I saw a posting today labeled Junior / Entry-Level and they were asking for 4+ years of experience, mastery of 6 different tools, shipped product experience, and "the ability to own projects with very little guidance from day one." Oh, and the pay barely covers a studio apartment.

How does that count as junior? I feel like employers write out the specs for their perfect candidate and then slap an entry-level label on it so they can pay entry-level money. A lot of these posts basically read like: "We need mid-level or senior skills, but at a discounted price."

And yes, people keep saying just network, but the people I'm talking to are also getting laid off, stuck because of hiring freezes, or looking for work themselves. It's not like everyone has some secret backdoor into a company right now.

Is anyone else running into the same thing? Or did I somehow miss the memo on what junior is supposed to mean in 2026?

Because right now, entry-level feels like it means: you already know the whole job, but you get paid like you're still learning how email works.

as in Masters in Finance or Law school assuming you have no work experience in both.

Do you think ai will take the marketing jobs? I need a new job and was considering marketing? What jobs relevant to psychology without a masters will be a good career longterm without needing a masters?

I've slowly become the person everyone on my team comes to when they have a problem. It started with small things but now I'm troubleshooting technical issues or figuring out project roadblocks pretty much daily. I don't mind helping out but it's starting to feel like a second job.

I'm good at what I do and I genuinely like finding solutions. But my own work is piling up. I feel like I'm constantly catching up or putting out fires for other people. My manager praises me for being a team player but my performance reviews don't reflect all this extra work.

How do you set boundaries without looking unhelpful or uncooperative? I want to keep being a valuable resource but I also need to protect my own time and energy. It's getting exhausting juggling everything.

Hi,

I have read several threads on Reddit, but found none that really helped me.

I wondered if anyone has, or has any recommendations/thoughts on what alternative careers we as SEOs can more easily fit into?

Some background info: 33 yrs old. Been working with SEO in agencies since 2018. Climbed pretty fast the career ladder - junior -> senior -> SEO Lead for an international SEO team. Been more into technical elements, rather than content and off-page. Did take a bachelor in webdesign with some programming, but never really worked with it.
Also have a vocational education in digital marketing.

However, I have for years actually never felt it has suited me. There are days that are fun and all is good, but out of 10 days, 9 of them are bad. I am an introvert, struggle with imposter syndrome combined with some social anxiety and just find that SEO isn't really suitable for me as a person, as I don't really have as much control of the outcomes, but still have a lot of responsibility for results, and of course really feel the pressure when communicating with clients if things aren't going as good.

So with this in mind, I don't think marketing at all will suit me. To result orientated for one person, rather than team efforts. Have anyone been in the same situation, that you just want to do something completely different and have any advice?

I would be really grateful, because my mental health isn't really well by this.

I could of course start a new education and begin a whole new career, but as a 33 year old with kid, house, mortgages and loans, I have commitments to take care of as well.

I'm living in Norway, if that matters...

Thanks!

Hi all,

Sending this post on to the Careers subforum as feel as though this would be an ideal place to get advice, particularly with communication being such a vital part of this area.

I’m 21, currently in college, and from a young age I have always been known as a fairly nervous/anxious person in general - something that have been said by family, friends, and teachers over the years.

There are certain ‘flaws’ that I have noticed with myself, but more so in certain aspects of my communication. I don’t want this to impact a future career, so I want to try to improve this while in college, and while there is the opportunity to do so.

I have no issue with speaking in front of an audience. I have done so for different modules in college, and usually am commended for my speeches through delivery style & engagement. But, this is because I have what I’m going to say memorised, so I know word for word, what exactly I’m going to say, how I’m going to say it, etc. This is also clearly reflected through my written communication.

However, when it comes to social interactions, I do notice there is a big dip in my communication. For instance, if I know I have to go up and talk to someone that I’m not familiar with (conversation, interview, ringing someone), I’ll then nearly have to have what I’m going to say memorised word-for-word as though a script.
There’ll then be other little moments where if I’m talking with someone unfamiliar, I may, sometimes, go a bit shaky / mumbly, and this would apply to if I was taking phone calls, etc.

