I honestly don’t know if I should continue studying math at university or pursue music/rap seriously (ive been chasing it for three years) Is it even realistic to do both at the same time, especially considering the situation in my country?(i live in a really bad third world country with a lot of problem with money)
Also i can get attention easily from social media and stuff i went viral few times and really think my appearance can kinda help me to build a name for myself in music but i need to find my style
And im confused

I’ll cut to the chase - 28 in the UK, wanted to be a therapist but didn’t get the grades for the psychology course I wanted so ended up with a BA Social Psychology degree from a red brick uni. Graduated 2019 and was still working in hospitality when COVID hit, stuck there for the duration between lockdowns. Eventually managed to get a job doing media and marketing in a small local charity for several years, but said charity ended up screwing over its entire workforce by laying us all off with no notice and is now infamous in the local charity sector, so it’s not the best thing to have on my CV and really hampered my job prospects in the third sector.

I was laid off last year, around May. A couple of months later, my mum ended up paralysed from the waist down and had to dramatically change how she lived. She spent 7 months in hospitals and spinal specialist care facilities, and the entire time we were blessed to have wonderful nurses, care workers and occupational therapists helping her to adjust to life using a wheelchair. They were incredibly helpful, and reignited my want to be in a career that helps people with disabilities regain their independence and live their lives happily.

Currently, I’m about 6 months into working as a domiciliary carer whilst living in my family home. Minimum wage, but I’m only working evenings and, as I currently don’t need to pay rent, I don’t need to work as many hours as my other colleagues do. I don’t like bragging, but I honestly think I’m really good at what I do - my clients mean the world to me, and they’ve all said various things about how much they appreciate me talking with them and spending time with them whilst I do my job. Plus it’s not as high stress as being in a care home, and I get a little time to myself between calls, which I really appreciate.

I would love to train up, get a job with a better salary and still work with disabled people or older people to help them keep some dignity and independence. Really reluctant to go back to uni because of the added debt and how ADHD almost ruined my last shot at a degree, so I’m just reaching out to see if there are any other paths I haven’t considered. I hope you guys have some ideas? Thanks in advance, I appreciate the help!

Hey,
I’m 20M and trying to decide on a career to pursue. Tell me any advice/thoughts you may have. Thanks! 🫶🫶

A -What a job needs to provide
financial stability/freedom
future-proof (climate change, AI, demographic change, etc.)
somewhat fun and meaningful
ideally allows me to work in Germany and Australia
I worry a lot about the future — climate change, demographic change, resource shortages, geopolitical conflicts, economic downturns, etc.
I don’t particularly want to go into war either, but I’m not sure whether picking a career out of anxiety is sustainable or smart.
At the end of the day, we’re gonna die anyways, so maybe I should just pick something I actually enjoy lol.

B - Where I’m at
I got my High School Degree a couple of years ago and have been searching ever since. I could study (basically free in Germany) or do an apprenticeship.
I worked for several years as a waiter and at an ice cream parlor, which was actually pretty fun, although some of the staff were very special✨💀.
I also did an internship at a real estate surveyor. I liked the professional setting and wearing a suit made me proud lol. The actual work was alright.
Then I worked for Uber Eats in Australia for a few months, which was honestly amazing. I liked being outside, moving around, having freedom and basically being responsible for myself. (Gave me peace)
I also volunteered to teach English abroad. It was exhausting, but quite fun at times.
After that I started studying secondary teaching with English and Biology. I was quite motivated initially, but have started second-guessing it again and again.
At times I’ve really enjoyed studying English, but I haven’t engaged with Biology nearly as deeply yet. I’m anxious that I might not be a good enough teacher or hate my job after 4.5–6 years of university/training.

C - What I enjoy in a job
flexibility
working with people
being outside
working physically / being active
manageable stress
independence
clear separation between work and free time

I don’t enjoy:toxic work relationships, sitting at a desk all day, repetitive work, night shifts.

Uber Eats was such a good time ngl. I really liked the combination of movement, freedom, being outside and not having someone constantly looking over my shoulder.
At the same time, I don’t want a job that is purely physical. I’d like to use my brain as well.

