply medicate it.

Despite this, I was very motivated in grade school and did pretty well academically especially in high school, I had a high GPA and SAT scores. My parents are both physicians and they always instilled in me that in order to be successful in life, I had to pursue a higher education at a good university so that I can have a good career. I never really put consideration into who I was or what I wanted to do in life. I just knew I wanted to make alot of money and be successful in my career. I got into a really good public university at the end of high school and decided to pursue computer science as it was a booming field in the mid-late 2010s. I grew up tinkering/building PCs, building mods for video games, and just thought it would be a good fit.

In college I got into smoking weed and taking psychedelics, probably because they numbed me emotionally and made me feel as though I was getting some introspection. I ended up having a mental breakdown during the first semester of my junior year and had to take a year off school probably because of drug use. I came back in during covid and graduated about 2 years ago w/ a B.S in comp sci and a minor in statistics. I was basically doing school part time since going back, having online classes during covid helped tremendously as I developed a really bad social anxiety during my time off.

Throughout college, I did the bare minimum to pass and get my degree. I don't think I'm interested in a career in software engineering and just can't imagine myself sitting down and coding for 8 hours a day as a career. Not to mention the current job market in SE and the advent of LLMs. I had an internship in as a front end dev at a small biotech start up for about 2 months before I took time off school but besides that, nothing to show in terms of real job experience in the field. Through 2023 I worked a job at a non-profit that's IT adjacent part time, I quit beginning of 2024 and have just been doing deliveries part time since.

I moved back in with my parents 2 months ago and reality is beginning to set in. My parents have always been very supportive of me but I can tell they're disappointed in me despite them never mentioning it to me. I know they're wondering where they went wrong, why their kid who seemingly showed so much promise through grade school and never got into trouble got derailed in his early adulthood. It's hard for me to discuss my psychological problems with them as they're just not the type of people to entertain that sort of thing. They have that "tough it out" immigrant mentality which I honestly really respect, I wish I was as tough mentally as my dad is.

My dad suggested to me today that I should take pre-med classes, study for the MCAT, and apply to med school since it seems like I don't have interest in my field. Since going through my mental breakdown I obsessively started learning about psychology, neurology and various medical adjacent fields like nutritional and exercise science to figure out ways to fix myself that didn't involve medication as I had no luck w/ any psychotropic drug I was prescribed. I would discuss my findings w/ him as he's a retired physician so I guess he thought that I have an interest in medicine. I've been following a strict ketogenic diet and sleep schedule for the past two years and it's helped tremendously w/ my adhd symptoms and depression. Without it, I don't know if I'd still be alive today honestly.

My dad told me he's got a lot of connections at the med school of the university I graduated from. I could definitely get the experience and recommendation letters I need. He offered to pay for my tuition to go through med school provided I get in. I recognize how privileged I am in this situation. Honestly at this point I'm so directionless, I'm thinking about taking him up on his offer, I know it's a massive commitment but it can't be a bad life if I manage to follow through. My college GPA was dog shit but I think I can swing a decent score on the MCAT and do well on the pre med courses I need to take.

I would just feel extremely guilty about not achieving total independence from my parents until my early 30s as taking pre-med courses would take me a year, which means the earliest I could apply is next year and I would start med school in the fall of 2027 at the age of 29. I wouldn't actually be practicing medicine until I'm in my late 30s and my parents would have to drop like 150 - 200k on my tuition. My parents have done enough for me and I feel like this is just too much. I suggested maybe going to nursing or PA school and insisted on paying back my debt to them when I can but he said I would come to regret not just taking the time to get the MD. He went into medicine around my age as well and it worked out well for him.

I'm trying to think of alternatives career paths but I need a discrete plan, my life can't go on like this. I'm thinking of alternatives like nutritional science, sales engineering ( I have friends in saas sales that think this might be a good fit given my background), hell even blue collar work like plumbing, electrical work, just work that has good job security and will provide a decent income.

I know all of this is contingent on me working on my psychological issues which I'm doing. However in order to stop daydreaming, I have to be present and engage w/ real life which means I need goals and direction. I need a reason to have structure in my life. My current situation has caused me so much shame and guilt that I don't pick up calls from my friends any more, I just hang out w/ my parents and my dog.

