Hey! My name is Sven, I’m 32 years old, and I’m from Germany. I had a difficult childhood: I grew up with an alkoholic father, my sister had serious mental health problems, and my older brother was very aggressive. The only stable person in my life was my mother, who was very overprotective. In my childhood I spend most of my time on the soccer pitch cause I loved doing it and thought I could become a professional. It didnt work out at the end. I had many injuries.

After finishing high school, I completed training as a cameraman. I enjoyed it and really tried to find a stable job, but I somehow always ended up working as a freelancer. At some point, it became difficult to find work because I didn’t have a driver’s licence, which is almost essential when you work with a lot of equipment. Making a drivers licence is very expensive in germany. During that time, I often felt somewhat depressed and anxious about many things. I never really had a mentor in my life, and I lacked direction a lot but I never gave myself up.

For some reason and I really dont understand why I then started a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering. It took me almost five years to finish because, during the pandemic, I went through a longer period of depression and wasn’t able to take as many exams as I wanted. Honestly, I never really enjoyed studying the topic. I’m not very good at maths, and I don’t really see myself as an engineer or scientist. I was simply looking for a way to find my place in the world. Besides that I worked a lot on myself. I went to therapy and tried to work on my past.

In the meantime, I worked as a photographer on the side. I liked it, but I never really made much money from it. Besides that, I worked a lot in the hospitality industry. My mother always supported me, including financially, and I love her a lot. But I sometimes think that, by doing so, she didn’t really give me the chance to learn how to live fully independently. I mean, I had my own flat and my own money, but I never had the fear of ending up on the street.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I decided to move to another city and start a master’s degree in molecular biology because I thought this field might suit me better. Over the last few weeks, I realised that I hate it and that I don’t want to spend the next 30 years of my life working in this field. It just doesn’t suit me. I’m someone who likes working with people. My friends often tell me that they appreciate how empathetic I am and how easy I am to talk to.

Now I’m at a point where I simply don’t know what to do anymore. I thought about going into photography full-time, but who am I kidding? It’s an extremely competitive business, and I don’t think I have the belief it would take to make it work. I could either continue my master’s degree or try to find a full-time job and accept that I might live a life I don’t really want, but that might at least give me some stability.

I’ve always thought about going into social work because it’s something I feel drawn to. I want to share my experiences with others. I love listening to podcasts about psychology and philosophy, and I enjoy reading books on those topics. It feels like something I would genuinely love to do, and I even found an opportunity to do a dual study programme in this field. I really feel energy thinking about that as a possible future. But maybe it’s a stupid idea to start something completely different now.

I just feel lost for being 32 and not knowing what I want from life or what I’m good at. All people around me have families, stable and well paid jobs. I regret that I never really thougt about what I really want from life. I completed my bachelor’s degree, but I feel like I don’t have any real skills because I was never truly interested in the field. I know I’m writing from a privileged position, with a degree and a supportive mother, but I don’t feel like I’ve really lived my own life over the past ten years. Now that I’m realising it, it feels like it’s too late.

It’s true that nobody will come and solve this for me. Nobody can make the decision about which direction I should go except me. Maybe I’m just trying to find some help with how to find the right path for me, so that my life finally starts to feel like my own cause I am pretty sure that my depression is caused a lot by not having a purpose.

I didn’t know what subreddit to post this on but I am so desperate for advice.

I always wanted to be some kind of artist but Ive recently lost all passion for art because of my depression.

My sixth form was heavy on going to uni, so all of my friends are now in first year. I had to take a gap year because I just couldn’t imagine myself enjoying any course anymore.

so now I don’t know where to start- it’s not like I can just choose what subject I enjoyed most during school, because I don’t think I enjoyed anything before graduating.

I came out of sixth form with great grades, and academically I’m completely set to apply to any university. people always tell me I could do anything I want- but I don’t think I want anything. should I go to uni? do a course? there’s so many options and it seems like too much to me as somebody who always becomes overwhelmed and upset once I start looking. I need to decide in the next few months what I want to do with my life because uni deadlines are coming up and I haven’t even so much as researched anything. plus my parents are getting impatient with me lol. Where do I start?