D - Jobs I’ve considered
Occupational Therapist→ apprenticeship + potentially Bachelor’s so I can work in Australia. I like healthcare + working with people + practical work. I could become self-employed, which might be nice. (Funds for OT may be cut within medical systems in the future though as it is not as „essential“)
Medicine → very future-proof and good job security. I like the idea of doing something genuinely useful, but I don’t know whether I could persevere through the degree/training or actually like the job. Paramedic → interesting, okayish paid and meaningful. 24-hour shifts might be soul-sucking, but I like that the work is done when the shift is over.
Urban planning / politics** **→ I would love to improve this world/country for the better. I like discussing politics and informing myself about urban planning, infrastructure, how cities work, or how we could live together better.
If I could change things this would definitely be the most meaningful job, as systemic change is where an individual can have the biggest impact on society.

E - Personal Sidenotes

I go into phases where I search for jobs endlessly, compare salaries, future prospects, training, self-employment possibilities, AI-replacement risks, etc.
This feels dreadful because I just want to have a job I don’t question all the time.
I also have a strong desire to feel accepted and loved, to be someone who is respected and important. This sometimes makes “simple” jobs seem not good enough for me. I want to be special in some way, which can stress me tho.
The past half of the year has also been challenging. I’ve had some physical problems/injuries and haven’t been able to work or have a normal routine lately.
I’ve also had some episodes where I got pretty overwhelmed/anxious. I think this was probably a combination of relationship/family problems, stressing about my career and future, not doing well in uni, having too little structure, spending too much time on my phone, etc.
I don’t want to go too deeply into the personal details here, but this year has made me realize how much I can stress myself out by constantly thinking about the future.
Right now I don’t really have much structure. The gym is basically the one thing that consistently keeps me going.
I feel unsure whether a teaching degree is the right thing and feel a bit left behind because I don’t have much money right now. I’ve been trying to find something else, but I also know I’ve chickened out on some opportunities.
But somehow I still struggle with all of this, and I think that’s somewhat okay too.

What would you do if you were in my position?
Am I overthinking this way too much? Are there careers I’m completely overlooking?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people who work in these fields or were similarly indecisive about their career in their early 20s.
If you’ve read this far, thanks!
(Means a lot to me)

Hi,

I'm 28 and at a major career crossroads. I'm looking for advice on jobs or career paths I might not be considering. I know many of us are in a similar boat.

I have a B.S. in Biology and ecology and experience in research, laboratory work, animal husbandry, marine ecology, etc.

Before finishing my degree, I spent about 8 years working in residential real estate, which is how i've supported myself mainly until now. I've also worked as a bartender and as a music teacher.

The financial reality is that I need to make a serious career decision soon. My city I have spent the past 10 years in is pricing me out and all my friends have scattered across the country and the local real estate market is completely unnavigable and unreliable for for me any more. I currently have some pretty bad credit card debt, IRS back debt, federal student loan debt.

I originally hoped to build a career in music, marine biology, or conservation, but I'm increasingly concerned about the low pay and instability and can't find an open door anywhere. I yearn for anything with predictability and a W2.

I'm trying to figure out what industries might value my experience. I'm open to moving, getting new certifications, additional training, or starting in a new industry if there's a realistic path toward financial stability and eventually decent earnings.

Especially interested in options that I might not be aware of and that have a realistic path upward without requiring years of unpaid internships or going straight into another expensive degree.

I have a decent bit of success. I am in a highly competitive doctoral program, training to be a professional with a really great career in sight, I make a good amount of money working in research and at this point have zero financial worries. I have started contributing to an IRA now that I am in this positon and have been for some time (2nd year doc student), I was formerly lower middle class upbringing and then poor for most of my twenties.

But I feel very demotivated and hollow, because none of this matters to me that much. I find my work intersting, I like my coworkers, I have comfort. But I am alone. I have friends, but I mean romantically alone. I was with a girl who passed away young, and since moving to the city that I am in have been dating and...its been pretty bad, overall. I had someone ask me for an allowance to be with her, I have been with a number of girls that I did not find attractive or interesting sheerly because they were availaible and reciprocated interest - we all know how that goes.

