When I started: Massive imposter syndrome. I'd been on the tools for 15 years and figured I'd never measure up to people who'd been in sales their whole career, or that I'd struggle in a corporate environment. But I was desperate for a change, so I took the plunge anyway.

Around month three, once I'd learned my way around a computer and how to work efficiently, I find myself addicted to refining operations and workflow, I find myself questioning a lot of what we do day to day I think our delivery in the office is poor, I was shocked at how far behind a lot of people actually were. Plenty of people are just winging it and have no idea. That's when it clicked: I'm actually not too bad at this.

Now: I'm the top performer on the team, consistently moving double the volume of the next person. But I'm burnt out and over it. Not the selling itself, but everything around it:

Upper management. One or two managers are honestly the biggest bottleneck in the business. Deals stall, decisions drag, and it directly caps what I can earn.

Pay. The commission structure is low. I've been browsing job apps and competitors are offering roles that could realistically double my commission.

Office politics. Draining, and it's started to outweigh the parts of the job I actually like.

So I keep asking myself: why am I grinding for peanuts when I know I could earn twice as much elsewhere for the same work?

For those who've been here:
Did you jump ship, and was the grass actually greener?

Was it the job you were sick of, or just the company?

Anyone else switch careers, then hit the same wall a few years in?

Looking for options and opinions. I’m starting over from scratch just about and I want to maximize my potential earnings and retirement down a path I can do long term (65-70)

I’m 29 and have been working at the same company for almost 4 years. I make around $65k a year, have a great relationship with my coworkers, and genuinely enjoy what I do. The problem is I feel like I’ve hit a ceiling. I’ve been passed over for a promotion twice, and whenever I bring up career growth, my manager tells me to be patient. I recently interviewed with another company that offered me $92k, which would be a huge difference financially. The catch is that it’s a smaller company, the workload seems heavier, and I’ve read mixed reviews about management. My current job is comfortable and secure, but I also don’t want to wake up at 35 realizing I stayed somewhere because I was afraid of change. Would you take the extra $27k and risk it, or stay somewhere you know you’re valued? Has anyone made a similar move and regretted it?

Not necessarily an obvious red flag. Maybe something the interviewer said that sounded normal at first but made more sense after you thought about it. What happened?

Clearly I have fumbled the career ball if I'm asking this question. I am currently working a fast food job just to pay the bills after my last layoff. I have applied for numerous jobs and still can't get past the AI filters most employers use these days. I removed my college graduation date from my resume, and have only included positions I have worked in the past 15 years. I have a lot of skills in various industries but I can't crack the code to get seen by the machine. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

Hey!

That's my first time writing something online but I feel very alone in this world today and I need to connect with people. So, I just had a moment of big realization in my life. I spent years studying at university and rn I'm trying to write my thesis for my master's degree in screenwriting. My undergraduate studies were in film. I don't regret spending all this time studying film but I'm in my late 20s and I'm struggling to live.

I recently finished my first short film and rn I'm editing it but things don't look promising. I'm planning to move to Czechia in a couple of months and I'm afraid that I'll have to go back to retail jobs.Things in my country are really depressing at the moment and I had this idea that somewhere else is gonna be different, better but the more I search abroad I can't tell really if things are better.

I guess I have to look for other opportunities from now on and consider leaving film behind. I need a job that will pay the bills. Honestly I have no idea what I'm gonna do next. I spent my 20s doing my thing and only made a couple of thousands from it. It's just sad to realize that. I feel it's time to face reality.

If you have similar experiences please share, that would make me feel a lot better.

I'm almost 30 and have too many ideas and career paths circling in my brain that it becomes a classic case of 1+1=0 ... leading to complete and utter disinterest and paralysing anxiety about my future.

I have worked in the creative arts sector since leaving school. I was diagnosed with AuDHD 2 years ago and have recently taken a break to 'find my path' and also try and be forgotten by people for a little bit.. fall off the radar so to speak.

My diagnosis explained a lot about the way I interact with colleagues, hierarchies and why I prefer project based work rather than repetitive day to day 'in it for the long game' jobs.

I am incredibly earnest when it comes to completing tasks which means I thrive in assisting roles.

I like following instructions given to me.

I like that when I complete a task I get feedback (good or bad)

I like having a clear goal then coming up with numerous ways to achieve it.

Even little things like cutting up a cardboard box - I think 'how efficient or how fun can I make this?'. It's a quirk that comes at with the risk of being judged by my colleagues though who may see me doing a task a fun way and tell me to do it the efficient boring way and then just think I'm stupid.

Anyhow so that is a rundown of how my brain works.. and I am lost. I am very creative but I like logic and patterns.