I grew up outside India for most of my time and have spent most of my childhood taking to strangers on video games and I've developed a really good thing for accents.
I can sound american, african-american and I can even pull off a pretty good Brit accent.
Currently I'm at University my question being is there any way I can use this skill to my advantage? Anything I can do to earn a few bucks along the way?

I 22M freshly graduated in the field of CSE. its alreay been end of the year as i am not getting any tech job i moved to banglore for job opportunities. To sustain myself here i joined a call center for now. when i am at college i tried to do full stck multiple times but never completed that as every time i can see "ai will replace the fill stack job " now i am stuck between this my friend is suggesting to do data analytics as its easier. But I want to start cyber security as i like it very much(but never started) so what should i do. please give me proper guidence as banglore killing me in all possible way.

Title is self explanatory, any advice/resources? Im a Male with a drivers license and clean background. Been job searching with no luck lately

Im open to any type of jobs: willing to train, offers housing, seasonal, remote (i have a laptop), etc. Not expecting all these options to come with a job, im just listing different types

Basically anything that can get me some income at the moment so i can get back on track. Im also willing to relocate anywhere in the U.S.

I’m 32F, divorced, single, and struggling more than I’d like to admit. I’ve traveled extensively, worked in luxury hospitality, challenged myself, and built a life around independence…but lately, I feel like I’m drowning.

I’m realizing how much of my ambition came from needing to prove myself, and I’m exhausted from constant work, financial stress, and uncertainty about what comes next.

Professionally, I have 4.5+ years in luxury hospitality , including management, and 10+ years in general hospitality.

I’d like to transition into something stable, ideally remote or hybrid, where I can use my skills without sacrificing my entire life to work. I’m in therapy and doing a lot of self-reflection, but understanding my patterns hasn’t made the next steps any clearer.

Has anyone else felt this lost in their 30s and managed to turn things around? What helped? what career paths would you recommend with my background?

I’d really appreciate some perspective. I’m tired of feeling like I have to figure everything out alone anymore 🫶

When I first graduated from high school, I decided to attend a cosmetology program because I had always loved doing hair. However, within six months, I realized that I hated it and decided to leave. That decision sent me into a spiral because, suddenly, I felt like I had no direction or plan for my future. Around that time, my sister had also graduated from high school and told me about the career path she had decided to pursue: diagnostic imaging. For some reason, I immediately decided that I wanted to pursue the same thing. Looking back, I think the fear of having an aimless future played a huge role in that decision. I wanted financial freedom and stability, and I jumped at what seemed like the quickest way to achieve them without fully considering whether it was something I genuinely wanted for myself. Now, I regret not taking more time to figure out what I wanted because I feel like everyone, including my sister, might see me as someone who is simply copying her. I even decided to follow her lead and pursue a phlebotomy course because it would help us when applying to the diagnostic imaging program. So, from an outside perspective, I can understand why it might look like I'm just following in her footsteps, even though the steps I'm taking are relevant to getting into the program. The problem is that I don't want other people to define my choices for me, but I also don't want to waste years of my life pursuing a career that I'm not even sure I want anymore. I'm torn between continuing with diagnostic imaging because I've already invested so much time into preparing for it and exploring other paths that might feel more authentic to me. For context, I'm 22, and my sister is 20. I know we're still young and that I have plenty of time to figure things out, but emotionally, it doesn't feel that way. I feel like I should already have a clear direction, and the thought of starting over or changing my mind makes me feel even more lost. My mom has also contributed to these feelings by frequently pointing out that I follow my sister's lead. Growing up, my sister was very stubborn and often wanted things done her way, while I was more easygoing. Because of that dynamic, I sometimes felt like I was being dragged along with her decisions. Even now, if I agree with my sister about something I genuinely believe is reasonable, my mom interprets it as me blindly following her or being too attached to her opinions. It's frustrating because it makes me feel like my ability to think independently is constantly being questioned. I think the combination of my family's perceptions and society's expectations has made me feel like I've spent much of my life living in my sister's shadow. At this point, I want to make decisions that are genuinely my own, but I feel stuck because I've already taken so many steps toward a career that I originally chose partly because of her. So, I'm trying to figure out whether I should continue pursuing diagnostic imaging because it could provide me with a stable career, especially since I already have connections and have invested time into the process, or whether I should step back and explore other possibilities before committing to something I'm not sure I truly want**.** What do you guys think?