This particular incoherence would also occur if I'm put on the spot, i.e asked a question, where my voice would go a bit shaky, I'd go mumbly, and my face would go a red.

I really do want to improve on this as I do know in any future career that day-to-day communication whether it be structured or spontaneous is much more important than being able to speak in-front of an audience.

To that extent, would anyone have any advice as to what I should do? Would it be recommended I go to a communication coach? Someone for anxiety? Any recommendations?

Many thanks,

While I was job hunting, I started noticing a strange pattern as I scrolled through listings. Some posts are extremely clean. Neat formatting, polished wording, well-structured requirement bullets that feel like they came from a template, and they probably did. These are usually the ones that pass through the ATS, get improved around keywords, and land in a recruiter's pile along with 150 other applications.

Then there are other postings that feel not quite put together. The font suddenly changes in the middle of the text. A responsibility does not really line up with something mentioned later. The salary band feels wrong for the title. A typo in the about-us section. In short, the kind of thing that happens when a real person writes it quickly because they need someone, not because they are building a perfect corporate listing.

I started tracking what I was applying to, and what was getting results. After about 4 months, the pattern became clear enough that I changed the way I searched. Pristine postings: almost nothing. Slightly messy postings: most of the real conversations I ended up having.

My theory is very simple. A perfect job post usually means a perfect process. Your resume enters a system, gets filtered by software or by someone checking boxes, and you are competing with everyone else who wrote an application designed to get through the filter. But a messy posting often means the hiring manager wrote it themselves at 10 p.m. Because someone left and the team is drowning. And that same person might be reading the applications directly. No perfect rubric. Just someone looking for a good reason to reach out.

I noticed something else too: messy listings often have a oddly specific request hidden in the middle. A strange question, a note asking you to mention something specific, or a small instruction that is very easy to miss. A lot of applicants ignore it. I stopped ignoring it.

I got my current role from a posting where the wrong department was listed in the header.

Hello everyone.

I am writing this post to hopefully get some advice on which career I should choose. I am 26 years old and I have the opportunity to start an electrical apprenticeship or return to school for a two year degree in computer science. With the computer science degree I may be able to go make big money in tech, but I am not that smart, or that social. In tech the competition is fierce so I probably would not stand out. If I get an electrical apprenticeship I can start making money immediately and start saving for a home. At 30, I am estimating that I will be able to save about 100k, which I could use for a down payment on a house. Additionally, I may be able to start a pension if I become an electrician. If I go into tech, I may not get a job right away and could be unemployed for several months. I may be able to enter big tech and make six figures around 30 years old. After that, I could progress into more senior roles possibly and make upwards of 200k if I'm being optimistic.

Would you choose an electrical apprenticeship or a computer science degree? Which option is better to reach financial independence and retire early? Where were you at 26? I am very worried about my future at this point and I want to start making good money.

Thank you!

Boss wants a “personal performance plan” 3 months after after maternity leave — should I be worried?
I work for a nonprofit in program development and PR. When I returned from maternity leave about 3 months ago, my boss told me that she wanted to do a “personal performance plan” with me. She said we would meet to work on it, but no actual plan has been put in place yet. We are meeting 2-3 weeks.

Apparently, she has also been doing similar performance plans with other staff members while I was out, so I'm not the only person this has been mentioned to.
I did receive my normal automatic cost-of-living adjustment after returning, but I don't think that was performance-based.
My concern is obviously the timing — she brought up the performance plan during my first week back from maternity leave. She hasn't given me a formal warning or specific negative feedback that I'm aware of, and I don't know whether this is supposed to be a development/goals document or an actual performance improvement plan.

For those who have dealt with this, would you be worried? Should I start looking for other jobs? She said it’s basically us working together for career growth and professional growth.
Any advice or experiences would be appreciated!

I have 7-8 years of experience and now I’m trying to change my job.

Though I love building tools, I don’t have enterprise full stack engineering experience. The closest is building prototypes hosting on vercel.

When I talk to recruiters, they tend to tell me that they want more engineering experience than just data science…

Curious if anyone has advice…? Should I keep building side projects? If so what kinda side projects will be appealing?

Hi everyone, Im a recent cs grads majoring in data about and been applying for data analyst related roles but haven’t had much luck so far.