If you took the time to actually read this wall of text, thank you so much and any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. I recognize how privileged I am in life to have such a supportive family w/ the means to offer an avenue such as this for me to take. It just hurts that much more that I managed to accomplish jack shit in my adult life despite the numerous advantages I've been granted.

Guys I’m currently a physics major in college and I’m in my sophomore year but I honestly don’t know what I’m doing…physics is so hard and idk where I’m going in life so help me pick a life path lol…I’ve decided I do not want to go to physics grad school but don’t know what to switch my major to or what job I even want

1) get physics degree and go into insurance or finance or something Pros: catastrophe modeling or consulting are fields I could break into as a nepo baby and this is a stable career cons: is a unfulfilling corporate soul sucking life

2)get physics degree and then a masters in architecture pros: blends my interest in science and art cons: long path…3.5 year master program after undergrad and probs won’t make much

3) give up and just work as a barista or bookseller post grad in hopes of opening my own business some day (art studio or bookstore or cafe or something) Pro: literally my dream life Con: extremely difficult to make happen, low stability, low pay

4)engineering??? Pro: good money? Cons: idek where to start with getting involved in this and I’m not even that interested in it

5)plan to go to vet school Pro: love animals and wanted to be a vet as a kid, extremely fulfilling, could use physics interest to go into radiology Cons: looooots of school, need to get pre reqs done, and very emotionally draining

6)switch my major to art history and go into museum work, art conservation, marketing, anything I could possibly be qualified for?? Pro: I love art history and museums and this would be a fun degree to get…I’d learn how to write good papers again Cons: incredibly high risk, probably won’t make much money, competitive af

7) idk run off to Europe and go to pastry school or something

8) graphic design, furniture design, interior design…

I could switch my major to economics, art history, math, or poli sci at this point but am thinking maybe due to my lack of direction I should just finish physics and see where that gets me…physics is a good degree if I want to get into some sort of professional degree like veterinary or architecture

I'm 24 and moved to southern New England (about 1.5 hours from Boston) about a year ago. I moved to live with a close friend of mine and have no other connections to the area. I'm still working the stop-gap dead-end job that I picked up to "tide me over till I found something better." I know the job market sucks everywhere, but lord it really seems worse here than in other areas of the country. I grew up in the DMV and moved away while I was in highscool, but ever since returning to the east coast, I've been really wanting to move back to the D.C. area. I have family friends there and the idea of a bigger city + possible connections was making me feel more positively about the idea of living in the area. Until, of course, the federal lay-offs started happening.

Now I really don't know what to do. I'm scared that I'm running away from new england just because I haven't laid down roots, and the sensible thing to do is stay put and just double down on trying to get a more stable job than my current one. On the other hand, I really don't want to commit to being in this area for the next 2-3-4 years, as I would like to move to D.C. in the late summer/fall. I guess these are my questions: is the job market in D.C. so fucked right now that it's just not worth it to try moving there? People on other threads are being very pessimistic about the possibility of finding employment in D.C. right now, especially for out-of-staters. Would it be smarter to grit my teeth and bear staying in an area I don't particularly care for, where I have few connections, just to try and find something better? I feel like if I wanted to get really serious, I would try to find work in Boston, but that's just not feasible given the commute, and I really don't want to have to move to a different area still in new england.

I wasted my early 20s for substance abuse in a bad company. That left me with a crippling anxiety. I ended up leaving my former friends. I worked in different kind of low-paying jobs and acquired no savings. At 26 I decided to get a higher degree and did a 4 year Bachelor of Engineering and now doing MSc Tech. in Biotechnology at the age of 30. At the time when I started all the professors kept repeating how this field is "the field of the future" and how we are needed to solve various problems humanity faces. I was hopeful and did everything right: Got good grades, did internships and student exchange to build interesting resume to start my career. While I believe in the growth and importance of this field, it is just extremely saturated and competitive. There just isn't that big of a demand I expected. Hundreds of fresh graduates competing from entry-level positions or internships with no salary. I have put countless of hours and energy for my studies to get good grades. I have spent 10h workdays in a lab, for free. I have sent numerous job applications. But just no luck. I think it is quite natural, that at some point you loose motivation if the reward doesn't match the input of work. And that is exactly what is happening. I have completely lost motivation to spend energy in my studies and am quite fine of just doing the bare minimum. Why would I put so much effort into something that isn't helping me to build a stable future. I just want to start over, again, at the age of 30. And that is just stressful thought in itself that makes me panic that I will never find a stable life and job for myself. I am dreaming of studying to become a paramedic. At least it's something I know society needs everywhere, in every location. Of course this field has recently had some saturation as well in my country, but it also would give me a lisence to work as a nurse, which I know are needed. What would you do in my situation? Finish my Master's and then pursue becoming e.g. paramedic? Or quit Master's and start immediately? Or am I too old and I should still try to pursue a career in Biotechnology even if it feels hopeless?