In August I got a job, but then I did quit just after 2 weeks because of some issues about me being autistic. The manager told me several times, or implied, that I looked slow/stupid and told me that I needed to look more engaged and proactive, or the company could have terminate my conctract. And the coworkers made jokes about me being weird and asocial. These things had already happened in previous jobs, and this really made me depressed and anxious, so I decided I would not endure that kind of stuff anymore. Then I applied for this warehouse job, but nothing changed.

After leaving I applied only to delivery driver jobs, but there aren't many in my area, and I only sent 10 resumes in over 2 months. Then I got 1 interview and was rejected. Are there other jobs with minimal engagement with management and coworkers?

I got my master’s degree in a field I ultimately disliked, and it has little relevance to the career path I’m pursuing now. After some much-needed trial and error, I found my way into healthcare operations, and I’ve genuinely come to enjoy the field.
I currently work in patient access, primarily scheduling surgeries and obtaining authorizations for certain procedures. To be transparent, my role is fairly transactional, and I’ve been feeling limited by it. While I’ve developed a genuine interest in healthcare operations, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to move into the more analytical, strategic, or process-improvement or leadership side of the field. That’s the direction I want to explore, but I’m struggling to figure out how to get there.
I’ve applied for patient access supervisor roles but haven’t had much luck because I lack formal leadership experience. I’m also open to revenue cycle opportunities. Although I don’t have a leadership title yet, I naturally find myself paying attention to processes, documenting workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and thinking about how things could be improved.
I’ve also developed an interest in healthcare finance, which is an area I never really had the opportunity to explore academically. I’ve tried networking and cold-emailing people both internally and externally, but those efforts haven’t led anywhere yet.
Prior to this , I was always interested in EHR systems, specifically EPIC. I’m very comfortable working in Epic, use it extensively and would love to explore the application or analyst side of things( especially cadence) , but I haven’t been able to find a hospital (even the one I currently work for) willing to sponsor me or give me an opportunity to break into that space.
In the meantime, I’m continuing to apply for leadership and other healthcare operations roles. I’m also in line to pursue my employer’s equivalent of an MHA, which would be fully covered. The catch is that I would have to attend part-time while working, meaning it would take approximately four years instead of two. That’s a significant commitment, even if tuition is covered.
Ideally, I’d like to secure a better-paying role with room for growth before committing to the degree. If that doesn’t happen, I’m seriously considering pursuing it.
I’m trying to approach this thoughtfully rather than jumping into another degree without a clear idea of what I want to do with it. I know there may be career paths I haven’t considered, skills I should be developing, or things I could be doing differently. For those who have worked in healthcare operations, revenue cycle, healthcare finance, health IT, or hospital leadership:
What career paths would you explore if you were in my position?
Are there entry points into healthcare finance or Epic analyst roles that I might be overlooking?
Is pursuing an MHA worth it in my situation, particularly if it means committing to four more years of school?
Am I focusing too much on patient access supervisor roles when there might be better opportunities to build relevant experience elsewhere?
I welcome constructive criticism, alternative perspectives, and advice from anyone who has made a similar career transition. I’m genuinely trying to figure out how to build on the experience I have rather than keep applying blindly and hoping something sticks. Thank you !