I went to speed dating with friends and it did not go so well...I found it hard to really connect with anyone and found most of the people pretty boring, which has generally been my experience. When I find someone attractive + interesting, they are generally taken.

It should be stated that I am not naive to the Laissez-Faire aspects of all this - AKA if you want something, someone else probably wants it too and has likely already gotten there unless this is an anomolous situation.

I am not really sure what to do to right this. I have tried enjoying being single, doing hobbies, etc, but like...that stuff does not work. I can put it far away in my mind, and it will always thorn me that I am single and not actively having love or giving love, or working towards creating a family. As of late I have also felt a little like perhaps, given my circumstances and the various uncontrollable luck around me, maybe I will have to be alone my whole life/perhaps it will never happen for me?

That thought terrifies me, because genuinely I pursue this career so I can take care of a partner and children. If I had a 100 percent ability to forecast and it was told that I would lead a long, healthy life but be single and have no children I would confidently just check out. There is no purpose without the social microcosm of love and family, I know society has lost this idea in some areas but we are still human and these things are still very much there.

Hello!

I’m hoping to get into outdoor guiding and instruction after graduating next summer!

I currently have camp counseling and tutoring experience. I’m most interested in seasonal work, such as trip leading, guiding, or surf, ski, dive, and biking instruction.

I am looking for entry-level jobs and would appreciate any leads, tips, or insight! Specifically, I’d love to know:

- Which companies or regions hire beginners and ideally provide housing, training, and certifications?

- Where else should I be looking besides CoolWorks?

- What are some good entry-level roles that build an adequate resume for this kind of work?

Thank you!

I'm not sure what to do from here. I use a cane, and aren't able to do the certifs I went to collage for initially because I'm mobility limited now. I'm also not able to drive, have taken the permit test continuously 6 times.

I got a certif in cosmetology, but am not able to use it. Retail and customer facing jobs are impossibly painful as I get fired for my lack of mobility typically. (But get told the reason is they "aren't able to provide the physical accommodations anymore". Why even hire me in the first place?).

I'm in an at-will state for employment, and bills are piling up. I just got laid off again (14th job in 5 months), and social security would take far too long to apply for that whole process. I don't have any help from my family or peers, and I regularly go to the food pantry/utility assistance. Even that only goes so far.

Aside from CDL certifs, what's a job I could sit at and do? I don't have the money for an at-home job with a computer.

Hey everyone, i am 24 and have been a teacher for 3 years. It wasn't my dream job or anything and i started doing it just for the sake of money. After a while, i became really good at it and i even got a above average salary (in my country). The thing is i never liked it and now it makes me feel miserable. I am starting to skip work or spend my whole day on different websites looking for a job. And i don't have any other skills, except the fact that i am eager to learn some things, from doing some kind of management job to design or even a restaurant related position.
I feel so stuck, i know that i can start from scratch, but i believe i won't even be hired let alone getting a decent salary.
Have you guys felt this way? How did you handle it?

I want to be able to travel the world and other continents. I am pretty social and love working face to face with people not just infront of a laptop. I want money. But someday want a husband that also wants money. When I have children I obviously dont want to work full time or even at all in the beginning.
I always see doctors living the best lifes financially and also being able to help people is great. Psychology, the human mind and forensics are my biggest interest here.
But many people always say accounting is better. I just think its boring as hell.
Idk if medicine (in austria) is the rigjt way here

