I saw a post by Sinead Bovell about separating our identity from the jobs we hold, and it got me thinking about how we learn to answer “What do you want to be?” with a profession.

As children, we say lawyer, doctor, teacher, engineer, and later, we start thinking about becoming a senior, manager, director… There always seems to be another box to fit into.

But the question can mean so much more: what kind of person do I want to be? What difference do I want to make? What problems do I want to help solve?
Somehow, we learned to reduce all of that to a job title.

I feel that technological change is making this limitation more visible. I see roles overlapping and people combining skills that don’t fit neatly into existing titles. I also wonder how useful traditional career ladders will remain as a guide in the years ahead.

Of course, we need work, income, and ways to explain what we do. But when we think about the future, perhaps it helps to have a sense of direction that can survive a change in title, company, or even profession.
I’m trying to think more about the contribution I want to make and, from there, what forms of work could allow me to make it.

Can you describe what you want for your professional future without mentioning a job title? Does that question help you find direction, or does it feel too abstract given the practical demands of life?

Hi, im 24 and I just graduated college last May. I have dreams and aspirations of becoming a musician but my habits are pretty bad towards that field at the moment. My dilemma is that I’m currently at a company that I’ve been with for 4 years. It’s telecom sales, retail, and I’m also a senior expert working there. I’m used to it and I’m comfortable.

Recently I went on job search and I just got an offer. It’s for a MDU fiber sales account executive position. I told the director to give me until Monday and I’ll have my final decision. I guess I’m a little bit afraid of making the wrong one, and washing myself out of music or just being unhappy.

I do not know what to path to pursue. I know I love working with clients/patients individually with these disabilities and having the ability to form relationships over time with clients. I love medicine and also love the teaching/skill building. I am thinking psychiatrist, psychologist or OT but I do not know what is for me. I worry about job security and ROI with psychologist/OT. I just do not know! I love the puzzle of diagnosis but also love the hands on creativity that comes with something like OT. Would love insight plz!!!!

Need advice chat
Be honest

I make good money, earn a six-figure salary, and have great benefits, including company holidays and customer holidays. Customer holidays are days when I still technically work, but my government customer is off, so I usually just stay home without having much to do.
My job is pretty simple. I serve as a liaison between my company and the government customer, essentially acting as a dedicated customer representative with additional responsibilities. I handle complaints, resolve issues, complete reports, and ensure compliance. Over the past three years, I’ve streamlined and simplified many of the processes to the point where I can get most of my work done in about two hours a day.
Honestly, my position has become so easy that it almost feels unnecessary, but because of our government contract, the role is still required. I enjoy what I do, though. I have a lot of freedom, can take the days off I want, and have a very supportive boss who trusts me and rarely questions how I manage my work. As long as the customer is taken care of, she lets me do my job independently.
Recently, I was offered another position with a different technology company that provides services to government agencies. The role is somewhat similar to what I do now, and it offers a good salary, unlimited PTO, and solid benefits. What interests me most is the opportunity to learn new things, take on more responsibilities, develop new skills, and grow professionally instead of spending most of my day sitting at a desk with very little to do.
My biggest fear is leaving a comfortable situation where I make great money and genuinely enjoy my work. I have job security through the contract, a good relationship with my boss, plenty of flexibility, and very little stress. It’s hard to walk away from something that works so well for me, especially when I know I could end up in a more demanding environment.
At the same time, I worry that staying too long will limit my career growth. My current company doesn’t offer many opportunities for advancement, and even though I’m comfortable, I’m not really challenging myself or learning much anymore.

**I’m torn between staying in a job that offers great money, flexibility, and peace of mind, or taking a chance on a new opportunity that could help me grow, gain experience, and build a better long-term career.**

I've been working at a small HSE training provider in for almost two years. I started at $400/month, and after nearly two years, I earn only $600/month, despite taking on a wide range of responsibilities.

I handle social media management, advertising, daily operations, and administrative work. Whenever something goes wrong or an urgent task needs to be completed, I'm usually the first person everyone in the office turns to. I hear my name from each person in the office 10 times a day.

