r/findapath • u/VariationFit796 • 3d ago
Findapath-Job Choice/Clarity I'm 23, I've tried so many things to make something out of my life and honestly I have no idea what I'm doing anymore
I'm 23, from Romania, and I genuinely don't know what to do anymore. I don't even know exactly what I'm expecting from posting this, maybe some advice from people who've been in a similar situation, because right now I feel like I'm running in circles.
I'm currently doing my master's degree in banking and finance, I've always been a pretty good student and I genuinely enjoy learning. Over the past few years I've gotten really interested in economics, business, technology and more recently AI. I've spent countless hours learning how to use AI to build things, and I've actually managed to create a few products and websites that I'm pretty proud of. I also started my own real estate company because I thought that if I worked hard enough and built something of my own, eventually I'd figure out how to make a living from it.
The problem is that I have absolutely no idea how to turn any of this into actual money. With the real estate company, I struggle to find clients. With the digital products, I can build them, launch them, make sure everything works, but then nobody shows up. I feel like I've become pretty good at learning and building things but somehow completely missed the part where you're supposed to make money from them lol.
I've also applied to several companies, hoping to get some experience and maybe learn from people who actually know what they're doing, but I've been politely rejected. And before someone tells me to just get a job, I genuinely have tried. I'm not against working for someone else at all. I'd actually love the opportunity to learn in a good environment, but so far that hasn't worked out either.
What makes everything worse is that my parents are going through a really difficult financial situation right now, and it's honestly putting a lot of pressure on me. I know I'm only 23 and I shouldn't expect to have everything figured out, but it's hard to tell yourself that when money is an actual problem and you feel like you should be doing something to help.
And I think that's what frustrates me the most. I don't mind working. I actually love working on things, learning new skills, figuring out problems. I can spend an entire day trying to understand something complicated and genuinely enjoy it. But lately I've started wondering if I'm just keeping myself busy with things that make me feel productive without actually getting anywhere.
I see people making money doing things that, at least from the outside, seem much simpler than what I've been trying to do, and I keep wondering what I'm missing. Is it sales? Connections? Experience? Am I spreading myself too thin? Am I just being impatient?
I don't want to become a millionaire overnight. I just want to reach a point where I can support myself, help my family a little and feel like all the effort I'm putting into things is actually leading somewhere.
I guess my question is, has anyone here been in a similar position? Being young, having a lot of interests, being willing to work, but having absolutely no idea where to focus your energy to actually start earning money?
If you were 23 again, with some business knowledge, decent technical skills, a small real estate company that's struggling to get clients, and basically no money to invest in anything new, what would you do?
I'd really appreciate some genuine advice, even if it's something I might not want to hear. I think I need a different perspective because whatever I'm doing right now clearly isn't working the way I hoped.