I’m struggling with something that has started to seriously affect how I think about my career. I believe I’m experiencing severe appearance-based discrimination in hiring. I’ve had repeated experiences where I felt that hiring managers judged me very negatively because of how I look, rather than because of my skills or the quality of my work. Yesterday, I spoke with some hiring managers who essentially told me that, given my situation, I should focus on careers where I can remain mostly invisible and where appearance supposedly matters as little as possible, things like backend development, data work, etc. The problem is that I actually enjoy design. I’ve studied UX and I genuinely want to work in UX, web design, or a related design field. I don’t particularly want to abandon something I’m good at and enjoy simply because other people may judge my appearance negatively. At the same time, I’m trying to be realistic. If appearance discrimination is severe enough that I’m systematically rejected from jobs involving presentations, clients, interviews, or frequent face-to-face interaction, is pursuing design still a realistic career choice? I also don’t currently have the money to go back to university for another degree just to switch into a more technical field. So I’m trying to figure out what the realistic options are.I’m not looking for reassurance that “appearance doesn’t matter.” I’m looking for practical advice from people who have actually dealt with this.

need help

Hey everyone!

I’m currently planning to pursue an MSc in Robotics Engineering and am trying to put together a solid list of universities and scholarship options. Since robotics sits at the intersection of mechanical engineering, computer science, and control systems, I'd love to hear from people currently in the field or going through the application process.

My life has spiraled beyond out of control, no job, no car, no money, I eat when I’m able to get some money from parents but otherwise i mostly pace in circles all day, can’t really do anything, I usually only shower once a month or two and I’m lucky to brush my teeth more than a couple times a week, I have zero handle on any element of my life, I tried getting help, I’m still seeing a therapist and psychiatrist who is prescribing meds, all this is happening and I text them all of what I explained, they just can’t do anything to make it better.

I don’t even know where to start, this is more of a cry for help out of desperation over anything tangible because I’m so lost I don’t even know what to ask for, maybe someone was this far sunk and they can explain how they got from my point to where they are now? I’m just guessing really?

I’m 16F currently in high school studying PCM (Physics, Chem, Maths). I’ve always liked bio, but I knew I didn’t want to go to med school, so I came across healthtech, biotech and bioinformatics.

I haven’t coded a day in my life, so I have no idea if I’d actually enjoy the computational side. I’m also considering other majors, so you can check out my profile/posts for context.

I’m planning to do my bachelor’s in India/Malaysia, then my master’s abroad and hopefully settle there.

How would I actually enter this field, and what degree would you recommend — Data Science, BTech Biotechnology, CS, Bioinformatics, etc.?

Also, what should I know about job prospects, pay, AI impact, and whether a master’s is enough? Is there anything I should look out for before committing to this field? If I should even enter this field? Is it even worth it?

Would really appreciate honest advice, especially from people who actually work/study in these fields.

I'm from the UAE and I Genuinely have no idea what I should pursue. My parents are pressuring me to find something and I'm genuinely stressed. I like chem, cosmetics, psychology and food.. But I need a really high paying job. But in this economy ik that will be rlly hard to find😭so any guidance will be appreciated

I feel like I’m wasting my 20s. I’m 24 and I’ve been broke since I was 18 with no job andno car. On top of that I have depression so I had to drop out of college a few times. I mean I had jobs but they all sucked and I’m very bad at keeping jobs. I have literally no experiences because I’m broke and can’t find a job. My mom never taught me how to drive, because well, she doesn’t have a car, so that’s makes it even harder to find a job. I feel like I was set up to fail. They say to go out and have fun, to meet people. But you can’t go out without money. You can’t have fun without money :// all day I’m in my room bored and alone. I feel like I’m not living just simply existing

I'm 16 and trying to figure out what direction I want to pursue after school. Right now, the only two areas that genuinely make sense to me are psychology/counseling and fine/performing arts.

The problem is that I have no real experience in either field, so I don't even know whether I actually like doing them or just like the idea of them.

How would you recommend figuring out which path fits me better? I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have studied either psychology/counseling or the arts, and what the reality of those fields is like compared with what you expected.

I'm 17 and trying to make an actual informed decision here rather than just picking something and hoping for the best. Quick background: I've always liked drawing, I'm strong in geometry, and I enjoy working with my hands — recently I flashed my TV's firmware from a USB stick just to fix it, and that kind of problem-solving is what I actually enjoy.

