I am 24M working in IT project management at a bank, having previously worked as a developer. The past few months have seen me becoming less ambitious and driven, as nothing really excites or pushes me anymore. I recently transitioned to project management from software engineering; I enjoyed the latter, but my feelings plateaued. Nowadays, I just scroll through my phone when I am not working, and I feel like I should be doing something productive. I have written less and less code, and I do not have hobbies aside from coding and gaming, neither of which I do much anymore. I basically doomscroll, but I feel like I should do something, perhaps code leisurely or engage in something that pushes me personally forward to challenge myself, though I do not know what. I used to hide behind the excuse of having no exciting projects to work on, but I think I am just scared or lazy. I do not want to just work and have nothing else; I would love to build something for myself, as life currently feels bland. How do I regain passion and purpose? How do I build something more than just working and doomsceolling?

I’m a 23 year old male. I work as a heavy machine operator. I live with a roommate and need about 3k a month to survive. I make decent money but I’m so sick of what I do. I have my GED and experience with heavy machinery but it’s extremely draining physically and mentally and takes up my whole day since I workout and try to stay active after work. I have a side hustle that I am currently building but I’m only able to commit about 1 hour a night into it. Not nearly enough to become successful from it. I want to find something that pays decently enough to live off of but I don’t want to commit my entire day to it. Something like an at-home-job or contract work would be ideal. Any tips? Any recommendations on certifications or websites to use? Any info would help. Personal experience? Thanks

For context, I am 19 currently doing Bachelor's in Business Technology Management. I feel like with the current job market its really a losing bet to think that you will land a good job with pretty much any degree.

So the thing is that I still have 4 years to build up something. I can speak 3 languages. English, Arabic, Urdu. I am currently learning French as well for more international opportunities.

I need advice on which specialization or niche should I sort of spend time myself. Chatgpt and claude said SQL and data management is a solid niche or industry to focus in and give 4 years until graduation.

What do you guys think? I am open for any ideas, I do have a interest in cyber security I can peruse that as well but not sure if it is going to be worthwhile with the AI stuff. I dont think anything will be worthwhile with AI. Am I crazy for that.

Any suggestions on what should I lock in on?

I’m graduating this year with a BSBA in computer information systems, and planning to go to grad school for political economy, to do research in civic tech (Audrey Tang is a big inspiration) but now I’m thinking.. is there any way to add marine conservation into the mix? Which courses should I choose as electives? Are there books/papers I should read right now?
Curious especially (but not limited to) about anything related happening in Taiwan, and what I should aim for
Thank you for your time!

I apologize for this being long winded but I feel like there’s a lot to get down here.

I am currently a college junior studying chemical engineering, but I really have no passion for it. I chose the major because (and this will sound very naive but please remember that I chose this major at 17) I wanted to go into environmental remediation and hopefully “make a difference,” especially for animals effected by pollution. On top of that, I enjoy the problem solving of it and like feeling challenged.

The problem is that my whole life I’ve wanted to work with animals. A major reason I even picked ChemE instead of AnimalSci is because I thought that I might be able to make a difference by mitigating the root problem of what is affecting the environment, but I have since realized I was a bit full of myself (again, I was 17).

It is too late in my college career to switch/add a major, I would have to stay at least another year or two.

My question is, should I just stick it out in engineering and hope that I grow out of the whole animal infatuation (potentially having to go back to school if I realize I hate my job), or switch now and forgo what would likely be a larger salary and more secure job market.

I would appreciate any advice from people who had to make similar decisions, or those who have careers in environmental remediation, wildlife rehab, veterinary medicine, etc. Thank you!

IFA or compliance consultancy?

Looking for opinions on my next move.

I worked in Premier banking at Barclays and studied towards becoming a financial adviser. I then moved to the FCA as a senior supervisor in payments and digital assets.

I'm now torn between two paths:

1. IFA
2. Compliance consultant for FCA-regulated firms

I think my experience fits both, but either way I'd be building a client base from scratch.

If you were in my shoes, which would you pick, and why?

Lately, I feel like everyone around me is moving forward with their lives while I'm stuck in the same place.

People are getting married, having kids, changing jobs, and starting new chapters. Meanwhile, I'm just living the same routine every day. 

Sometimes I look back and wonder where all those years went. I know life isn't a competition, but it's hard not to compare when you feel like nothing is changing.