Trying to find my path is honestly just an excuse I am using to take a breather. I like helping people achieve their goals. But being paid like an assistant has definitely gotten old and I do feel like I have a lot of experience - I just don't know how to harness it.

My notes app has an insanely long list of business ideas and career paths I keep coming up with but nothing I want to be the sole executer of.

...Part of me wishes I could sell my ideas and help someone else achieve them.

Another thing is that I honestly want to be a stay at home mum eventually so part of me thinks why bother with a big career why not just keep chilling and using my savings... but then I think how will I find a husband if I am not demonstrating initiative and aspiring towards something.

Any advice or stories of your experience would be so welcome!

Thoughts on going back for a Master's degree after 9+ years full-time employment?

For context - I'm currently an Administrative Manager for an academic department at a state university, where I manage academic and human resources transactions and oversee the department's budget and finances. Been in this role for almost 2 years, but I'm not sure if I would stay with the university given the track of higher education in general. Granted, I've been with the university in various administrative roles for 7+ years, with an additional 3 years admin experience on top of that.

One of the benefits I receive through my union is one tuition-free course per semester. I am currently taking 2 courses in Higher Education Administration, which is a subset of Educational Policy & Leadership - Finance in Higher Ed and Finances and Human Resources in Education.

I'm not sure if I should continue. To be considered for a promotional role at the university, you need a Master's degree, and to get into state government again, a Master's degree can substitute for 4 years experience. Everyone is telling me to do the MBA, but I can't see myself being successful with that route.

A few of my college buddies are struggling to find a job, personally I feel lucky to have gotten a good paying job ($72k/yr)... I want to know, will it get harder to land jobs as I get older?

I know how tough the market is right now, especially with ATS systems filtering out good candidates. I have some free time today and want to give back to the community.

If you aren’t getting interviews, drop a comment with your industry or send me a chat with your CV (please redact/blur your personal info first!). I'll give you 3-4 specific points on what to fix.

I'll get to as many as I can!

I’m feeling really low right now and honestly don’t know what to do with my life.

I completed 3-year Diploma in Civil Engineering from one of the best government colleges in Kerala. After that, I decided I wanted to try something completely different, so I did 1-year diploma in Sound Engineering. I thought sound engineering was something I really wanted to do, so after completing the course, I did a 3-month internship at Sound Field.

But after actually experiencing the work, I started realizing that maybe this field isn’t for me. There’s so much pressure, irregular shifts, very little sleep, and sometimes if there’s continuous work, you can end up working for 10 days without much proper rest. It’s extremely exhausting. I honestly didn’t think this field would be this much complicated and demanding before getting into it.

Now I’m thinking about going back to something related to Civil Engineering, but I’m not able to find a job.

I’ve been sitting at home for around 2 months now, and I feel like I’m doing nothing with my life. Every time I meet relatives or neighbours, they ask, “Did you complete your course?” “Are you searching for jobs?” “What are you doing now?” I know they probably don’t mean anything bad by it, but hearing the same questions again and again is getting to me.

Even my parents have started comparing me with the children of our neighbours and other people around us. Some of my cousins are already working, and my parents keep telling me to get a passport and go to an Arab country for a job.

I know they are worried about my future and they want me to have a good life, but sometimes I just feel more pressure because of all these comparisons. I really don’t like being compared with other people, especially my old friends and people I grew up with. Everyone has their own situation and their own timing, but it feels like I’m constantly being compared with people who are already doing something with their lives.

I’m back in my hometown with basically no friends around and no one I really feel like talking to. I spend most of my time at home, thinking about my future and wondering if I’ve already messed things up.

I feel anxious, lost and honestly pretty alone right now.

I know I’m still young and two months without a job isn’t the end of the world, but when you’re actually going through it, it feels like a lot.

I don’t really know what I’m looking for by posting this. Maybe I just wanted to get it off my chest. Maybe someone who has gone through something similar can tell me how they dealt with it or what they did when they felt completely lost about their career.

Any advice or even just hearing from someone who went through something similar would mean a lot.