27M, graduated with a degree in CS from a T50 university in the US almost 2 years ago and have been unemployed since then. I've only worked for one year in my life. I have a debt of around $100k, moved back to my home country, and am living with my parents. Yet, I still can’t seem to manage to get a job. While all my peers are advancing to mid-level and senior roles, I'm struggling to even get started in my career.

I don't have any friends and am starting to feel very lonely. Honestly, I’ve been a loner my whole life. My ex left me before I graduated, and I still can’t get over it. We were together for 2 years. After the breakup, my life started spiraling downward. I don’t have anyone I can talk to, no friends to call. I’ve lost interest in things I used to enjoy. Nothing excites me anymore, and I feel like just rotting in bed all day. I’ve become antisocial.

With the current state of the tech job market, it feels almost impossible to even get an interview. I feel like I've wasted my 20s. All my peers are doing well in their careers, social lives, and personal lives, while here I am with nothing going right for the past 2 years. I’m slowly starting to hate this life.

I’m grateful for the education and degree I earned abroad, but nothing makes me happy anymore. I’m just clueless and lost right now. I feel like a failure, a loser, and completely worthless. What did I do to deserve this? Why is it so unfair?

Back when I was living abroad during my degree, I did things that people usually enjoy with friends or partners, all by myself.. Some people call it freedom, but it was more out of necessity because I had no one else. How do I turn my life around and get back on track? I don’t want to waste the next 2-3 years of my 20s. I want to get a life and actually enjoy it.

Hi, I am f20 and I am in my first year second semester of college, I am currently taking online courses. I don't know what I want to do. I have nothing figured out. I need a job and I've been looking and I applied to many but I can't get one even though I have experience and it's stressing me out. I still live with my parents and I have a little brother who I basically raise and Take care of. I barely have friends. I mostly talk and hang out with one of my cousins. I don't have a strong relationship with my parents and I feel like I have no support.

For the past couple months, I have been having a lot of "what if" thoughts. I feel like a disappointment to my family for not living up to their expectations and I feel like a loser for not having everything figured out. I keep thinking about my past mistakes and feel guilt and regret and I also keep stressing about my future. I tried therapy but that didn't help much. I tried distracting myself and focusing on the present but I still go back to the "shoulda, coulda, woulda." It's also hard to control my anger and frustration cause I lash out then I feel bad for doing it.

I always had a lot of anxiety and I was always introverted and a homebody with very low self esteem. I am trying to work on that by stepping out of my comfort zone but it's hard cause I don't have a car and there's no public transportation and nothings walking distance and I hate it cause I want to socialize by meeting new people and be independent. I am mostly home with a lot of free time and that makes me really anxious and I overthink. I also start comparing myself to everyone and thinking how perfect they are and I'm just a loser and behind in Life.

I graduated with an undergraduate liberal arts degree in December. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. My experience & perception thus far is that to get a job with a liberal arts degree, you have to have really good social and networking skills. I have neither. I'm terrible in job interviews and social interactions. I'm a very awkward person, I don't read social ques very well, I'm terrible at eye contact, no matter how much I practice conversations at home.

Are there any career options for liberal arts degrees that don't require good social skills? I've considered going back to school for something, but I really don't think I could handle grad school - undergrad workload was way too much for me. Part of the problem is not much of anything interests me consistently.

I know I sound like an unmotivated loser in this post, and I am.

I'm a 31 year old female. I was a high school drop out and was pregnant at 16. Just been trying to survive all these years and finally decided to get my GED this year, I have it now (it's actually a high school diploma in my state that I received). I did get my CNA license in 2018 but only worked as a CNA for 6 months.

