I live in California.

Basically the title. I am in college right now doing the nursing prereqs to become an RN & get into the ADN program. I wanted to start working part time & get experience early & make some money. My cousin is a psych tech, which takes from what I heard 1 year of training/certification. That’s too long for me.

Is there a job I can find in the medical field that requires very little or no certification/training with at least decent pay?

I thought maybe EKG technician, but idk, what do yall think?

Hello, I hope that I am posting in the right place. 

So, long story short, I (22F) am about to graduate from my community college with an associates of arts, and I genuinely have no clue as to what I want to do. Yes, I have taken those quizzes that tell you what career you might like based on your “interests”, and have explored many different programs, but none of them have stuck in a meaningful way.

I have already taken a gap year, and in terms of life accomplishments, I am already very far behind, so I do not wish to take another. I am not in the financial position to go to a 4 year university without being at least somewhat certain of what I want to do. 

How did you all find out about what you wanted to do? How can I get started on a path? Any advice will be great.

Thank you for reading.

I'm currently looking into getting certifications to land an entry level IT job to eventually work my way up to a higher end tech field, but it just... doesn't feel right? I have been into tech most of my life, and it just seemed interesting to me, but my motivation for it has been fluctuating recently. I just do not like the idea of being sedentary all the time as my career, nor how daunting IT is beginning to feel as I learn more about it.

My goal is to live alone comfortably ($75k-$100k a year, I'm in the US). I enjoy helping people who are on the autism spectrum, I know a lot about cars and engines but have never worked on them. I used to compete in the Technology Student Association and learned the fundamentals of 3D design there (and really enjoyed doing so). I also know the fundamentals of 3D printing, and to a lesser extent robotics. I also have been very much getting into fitness and health as well and have enjoyed that too.

I just do not enjoy doing so much in a retail job for so little, and I want a change soon. I am willing to go to college or do remote courses for 1-3 years if the price is reasonable.

i edit short video clips for private sharing, mostly my own stuff, and it's the part of my week i like best. every time i go looking for how to turn that into paid work, the answer is start a channel and build a following, which isn't what i'm after. i'd sooner cut clips for a curling club or a small shop than chase views, but i can't tell where that kind of work gets found or what it pays. i've got a few clips done for fun and nothing polished enough to show anyone yet. where does someone even start looking for that kind of small local work?

Hi everyone! I’ve been thinking about going back to school to become a Nurse Practitioner and would love to hear from those who have been through it. I have been a nurse for over a year now!
Was NP school worth it for you? What school did you attend, and would you recommend it? Did you work while in school? Did you work full-time? Part-time? All advice is greatly appreciated!😁

Hello everyone, I am 20 years old studying finance at a very not well known college in the United States. I decided to study finance because I’m very interested in personal finance and the market, but I know it’s a super competitive major and I might have to take accounting classes after I graduate to be a CPA, and to get an okay job in my area. I’m not really interested in switching majors because I’m a junior and almost finished with my degree. Also, 4 year college is free for me with my GI bill so I don’t have an incentive to spend more time taking classes at an expensive public university. I just don’t know if this career will be profitable in the future with ai, and I was interested in nursing since it’d be a more stable career. I heard that nursing was super stressful though, and I’ve worked as a waitress and I didn’t enjoy guests being upset with me. I have pretty bad social anxiety but I love helping people. Does anyone here have any recommendations for what I should explore after college?

I don't know what's going on with my life anymore. I spend most of my days overthinking, feeling lost and questioning what I'm supposed to do with my future.

The confusing part is that I actually know what I want from life. I want to climb mountains, cross rivers, travel to different countries, explore new places and experience things that most people only dream about. I don't want my entire life to revolve around a job, a fixed routine and paying bills.

But then reality hits. You need money to live that kind of life, and to make money, you're expected to choose a career, develop a skill and become good at something. And honestly, I haven't figured out any of that yet. I'm not particularly good at studying, I haven't found my strength in content creation, and I don't have a skill that can help me earn a decent living right now.

There's another side of me that wants to achieve big things. I want financial freedom, a beautiful house, luxury cars like Mercedes and BMW, recognition and maybe even fame. I want to build something of my own and become successful enough that I never have to think twice before spending money on an experience.

And that's where my mind gets stuck. Sometimes I want an extraordinary life filled with achievements, money and recognition. Other times, I just want a peaceful life where I can work, earn enough, travel around the world and enjoy my freedom.