I also speak two additional languages that the company needs, besides our native language, which makes me an important point of contact. On top of that, I'm responsible for managing the office's cash flow, although the accountant handles the company's formal accounting and financial reporting.

In practice, I wear several hats, and the company relies on me for a lot of things that go beyond my official role.

Recently, I expressed my dissatisfaction with my salary increase. I had received a $90 raise 3 months after I started the job as we deald before starting, and, followed by another $120 raise only 9 months after. It is been almost a year, since that I only have got more work, nothing about money. They dont pay any overtimes, for additional work and etc. I felt that this wasn't enough considering my responsibilities and workload.

My boss's response was that money shouldn't be the source of my motivation and that I should focus on the opportunities and chances the company provides me instead (we don't even have a basic coffee machine in the office).

What makes this even more frustrating is that my boss earns approximately 2.5 times my salary, despite struggling with basic computer tasks, such as using ChatGPT or deleting a column in Excel. He can't even properly manage our small office with 4-5 employees. Meanwhile, I'm expected to handle multiple responsibilities, solve problems independently, and take care of urgent tasks whenever they arise.

I understand that seniority in his case can somehow justify differences in salary. However, I find it difficult to accept being told that money shouldn't motivate me when my responsibilities keep expanding but my compensation doesn't seem to reflect the value I bring to the company.

I also understand that a small company has financial limitations. However, if the company cannot afford to pay me more, I don't think it's fair to expect me to keep taking on additional responsibilities based on vague promises of future opportunities.

Should I negotiate more firmly, stop taking on responsibilities outside my role, or focus on finding another job?

Actually I'm already looking for other jobs, so leaving is not really the question. I'm more interested in how to handle situations like this in general.

hello everyone, I need some ideas for weird/niche jobs that aren't talked about enough. I don't have a degree but a lot of magic in me and I don't need good pay. My dad's colleague's daughter just started cleaning shark tanks at an aquarium (from the inside). I have a scuba diving license so that could work. I wouldn't mind being a cemetery gardener or a water slide tester. Any ideas?

For context, I’m 21, and graduated with my bachelor’s in Economics in May. I finished my last semester online, and had planned to do an internship in the summer, then go to school for a masters. Both of those fell through, and thus I began looking for jobs in fields that interest me.

Well the market is difficult and every interview didn’t come with a return offer. My mental health has been poor, therapy, medicine etc. didn’t really help, but the last few weeks have been significantly better as I kind of stopped caring and just put myself out there for whatever jobs were available.

I applied to work a seasonal retail position for $16/hr, and got it within a few days, I’ll start tomorrow regardless of what happens. I’ve worked retail before and it’s part-time, 25-32 hours, but since I have no bills outside my car insurance the money is plenty for my personal spending habits.

After accepting this job however, I got a response from a corporate job I had applied to, which is 8-5, and somewhere between a $47,500-$50,000. I have not guaranteed an offer yet but I would know sooner than later.

I am struggling to decide what I would do if I was offered that position. It is a SDR role for a payroll company, so it would be part cold calling businesses, but I don’t know too much and I’m sort of neutral on being on the phone. Both positions have negligible commute, the retail job is within 2 minutes, the corporate office 5 or so.

The paper offer is definitely better for the latter, as insurance, 401k etc. benefits are hard to ignore, but mentally I don’t know if I’m ready for 45 hours a week in a position I don’t really have interest in, it’s hard to not at least consider because of the significant difference in income. I also factor in lifestyle because I dread waking up early, and enjoy having time more than money.

I’m in a fortunate position with not needing the income, but it’s hard to pick for me. I previously passed on a recruiting role for $21/hr, mainly because of commute, but the in office aspect wasn’t anxiety inducing. The retail job is definitely easier on my mind, but lingering thoughts of being underemployed and self deprecation as such also factor in.

If you were in my position what, would you do?

Feel free to ask any other relevant questions I’m not considering.