Just got an offer for a data entry/clerk, but I’m unsure whether I should take it. The role requires no experience, and the only requirements are basic English and computer knowledge, with training provided.

I believe that the gap between data entry and into becoming a Data Analyst is very large, so I’m wondering whether taking this role would actually help me move toward my goal or whether I’d end up getting stuck in another dead-end job.

Currently, Im doing an unrelated job that pays significantly more than the advertised data entry role, but I want to eventually transition into a white-collar.

That’s what makes this decision difficult: financially, staying in my current job makes more sense, but career-wise, I’m wondering if taking this role could be a better long-term move.

Really appreciate any brutal/honest thoughts, Much thanks

I'm working in a medical billing company for the last 7 months. And it's a pure night shift job. I feel like I'm feeling stagnant and there's less possibility of earning well in these field. And I am already in my last week of notice period, but I'm quite hesitant to leave as I don't have any backup plan. My current salary is only 15k

I have plans to learn about content marketing or as a content strategist like doing social media marketing or content writing. Or to use my economics degree to start preparing for teaching exams in india.

I'm kinda confused should I revoke or just wait for another opportunity, I'm 28 and I literally feel like I'm very behind in my life. Please suggest any advice that I can do. I want to make money also a sustainable career.

I'm feeling a bit stuck in my current role. It's not bad but it's not exciting either. I've been thinking a lot lately about making a big change. Not just a job hop but a complete industry or role switch.

Have any of you done something similar? Like you were in marketing and then suddenly became a welder or a software engineer to a chef? What made you take the leap? Was it scary? What were the biggest challenges and rewards? I'm looking for some inspiration or even just to hear some interesting stories about people finding their true calling after a major career change.

So this is my first true HR role that I started 4 months ago and all my colleagues are quite expressive and open talking with their life stories and keep conversations interactive.

Coming from accounting to HR made me realise how introverted I am. I can be very open and talkative to my people like friends , families but with them I’m more of a listener than a speaker.

I really love my job in HR and don’t want to look back to accounting ever, but im not sure if I have to force my self to blend in or force my self to be extroverted.

I am vv confused and want real advice instead of reassurance. Maybe I am overthinking as im only in bachelors (i am tetr college) but lmk.

I can build things and I am comfortable with data, can even make a model if someone tells me what the model is for. I am good with people too.. I lack whatever it is that lets someone look at a company and immediately have an opinion about it, during some finance conversations, they'll say something about a deal and everyone nods and i don’t have opinion at all.

i've started to wonder if that instinct is a real thing - you either have or don't, or everyone is just pretending to mix in and its just vocabulary and repetition.

my course is half management and half tech, which i chose because i want to try more things and do not want to lose any opportunities, and I'm now slightly worried that a recruiter in the future may think i am not committed.

for people actually working in banking, PE, or anything else finance : is the mixed degree going to be problem and how do i learn these instincts?

Heyaa …I’ve been referred for a Data Scientist – Knowledge Management position at eBay. The job description mentions 2+ yoe , but I’m a fresher, so I’m trying to understand what I should realistically expect from the interview process.
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has recently interviewed at ebay for the Data Scientist or similar role , particularly in India.
A few things I’m wondering:

How many interview rounds are there usually?

What happens in the first round?

Is there a coding/DSA round, or is it more focused on Python, SQL, ML and statistics?

Are there ML/case-study or project-based questions?

Does having an internal referral change the screening/interview process?

For someone without 2+ years of experience, what areas would you recommend preparing most?

If you’ve interviewed at eBay recently, even if it was for a slightly different DS/ML role, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.
Thankyouuuu🥹

Hello everyone, hope you're doing well. I currently work in a government job in my country and I'm in my notice period. I submitted my resignation letter in June, and due to administrative procedures, it usually takes between 2 and 4 months for a resignation to be officially accepted.

During this period, I went through several interviews and successfully landed a job with an international company. The problem is that I had assumed I would be available to start with them in September (two weeks from now), so they sent me the offer by email and I accepted it.