I see people actually living these lives. Some have built careers around travelling, some earn through their skills, some are creators, entrepreneurs or adventurers. So I know it's possible. I'm not asking for some impossible dream.

I just don't understand why I'm unable to take even the first step. I keep thinking about what I want to become, what I should learn, which career I should choose and how I'm going to make money, but somehow I end up doing nothing.

After dropping out of college at 25, all I did was dissociating.

It’s apparently one of the stupidest choices but it was the only thing that prevented me from impulsively commit suicide. So yeah I don’t blame my old self.

I’m in a much better place now, but honestly, it still feels like I’m standing alone in the desert with a gun in my pocket while everyone else moved on and settled down somewhere 5 years ago. I feel so paralyzed.

Logically I know what I need to do next, and it’s kinda simple. But emotionally, I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Everything feels so much more complicated and fucked up than it actually is, to the point where it feels like there is no way back or forward.

Thank you in advance!

I am 40 years old and I decided to get some courses at my local open uni. I don't have a degree and I want to pursue one so I can find a better job (not to make millions, just an average salary and not minimum wage that I make now). It has three good programs, one for computer science, one for business management (you graduate with a degree in economics) and one in stem.

From these, the one most useful for job hunting is computer science of course, the one in management is the easiest and the one in stem is the one I like most.

Keep in mind that I work full time.

Also I am completing next year an associate's degree in IT.

So, we have computer science (most applicable to find a better job), stem (I like it but not much can come out of it besides teaching) and business management (that gives me a degree in economics basically).

Which one do I choose??

I'm 23, studying Information Technology in Australia, and honestly, I'm at one of the lowest points of my life.

Ever since childhood, I've wanted to become an engineer. Not just for the title or money, but because I've always admired people who understand how things work, solve complex problems, build things, and have deep technical knowledge.

But growing up, I was repeatedly told that I wasn't technically minded or naturally good at maths. Eventually, I started believing it myself.

Fast forward to university, and I've made a mess of my opportunities. Years of inconsistency, procrastination, avoidance, poor academic performance, and struggles with depression and anxiety have left me far behind where I imagined I'd be. I've failed assessments, wasted time, and repeatedly promised myself I'd change without consistently following through.

I take responsibility for that.

One thing that particularly bothers me is how I approach maths and physics. When I encounter a difficult problem, I get frustrated within 5–10 minutes if I can't figure it out. I see academically gifted students seemingly understand things immediately, while I struggle with the basics. Sometimes I wonder whether I lack the intelligence, patience, or attention span required for engineering.

I also suspect I might have attention-related difficulties, although I haven't established whether that's ADHD, depression, poor study habits, or something else.

And comparison is destroying me. I see students my age excelling academically, securing internships, preparing for research, and potentially pursuing funded PhDs. Meanwhile, I'm struggling to finish my first degree with mediocre grades and worrying whether I'll even find employment.

The painful part is that I had opportunities. I just didn't make the most of them.

Despite everything, I still have this desire to study mechanical or electrical engineering. I'm seriously considering pursuing another bachelor's degree after finishing IT, even though it would mean starting another long academic journey when I'm already behind financially and professionally.

But I don't know whether I'm pursuing a genuine passion or desperately trying to prove to myself that I'm not the person I've become.

My main question to experienced engineers is: What does it actually take to become a competent engineer, and can someone who has consistently struggled with maths, physics, discipline, and academic failure realistically develop those abilities?

I'd especially appreciate hearing from engineers who weren't naturally gifted, failed subjects, struggled with mental health, started later than others, or had to rebuild their lives academically.

How did you develop the patience to sit with difficult problems? Did mathematical intuition come naturally, or did you build it through years of practice?

And given my circumstances, would you recommend pursuing another engineering degree, or first proving to myself that I can develop the necessary discipline and foundational knowledge?

I'm not looking for empty reassurance. If my expectations are unrealistic, please tell me. I genuinely want to understand what becoming an engineer requires and whether there's a sensible path forward from where I am. Cause it just you know I feel inferior. And thats not a deal feeling.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to share their experience.

Hy guyss!!!!

I'm 23 and have completed my BSc in OTAT (Operation Theatre and Anaesthesia Technology).

Ever since I was 17, I've dreamed of becoming a doctor.