I had planned to enroll to a pharmacy tech program after receiving my diploma but now I have decided the pay is not worth it and I should do something a bit better. I'm torn between healthcare and maybe something either like accounting or IT or computer related. I don't want to do anything more than 2 years of schooling. I've really been thinking about the LPN program my local tech school has (4 required pre-reqs then a 10 month program) but I'm just not totally sure I want to do that. LPN jobs in my area pay anywhere from $25-35 an hour. Which is fine by me. I'm not looking for anything crazy, just anything that can get me more than $20 an hour basically. I'm honestly kind of really scared that the LPN program would be too hard. I've heard that a lot of the IT stuff is getting harder to get a job with, is that true? My local tech school had IT programs, cloud computing, cyber security and stuff like that. They also have an accounting program. I had also thought about medical coding but I've heard it's extremely hard to find a job with no real experience. I've also thought about dental assisting, in my state you don't get registered so tech schools don't really offer a program for that, however there is a place called Accelerated Academy that does a fast 10 week dental assisting program for about 3,000. I've looked up dental assisting jobs in my area and I've found anything from starting at $15-24ish so I also just don't really know if that would be worth it either 🤷

Does anyone have any advice for me on any of these or any other suggestions? It is so hard to decide and I just want to make sure whatever I go with will make a decentish wage and that I will actually be able to get a job.

In college. Can’t land interviews let alone internships as i’m an international student. My one goal in life is to just immigrate to a non-shithole country. However my brain just can’t comprehend the magnitude of competition that i’m facing trying to do so. I have shit self esteem, no self belief, i’m not especially hardworking or talented. Why would anybody hire me? I’m not prepared to face the stress of competing against anyone. I give up too easily. I envy all of you born in first world countries. My biggest fear is never making it out, and living mediocre. I’m afraid that fear is becoming reality.

I'm extremely lazy. All I have is grief and fear. Been diagnosed with BPD, depression and anxiety. But I may have OCD too. I'm disturbed. If I knew I only had 5 days to live, I'd be ecstatic, all my problems would disappear. My problems stem from the realization that I have to continue living with myself for a long period of time. I have to take care of myself, this is turning out to be impossible when I have so much hatred for myself. And therapy doesn't work. I also quit my meds after 7 years because all it did was bury my issues further deep.

Life is suffering, for everybody. There isn't a single being that haven't encountered problems in their life. The greatest crime one can commit against another is to bring them into this world. One might experience happiness here and there which makes the suffering bearable. But what is the point. And death, if you're born, you have to die. Why birth something when it will be forced to go through the pain of death. I don't know. Atleast be physically and mentally healthy people who can afford everything before you drag a being into this world.

Anyways, now I am born, so I have to live. I need to choose a career asap. I don't want to suffer. Just the thought of going to college and committing to something sends shivers down my spine. But I have to nonetheless. I'll list down the things I've been considering ;

1. Take up BSc nursing, work for 2 or 3 years, move to the middleast or USA and become a nurse there and save up enough so I can take care of myself and my parents once they're old.

2. Take up BSc psychology and see where it takes me. I do have a slight interest in the subject but I don't want to become a therapist or a counselor. I don't really know what job I can get if I go into psychology. And it will take me another 10 years or so to complete a bachelor's, masters and a doctorate.

3. Move to Canada and become a truck driver. Heard it pays well. It's so easy in my head, but I'm sure reality is far worse.

4. Just found out there's a 1 year diploma in traditional sculpting and wood carving and it was slightly interesting. I can draw a tiny bit and the idea of me sculpting and selling those to make a living is appealing. I've never sculpted before. I don't know anything about sculpting. I'm extremely lazy and I never try anything because im afraid. I'm afraid things are a waste of money most of the time. I'm also terribly afraid of failure.

So what do you think I should do? Your guidance is appreciated. Thankyou.