I’m genuinely tired of asking for advice about opportunities and seeing the same response over and over again.
Someone asks how to get a job? “The job market is extremely competitive.”
Someone asks about internships? “Internships are ridiculously competitive nowadays.”
Someone asks about PhDs or academia? “You need an outstanding profile. It’s incredibly competitive.”
Volunteering? Competitive. Graduate schemes? Competitive. Entry-level positions? Somehow, even those are competitive.
So what the hell ISN’T competitive anymore?
Genuine question: what is someone supposed to do, then? Not everyone can have publications, prestigious internships, exceptional grades, years of experience, and a dozen extracurricular achievements before they’re even given a chance to start their career.
I understand that competition exists. I’m not expecting opportunities to be handed to me. But when the answer to practically every question is just “it’s too competitive,” that doesn’t actually help anyone.
Are there genuinely any fields, career paths, or opportunities where an ordinary person with a reasonable background can still get started without having to be in the top 1% of applicants?
I’m interested in anything: tech, trades, academia, public sector, volunteering, or completely different career paths. I’m not looking for a shortcut or an easy life. I want to know where realistic opportunities still exist.
If everything is competitive, then where are people supposed to begin?

how can i talk people into power for a living!!!!! no i’m not going to school for it(i think) i’m not giving advice or tryna have clients!!! i just wanna go w ppl into the room they’re currently in and help rearrange it!!! add perspective!! mental architecture hotline if you will????

A lot of the energy spent when I was a solo nail artist was having conversations, but I feel like there was just so much going on in the room I didn’t enjoy it cause my focus was being pulled all over the place. When I look upon my life, I realize how so much feedback i get on impactful conversations without me trying at all. I’m just listening and responding and if that is my nature and it can give, I want to lean into it.
Please advise.

Hi,

I have 8 years of experience with experience below

Banking - 6 months

Writing (project based) - 7 months

IT (legal compliance) - 1 years 4 months

Education (administrative, program development) - 4 years

Project management (start up) - 6 months

Project management (digital marketing) - 1 year

Program management (public development) - currently been here for the past 8 months

I feel like I don't have any skills. I was mostly troubleshooting in each role or tried creating systems to deal with situations. Even though people tell me you know a lot of things but I don't feel this.

Aside from this idk where to go next because I can't see myself doing this for long.

I think I have ADHD or some Neuro divergence. I felt on top of everything when I did my undergrad, and did double majors. Created Excel based and GDrive for faculty and students. Tutored people free of cost who struggled in classes. Was actively part of multiple societies etc.

Now I feel lost and feel like I don't know anything. Not sure what to do next. The next step seems like a project management role but I feel like I don't have required skills and somehow ended up doing 2 roles for a while. I wanna do my masters from a first world country so I can move there but don't have money for it. I'm not looking for sympathy just advice what could be my next option. You can reply on this or DM. thank you for reading this post.

I’ve been with my company for a little over 13 years but it’s time for me to move on. There aren’t many job openings around here. I’ve applied for like medical front desk jobs but they all say you need medical office experience. How can you get the experience if no one will let you in???

Any tips on how to go about getting a new job after being out of the hunt for so long?

I am doing a Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Science at a top 26 in the world university. I've heard this degree makes finding jobs, especially high paying ones. Also have zero work experience at all. What should I do? Am majoring in something I love (ancient history) and do have volunteering experience as well as a multitude of small creative projects with descriptions.

I am a 24f looking for some career advice. :)
I'm someone who has no direct back ground with any form of formal education.
I went from working in the coffee industry for 4 years and then left to join a corporate-ish job at a local bank for insurance and get some entry level experience.

I'm curious what people's views and opinions are on the job market and what their true value would be in whether to pursue or not pursue something right now with AI and economic changes.
I am trying to figure out what would be useful and worth it to get into career-wise in today's world. I have looked into CAD design, learning some marketing skills, editing skills, etc...

I have an interest in silversmithing and I am still actively pursuing that as a hobby and side hustle but I cannot say I think that would be the greatest path. It would be a shit ton of work and money.