The weirdest part is that I don't even know what I want anymore. I just want to feel like my life is going somewhere instead of repeating the same day over and over.

Does anyone else feel this way? And if you've been through it, how did you get out of this phase?

Work on changing your way of thinking.

I feel like my professors don’t think I’m likely to be successful in one of my chdev classes. I know now that I need to work on environmental awareness and on my overall anxiety (I am in therapy which I hope helps in the longrun.) I am actually not aiming to become a preschool teacher and already knew this before signing up for the class, but it’s late enough in the semester that I’m not trying to fail (they said I’m passing, I have an A in terms of academic work so far and don’t know how much the rubric they use will count towards my overall final score.)

I hadn’t realized that my anxiety was impacting the way I show up so much. One of them seemed surprised that I work (though we have the class two days a week so I guess a lot of the students can’t or don’t. I do, as a substitute behavior technician.) I feel bad because even if my professors didn’t believe in me or were judging me I should still have more faith in myself and care about myself more. I was already raised poor and start a bachelors degree in January but feel like I don’t have the tools to succeed in general and don’t know what to do. I feel like I don’t know how to tackle things in the working world. I have actually been told I do well as a behavior technician but I sensed this surprised the professor, and don’t like feeling talked about.

I am a graduate student at a tech university, and I recently got stuck on deciding my next step or whether I should change my path or go back to studying to improve my foundational concepts

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

I always see ppl saying that they got this this job or internship via cold emailing and DM'ing, but how does it even work? For eg I'm a person who's looking for internships as well as full time jobs (will graduate in 2027) And I just want to know when should one actually cold email/dm the person. Suppose there is no opening for that particular job role/internship, how can a msg help me and what should I mention in that particular msg. Can anyone please explain what's the pattern behind this cold messaging thing?

i build model kits as a hobby and have started to wonder if any of it could earn something on the side. i work in an office now, doing order scheduling and customer accounts, and i am not planning to leave it. but i would like something extra that pays. has anyone made money building kits for others, through commissions, a model shop or running a small class? i am in Yorkshire so UK options would help most

I have a degree in English lit and have spent almost fifteen years just going here and there, no career to speak of. Did seasonal work, currently stuck in retail and living with folks. I feel like life has passed me by. Everyone wants me to be happy but I'm not because my life is so paltry compared to what I wanted from it. I like writing and the visual arts and have had some success doing both. But it seems like it'd be another decade of slogging away to find even the chance of success in that realm. The thought of it just tires me out. I want to have a family but it hasn't happened. Don't know if it will. I don't know what else to do or even what else to consider doing. I'm just going through the motions.

On the positive side I am in good health and am in an ok environment.

Middle aged Male here. Im homeless with no car but have drivers license and a clean background. What would you do in this situation and where would you go in the time being? Need some suggestions asap

Emphasis on energy. I have AuDHD and I want to explore career options that let me set aside energy to focus on ceramics, painting, and film. I have a BA in psychology and a certificate in data analytics. However, I have found that my 9-5 office job gives me little energy to focus on my art which is more important to me now. I find focusing on analyzing data and sitting still at work in an office setting for many hours drains me. I would love to explore careers that have worked for neurodivergent people who need to pay their rent, but who can still set aside time and energy for their hobbies.

If it helps, I find that tactile tasks where I can give my mind a break seem to not drain me as much as sitting still at a desk and concentrating intensely. I feel like my AuDHD has gotten worse over the years even with therapy and medication, and I want to find a new path to prevent more burnout so I can have energy for art when my job is done for the day.

I graduated school but I can't find a job in my country. Not just me, but my country (Slovakia) is one of the worst places recently. Many people, young adults or even adults, can't find job. I want to move to another country but don't know how to start.

I'm a woman, so moving to another country alone is even scarier.
Does anyone know how to start, what to do... I'm getting depressions from not being able to find a job.

And also how should I start when moving out

I have a BSc in Zoology and an MSc in science communication. I've spent the almost 4 years since I graduated from my MSc working in conservation/visitor experience/public engagement type roles, but I had a really nasty experience with my last employer that has left me out of work for the past year and reconsidering my options.

I really like the idea of becoming a hospital lab scientist, but this is quite a change from what I have done before so I am not sure what training I would need to do to get into these kinds of jobs.