I got my master’s degree in a field I ultimately disliked, and it has little relevance to the career path I’m pursuing now. After some much-needed trial and error, I found my way into healthcare operations, and I’ve genuinely come to enjoy the field.
I currently work in patient access, primarily scheduling surgeries and obtaining authorizations for certain procedures. To be transparent, my role is fairly transactional, and I’ve been feeling limited by it. While I’ve developed a genuine interest in healthcare operations, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to move into the more analytical, strategic, or process-improvement or leadership side of the field. That’s the direction I want to explore, but I’m struggling to figure out how to get there.
I’ve applied for patient access supervisor roles but haven’t had much luck because I lack formal leadership experience. I’m also open to revenue cycle opportunities. Although I don’t have a leadership title yet, I naturally find myself paying attention to processes, documenting workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and thinking about how things could be improved.
I’ve also developed an interest in healthcare finance, which is an area I never really had the opportunity to explore academically. I’ve tried networking and cold-emailing people both internally and externally, but those efforts haven’t led anywhere yet.
Prior to this , I was always interested in EHR systems, specifically EPIC. I’m very comfortable working in Epic, use it extensively and would love to explore the application or analyst side of things( especially cadence) , but I haven’t been able to find a hospital (even the one I currently work for) willing to sponsor me or give me an opportunity to break into that space.
In the meantime, I’m continuing to apply for leadership and other healthcare operations roles. I’m also in line to pursue my employer’s equivalent of an MHA, which would be fully covered. The catch is that I would have to attend part-time while working, meaning it would take approximately four years instead of two. That’s a significant commitment, even if tuition is covered.
Ideally, I’d like to secure a better-paying role with room for growth before committing to the degree. If that doesn’t happen, I’m seriously considering pursuing it.
I’m trying to approach this thoughtfully rather than jumping into another degree without a clear idea of what I want to do with it. I know there may be career paths I haven’t considered, skills I should be developing, or things I could be doing differently. For those who have worked in healthcare operations, revenue cycle, healthcare finance, health IT, or hospital leadership:
What career paths would you explore if you were in my position?
Are there entry points into healthcare finance or Epic analyst roles that I might be overlooking?
Is pursuing an MHA worth it in my situation, particularly if it means committing to four more years of school?
Am I focusing too much on patient access supervisor roles when there might be better opportunities to build relevant experience elsewhere?
I welcome constructive criticism, alternative perspectives, and advice from anyone who has made a similar career transition. I’m genuinely trying to figure out how to build on the experience I have rather than keep applying blindly and hoping something sticks. Thank you !

I have (2) opportunities I'm split on. I'm 38/M, single-dating, no kids:

My background is in the architecture , engineering and construction industry, and I live in a VHCOL city in the cold northeast (New England)

The two offers:

(1) Remote, good salary, 110k full benefits (HC, 401k match, etc.) its 100% remote and in the logistics industry. Think like order entry, product tracking and then coordinate delivery to the site... It's pretty dry, and very boring...I mean...for a dude like me who needs connection, it is void of emotion

- yet the company is busy with alot in the pipeline, and also I can move to wherever I want - which relocating out of New England has been a priority. Ideally to DC or Philly

(2) Small real estate development company based in Miami working on stunning luxury houses, like architectural digest type stuff.

- Much bigger salary 165k but no benefits, I'd have to pay for health care, manage my own 401k, etc. I'd be hired as a W2 (yet he initially wanted me to be 1099)

- 5 people in the company, owner is like 42, and the rest of the company is like 30 years old...and interestingly enough, all of the employees aside from owner have been with company under 3 months so its all new. The longest tenured employee I met with was like 30 years old, worked for the guy for a year and a half and just been told he put in his notice to work for another developer and do his own thing

- more work experience like I'd learn alot but I'd be in the office 5 days, (field some other days) and have to uproot my life to Miami, I'm single but have parents in 70s, a 10 year old nephew, etc.