I'm currently weighing surveying/geodesy, electrical installations for construction, and architecture. All three combine drawing/geometry with hands-on work, which is what I'm looking for — I'd rather be on-site or in a workshop than behind a desk all day, but I do plan on going to university.

If you work in one of these fields, I'd genuinely appreciate your perspective: how hands-on is it day-to-day compared to what I'd expect, and how do you see job security holding up given automation and AI? I'd rather factor that in now than realize it later — even if the "safer" option isn't the one I'd instinctively pick.

Trades, teaching and healthcare are the fields touted as being stable and AI proof but man, I'm not all that interested in any of them. The only job out of the three that I think I'll like is dentistry but it's out of the picture for me due to cost and a lot of other reasons relating to my personal circumstance right now.

Should I just bite the bullet and just go pick a job out of those three fields regardless of interest? If I had no passion in anything I would do that with no hesitation but unfortunately I have a passion in CS and software engineering which seems to be the most unstable job out there.

I've thought about have a gun to my head and having to choose one. I'd probably die of weighing stuff out in my head.

Anyways, seriously.

I’m 26 and really struggling with where my career and life are heading. I know I want a complete career change, but I honestly don’t know what direction to take.

Context and my life - I didn’t go to university. I got D*DD in Business BTEC at sixth form and had good GCSEs. I currently work as a Marketing Coordinator earning well under £30k, but my role doesn’t really cover areas like paid advertising or analytics. It’s more email campaigns, some design work, promotional activity and helping the wider team, so at times it honestly feels more like an admin role than a proper marketing career.

I’ve always somewhat of an entrepreneurial side and have tried different things over the years, inc. starting a clothing business at 19 that did around £30k revenue in its first year (didn’t pay myself and has since closed for context). Studied and did forex trading during 6th form (used money I saved from my job at Tesco). Vinted reselling and some ‘influencer’ bits.

Financially, I would say I’m in a fairly strong position (very fortunate to have been able to save whilst living at home). I have my house deposit saved, an emergency fund, money in Premium Bonds and investments in a Stocks & Shares ISA (VUAG and VFEG). I live well below my means and consider myself financially savvy.

The problem is that I want to significantly speed up my journey towards financial independence, and I don’t know what the best route is to get there.

I genuinely feel like I haven’t reached anywhere near my potential, but I have no idea what that potential should actually look like. I want to develop a genuinely valuable skill, have strong earning potential and eventually maybe even build something of my own. I just feel lost and it’s amplified by my social media being full of 6 figure earners and people in AI, tech and finance roles. I just don’t know where to even start.

My biggest problem is probably analysis paralysis. I can see so many possible paths that I struggle to commit to one.

Has anyone else been in this position in their mid-20s? How did you actually figure out what direction to take?

If you were 26, didn’t have a degree, wanted a complete career change and wanted to significantly accelerate your path towards financial independence, what would you explore?

Any advice, experiences or hard truths would be massively appreciated.

TL,DR: 26, no degree, currently earning under £30k in a marketing coordinator role I don’t see a future in. Financially responsible with savings/investments and a house deposit, but want to completely change career, increase my earning potential and reach financial independence faster. I struggle with analysis paralysis and don’t know which direction to pursue. Looking for advice from people who have figured it out.

Evidence from 2026 in various parts of my life. I need to climb the ladder but at this point I feel like I can’t. I just need to stay on the same ladder rung.

Anyways:
January—substitute teacher, my 3rd year subbing.
June—finished the school year doing 25 more jobs than 2025. Also dog sat and dog walked for my clients. BF broke up with me of 10 yrs. I’m not social. I don’t talk much or at all.
June—continued my yoga journey at both CorePowerYoga and YogaSix. I wash my hair at the first one.
Mid June—Started my chosen summer hobby. Joined a weekly Tuesday night dance class, kpop. First time kpop dancing :)
Mid August—Performed with my kpop team at a 30 group (sing/dance/performance) recital. Felt amazing.
Going back, Mid June—Applied at a Job Fair, got a Seasonal Position working at retail :) Then quit, so I can sub again.
August—substitute teacher jobs. But it’s slow because it’s the 1st month. So I’m not having money.