I’m in a real tight spot and I’ve been feeling depressed for the last 2 weeks. I’m asking you to please be kind and respectful. I’m 27M I have been working a at a grocery store since September. Before that however I never had a job other than working in the family business. For my dad’s construction company I did that kinda as an of and on job though. I did get my associates degree in communications. And I do plan to go back to school to get my bachelors sometime This fall or beginning of next year. My dream is to go into the business world. I want to work in the public relations field. But I’m scared to death that maybe I’m gonna just have to reconsider my dreams and just accept that whatever job society has to throw at me, I’ll be just lucky if I ever get any type of meaningful work. I know saying that sounds like a quitter. I don’t consider myself a quitter I’ve never been. However, I am afraid that I’m gonna have to reconsider my dreams and not chase them. Because I’m scared that if I apply for any jobs, they’re gonna look at my résumé, and noticed my history of being unemployed and they’re gonna reject me and that what happened in the past I cannot change. I’m doing everything I can to try to improve my life right now to try to build connections to find internships. However, I’m scared that the damage of my laziness from the past maybe it’s done. Because I feel that by the time I’m ready to go into the field that they might not hire me. Not just because of my lack of experience but because they may consider me to be to old. Now I know technically, it’s against the law to discriminate against people because of age but it seems like it’s pretty wide spread and it’s not enforced. I’ve been applying for multiple internships for the last several months and I’ve gotten no calls back. I gotten several interviews, but no calls or anything. Make much of this has left me with regret, and the feeling of worthlessness and I looked back all the time and I asked myself. Why was I so unproductive all those years why did I focus more on partying and trying to give in to hedonistic feelings. For years, I put everything else above careers and work. I am also on the Asperger spectrum meaning of mildly autistic. However, I don’t try to let this disability define who I am because I feel like I can function very well in society without help and I have lots of friends who aren’t on the spectrum. And I love working with people and I love being around people and trying to help people. I’m not somebody who gets afraid being in big crowds like a lot of people on the autism spectrum are. I do have ADHD and OCD but again I don’t wanna let these learning disabilities affect me. I keep trying to tell myself screw, whatever happened in the past that then focus on being the best version of yourself that you can now. To try to keep the positive spirit alive. There are days when I face doubts about myself and my future. I don’t try to let these doubts overwhelm me. I don’t wanna feel like I’m going to be limited no matter what I do because I feel like that’s BS but I’m scared that that mindset that seeps in might have some reality to it. I don’t want it to be the fact, but I’m afraid it might be and I don’t have a choice. I’m struck with guilt sometimes for not taking responsibility in the past and I still feel it today. In the past, there were times when I did feel embarrassed, and I would lie to my friend saying that I was doing something more high end or I would tell them that I was doing certain jobs, even when I didn’t have a job because I was embarrassed to tell them the truth. I just want to have a happy life were I can get a career in PR or sales. And one day have a family and a house. I need help I need not physical but mental help to build a bridge of confidence. Because right now I have a lot of fear.

I have a problem. I feel stuck in my life. I'm 28yo Software Engineer, not US based.

I am a programmer. From the beginning of my work, for six years, I was working hard. I was really good at this. Years 4-6 were enormously productive. I was a team leader and was creating a project from scratch. I developed technically and my social skills. In the office I had a high social position - I even got an award for "deliberate efforts in developing the company". I was a speaker in meetups. This was my peak. I felt like a prodigy - everything that I touched, just worked.

This eventually lead me to current company, which is far better. Main reason to change was that I got 66% higher salary and this company was positioning themselves as experts in the framework that I was mainly working. They were a young company and got a high value enterprise client, so wanted to make sure that they have the best guy for this.

The catch is tho, that this enterprise client is truly enterprise, with all strings attached - meaning, I'm working 3h per day, fully remote. I have zero responsibility, the project is trivial, they overestimate everything.

So for the past two years, I'm doing basically nothing. I've optimised doing nothing, so no one has problems. I can talk for 10 min what I am doing, while doing nothing.

So we have this loop, where I just sit in my home, do some work, and then play games. It is killing me - I do not have any challenges. I do not have social contact (I also don't have friends).

The most obvious thing to do, is to do overemployment - I cannot however, because my contract is forbidding it.

The next logical thing, is to change the company - but the 2 main reasons that this is not a good option are: the market is shit now and changing the company would mean significant salary downgrade (I have currently like 150% of market avg) and, that this company is somewhat safe - if nothing major happens, I should be able to do what I'm doing for the next 5-7 years.