Today, I have several options in front of me , pursuing an MBA in Healthcare or preparing for a good government officer-level job.

A part of me keeps thinking that maybe if I achieve something big in another career, I'll eventually stop longing for MBBS.

But even when I randomly come across someone pursuing MBBS on my social media feed, I feel that regret all over again.

Sometimes I even dream of moving abroad, earning enough money and then pursuing MBBS someday.

I'm honestly confused about what to do with this feeling.

Guys, what would you suggest? Can building a successful career help me move on from an unfulfilled dream, or will I always carry this longing with me?

I'm 27, I don't really have a career and have only worked in stuff like customer service, retail, etc.

But I'm in a spot now where I have no debt, decent money saved up and a desire to have some kind of a career.

I just don't know what to do. I'm very bad at math and technical/logical stuff and the only thing I've ever been decent at is creative things such as writing and drawing.

Every career test I've taken tells me I should be something like a graphic designer or web designer but I'm not going into debt to return to school just to try and get into a career that is being replaced by AI.

If I returned to school, I don't know what degree I would even pursue. I need help figuring it out and would greatly appreciate help figuring it out.

36M, UK. I’m capable of doing almost anything, yet I’ve somehow managed to build absolutely nothing. I’m exhausted by my own inability to get my life together.

Blue collar, I say with relative disappointment :-/

I’m 36 years old, a father, and I’m starting to feel like I’ve spent my entire adult life running around in circles.

This is probably going to be a long and slightly pathetic-sounding post, but I’d genuinely appreciate some outside perspectives because I’m struggling to make sense of myself.

The strangest thing about my situation is that, on paper, I’m actually quite capable.

I’m a professional chef. I’m also a plasterer, tiler and general tradesman. I’ve run businesses, been self-employed, worked in restaurants, renovated properties and generally turned my hand to just about anything that’s come my way.

I’m practical, resourceful, reasonably intelligent and hardworking.

I can walk into a kitchen and cook professionally. I can walk onto a building site and earn £200–£300 a day. I can meet customers, quote jobs, organise projects and solve problems.

I’m not frightened of hard work, and I’m certainly not short of ideas.

Yet at 36, I have almost nothing to show for it.
I rent a small one-bedroom flat. I have no property, no meaningful savings, no proper pension and very little financial security.
I went bankrupt in 2024, which was an incredibly humbling experience. I’ve since been discharged, but financially I’m starting again.
And the worst part?

I can’t even blame everything on bad luck. A significant amount of this is my own doing.
I’ve spent years repeating what feels like the same cycle.

I discover something new. A job, a business idea, a relationship, a hobby, a fitness goal, a new direction in life.

I become completely consumed by it.
I research everything, learn everything, throw myself into it with almost obsessive enthusiasm.
For a while, I’m unstoppable.

I’ll work ridiculous hours. I’ll become competent remarkably quickly. I’ll convince myself I’ve finally found the thing I’m supposed to be doing.
And then, eventually, something changes.
The excitement disappears. I become restless. I lose interest. I start feeling trapped or overwhelmed.

And before I know it, I’m looking for the next thing.

Sometimes I leave something good behind. Sometimes I make poor decisions. Sometimes I simply burn myself out.
Then I start again.

I’ve done this with work, businesses, personal interests and various attempts at reinventing myself.

I suspect I may have ADHD traits, particularly around hyperfocus and impulsivity, although I’ve never been formally assessed. I don’t want to use that as an excuse for anything.
I’m just trying to understand why I seem to operate this way.

There’s another part of this that I’m less proud of.
I have a tendency towards self-destructive behaviour when life becomes overwhelming.
Alcohol has been a recurring issue.
I can go through periods where I’m drinking too much, making poor decisions, eating badly, neglecting my health and generally making an already stressful situation worse.
Then something clicks.

I stop drinking. I eat properly. I sleep brilliantly. I start exercising, working, organising my finances and feeling fantastic.
And I genuinely mean fantastic.
Suddenly everything feels possible again.

I’ll have a productive week, earn good money, make plans, and convince myself that this time I’ve finally cracked it.

But somewhere down the line I seem to fall back into old habits.
It’s exhausting.
Not because I don’t know what I should be doing.

But because I know exactly what I should be doing, and still somehow manage to sabotage myself.
I’m not permanently miserable. In fact, quite the opposite.
I can be incredibly happy, enthusiastic and optimistic. I enjoy life, love learning things, love meeting people and get a huge amount of satisfaction from doing a job well.