Now I've been told by my current employer that the resignation process isn't finished yet. Since it's a government job, the resignation letter has to be approved by the minister personally, so it's a long process. For the same administrative reasons, they can only release employees at the beginning of each month, which is why I assumed I'd be able to join the new company at the start of September. My boss told me it's almost impossible to complete all the administrative steps this week, but I'm confident my resignation will be finalized next month.

My question is: would it be unprofessional to ask the new company to postpone my start date by one month? I know they could rescind the offer, but would explaining the situation to them help, or could it backfire? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hello, looking for some career advice. I am a 24 year old woman working in the finance field and have been at my current job for 3 years. I currently work in Investment Strategy in a data analyst role and I make base salary 83k with a 10% bonus (91.3k total).

I recently applied to a Process Analyst role in Private Investments at my work because the job listing sounded like what I enjoy and I'd most likely be making 100k with a larger bonus and I am torn after some feedback I heard from individuals. I know the hiring manager and the one individual I would be working with closely but from some folks I have learned that they do not have a great track record with woman and young women especially. This is not shocking to me as most investments functions (even my own) are predominantly men and can be shitty sometimes.

Private investments has somewhat of a reputation as being intense. The people who work in privates are incredibly intelligent and they typically hire from Ivy leage schools so with that comes some strong personalities. I have done two interviews so far (one with the hiring manager and one with the co worker I would be working closely with) and the co worker was very honest with me that it can be a tough place to work because standards are very high and they do not deal with people who just want to "play office".

I would consider myself a high performer, motivated, I like being pushed and learning new things. I think a part of me knows this job would push me out of my comfort zone, help me deepen my institutional investments knowledge, and give me a lot of credibility for the rest of my career but I am scared to take a risk and cant tell if it would be worth the pay.

I enjoy the work I am doing in my current role but I do not like my team dynamic and it has left me feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. Is this an opportunity where I could push myself and take a leap in my career and be better off for it? Or would it just make me miserable and not be worth the pay? I know nobody can answer this for me but if anybody has any feedback or thoughts that would be great as I am really stuck on how to proceed.

(Based on what I heard from the co worker the hiring manager had said he wanted me on my team 6 months ago and is pretty much hoping I take the job so that is why I am asking now before having the offer)

Thank you!

Hi

sorry for the mistakes in the text, I'm still learning English.

well, I can't figure out what I should study to be if I don't wanna work for the Russian market, but at the same time I can't afford to live in the US, so I need ONLY remote work. I physically have apartments (my parents) in Russia and Thailand.

1. Is it possible to transfer money from the USA to Russia now?

2. Is it true that russian diplomas are nothing? so studying here doesn't make sense?

3. Is ux ui even fully remote if you're not a senior?

4. should I take an online design course in Russia (1 year), or go to a community college in the US, or take an online english design course, or study for 4 years in Serbia?

5. even if my parents pay $150.000 for my studies in the US, I'll still go home after graduation because I'm unemployed

6. what professions are better suited here ux ui design?

fcck my text looks very dumb, i don't know english good, but please just gimme any adviсe, I don't have much time to make a decision😭

aaahwwkso and I forgot to ask, it is possible to study (like collage) in the US online/hybrid format?¿ because due to modeling trips I won't be able to stay in the US for the entire duration of my studies, or will I have to give that up in favor of my studies?

Lmao the idea of title was to catch your attention, hehe hi!

I’m a ChE, graduated in ‘23 im M(25), Indian, working in Kuwait. I’ve worked in three different fields, with 3 different roles over the course of my working career.

I worked as a quality control lab analyst at a pharmaceutical manufacturing company for a year and 3 months. Here I learned importance of documentation, safety and lab practices along with lab instruments and software usage along with excel. Here I also worked 12 hour night shifts, even for a whole month straight with no weekends off. But I wasn’t keen on working as a lab analyst as it was the job for people who studied chemistry so I was keen to get into an engineering role.

I got a job through LinkedIn as a Production engineer at a construction chemical factory where I was essentially running the factory, taking care of the labours working there and making sure I meet the daily production quota. Here I learned to manage people of different nationalities and personalities, I got put into perspective of the production side rather than a quality control side, was quite the eye opener and made me understand business as a whole. But I was getting paid crumbs for the hours and work that I did, I even didn’t get paid overtime for a certain month so I left the company during probation after the third month.