So last resort - do side projects. But there is a problem. I have zero motivation for it. I have a problem with setting my own goals - they feel meaningless. I'll do a side project, then forgot about this - so what's the point? I feel like I don't want to code anymore too. I'd like to have contact with other people maybe.

What should I do? How can I approach this? Any thoughts/advice? What would you do in my place?

I'll be 38 this year, I'm in a five year relationship and we have a beautiful 3 year old together. I recently got my degree in Organizational Leadership that took me 20 years to get and I don't even want to be a leader anymore. I'm currently a shift at Starbucks mainly because it's what I know (about 20 years of barista experience) but it's very hard on me physically and mentally now. It's so stressful that I've had to get on meds for my physical side affects of anxiety. I really want another job but I can't seem to get out of food service and I don't want to be a manager. I mainly took the job so we could transfer to Virginia from Arkansas with some inheritance I was supposed to get but I think my mom and aunt have taken it and made some bs excuses and that has caused other issues with family and my finances. I'm in debt, don't make enough to save, and am just very sad all the time. I just feel like I'll never be happy. I've tried office jobs off and on but I get so bored. I've thought about getting into teaching but with the state of everything and our government ruining everything I just have no clue what to do. My kid is going to start school soon and so I'll need a job accommodating to the school schedule. Ugh. I just have no goals in life besides surviving week to week. Any advice?

I graduated from CC a couple months ago. Spent the past couple of years hopping between jobs alongside my schooling. Now I have no job, and am getting rejected from every college that I apply to for higher education.

(studying art) parents are have been relentlessly hounding me about working making money. Been trying to study at home to apply to more colleges.

I hate not working. I hate not having a job, or going to school. Makes sense, everyone craves purpose, lol.

But if I hate not having a job, why do I not want to find one? Am I just lazy? Unmotivated. Seeking guidance. Not sure if this is the right place to put this, thanks in advance

Hi everyone,

I’m a 27-year-old LPN, who just started working roughly 10 months into this new role, and I just got accepted into a BSN program for September 2025. It's a 3 year full-time program. I’m excited but also a little unsure.

Should I accept this opportunity?

- Things that I worry: Restarting from scratch, feeling that I wasted my time doing through LPN school, and does anyone also struggle with feeling "old" or "regretful" that you did not get your life together in your early 20s?

I’d love to hear what the community thinks — any advice or personal experiences would really help.

I graduated with an Economics degree last June and a high GPA if that even matters. I have two STEM associates degrees as well, and various work experience in teaching/tutoring and internships. However, I still cannot land a job. I have been applying a ton and am getting burnt out. I live in a HCOL city in California so I am hoping to scrape by with $50k/yr but even this seems unreachable. I’m looking at many things such as logistics coordinator, supply chain management, procurement, project coordination, analyst, administrative assistant, financial office professional, etc. I get interviews but they always tells me that even though I was a great candidate, they found someone better suited for the role. I’ve made it to final stage interviews. I’ve been out of school for almost a year now and there is no job in sight. What do I do? I feel stuck.

Got laid off from my job as a software engineer after 4 years in the industry. Was mostly doing ML and DS work but I am in a bit of limbo trying to find a job in ML or even anything in software engineering at all. My Bachelors degree is in IT (not CS).

Always wished I had done engineering and am thinking about taking the opportunity to get my Civil or Mech degree. But I could also do a 1-2 year DS or ML Master's degree. I am just worried about the ML field, I know it is all the rage right now but I honestly don't see the market getting better any time soon. It seems like a Masters would put me on equal footing with other applicants but not guarantee stability. Engineering seems like a more stable route but would probably take about 3 years full time to complete the degree and that is a big commitment when I still have $50k in student loans.

DS program I am looking at is about $15k total, engineering school would probably be around $40k

Could also fall back to other IT careers but they seem to be just as rough right now.

Wife makes enough that we can scape by while I am in school.

I have 3 part time remote jobs. 1: 3 hrs work a week 1: 2 hrs work a week 1: 5-10 hrs work a week, with potential to scale up.
Together they pay decently, around $800-900 a month

I have another part time job that is in person. Pays me about $700 a month

At this company, 3 out of 5 longtime employees have left lately. My favorite coworkers. A fourth is on the way out. They all literally told me in hushed tones to “leave while I can.” All for different reasons but my understanding is that in general, management is pretty unreasonable and abusive if you work there for long enough. But they haven’t been that way towards me yet. I want to leave immediately out of petty satisfaction-want to watch my workplace fail. But the money is nice. And I like having an in person job that lets me connect with the community.