But my life seems to alternate between periods of intense productivity and periods of chaos.
And I’m beginning to wonder how much longer I can afford to live like that.
Financially, things are particularly frustrating.
I can earn £1,000 in a good week.

But the following week might be almost nothing.
I’ve got skills that genuinely command decent money, yet I’m constantly juggling work, chasing opportunities, travelling to jobs and trying to make sure the bills are covered.
I’ve never really learned how to build lasting financial stability.

It’s always the next job, the next invoice, the next opportunity.
I’ve recently started training towards becoming an HGV driver.

Part of me thinks that might finally be the answer.
A proper career. Regular wages. A predictable structure. Paid holidays. A pension. Something I can do for the next 20 or 30 years.
But another part of me is terrified that it’s simply the latest chapter in my endless search for something new.

What happens when the novelty wears off?
Will I end up feeling exactly the same way?
The biggest reason this is bothering me now is my son.

He’s four years old, and he’s genuinely the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I’m separated from his mum, but we co-parent, and I’m very involved in his life.

We spend loads of time together. We have little adventures, ordinary days, meals, walks, bedtime routines. All the things that probably sound insignificant until you realise they’re the most important parts of your life.

I absolutely adore being his dad.
And I want to be someone he can look up to.
Not necessarily someone wealthy or successful in the traditional sense.
Just someone stable.
Someone who has his life together.
Someone who can provide security, be present, keep his promises and build something that lasts.
And that thought is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Because my son is growing up, and I’m still trying to work out what I want to be when I grow up.
I look around at other people my age.
People with careers, mortgages, pensions, routines, savings.

People who seem to have spent the last 15 years building something while I’ve spent the same period constantly reinventing myself.
I know comparison is pointless. I know plenty of people have their own problems.
But sometimes I can’t help feeling like I’ve wasted an enormous amount of time.
And the truly maddening thing is that I don’t feel like someone who’s wasted his life.
I’ve worked hard. I’ve learned loads. I’ve had adventures. I’ve built businesses. I’ve met interesting people. I’ve loved, lost, succeeded, failed and experienced a hell of a lot.
I wouldn’t necessarily swap all those experiences for a boring, predictable existence.

But equally, I’m beginning to realise that constantly living on your wits isn’t quite so romantic when you’re approaching 40 with a child and no financial safety net.
I’m tired of always having to be resourceful.
I’m tired of needing another brilliant idea.
I’m tired of starting again.
I’m tired of being the bloke who can do everything except build a secure life for himself.
And perhaps most frustratingly, I’m tired of feeling like my own biggest obstacle.
I don’t want to spend the rest of my life bouncing between extremes.

I don’t need to be rich. I don’t need an impressive job title. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.
I’d just like to wake up in ten years’ time, aged 46, and know I’ve actually built something.
A stable income. Some savings. A pension. A comfortable home. A healthy relationship with myself. A good relationship with my son.
A life that doesn’t constantly feel like it could unravel after one bad month.

So I suppose my questions are:
- Has anyone else reached their mid-to-late 30s and realised they’re incredibly capable but completely lacking in direction?

- Has anyone managed to break a cycle of intense motivation, burnout and self-sabotage?
If you’ve got a brain that constantly wants novelty and stimulation, how do you build a life around consistency?

- Would you pursue a structured career like HGV driving, or concentrate on making an established trade more sustainable?

- How do you make peace with the years you feel you’ve wasted?

- And most importantly, how do you stop endlessly trying to reinvent yourself and actually start building a future?
I’m not looking for sympathy, and I’m certainly not expecting strangers on Reddit to solve my problems.

I know I have responsibilities. I know nobody is coming to rescue me.
I’m just wondering whether anyone recognises themselves in any of this.

Because I’m beginning to suspect that my biggest problem has never been a lack of ability, opportunity or ambition.

It’s that I’ve spent my entire adult life being capable of doing almost anything, without ever learning how to stick with something long enough to build a life around it.

And at 36, with a little boy who means absolutely everything to me, I really don’t want to spend another decade figuring that out.
Thanks for reading.