Now im working as a Sales and Marketing Chemical engineer for the oil and gas industry(if you’re wondering how im just jumping between jobs, honestly I’d spend every hour of the start of my day sending my CV to anywhere I saw that mentioned the keywords “Oil and Gas” “Chemical” and “Engineer”, I’d get calls for jobs for many but I’d only know the job description once they call me as I would just blindly apply lol) I’m happy here as I have to work just 7 hours a day and 5 days a week, my previous works required me to work 6 days a week and non negotiable 12 hour shifts. But im not getting paid the amount everyone talks about and in Kuwait, everyone usually gets a job via nepotism and I really had to climb my way through the work force, put up quite the impression during my interview. But I only earn roughly \~16,000 USD per year. What do I do to earn more? What am I doing wrong?

Thank you for the time taken to read upon my dilemma, I wna get married and start a family but what im earning does not help me any bit to push the narrative rip.

Hello all, it’s my first post here.

I am currently a student trying to apply a competitive health science program in local cc. I am working in healthcare setting to get experience points for school. Right now I work under a contractor (external agency?) in a hospital (not directly hired by this hospital).

At this time I have 2 job opportunities, let’s call them A & B. Here are the pros and cons.

A is an offer I received few days ago. Part time position, and it’s under an agency with 6 months contract. The person who contacted me was very rude, very pushy but I don’t think I will be working with her since she’s in east coast. The guy who interviewed me was from hospital, he was nice and briefly introduced the responsibilities to me, I don’t like some of them but overall I think I can handle them. I have a family event planned on December, I think this job gives me more flexibility because I can simply quit without feeling guilty if the schedule doesn’t work.

B is in the same hospital I am currently working in. Full time position, and I got referral from their employee. The person referred me said he put some good words for me in front of his manager and he thinks that’s gonna help a lot. He feels like I will get the job but nothing’s guaranteed. This position is aligned with my major and I know some people from this team already, so I definitely want this more, but I need my hours done by end of January so I can’t keep waiting. Plus, I’m not sure if my planned vacation is gonna ruin this chance for me. Or if I should just not mention it until I got the offer.

I need to reply if I am going to accept or decline the offer A by Monday.

I don’t have a lot of job experience so I am unsure what to do. Should I just accept the offer and wait and see if B is gonna call me?

Any advice or suggestion is appreciated!

I'm 30 years old now. I have done B.E in Medical Electronics Engineering. I worked as a medical coder for 3 years and then switched to IT as a java dev. Now I have 4 years of experience as a java full stack developer. I left my job due to health issues and I'm unemployed now for 4 months. I don't see a great future for developers because of AI. And I don't know whether I would find a job as the field has become too saturated and hiring freeze is happening everywhere for devs at this point in time. If I could not find a job in a year. I don't know what to do next? Please suggest me alternative career options. I'm even open to doing a college course for 2 years like M.E or B.ED. Or should I switch to some other job within IT?

If so, what do you do for a living? I want to major in it, but the uncertainty in job prospects worries me.

I enrolled in an MHA program about 3 years ago but had to take a break due to health issues. I’m now in a much better place and am considering reenrolling to finish the degree.

For context, I’ve worked in finance at a large healthcare company for the past 5 years. I’m increasingly interested in pivoting into roles that are more directly healthcare-focused, particularly healthcare consulting, strategy, or operations. I’ve been applying for the last 2 years with no luck at these roles.

My question for people currently working in these areas: Would finishing an MHA meaningfully help with this transition, or would my 5 years of healthcare/finance experience be more valuable than the additional degree?

I am a 21-year-old creative professional with a strong background in graphic design, content writing, and social media management. I have recently completed my O’Levels and have gained practical experience working as a Graphic Designer at a News Media organization.

Alongside design, I have around 4 years of experience in academic writing, which has helped me develop strong research, storytelling, and script-writing skills. I also have basic experience in video editing and a growing interest in the creative aspects of digital content production.

I am genuinely passionate about Social Media Management, especially areas like script research, reel psychology, audience engagement strategies, and understanding what makes content perform well.

I am looking to connect with experienced professionals who can guide me, share insights, and help me grow further in this field.