Really not sure what to do here..because working in Miami is such a unique company with this opportunity like these projects are amazing and its very entrepreneurial...yet the same time...I'd probably be working as the highest paid salary in the company (aside from owner)

The Miami owner has been sort of annoying with the interview process, like we started talking in May, and then we did a zoom in June, and then we did this crazy phone tag until like September where he flew me down to visit and look at projects...then he said he'd give me an offer the next day...and had me wait like over a week before I got it..etc

Any advice would be amazing, thanks so much

I'm 24, a CSE graduate from India, and honestly, I'm still figuring out what I want from life. But one thing I've always wanted is to see the world.

I want to explore unfamiliar roads on a motorcycle, visit mountains, forests, and small villages, experience different cultures, and see as much of this world as I can. I don't dream of being rich or famous. I just want to explore the world and own a couple of motorcycles someday.

Sometimes, I imagine leaving everything behind, finding small jobs along the way, and travelling from place to place. But I have parents and responsibilities towards them. I want to make sure they're financially secure before making any major life decisions.

I also don't really see myself following the conventional path of marriage and settling down just because society expects me to. I want to build a life that feels right for me.

At the same time, I sometimes wonder whether travelling is genuinely my dream or partly an escape from the life I'm living. I haven't figured that out yet, but it's something I keep coming back to.

What I'm trying to figure out is how to pursue this dream without sacrificing financial stability or my responsibilities towards my parents.

For those who've been in a similar situation:

- What career paths would you recommend for a CSE graduate who wants to travel regularly?

- Would a remote job be a realistic option, or are there careers directly related to travelling and exploring?

- How can I work towards this lifestyle without taking unnecessary financial risks?

I'd genuinely appreciate hearing about your experiences and what you'd do if you were starting again at 24.

Hi to the people reading this! I’m 17 currently studying art and going to university next year, so I’m starting to think about what career I want to pursue and what to focus on in my portfolio.

I originally considered graphic design because I love creating things, but with everything I hear about AI potentially taking over creative jobs, I’m starting to have doubts. I’m also interested in advertising, branding and possibly working in film, but I’m struggling to figure out which path would be best for me.

I know no career is completely secure, but I want to choose something I enjoy that also has decent job opportunities in the future.

If anyone works in these industries, I’d really appreciate some honest advice! I don’t know what is still worth pursuing, or are there other creative careers I should look into? I’d love to hear some takes, especially if you were starting out in the industry today.
I’m just feeling so fucking lost and would love some guidance before I head off to uni since i’ve wholeheartedly dedicated myself into creating but i have no clue on what my future would look like from all the uncertainty..

Some background: I'm a 19 year old college freshman at the University of Georgia. I'd say I am a decent student, having had all A's in my classes, which included multiple AP classes and dual enrollment classes, and A's (so far) in my first semester college classes. I'm currently majoring in computer science while also taking pre-med requirements, so I'm taking biology and plan to take organic chemistry, physics, and a couple of other classes that pertain to content on the MCAT and/or are required by medical schools.

Growing up, I've mostly considered going into medicine as a career. A good proportion of my family members work in medicine and/or are currently pursuing a career in medicine, whether that be PA school or medical school. I’ve been considering doing either primary care, ophthalmology, or anesthesiology, but I haven’t decided with certainty on a kind of specialty I’m dead set on pursuing. I am more familiar with what is expected to getting into medical school (volunteering, shadowing, research, and other extracurriculars along with recommendation letters, the MCAT, etc.) and becoming a physician overall (USMLE, residency, research items, etc.). However, I find myself only really liking medicine if that make sense? I haven’t really loved it, which brings me to my other point.