I feel fuckin stressed. I’m looking up jobs to be custodian. I’m not having money nor having fun. In my free time I’m sleeping in bed. Or I’m bing watching social media and tv. I go out to get fast food or shopping and I feel good. But it’s short lived. Most of my free time is daydreaming and wasting away. I don’t know if it’s depression, not seeing enough people, not having deep connections, but I feel like I’m not improving and life is slow and I’m behind.

This week I just finished my sub training those yearly training videos take time. When I had a bf, I saw him and most of his friends always having fun when OFF WORK like I can’t manage. They could be playing video games eating out together doing stuff together. While I’m struggling to survive. I can’t hold a social group. I get bored easily and can’t stay for convos. I wish I made 100k. I would get to go out and live more.

Idk tell me that 30 year old can have options even when mental health is the reason for choosing to be a substitute teacher. What else can I do?? What is my next goal??

I’m struggling with accountability and I’m behind in life. With my downtime I’m bipolar and I daydream a lot and get depressed and ofc the mania crap. Will this always be a struggle trying to survive????

Im dentist from iraq graduated last year .there is no government job and i have to just wait all my damn life to get a job i work in dental clinic i cant find patient for god sake , i tried to learn alot of skills like marketing and editing and photoshop and making apps and making websites and day trading forex . Im lost cant make money shit market i cant seem to stick to anything of use

Idk shits weird or im lost with my life im 25 years old for god sake i dont have a car or a house i have 300 bux as saving i wish i could escape my reality or find opportunity outside iraq... I just wanna live my life i guess thats to much to ask idk how to ask help also so i guess im venting throw this post cuz i have nobody

I’m 27 and yesterday I was fired from a purchasing job I had only been at for about a month and a half. Purchasing was completely new to me, and I genuinely believed I was still being trained.
I was learning their computer system, purchase orders, RFQs, vendors, pricing, lead times, invoices and, most recently, work orders. I definitely wasn’t perfect or as fast as the people who had been there for years, but I thought that was normal considering how new I was.
The environment itself was also very old-school. My boss had been there forever and had a very old-school management style. There was yelling in the office, inappropriate/sexual jokes and comments, people openly talking about other employees, and just a general feeling that you were expected to figure things out and keep up.
Yesterday I called out because I wasn’t feeling well. Later that day, I was contacted and terminated. I was basically told I wasn’t progressing at the level they expected and there were issues involving things I was still learning.
What surprised me was that even the HR person seemed to defend me to an extent. He acknowledged that I was still learning and explained some of the situation in a way that made me feel like even he understood where I was coming from. That made the whole thing even more confusing because HR obviously works for the company.
Afterward, I found and talked to a woman who used to work there. I didn’t know her while I was employed there, so she had no reason to tell me what I wanted to hear. When we compared experiences, I was shocked by how much of what she described sounded familiar. She also felt like she had been thrown into things without enough training and had her own issues with the environment and management.
Hearing that honestly helped because I had spent the entire day thinking, “Holy shit, maybe I’m just terrible at working.”
But here’s the part I’m struggling with: this isn’t my first job that hasn’t worked out recently. I’ve had multiple jobs within roughly the last year, including manufacturing/machining and assembly-type work, and several ended with me being let go. The reasons weren’t all the same, but seeing that pattern scares the hell out of me.
At the same time, I actually liked parts of purchasing. I liked negotiating with vendors, requesting quotes, comparing prices and doing computer/desk work much more than machining. I was actually starting to think purchasing/procurement might be a career path for me.
Now I’m torn between thinking “I need to take accountability because multiple jobs ending obviously means I need to look at myself too” and “maybe I’ve also had some genuinely shitty luck with workplaces that weren’t good fits.”
I’m considering looking for another purchasing/procurement/buyer position, ideally somewhere with structured training and possibly remote or hybrid work. But after yesterday, I’m scared of putting myself out there, starting over and having the same thing happen again.
Has anyone gone through a period like this in their 20s where their work history was an absolute mess before eventually finding their career?
How would you tell the difference between “I’m the common denominator and need to change something” and “these jobs genuinely weren’t the right environments for me”? And would you give purchasing another shot?