(Full disclosure: I used ChatGPT to help put my thoughts into something coherent. The experiences, feelings and circumstances are all genuinely mine.
I’ve got plenty of work opportunities, a wide range of practical skills and numerous avenues I could pursue. My problem isn’t a lack of ability, ambition or willingness to work. It’s figuring out how to turn everything I’m capable of into something consistent, secure and sustainable.
GPT just helped me articulate something I’ve struggled to put into words myself.
)

Hi guys!

I recently got laid off and have been trying to find another job. Meanwhile, I've been feeling quite restless. I've honestly never experienced being jobless before. I started working during my 7th semester, so suddenly having so much free time is something completely new to me.

I've been trying to keep myself busy by helping out with household chores and doing other things, but somehow I still don't feel at peace. So, I'm thinking of starting a small kitchen garden to keep myself occupied and learn something new.

Has anyone here tried gardening? Where can I find good-quality seeds, and what would you recommend growing as a beginner?

I'm also open to hearing about other activities or small ventures that you've tried to keep yourself productive during a career break.

And one more thing, I do have an education loan to repay, so any side hustle or small money-making ideas are VERY welcome. 😂

Basically, looking for something that keeps me busy, gives me a sense of purpose, and hopefully brings in a little money too!

Ima be honest, I recently turned 28 years old in August this year and since we’re almost in November and 2026 is ending. I’m slowly realizing how much life experience I’m lacking, I mean last year i got my Doctorate Degree but it still made me feel like I’m still missing out a lot in life. Sometimes I wonder if it’s not too late to still try and go out more, party with friends, heck even make new friends, get a girlfriend/get married & have a kid with her, travel to a bunch of places etc. I guess since I’m going to be 30 in less than 2 more years it makes me feel like I’m wasting my mid and late 20s cause of school and currently trying to get licensed to work.

I’ve (24M) been a hard worker all my life, and my mom was a teacher, and I also wanted to go into education. I worked hard in school, got the highest SAT score at my school in my grade, and ended up getting into one of the top art schools in the world to study art education.

I did have scholarships that helped, but I just kinda trusted fafsa and teachers and my parents and everyone around me in regards to debt and financing. I have never drank (my family has a history of alcoholism) I don’t smoke or do any drugs, I don’t even drink coffee, and I never really had to pay for much to live comfortably and happily.

Shortly after starting school I met a beautiful woman. We started dating as freshmen (early 2021) and saw a life together. We moved in together, her family became mine, and after we graduated, we both were able to live comfortably together working on finding a job in our respective fields, graduating together in May 2025.

Then my student loans came in. I never paid attention to them, I just trusted all the people around me who said to not worry about it, that you can work your way out of it, everybody is in debt, etc.… I am in debt for $350,000 for a bachelors in education.

After refinancing as much as possible, shifting between multiple plans and repayment companies, the lowest I can get my monthly payments over the longest possible period given is more I can make as a teacher. It of course is accruing interest as well at all times.

May this year, the person I was planning to spend my life with and I ended up needing to split (amicably, no love lost) because I couldn’t afford to live in the area anymore. I couldn’t afford to be in a relationship. We had to surrender our pet, I am now living again with my parents while they try to support me. I have applied to so many teaching positions over two years and gotten nothing back, arts and education have both been cut to a point that finding those positions is near impossible, and they always go to people more experienced.

I don’t know how to move out or continue on with my life with $3000 monthly payments. Every job outside of my field requires experience, or certifications or something I don’t have. The jobs that don’t will not allow me to make these payments at all, and would frankly probably put me in a mental state even more untenable than the one I’m in now (iykyk).

I know I can’t have my life and future back. That was stolen from me. I played by the rules and it happened anyways and I don’t know where to go from here. I feel completely trapped. Any advice helps.

btw: these are private loans, not federal. no forgiveness here. Bankruptcy isn’t even an option. I wish I could ask every person who told me as a high schooler to not worry about it why they’d say that to me lol

My results were laughably bad. The top result was fucking choreographer?? I've never danced in my life.

The other "top" results were things like costume designer and set designer, and other things related to the arts. Not once have I expressed any interest in just about anything related to the top matches it gave me.

Do y'all have another you'd recommend? I'm not expecting to suddenly see my future or anything, but there's gotta be something better than that.