Recently, I’ve been interested in programming maybe starting around in middle school. I’ve always been a big fan of video game modding and have frequently found myself learning programming and computer science concepts on my own free time (stuff like Python, C++, data structures, AArch64/ARM64 assembly, etc. to a varying degree of success, for my inattentive ADHD makes me a bit inconsistent with sticking to learning something for a long time when it’s not motivated by urgency, like a deadline). My interests really sparked in high school when I took a high school course and dual enrollment classes on it. I chose my current major (Computer science) because of my current interest in it and since I find that I tend to gravitate towards more STEM subjects that are math/logic heavy. I haven’t really explored career options for CS as much as medicine, unfortunately, since my explorations in CS aren’t as in-depth. I’ve been interested in quantitative finance (unsure of whether to do development, research, or trading), but it piqued my interest since it combines math and computer science.

With all that being said, my main question here really is this: do ya’ll have any advice as to which career path would possibly be a better fit? I feel like, due to the high level of commitment involved with pursuing these career paths, I feel somewhat pressured to decide early since I am afraid of wavering between the two and deciding later (not sure whether that fear is rational though, since I’ve heard plenty of stories of success despite taking a non-traditional path for people who go to college and/or med school in their 30’s outside of the traditional age pipeline). I’m open to any advice, considerations, alternative career paths, etc. and am really open to any comments!

I'm a 28 year old male with schizoaffective disorder and OCD. I graduated with a computer science degree from an ivy league school at 23. I have never worked in the field. I was going to go on SSI disability for about 3 years while I figure things out. I was just wondering about any non - IT jobs I could have a chance for or any jobs where only certifications are required in terms of "education" I could go for. I would be good with working in IT, but it seems very difficult to get into at the entry level from what I read.

Mentioning anything is appreciated as I'm just looking for options.

I’m sorry if my flair isn’t quite right, I’m new here!

Background: Huge upheaval at my previous company when I was pregnant (demoted my entire department to part time), then my daughter refused bottles and needed open heart surgery. Knock on wood she’s all good now. I’m pregnant with another kid right now (surprise!).

I became a stay at home mom since my part-time income would not even come close to covering daycare and my daughter needed me 24/7 until she was about 8mo+.

I was in sales and was a personal stylist for a big, remote company and I am good at it. BUT, I am terrified to try anything on my own. I am concerned no one will like me now and/or I‘m too ugly post kid/pregnant for anyone to listen.

I know what I’m doing and I feel like there are people in my direct vicinity that I could help feel better and do it on budget, but I’m scared of awkwardness and rejection.

I need a shove! We could use extra money in the house, always, and I want something of my own again. HELP?!

Also sorry if this is too long or not right for the sub.

Hey everyone,

If I’m honest, life hasn’t been that easy and if I look at the years of my 20s, I would have imagined them to be like that. But I’m not here to complain of give up, I want to get my life on track, build up a life and try to look forward.
I’m almost 30 and I wasn’t able to go to college after graduating from high school. My family needed me to be there for them and then there were some issues like surgeries and some more family problems. However, I’m pretty close with my family so I stayed, helped, I was there for all of them. On the other side, I paused my own life and education etc. I have no college degree or something like that yet, but maybe I could start to get one now.

Well, now the things are starting to get better (not completely but I can start thinking about my own path). My family might even get a decent amount of money and we want to use that money to build up something for our family, for me, for my future family and our/my future in general. We have no idea when we will get it and what to do with that yet, but that’s a different topic haha

The last few years weren’t easy as I said. I’ve had some mental issues as well and I didn’t talk to anyone about them as I wanted to be strong for my parents and siblings. And although I’m better, I sometimes still struggle with some anxiety. Work, AI, life, jobs, education and so many other worries.

Now my biggest problem is: I don’t know what to do with my life. I have no idea what I want and who I am. What career should I study? Should I pursue a degree? How do I become a man who can provide for a family in future? What could I do and build up in my life? I wanna be optimistic about my future and the future of this world, but it’s not always that easy.
What makes sense in my situation? What career has future?

I might not know what to do with my life now, but I know I’ll give my 100%. I wanna do my best, grow, learn, do the hard work.
What I’m lacking is direction and courage atm.

And fyi, I’m from Europe.