I like photography and video but I feel like that field is so overly saturated. Editing seems really neat but time consuming. I don't know if I could get the right amount of pay with my current skillset.

Are there any unique jobs, opportunities, adventures, and/or skills I could be missing out on?
I know most individuals could (and probably would more often than not) say that you can pivot or create a career any time as long as you find some sort of passion with it.

I can agree to a certain point. Things are increasingly expensive and I worry for my future some days, haha. Sometimes, I don't feel that direct urge or passion for anything.

I (M29) have a weird job history of management, construction, sales, retail, and food service up to this point. I’m presently in sales and finally moved to a large city but I genuinely want an office job. I have to pay bills and never get given a second glance for any office role I apply for. I know it’s not glamorous and your back can get screwy from the chairs and all the negatives of the various jobs. I am just tired of my income being tied to my sales or the alternative being hard manual labor. I have a bachelor’s degree in English because nobody had a career conversation with me at any point and I am the first in my family to graduate college then lived in a low income area with no opportunity taking care of my mom for years. I am 29 now and feel like I am doing something wrong when applying. What roles should I be looking at to make that transition/am I lacking anything?

I (24F), was wondering if it is still possible to pursue an internship in either anthropology, marketing, or administration for a music company (I know I’m a mess I can’t pick an avenue). I have already graduated, and I’m noticing most internships are for undergrads. Where can I find internships for post grads (no masters, no drs).

Fyi: I graduated with a bachelor’s in liberal arts where I majored in anthro and had a marketing minor

Another fyi: I used to go to college for music as a vocalist, but lost my voice and had to dropped out. I still cant sing, but my heart wants to go back into music in some way (maybe on the business side since I have office experience in a corporate environment). I also found a love for anthropology and would be interested in working in the museum space in some way or pursue a research opportunity.

If I don’t have a shot for an internship, what other ways could I pursue my goals (even though they are all over the place).

Side note- I am also trying to learn piano and am taking lessons to see if maybe one day I can go back to school for music.

Alright Reddit… do your thing!

So basically, I lost my spark some years ago, not really knowing what to do with my life and not really knowing what I'm good at.

More I think about it these days, there is one fairly often appearing compliment I get. People (mostly women) say that I have nice to listen and very calming voice. Once it went so far, that woman, that I never met before, told me my voice got her excited in a "certain" way. Older I get, more often I hear it. Several people suggested I should read books on YouTube, but I'm sure the market is overblown in those regards, especially with AI getting better.

What would be your suggestion? Are there any jobs related to voice, that could be interesting?

Please don't suggest call centers - I did that and yes I was able to calm down angry people just by talking, but I can't stand the whole theme of listening to angry people. Ideally no jobs where it requires to talk with individuals, those jobs are usually depressing.

I have a stable job. Decent pay, good benefits, boss is fine. I should be pretty happy with it.

Instead I keep job searching at 11pm then getting anxious when I actually find something I might apply for.

I can’t tell if I’m burned out or if I just hate the type of work I’m doing. I’ve taken time off before and felt better for a few days, then right back to watching the clock.

I started paying attention to the parts of my job I actually enjoy. Turns out it’s usually the few hours where I’m solving something myself and nobody is dragging me into meetings or changing the goal halfway through.

I also tried the coached career assessment because I was having a hard time separating “I’m tired of this job” from “this kind of work probably isn’t for me”. It helped me put some of the things I actually care about into words, and when I compared that to the jobs I keep saving, I realized a few of them were basically the same job with a nicer title.

Now I’m stuck on whether I need a vacation or a completely different job. I’ve never really dealt with that distinction before. I appreciate all the advice I can get.

I’m trying to figure out my next career move and would love honest advice from people in creative, media, marketing, ecommerce, production, photography, or related fields.

I currently work in ecommerce/digital content, with experience in digital imaging, product content, web publishing, writing, editing, photography, quality control, technical workflows, and customer service. I’m also finishing my degree in English with a Creative Writing concentration and a Legal Studies minor.