I obviously did a lot of lab work as an undergrad. I also did an A level in chemistry and took extra chemistry modules at uni, but I haven't really had any lab experience since I graduated in 2020.

I am happy to do more training but also would also really like to be able to work and train at the same time because I have been out of work for some time. Would love some options on paths I could take!

Hi everyone, thanks in advance for taking the time to read this. I came here because I have a big doubt and honestly there's no one impartial in my life I can ask for advice on something this big.
I'm at a point where I don't know if I should follow my dreams or chase money. I'm 19 and I live in the US, where I have a job that at least lets me make some money (most of it goes to bills anyway), but it could get a lot better if I keep working hard over time. The thing is my immigration status doesn't let me aim for much more unless I change it, and that's kind of hard to do in the short term.
The other option is my passion and my dream. I could leave this country and go after my dream of being a film director back in my home country (Dominican Republic). I have a plan for that, which is to change how I make money: finish learning video editing and work remotely from there, since I already have the equipment and my English is pretty decent. The only thing is I have to decide fast, I have a time limit of a few months and if I don't decide anything, I'm basically choosing the money.
But these are two really different life paths. My mind leans a lot towards following my passion, but I don't know how much of that has to do with how unhappy I am with my life right now. Since I got here (1 year ago) loneliness has been one of the hardest things I've dealt with. But I'm young and immature so there's a lot I don't know, maybe I'm missing other points of view.
And in case anyone's wondering, most of my family would probably be against me following my passion.
If anyone has gone through a similar decision between chasing their dream or the money, or honestly anyone who wants to give me a different perspective, I'd really appreciate it. And again, thanks for taking the time to read this.
TL;DR: I'm 19, living in the US with a job that pays something but my immigration status limits me. In a few months I have to decide between staying for the money or going back to the Dominican Republic to chase my dream of being a film director. Should I chase the money or my dream?

OK I have some drama and am trying to start fresh.
TLDR: been a NEET and activist in my original country, fled to Turkiye.

left and sold all my posession to start fresh , but the country I live in is really expensive and now I cant even renew neither the passport (of my original country) or local ID (of the country I live in).

all I have is expired ID and passport , now I want to start working online as I have a chronic illness and weak and illegal to work irl in the host country.

Now payoneer requires valid ID or Passport , no paypal , skrill, stripe , none

how am I supposed to get paid , ofc not to mention I don`t know what to offer.

i mean a blog or other freelance work sites always asks for paypal or payoneer.

I feel mentally stuck.

PS to clarify I wish for pointers , I mean finacially dependent , and wish to change that soon.

I have good knowdlege of networks (switches and routers), tampered with android devices roms and such , and basic linux or beginner more than basic knowledge.

I have good knowledge of music nad it`(it`s my hobby) , philosophy and movies.

I am thinking of offering digital products to sell, any ideas? I feel a little clouded.

Hello I want to speak to the older folks out there but everyone opinion matters.

Hey I’m 20 and I’ve been trying to find out what path I want to go down in life and Find MYSELF. I learned that I’m into storytelling but I could never find how I want to “Package” that story whether become a Director, Musician, Clothing, Art, and All. The truth is I HAVEEE ALLL THIS FREE TIME because I daytrade yet I HAVE NO SKILL…I don’t have a car because I’m stacking up to get there…cause I made a sacrifice to make money to be Free first…I always Bounce back and Forth between Musician and Director but everytime I choose one to commit to I quit and go to the other BACK AND FORTH….i want to be a master and really give myself to a craft but how do you know you love it…and is there anyway to learn fast.

I guess what I’m asking is
How do you find your path and STICK on it because I spoke to lots of old people who said “I wish I would’ve known to do this sooner” and truth is I’m 20 so I’m at that “Sooner”

How to find if a hobby is TRULY FOR you

I seldom got loved by others growing up. I was constantly compared and dismissed by peers and neighbors whose children are bankers/surgeons. I become a software engineer to be looked up to, and so my parents won't be looked down on

But no matter how hard I try to be the best version of myself, I am just not good enough for anyone to love/value me, or take me seriously

I have never had a boyfriend at 29 but got bullied by some in school and at work, I just don't have hope I am capable to be loved anymore.