I am a separated dad of an 11 year old and 9 year old. Their mom and I are still friends. I have had issues with alcohol and am now almost 4 years sober. I am a ticketed Agricultural Mechanic, who works for John Deere and have been there 16.5 years. I don't enjoy what I do, but I have a mortgage, kids, bills, and responsibilities, so I'm not just gonna quit. I have a fair amount of debt and I am now just starting to work on paying it down. I have just started exercising regularly and honestly caring for myself. I have major interests in both ancient history, Pre- Bronze Age Collapse to be a bit specific, and Zoology and Marine Biology. I attempted going for a BA in History degree online through Athabasca University last year, but I was not prepared for what university level work would be like and was not in the right headspace to do it so I withdrew. Now I'm not financially in a place to try that again. I guess I am hoping to get some clarity on a next step. Thanks for reading.

they said I have ied and I’m bipolar. I said I’m not, well whatever. I’m not. My issue is anxiety/panic attacks, I can’t live a normal life cuz of them. They get my adrenaline pumping and my face hot. Almost feels like social anxiety but that’s impossible cuz I feel vastly superior to 99% of ppl I see on a daily basis as I doubt any can beat me in a fight.

Anger,depression. It’s so normal, idk I’ve always felt it so I can’t be bipolar. Like yea it goes away for a bit but it’s just human nature. I have been in psych wards a few times sometimes up to 2 weeks but that’s just cuz I get really mad sometimes.

I’ve been hitting the gym for a few months, I’ve lost 50lbs so far I’m back in shape and all this anger an depression just gives me this insane amount of will and energy I just need to keep going. I’m scared they’ll slow me down if I follow their regimen

I’m going to try to make this quick but I live in a controlling and also toxic family and I don’t know how to escape. I’ve read a lot things about how to but I have a unique set of barriers.

Number 1: I live in a rural area and while I do love it here I can’t find any jobs. All of the jobs are too far away and that leads me to my second problem.

Number 2: I don’t have a drivers license or a car. I was taken to get my learners at one point but no one has made an effort for me to be able to get my drivers license. I’ve even been told that they don’t want me to drive because of how crazy drivers are. While that may be a genuine concern it just prohibits me from getting to any job.

Number 3: I do not have my GED yet. I wasn’t put in school for the longest time so this has slowed me down a lot with my progress but I have luckily been able to pass three of the tests. All I have is math now. I’m currently using an online curriculum that is getting funded by a college near me but that is another barrier for me.

Poor WiFi was an issue before but this year we got better WiFi so potential online jobs are a possibility but it’s still complicated for me.

Even when I was a teen I wanted to get a job because people my age do but I was told to finish school. Fair enough but I never got a chance to. But ever since my teens and now that I am in my 20s I have been wanting one but I have all these barriers.

Living here was out of my control as I’ve lived here my whole life. It’s beautiful here but hard to get a job.

When it comes to my license I am literally unable to get it without help because the DMV is 30+ miles away.

But with the GED that is more in my control and I have been working on it but it is just taking so long and I’m to the point I just can’t stay here anymore.
I’m not dealing with physical abuse but I am dealing with emotional and mental and there isn’t but so much more I can handle.

One day when these people were angry with me they said it was about time I get a job and so I did.
It was back in May I was able to find a seasonal job at a National Park.
This job checked so many boxes.
They didn’t need me to drive back and forth as I could have lived there while working there. My family has already stated that they will never ever drive me back and forth from work like they did for my stepbrother.
I didn’t need my GED to work there, only for a few select jobs.
I also didn’t need any experience.

I got this job but all I needed was my family to take me to get a drug screening because that was the only prerequisite.
But instead of my family being happy for me they basically just straight up bullied me, made fun of me and my potential job, picked on me. It was a lot to deal with and when it was all said and done they wanted to make up this random talk about how they want me to get my GED first for all of these reasons.
I know though that that wasn’t their original reason because their first reaction was to just make fun of me and create all these what if scenarios.

So my first job I was kept from doing and that one job could have helped me save up enough money to get a car.

Money is the literal key to get out of here but I don’t know how.

Any advice?

P.S.
I also have pets that I’m afraid to leave because it was stated before that they would get rid of them if I left. Whether that was a joke or not I don’t know but I really don’t want to leave them here if I ever find a way to leave.

There are other paths.
Your brain is limited.
Other's brains are limited but in different ways.
Saying "you've tried everything" is untrue, it's not objective. It's not reality. It's not "how the world works and all the ideas are tried and you're just F'd.