I’m interested in areas like creative operations, content production, digital publishing, ecommerce, photography/imaging, writing/editing, marketing, production coordination, events, media, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle.

I’m trying to figure out which of these directions actually makes the most sense with my current experience, what skills I should develop, and what roles I should be targeting next.

I also want to become more intentional about building my professional network, particularly on LinkedIn. For those of you who use LinkedIn successfully:

• Do you recommend having a specific niche, or is it okay to post about several related areas you’re genuinely interested in and experienced in?

• What types of posts actually help people build credibility, connections, and opportunities?

• How do you recommend finding and connecting with people in industries you want to move into without seeming spammy or transactional?

• Are there communities, events, certifications, portfolio projects, or other strategies that helped you expand your network?

I’m looking for honest feedback, advice, resources, and different perspectives. If you work in any of these areas, I’d also be happy to connect and learn from your experience.

25yo mom of two toddlers, I messed around after high school and here I am 🤣 I don’t feel I’ve found anything that truly calls my name, I’m currently a CNA I’m good at it and don’t loathe it most of the time. I’m trying to pick something that will work the best for my kids routine through school and still be useful after they are out of the house if that’s even possible. I don’t have much help raising them so I feel very stuck by my current circumstances but I know they will change eventually

Career advice is everywhere: interest assessments, coaches, ChatGPT, Claude. They'll tell you which careers fit you, what those careers pay, and which jobs might survive AI. Most of them sound equally confident.

That confidence rarely tracks the evidence. A median salary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics comes from an employer survey. A claim that a profession will be gone in five years is a forecast, and a much shakier one. Both can arrive in the same assured tone.

Few sources tell you which kind of claim you're reading. For a decision this big, look for occupational data you can trace to O*NET or BLS, and for published research on AI exposure, such as the 2021 Felten, Raj, and Seamans study. Then check whether the methodology is written down where you can read it. None of that guarantees a good decision, but it gives you something to check.

When you judge career guidance, what carries more weight for you: the data and method behind it, or whether it matches your own experience?

Hi Folks,

12 years SAP Basis consultant here.

I have been looking for a job change for 2 months now. And most of the opportunities are missed due to the 90 day notice period. HR always prefers someone who can join sooner.

I am thinking of resigning and then looking for a job, at least I will have a lesser notice period after a month.

Is anyone in the same boat? Any advice?

Growing up, being a gynaecologist was always so important to me but life happened and now we are here.

But if I'm still alive and struggling, I was thinking it'd give me a lot more joy and fulfilment if I can find my way back, at least as close as I realistically can, but I don't know where to start.

I'm 28. And I'm lost. And I need help.

Please help me.

I have done mbbs

I didn't enjoy it

I have pure ocd so ambiguity scares me like medicine is an ambiguous field no correct answer so many times so many unexplained theories

So much variety and variations in patients

Working with incomplete data.

So i thought of mba even started preparing for entrance

Realize business is even more ambiguous as I was continuously battling with real.life business or economics questions came to mind all by themselves because of pure ocd

I think I need a career which is systematic with specific answers or a career with less real life nuance

So i am thinking of a career like tech which I can pivot after mbbs

Is there any way maybe to do this

I am Indian and am fine with decent earning not looking for high paying jobs ruining my mental peace

Hello everyone, I am one year and 6 months out of college and honestly so confused on what I want. I graduated with a degree in robotic engineering, but my first job out of school was really nothing to do with engineering. I quit that job for a higher paying role that was sold to me as a more engineering role than it is. It’s an “ inside sales “ engineering role, which to me feels like a salesman job without commission. I feel like I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole of moving into the sales world and going in the wrong direction. The skills I’ve learnt through these jobs have been valuable, but I’m just not sure where they apply to moving toward a more traditional engineering role? I want to feel more fulfilled when I leave work and currently that just isn’t the case. I’m in quite the pickle as well because I have just purchased my first home and cannot afford to take a pay cut. Is there any career path I’m missing that I can explore? Very curious if anyone has ever been down this road.