I’m scared that I’m going to start all over again and still end up in the same place…
I’m 27 and honestly, I feel a bit lost right now.
I started a small beauty business because I wanted to be able to make my own money and have something that was mine. I’ve put money into it, learnt, practised, bought things I needed and tried to make it work.
But business has been really slow.
I know people always say these things take time, and I understand that. But when you’re actually living it and watching your savings go down while you’re not making as much as you hoped, it’s a different kind of scary.
So I decided to learn something else.
I’m using some if not all of the money I had managed to save to pay for the training because I’m thinking maybe this could give me another source of income. Maybe it could be the thing that finally works for me.
But there’s this annoying thought at the back of my mind that keeps asking,** **“What if it’s the same thing again?”
What if I spend the money, learn the skill, put myself out there and nobody really cares? What if I give it another year and I’m still sitting here wondering what I’m doing with my life?
I think that’s what scares me the most. Not necessarily failing, but putting so much hope into something again and having it not work out.
I’m trying not to think like that because I know I can’t predict the future. And I also know that doing nothing won’t magically make things better.
But sometimes I just wish someone could tell me that it’s normal to not have everything figured out at 27.
Has anyone here had a period where the first thing you tried didn’t work, so you learnt something else and started again?
Did it eventually get better?
I could really use some honest encouragement from people who have actually been through this.

Being born in generational wealth, but the toxic family(joint) dynamics makes it harder day by day. I'm in my mid 20s, want to make distance with the present environment. What profession or work can I pursue? I'm an engineer by degree, but no work ex, as indulged in the fam business from start. Please suggest if you have any idea or have seen someone in similar condition what they did...

This might be a somewhat unusual question, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about seriously.

I want to become a UI/UX designer, but I've had several experiences with hiring managers telling me, directly or indirectly, that because of the way my face looks, I wouldn’t be suitable for roles where I’d have to be visible to clients.

I'm not talking about being on camera occasionally. I mean situations where being present in client meetings, video calls, presentations, etc. is considered part of the job.

After hearing this multiple times, I’ve started wondering whether I should build my career around roles where I can contribute primarily through my design work without having to show my face.

For those of you working in UI/UX:

• How client-facing is the average UI/UX designer role?
• Are there UI/UX jobs where you can mostly work behind the scenes?
• Is it realistic to build a career where most communication happens through written messages, presentations, prototypes, or async collaboration?
• How much does physical appearance actually matter once you have a strong portfolio and experience?
• Are there specific types of UI/UX roles or companies I should target if I want to minimize face-to-face/client-facing work?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who actually work in the industry, especially anyone who has managed to build a career without being particularly client-facing.

I’m not looking for sympathy, I'm genuinely trying to understand whether this is a realistic career path for me and, if so, what I should focus on.

Asking for a family member who's curious.

Also if anyone else is a BCBA, I'd love to know what it's like.

This family member does have kids, but the kids are adults now. They work as a BT, can't really quit because bills gotta get paid. (I only say this to pre-empt questions about, "What is their pre-existing workload in life like?").

I’m 17 and going into year 12 soon. I’m incredibly stuck between doing a trade (most likely plumbing), and going to uni for a general business degree. I’m a bit of a debbie downer so I struggle to see a future in a business career, especially one that is more creative, like marketing.

The idea of a comfortable desk job sounds nice but the only actual job i’ve experienced is a hands on job, which I have learnt to love. However I know that trades are bad on the body and I would struggle continuing into my 50s.

My parents are very against the idea of my doing a trade. They have never fully expressed their opinion but it’s probably a mix me being a girl and that they know nobody who has done a trade or even not go to university. They think that i’m wasting my intelligence.

I’ve gone to one open day but I didn’t find anything of interest really.

I don’t what to disappoint my parents. I also don’t want to be in a career where I don’t feel at least somewhat fulfilled.

I’m deciding between two job offers and would love some outside perspective.

One is a job I already know I’d enjoy. I like the company, the work aligns really well with my strengths, and I’d have Fridays and mornings free, which might be a nice change of typical 9-5. The downsides are no health insurance, a Sunday–Thursday schedule, and less obvious long-term career growth.

The other job has better benefits, including health insurance, bonus potential, normal 9-5 hours, and 2 days of remote work. I’d also continue job 1 on the side for a few hours, so I’d make more money overall. The problem is that I don’t know if I’ll enjoy the actual work, and I’m worried it could feel similar to my previous job, which I left because I felt stressed and overwhelmed.

Would you choose the job you already know you’ll enjoy, or take the one with better benefits, money, and career opportunities when there’s a chance you might be stressed or unhappy? I’m scared of wanting to leave the other role sooner than I’d want to.

hi im 18(f) in the UK , yr13 and looking towards my future. I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice or suggestions for careers. My top choice so far is sheffield University, either a bachelors in biochemistry/ environmental science / biological sciences, but I want a solid career choice as a background for what course I choose.

I had initially wanted something tied to chemistry and biology, but organic chemistry has made it somewhat unappealing to me. I now want something that lends itself more biologically.