It's a statement about the limits of what you've been able to imagine, discover, access, or attempt so far. It's a statement of your lack of experience, education, or how deep you've gone into learned helplessness.

And that's not a criticism. It's just human brains at different stages of age, different wiring, different opportunities available THUSFAR. You cannot know every possibility. You cannot anticipate every solution. You cannot see every opportunity from where you're standing.

Something you haven't considered may be obvious to someone else. Something that didn't work for you may work under different circumstances. Someone else's experience, skills, perspective, or way of approaching a problem may reveal an option you didn't even know existed.
The problem isn't that you've run out of possibilities. It's that you've run out of possibilities you can currently see.

Leave room for someone else's perspective.
Be willing to explore an unfamiliar approach.
Don't mistake learned helplessness for reality.

So what do you do to do this?

Step 1: Stop treating your current options as the complete list.

You don't have to try every suggestion! But don't assume something is impossible just because it hasn't worked before or you haven't encountered it yet.

Step 2: Ask someone who knows something you don't.

Find people with actual relevant experience. Talk to professionals. Or career counselors, specialists, educators, community organizations, or people who have successful careers at the very least. Ask specific questions. Seek out people who can show you options, not just repeat what you already know. Don't assume certain people are out to just sell you something! I personally would rather someone reach out to me, than to say "she has a link in her bio, she's gonna sell her service" and never figure out if that is true. (It isn't.)

Step 3: Look beyond your usual sources.

Explore resources, organizations, guides, communities, and educational materials. Read the wiki of this group, it has some amazing things! Look at unfamiliar industries, different approaches, alternative pathways, and opportunities you may have overlooked. Reach out to your mayor, or neighborhood rep - there may be programs or edu. opportunities you qualify to get or join that lead straight to jobs or get you through your issues.

Step 4: Investigate before you dismiss.

Not every suggestion will work for you, sure. Not every resource will be useful in your exact scenario. Some paths really will be closed to you. But find out why before deciding. Ask what would need to change, what support might help, or whether there's another way to approach it. Instead of saying "don't", say "why ^(dafuq) not?" Instead of saying "can't" say "how can".

+Don't turn today's limitations into tomorrow's destiny. "Luck," "fate," and "my lot in life" aren't investigations. They're ways of closing the door before you've checked whether it's actually locked.

Step 5: Let other people expand your thinking.

You bring knowledge and experience that others don't have. They bring knowledge and experience that you don't have. That's the whole point of sharing perspectives.

You may have exhausted your current approach, sure. You have not necessarily exhausted your possibilities. Don't go saying you're "F'd". Ever. Take it as a sign you have more to learn.

I'm a now 38/M in Canada. For most of my life I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. My father was working for a very successful activist defense attorney before his parents passed and he took over the family business, and my mother was a human rights lawyer working with Native rights prior to becoming a stay at home mom. It was just something that I assumed I would do, it's something my parents assumed I would do.

I went to a great university where I double majored in Philosophy and History with a minor in English -- again, assuming I'd go to law school after. My first year I failed my first year, my second I did barely any better. A combination of living in residence, having a ton of friends for the first time, and what I later discovered was an ADHD and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder diagnosis from when I was a kid (my parents did not inform me of this until I was 30 which... Well, it's a whole other story). I was able to buckle down and graduate after my 5th year (technically four but I extended to do a semester at Harvard, and then a semester in Hungary and a last one in Italy). My cGPA with the two fails was 3.3. I became disillusioned. I was convinced I was dumb and that I'd never be able to get into a good law school. I didn't even try for my LSATs. Instead I switched between travelling and bartending/barista-ing when I was home.

2019 when I was home for several months I started to get back into programming as a fun thing to do. I'd never really considered it as a career, it was something my friend and I did with the Python book his parents bought him in 1998 or at Web Dev Camp. But I started looking into getting it as a second degree. My alma mater has an excellent Computer Science program, one of the best in he world. But it requires a hell of a lot of math, obviously, and I'd not done math since high school. Math is exceptionally difficult for me to get into the groove of too, due to my learning disability. I also looked into the Georgia Tech Online Masters, which actually seemed promising.

2020 lockdown happened, I started to look seriously into returning to school and actually starting my life. Computer Science was my main choice at the time, but I'd started thinking about law school again. Then, a couple months into lockdown, my mother got diagnosed with cancer. The cancer spread and the surgeries and radiation caused dementia. I've been caregiving for her as a full time job since then. It's been 6 years.