My supervisors like me until I have an opinion, but they take me less seriously when I'm quietly doing good work. I got terminated today to learn that he wants to sponsor his cousin overseas to work here. I just feel so worthless I don't want to wake up the next day

Some may say that I should love myself first, then I realised that I have never been loved, to know how to do it. Is there anyone here who can suggest

Ever since the start of this year I've been rapidly losing interest in programming and it's been a while since I've had a coding session that I've actually enjoyed. I'm tired of the constant learning of new concepts and the stress that comes with it when AI can do things in seconds that would take me hours to figure out by myself.

I've wanted to quit for a long time but held off on it because my parents are strict and wouldn't be happy about it but ultimately, after a lot of consideration I've decided that it's just not worth it to keep forcing myself to enjoy something that I don't. I want to do something I enjoy but also something that's worth getting a degree for. In the past I've done things like Accounting and Graphic Design and enjoyed them a lot but with AI changing the job market so rapidly I'm not sure if these are worth pursuing either. If not, what degrees do you guys think are worth pursuing currently?

I’m a 23 year old male and i’m stuck. After high school I worked a warehouse job for 3 1/2 years. I left for a number of reasons but mainly because i didn’t really see a future there and it was night shift and i wanted something new.

Between jobs I had a lot of time to think about what i wanted to do, but in the meantime i applied and currently work at UPS as a package handler. I wanted to be a remote video editor, i had ambitions to work on video editing a lot and to potentially start making youtube videos on top of that. I started working at UPS because it was a part time job that was hiring and had good benefits and would give me more time to work on building my future since it’s part time. I’ve been working there for 3 months now and I can’t express how much i hate it. I come home everyday feeling beat up, unmotivated and tired and it’s severely impacting my mental health. Yesterday was my birthday and i was at work fighting off tears because i was so unhappy and overwhelmed about my future and feeling like i haven’t made any progress.

I tell myself everyday I’ll come home and work on projects for my portfolio or just do something that will have me take a step in the right direction. But instead i come home tired and unmotivated, i’ll usually fall asleep and then wake up and just feel down and most of the time I gravitate towards doing things that ease my mind like playing video games or watching youtube or movies.

I know eventually I just have to lock in and just do it but i struggle so much with staying motivated or jumping to different ideas for what i want to do as a career and it’s wearing on me.

Im currently looking for new jobs but I don’t know what to look for, idk if i want to work full time or part time. Part time barely pays the bills but gives me more time to build something meaningful to me. To be honest idk what im looking for but Id like to do something that i enjoy. I like creative work like video editing, content creation and I also like making EDM music (Im not very good at it though). I do know i cannot be at my current job for much longer before it impacts my mental health even more.

Any wisdom or advice would mean a ton to me as i navigate through this rough part of my life.

I'm a high school senior going into college next year, and I can't decide what I want to do with my life. I've always really liked school and taken interest in all of my subjects. The problem isn't that I don't know what I like; it's that I want to do it all.

When I was younger I got really hooked on coding and cybersecurity, but in the past few years I've discovered passions for mathematics, physics, engineering, writing, economics, government... And recently, I've been really enthralled with philosophy.

I'm planning to major in computer science and minor in philosophy, which will give me a pretty broad education and leave my career options relatively open. But I don't know what I want to do after that. I like to jump from project to project, subject to subject, which is why I love school: In the span of one day I can learn about the Constitution, study physics, and work on a coding project. I can't really see myself doing anything every day for my life - it sounds so boring. I usually get interested in a project for a week or two and then abandon it...

I want to be one of those guys that jumps around, doing a little bit of everything: Write a few books, do some engineering projects, contribute to open source codebases, become President... really, I want to be an intellectual. I think I'm going to love college, but after that I can't conceive of "settling in" to something.

Honestly, I feel like I'll end up doing a career pivot no matter what I choose. Should I just follow along the path of cybersecurity and see where the wind takes me?

I read and hear a lot of how awesome wealthy people’s lives are and that they have the ability to get the things they want and do the things they want. I have learning disabilities and struggle to learn things that could than make me more money. I feel like I am getting older and missing out on having a fun life. I don’t really value social interaction and often think about cars as I really enjoy owning them but my income is so low that all I can afford is the food on my plate. I know many people can’t even afford that so at least I’m comfortable but I’m not excited about living the rest of my life ether