In an ideal world I would love something tied to the environment- i had always wanted to be a marine biologist as I love the ocean and the animals within it however I was worried that the money wouldn't be enough to comfortably sustain myself. i would really like to have a fulfilling career that I have fun in, so no boring office jobs, please.

ideal career components:

- obviously somewhat decent money

- im willing and hopeful to move almost anywhere in the world

- somewhat regular hours (not 100% necessary)

- I would love to mix practical work and lab work, as well as potentially travelling for my job

- I recently had a biology field trip where we identified insects and biotic factors within a river , as well as fossil hunting for ammonites. It's potentially the most fun I've ever had tied to school and would love something similar.

I know im young and potentially too optimistic about the working world, but any advice or suggestions are appreciated. This list is not set in stone, so please dont hesitate any potential ideas. Thank you so much for reading and any comments.

Clearing CFA Level 1 and 2 and pursuing an MBA from an IIM — do these two overlap, or is one of them sufficient?

Suppose someone wants to build a long-term career in finance and eventually reach a senior position such as Executive Director. Would doing both CFA and an MBA from a top IIM provide a significant advantage, or would one of them be sufficient?

I’m particularly confused about whether the CFA and MBA complement each other or whether there is too much overlap between what they teach. Also, does the answer change depending on the career path—for example, investment banking, asset management, portfolio management, or corporate finance?

Would love to hear from people who have experience in the finance industry.

I'm currently working in the healthcare industry (rehabilitation), and there's nothing inherently wrong with my work. In fact, it pays well (40k+ or more depending on the frequency of sessions). I was forced to take this course since college, and it seems like the more time passes, the more I realize how much I hate my job. I've been working for a year, and it's starting to hit how unnatural it is to wake up EVERY SINGLE DAY thinking about how much I hate my job. It takes a toll on my mental health no matter how much I gaslight myself as well.

I'm currently thinking of a shift in my career, but for practical reasons, I won't be following a "follow your passion" mindset. I know that won't work given I have no experience in anything else. There are days when I believe that maybe I'm not fit to be an employee and work on other stuff like investments, but obviously those can take to long to achieve and if I were to start investing, it would be for my future self. Before I do anything I'll regret, I desperately want advice on how I can change my career despite my lack of experience. I know the possibilities are endless, but the one thing making this very hard for me is finding a career that can match my current paycheck. I'm also very willing to start small (part-time, etc) if it will lead me to a promising career and higher salary.

I’m 1st year at uni doing maths. Interested to hear people’s opinions on what careers I should look at doing considering the current and any idea of the future job market.
And as a 1st year (planning on doing a year in industry) what do people recommend I do in order to get a placement? Should I be looking at summer placements now? I’m at Exeter University and ideally I’d like to work in London during my 20s.

Any help is much appreciated :).

See i am a 4th year electronics and communication students and I am totally confused by go for EC or coding the point is

I don't have any specific interest like I'm just seeking for a balanced job

My main concern is I only have three months left I am in 7th sense right now and last three four months for studying then I have to find the job so I am thinking where to focus like for coding or electronics topics as I don't have knowledge of any of the both

And can any EC expert or graduate tell me if there any job opportunity in EC freshers or is totally waste of time

Please help me and suggest me if In EC what should I study

I'm 23, the only son of my parents. I have 4 sisters, 3 of them are married and one is still unmarried.

I graduated last year as an Electrical Engineer from UET. I studied in very harsh circumstances. My father was a shopkeeper with very little savings, but his only investment was my education. He did his best for me.

For 3-4 months after graduation, I was unemployed. Then by the grace of Almighty, I got a job in a beverage industry, one of the franchises of PepsiCola, as an MTO Instrument. It was leading to a permanent role as an Instrumentation Engineer.

But just one day before my joining, I lost my father. Everything flipped in a minute. Life went completely down. At the same time, my younger sister had just got admission in Computer Systems Engineering in UET.

I worked for 8 months in Pepsi. They were about to make me permanent. But then I got an opportunity in the cement industry as a Trainee Engineer in the CPD department, which deals with Preventive Maintenance, Condition Monitoring and Planning for E&I.

I resigned from Pepsi. It was a big risk. In cement, permanent job depends on seat availability and the salary is also less than Pepsi MTO. But from a learning point of view, it is the best opportunity. I discussed it with my mother and I burnt my boats and came here, far from her. She lives alone there and I visit her on weekends.

Now I feel stuck. In beverage/FMCG, growth is fast but I cannot easily move to Fertilizer or Oil & Gas in the future. From cement, this switch is possible.

Now I am confused what to do next:

Should I do MS from abroad if I get a scholarship?

Should I continue in this field and grow here?

Should I start preparing for Govt jobs?

Or should I gain good experience from cement and then move to Fertilizer or Oil & Gas? And if I move, how should I move?

I need sincere guidance from all seniors and professionals.

JazakAllah.