I live with my parents so rent and food are no issue.

Hi all,

Pretty much the title. I’m deeply passionate about ag but I’m sick of the schedules, wondering if there’s anywhere for me to go in agriculture or if I need to consider something else.

I did farm management/mixed agronomy for 7 1/2 years - 4 1/2 on a cattle ranch/row cropping operation, 3 on a much smaller scale forestry products operation. Loved the work, hated the hours, still managed mostly.

I left that life to go to school, took a retail job at a garden center, somehow ended up in a management position and I’m back at long hours trying to meet sales goals. I now have my degree (agronomy/crop science) and I’m job hunting, but every place I’ve interviewed at is giving me the same thing, long hours, okay pay, no balance.

I’m honestly so sick of it, I recently had a little girl and she’s the light of my life, and it sickens me thinking that I may miss her entire life by working.

Is there any career in ag or adjacent to ag that won’t have me working crazy long hours? Anything that would be available to me? Just looking to see what’s out there. Ag is truly my passion, I can’t really see myself involved in anything else other than maybe other life sciences (fisheries, ecology, maybe forestry?). Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

I’m a 33-year-old married father of three, living in a very rural area. Because of a custody agreement from a previous marriage,I can’t move more than 50 miles sp relocation isn't possible. My wife and I both work full time, each making around $20K a year. Despite working hard, we live paycheck to paycheck. We’ve already cut expenses to the bone, and we’re in one of the most affordable rentals in the area — but there’s just no breathing room.

The job market here is extremely limited. The only real options are oilfield, construction, retail, or fast food. I’ve worked in the oilfield before, but the work is unreliable — when oil prices drop, hours and positions disappear. For the past 6 years, I’ve been working at McDonald’s. I’m a department manager now, handling scheduling, interviews, hiring, and orientations. I enjoy the work and really like my coworkers, but the pay just isn’t enough to support a family or build a future. I’m also pretty introverted, so the people-facing parts of the job can be challenging, but I’ve found ways to manage and still get the job done.

I’ve dabbled in a lot of things over the years, but haven’t mastered any one skill

Lately, I’ve been thinking about a career change. I have a friend who works solo doing IT for a local nonprofit, and he seems really happy and fulfilled. That got me interested in IT or help desk work. The thing is — I have zero experience, no certifications, and no idea where to even begin. Time and money are both tight with a family to support, and I’m not sure if going back to school is even a realistic option.

I’ve also thought about getting my CDL, since there’s a lot of oilfield-related driving work nearby. But I don’t want to be gone from home for long stretches doing OTR work.

Right now, I just feel stuck — like I’m treading water with no real path forward. I’m looking for advice, realistic career paths, or even just encouragement. Has anyone been in a similar spot and found a way out? What would you do if you were in my shoes?

Just turned 27 recently, and life hit me. Before that I knew I was in the shits but the night of birthday it realization hit me even more. Went to university & still no degree. Never had a gf or anything remotely to intimacy. Never traveled with my friends or myself (if I did it was always with my parents) . Never went to a concert/festival. Never lived away from my parents... Basically since birth I've been home. And I'm too comfortable & because of I've become accustomed to being scared and being ok living in a shell.

I simply hate it & hate that I bought myself to this point. Heck I don't even have a job, I know the job market is bad but part of me refuses to get a bottom of the totem job.

How to break to out of the comfort zone? And start living life? Because before I know I'll be 30 and I want to achieve certain things by that age.

In the 4 Nobel truths as expressed by the Buddha, is that life involves suffering and that suffering comes from desire and attachment. I have been attempting to excepting that life involves suffering and that I must detach from desire. However I am finding it extremely hard to do this as our society promotes the importance of wealth. For example I really love cars and have a few that I want to purchase someday. However the reality is that may never happen for so many reasons. The fear of not meeting goals or not becoming successful is also a source of pain. How can one detach from all these feelings and desires especially as a member of a western society?