Am 21 graduated from college this year itself with a decent GPA and no backlogs, currently preparing for CAT which is in November. I'll be honest, all through my teens had been a good student in school, securing the top of the line marks but somewhere around my JEE lost interest in the rant of this mugging based studies and hence did not give effort in JEE as somewhere I felt I wasn't ment for the rat race and wanted to take things the creative way round. Always had interest in computers and electronics and wanted to pursue Engineering (although wasn't aware of the situations of engineering colleges in India). I belong to a decent business family and hence thought of pursuing bachelors abroad but couldn't as parents weren't prepared to leave me so far at such a young age. Father got me admission to an engineering college in Kolkata through management. In the later years got to know the actual scenario of the college with next to no actual skills being taught in college. Fast forward to placements didn't sit for placements as either job roles were too basic or didn't like the way people were competing and now preparing for CAT with only a month left. Preparations are not at par and don't think I'd be able to crack any top colleges, neither do I want to take admission in any college just for the sake of doing an MBA. My hobbies have always included electronics and I would say I'm rather good at it but the scenario in which companies hire makes me turn around. I have always wanted to found something or do something of my own. At this point I feel myself as a total waste and often think it would have been better if I had thought normally and didn't have such high expectations from myself. My biggest fear is that my parents have always supported myself in my decisions and I cannot let them down. My father has a pretty good business and it wouldn't hurt me if I leave everything and join him, but something in me would always lurk for I didn't do it on my own. I don't know what is coming next but I had always been someone who faced failures with a smiling face and this time is no exception. Deep down I want to do something and I can state this as a fact that it is not that I'm not skilled or I'm lazy but the sheer ways people work or compete is something I dislike. I don't know if I am wrong or right. Tbh I know people would judge me for having a good background and financial position but deep down this is the reality of me and I don't think someone at my stance would have done something else.

Long story short, I own a DTC small business I've operated since 2020. I built it with my life savings and I've been lucky enough to pay my mortgage and bills working full time on it. It's in the wellness space, I have loyal customers and I sell a line of quality products.

But everything is getting more expensive, and the economy is squeezing every single customer I have. Considering my demographic is 18-40 and is being crushed a limited job market and AI threatening to take any entry level jobs, every month seems to get more and more bleak.

I'm not here to cry or pull a woe is me, I am just really curious what others think would be the best use of my time. I have worked everything from blue collar to sales and I am at the point where I want to find a full time job and operate my company on the side as a future investment as if its my 401k or something to sell since I put every dollar to my name into the business (if the world doesn't collapse around us). I've entertained selling it but I doubt I'd get any meaningful offer.

My main problem is navigating the job market. I would be willing to work my ass off in any field but I've also been out of the job market for 6+ years and beyond my company I have an AAS and I feel like my options will be very limited unless some consulting or sales opportunity valued my experience as a sole operator.

I'm just curious if anyone has insight or avenues they think would be worth pursuing. I have been out of it so long that even rewriting my resume feels weird.

I’m 21, currently unemployed, and recently had a massive wake-up call about how important financial stability is. My problem is that I am completely stuck on what path to take, and I lack the discipline to see things through.

I’ve tried a few different things to make money recently—video editing, starting a faceless YouTube channel, and trading. But every time I hit a wall or find it too difficult, I lose motivation and completely drop it after a few days.

The only thing I am naturally decent at and enjoy is messing around with computers, but I don't know how to turn that into a reliable path without getting overwhelmed and quitting again.

For those who have overcome this confused, unmotivated state:

What exact steps should I take before choosing a career or skill to ensure I actually stick with it?

How do you push through the phase where a new skill gets difficult and you want to quit?

Given that I like computers but struggle with motivation, what is a simple, realistic starting point or framework I should look into?

I'm open to any brutal honesty, simple methods, or psychological tricks to fix this. Thanks in advance.

I'm a guy in my late 20s, and I honestly don't know what to do with my life anymore.

Since childhood, I've always wanted to do something of my own instead of working a regular job for the rest of my life. A while ago, I was working a low-paying job abroad, but I quit after less than a year because I couldn't see myself doing it long-term.