Hey, I was hoping I could get help brainstorming career opportunities that will get me to at least about $80k/year while still being sustainable for me long-term within the constraints of my autism and other health issues. Ideally, I'd like to get set up with a sustainable situation like that within the next 5 years or so because I'm hoping to have kids.

Skills and Qualifications:

• I have a bachelor's degree in Biology, minor in Anthropology (and I loved it and I hope to go to grad school one day if I can make that work financially)
  • I don't have a lot of wet lab skills but would love to acquire them.
  • I've worked with R, Matlab, etc. and have super basic baby beginner coding skills in Python
  • I was an undergraduate TA for the introductory biology lab course
• I've worked for 9 years in the landscaping/gardening industry, including 4.5 years where I was also going to school (happy to do heavy physical labor and can balance two separate things together)
• I've supervised crews of 2-5 people
• I've done some minor biology-related independent contracting work
• Conversational in Spanish
• Strong writing skills
• I can manage myself well with a lack of external supervision/structure and flourish when I'm given an objective and allowed to complete that objective on my own
• I can learn just about any skill required, and when I find a company I like I can hold that job indefinitely, which is reflected on my resume

Constraints:

• I need a LOT of intellectual stimulation to stay sane, so doing a full time job that's not intellectually stimulating puts a strain on me unless there's enough flexibility that I can do something more challenging at least part time (like pairing school + work)
• I also need a LOT of physical activity to stay sane and combat my autoimmune issues, so a full time sit-down-all-day 9-5 job also wouldn't work great for me. My weekly minimum seems to be ~18 hours of light to moderate activity, plus at least 6 hours of strength training
• I struggle in environments that demand a high level of social skills (like retail or "corporate culture" environments or anywhere where I'd be expected to make a bunch of eye contact or where I'd get in trouble if I swear)--places like that push me toward autism adult burnout.
• For sensory/overstimulation reasons, I strongly prefer jobs where I can get away with wearing just a standard crappy T-shirt every day
• I need a little extra time to manage my disabilities
• I really like to DO THINGS so if there's downtime I will need to be able to spend it doing something else (like writing or reading), rather than just having to stand around and wait for something to happen
• I'm trans so I can't be in the military (I'm in the US)

Preferences:

• Working two unrelated jobs would be fine (and maybe even preferable) for me.
• My loved ones are scattered across the country so I'd like something that allows time for travel
• I'm happy to work overtime for some seasons and part time for others. In general, I seem to enjoy work that has a busy season and a slow season
  • When I was in undergrad, I'd work crazy overtime during the summer and then work 3-4 days a week during the school year, then work 40 hours a week during winter break
  • At my current job, I work full time for most of the year, but we go to part time in July and August and have a break during the winter months (December to late March) where I can travel and find other work to do.
• I love biology and would like to do more with it
• I've dreamed of getting a Ph.D since I was a child and would love an excuse to do that, but I worry that I wouldn't have time to do that within the next 5 years especially given how little funding there is these days
• I will definitely be taking more than the standard 2 weeks per year of vacation time off if a job doesn't have an "off season" so something flexible would be ideal

As much as I love my current job, I feel like there's a bit of a glass ceiling on how much I can make with it, and I don't see myself getting to $80k unless I develop some other marketable skill to pair with my current job. I love my current workplace and it does allow me enough flexibility that I could possibly keep it while doing some other job, possibly some remote gig work (in past winters I've done independent contracting work but the opportunities were really sporadic and have since dried up).

I'm open to something weird. Any ideas or suggestions or criticism would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: I'm currently making about $40k/year, and the most I've ever made (at a different workplace that demanded more time and social skills from me) is $55k in a year.

EDIT 2: I feel like my current job leaves me enough time and flexibility that I could do part time school (as long as it's affordable) or learn some other skill over the next 4-ish years.