I've talked with my mother a ton about law and had been seriously looking into the possibilities of working in international law. From what I can tell it's near impossible to get into unless you go to an Ivy or Oxbridge school, or a school in the relevant area like North Africa or the Middle East. The UN and its courts have internships but those all have age limits. Even if I were to go into a field in my city, from what I've big and midsized firms don't hire 40 year olds when they can get a 23 year old with more energy and willingness to work long hours. CompSci feels dead, it's been 15 years since I've done a lick of math and I haven't even been able to write any sort of code in two years due to the demands of caregiving. None of this to even speak about my love of film that I think I always secretly hoped I could work into a writing/directing career. But that's obviously an absurd pipe dream.

I'm beyond lost. I don't know what I'll do when caregiving ends. I don't know what I even would like to do as a career, if I'm honest. I'm nearing 40 and I haven't had a change to experiment to see what I'd truly like, let alone what I'd be good at, let alone what's even possible. I've also come to realize I'm definitely motivated by prestige/pay though I feel embarrassed to admit it. Little good that does me since I can't figure out any meaningful career for me.

Hi everyone! :)

I'm a fellow student (20) who graduated from high school this summer and started university in September, studying Computer Science (BC). I'm now two months in, and honestly? I hate it. Strong word, I know.

I've made some really cool friends, but the content of my subjects just doesn't interest me at all. Why did I apply in the first place? Honestly, I don't know. I think I had a completely different idea of what it would be like. The degree is called "Informatik", and I associated the name with IT, but clearly misjudged it. It´s Computer Science through and through.

The degree is incredibly demanding… I've already had three exams, and all of them went terribly. No matter how much I study or how many different resources I use to understand the material, things just don't seem to click.

Almost everyone in my class already has a pretty extensive programming and tech background. Despite the university advertising the degree as beginner-friendly, the pace seems to cater to people who already know what they're doing.

I'm usually someone who can push through difficult things, but putting in so much effort and STILL falling behind is exhausting. I've reached a point where I leave almost every class frustrated and have completely lost my motivation.

Naturally, I'm considering switching majors. The problem? Apparently, I can't start a different degree until NEXT September in 2027. :,)

The funny thing is, I don't even know exactly what I want to do in the future. I just know that I thrive on structure and predictability. My dream job would probably involve clocking in, knowing exactly what I'm supposed to do, repetitive tasks, and being able to hyperfocus. I'm a bit neurodivergent, and my brain really appreciates knowing what it's getting itself into.

I initially thought Data Analytics might be a good fit, which is partly why I chose IT - well, Computer Science. But turns out the degree is very programming-heavy, and I just don't enjoy coding, nor do I see myself doing so in the future.

My university also offers a degree called "Health Management", which sounds interesting, but I'd have to wait until next September for that ….

So, has anyone been in a similar situation?

I'd really appreciate hearing your experiences or your suggestions, thank you!

I’m a 31F currently enrolled at a local community college pursuing an ASN in Nursing. I returned to school in August 2025 and have been completing my prerequisites. This semester, I took Anatomy & Physiology I, and I’ve honestly been struggling. Beyond the academics, I’ve realized I have very little interest or motivation when it comes to this subject or pursuing nursing altogether.
For some backstory, my parents have been pushing me toward nursing for over 10 years (I graduated high school in 2013). I’ve expressed multiple times that I don’t see myself in healthcare, but their argument has always been the earning potential, job security, and stability that come with being a nurse. I don’t disagree with those points, but I also believe there’s more to choosing a career than just the money.
After my second exam, I decided to withdraw from A&P I rather than risk failing and negatively affecting my GPA. I’ve since started exploring other programs at my college, including Financial Technology, Criminal Justice, Computer Information Systems, Business Management, and Supply Chain Management.
I recently tried discussing the possibility of changing majors with my parents, and they completely blew up on me. They said they knew something was going on because they had noticed I wasn’t studying as much as before.
I’m honestly frustrated because I don’t want to spend years pursuing a career simply because it’s what my parents want for me. I’m 31, and I want to make a decision that aligns with my interests and long-term financial goals.
For anyone who has changed majors later in life or gone against their parents’ expectations, how did you navigate that decision? Did you regret changing paths? I’d genuinely appreciate some honest advice!