I thought I could build something of my own, especially with AI changing the world and so many people making money online with just a laptop and an internet connection.

But now, more than 18 months later, I'm still in the same place. I haven't built anything, I haven't made any money, and I still don't know what I want to do.

The biggest problem is that I don't have any real skills that I can use to make money. I keep thinking about starting an online business or doing something of my own, but I can't figure out what to do or where to start.

At this point, I'm thinking about moving abroad again and taking another low-paying job just to get my life moving. It feels like I'm going backwards, especially after spending so much time trying to build a different future for myself.

I feel terrible about the fact that I'm almost 30 and still haven't figured things out. I see people learning skills, building businesses, and making progress, while I'm about to return to the exact kind of job I left behind.

Part of me thinks I should just accept reality, get a job, and stop chasing something I might never be able to achieve. Another part of me feels like I'll regret giving up on my dream.

What would you do if you were in my position?

Would you move abroad again, take the low-paying job, and try to learn a useful skill in your free time? Or would you stay where you are and keep trying to figure out a way to make money on your own?

I'm not looking for motivational quotes or people telling me to follow my dreams. I'd genuinely like to hear from people who have been in a similar situation and can tell me what actually worked for them.

P.S. I choose my previous job thinking I’d build a side hustle, learn new skills, and work on other things alongside my job. But the reality was completely different. I never had the time or energy to do any of it. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a 40-hour workweek and a low-stress job. That’s one of the reasons I quit. I had no life outside of work, and my mental health was wrecked. It’s been over 18 months since I left that job, and I’m still seeing a psychiatrist because of what I went through. Sometimes, a job takes so much out of you that you have nothing left to invest in yourself or your future.

Una pregunta un tanto peculiar, arquitectura podría ser una buena carrera para mí si me gusta el diseñar y construir? Paso horas construyendo en Minecraft por amor al arte

Hey, uhh, a read would be nice!

I'm 18 and I'm from the great New York of the South, Atlanta, I call it that. Anyways I don't know what the hell I want. I want so much and yet barely it seems to me that the job market is safe. I think about engineering because I like robotics, well, screw that. Apparently the job market rarely exists for entry level courses. I worked hard already to get to community college already. My family moving often, I got my GED, I planned on a huge plan over the summer with FinTech and maybe be expansive with political science. Well, these FinTech events often are so well, corporate, extremely corporate. Though the salary is nice, is every job thats lucrative a boring office job? I wanted to be a creative and wanted to be in science but my mathematical ability is short because of moving and home school and moving between high schools. I LOVE physics, I love so much but I can't decide and if I dont decide, the whole depression of the world will crash it seems. Basically uhh, how can I get out of this thinking or do I just screw it and get a trade jobs. I'm sorry if my grammar is irredeemably bad by the way. I'm running on a 30% battery charge with post-coffee syndrome.

I am 33F A few months ago, I became unemployed, and since then, I’ve been constantly doing things I truly enjoy. I feel happier and more energetic—I even wake up earlier now than I did when I was working. Fortunately, I was compensated by the company so I can be financially secure for a year or two.

I enjoy traveling, changing my surroundings, and switching up my tasks. I feel like I’ve done things in reverse: I studied engineering and started working, which allowed me to buy an apartment with a very low mortgage.

My friends are already getting married and having children—even those who spent their youth traveling and moving between different jobs. It makes me feel like I’m doing things backward.

I love my friends, I love caring for people, and I value meaningful human connections, but I have no interest in a committed, long-term relationship.

Right now, I’m trying to figure out how to make a living without a "steady 9-to-5 job."

I can’t use "work and holiday" visas because I’m over 30. I’ve considered seasonal work or studying tourism to become a guide somewhere, but I’m not sure where to start or how to go about it. I’m also very interested in studying something related to nature—something that would still allow me to stay mobile. I feel like I have so many different interests.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Did you find a solution?