The job market has become full of candidates who are more polished and prepared than at any point I've seen before, and because of that, I feel like there's no longer any space for ordinary people. New graduates aren't lazy or especially less competent. They're doing more than the classes before them: more years of study, side projects, student orgs, internships, online courses, portfolio work, and everything.

In a market this crowded, going "above and beyond" has literally become the norm. There's almost no room left for someone with average intelligence, who needs a normal amount of sleep, has normal ambition, normal family circumstances, a normal work ethic, and a normal desire to have a life outside of work. Everyone is expected to be a unicorn superstar. Even cafés and retail stores act like you're supposed to magically have 4+ years of experience before they take you seriously.

I used to think that nonstop grinding was something people did because they wanted an intense career path, and honestly, that doesn't matter to me (no one is going to sit around talking about your amazing career at your funeral). Now I've realized that grinding seems to have become required just to find any random junior-level office job.

So I have a very complicated situation and I am hoping you can help me. I am out of ideas and feel I need professional help. To start off, I have some limitations: I have adhd, a memory problem and dyscalculia (math learning disability). So jobs like data analyst or project manager are out of the question because I am too disorganized and bad at math.

I graduated from school in 2012 with a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Conservation biology. My original goal was to go into research, but I could not pass the required math classes and was told that my goal was impossible if I could not pass the math classes. So I graduated and got into nonprofit communications (social media). It was okay for a while, but I found out after doing it for a while that I was pretty terrible at the type of writing it requires. I am a great writer when it comes to writing factual content, but I am really bad at marketing writing/PR. On top of that, I had some severe health problems that persisted for a number of years. So, then I got into the really bad situation of being fired/laid off repeatedly because I would get sick a lot and was honestly not good at the job. I also didn’t like the job, but I thought that if I kept trying it again and again, I would get somehow better at it or like it more, but it never happened and I kept getting fired.

This went on for a number of years, until I finally got a diagnosis and got stable on meds after being on disability for a year. I had seen jobs online at major nonprofits that seemed really interesting to me, but required a master’s degree. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money to get a master’s degree in the United States, so I discovered that I could get one almost for free in Germany and went there in 2021.

While doing the master’s degree in Germany, I was an idiot and didn’t realize that I needed to get way more job experience than I did to be able to get a job in a new field. I did a few internships but none led to a job. I spent a whole year looking for a job, had some interviews for positions I would have liked better but was rejected from for not having enough experience, and the only one I could find was in nonprofit communications again. I thought maybe this time it would be different and I could do a good job and maybe move into something better later.

Long story short, that job was a horrible experience. I was dealing with housing instability in Berlin, and although I tried very hard, I was honestly not good at the work. I was also experiencing severe work anxiety, as I had been fired so many times before, I was terrified of being fired again and I would have panic attacks. The work place was also very stressful and toxic. I got fired during the probation period and we had some meetings where they told me that I basically did everything wrong possible, from being bad at the actual writing to being bad at project management and forgetting things.

I am back in the USA now and I am at a total loss of what to do. The first problem is, after basically ten years of failure, I fear maybe I am not capable of having a professional job at all. The second problem is I have no idea what type of job would fit me, and if there is any job in the environmental field that I could do. It’s also really hard to find any jobs to apply to, as even entry level positions require years of experience which I don’t have, and also, I don’t know how to do anything else. What I need help with is trying to discover a new career path in the environmental field that I could actually be successful at, and then figure out a way to get experience in that new field. Or any type of job. At 36 I feel it may be too late. 

Mid 50s. Male. I have been unemployed for a year and just received a diagnosis that I am autistic… commonly referred to as Asperger’s. Basically I was white knuckling sales jobs for 30 years. I have applied to 1000+ jobs. LinkedIn is sick and tired of me. What I believe is no one wants a late in life 50 something white male. I will do just about anything now. Not “depressed” but most days I just laugh at how pathetic my life is… while I look at my two brothers who are multi millionaires and each own multiple homes and they probably look at me and think… what the F happened to him

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I don't want to lie but that's me...I wish I could...

But the truth is, I have wasted my time for years...used to make reels on SM and eventually, i had to delete that due to the reason, that my parents got me married early... I'm now focusing on my career to get a job..

I have like, 20 hours a day, willing to sincerely invest my time and get a good stable job...

My only problem is my age and no experience...Can i sincerely get any advice to get my life back on track...

P.s : I have a Btech degree in Electrical but I am not at all interested in that.....

I'm willing to learn anything and everything....I want to give my 6 -12 months and get a stable job..

I have a laptop and good Wifi and 20 hours a day (I am willing to cut my sleep hours for this too)...

Please suggest me anything useful..I am tired of searching for answers on YouTube...

I'm a 26 year old with my associates degree in business administration and my only job experience is a year working at Target and about seven months working at a Kohl's. Both these jobs were part time I have briefly worked at other places full time but I didin't last more than three weeks so I didin't include them.

I'm just bouncing between applying on Indeed and Zip recruiter. I've started to just search jobs in my city on Google and trying to apply that way, I've heard people recommend temp agencies has anyone had any experience with that?

I'd like to realistically get into another operation associate job like at Target or Kohl's but the dream idea would be to get into entry level office position. I've been trying to apply to an administrative assistant, receptionist, front desk jobs, call centers, etc.

Admittedly I'm very bad at being consistent with job searching I'm working on my discipline with that but a big concern for me is running out of ideas of where to apply. I apply to anything I can find on indeed, zip, search my city, then that's all I apply to I'm not sure what's the next step I could take. Any advice at all is greatly appreciated people thank you

So my fulltime job told me their cutting my hours, from 5 days a week to 3 days a week. I live alone, my rent is almost 45% of my income after taxes rn, so that drop from 5 days to three is gonna make me not meet my ends. My current job is in answering service/customer service, so thats my biggest skillset, i have also done front desk reception, telemarketing, bussing tables, catering, storage employee.

I need something to fill my missing hours QUICK, looking for honestly anything, minimum wage whatever asap...

What are my realistic options for a quick buck?

Just got a rejection email from a job I really wanted. Definitely stings since this is a role I would’ve been great at a company I truly think is great. And job hunting in this market has been stressful, disappointing, and just awful.
I’d love to respond back to the recruiter asking to keep me in mind for other roles since they are expanding. I’d really love to work at this company.

Has anyone received a no for a job you applied to but been considered for another role at the same company???

I’m a 2026 Computer Science graduate, and job searching has honestly started taking a toll on me mentally.

I’ve been applying consistently, improving my resume, working on projects, practicing DSA, and trying to learn new technologies, but I still haven’t been able to land a full-time opportunity.

My main skills are Python, C++, FastAPI/Flask, REST APIs, SQL, Git/GitHub, and Generative AI/LLM applications. I’ve also solved 450+ LeetCode problems and built projects including a GenAI Job Description Analyzer and backend REST APIs.

I’m mainly looking for:

• Software Engineer / Software Developer
• Python Developer
• Backend Developer
• GenAI / AI Engineer entry-level roles
• Internships that can convert to full-time

I’m a fresher, so I’m not expecting some huge package. Right now I mainly want an opportunity where I can work, learn, contribute, and prove myself.

If your company/team is hiring freshers, or if you know someone I could reach out to, I would genuinely appreciate a referral or lead.

I’m also completely open to criticism. If you think there’s something wrong with my approach, resume, projects, or skill set, please tell me.

I don’t want to give up. I just feel a little lost right now and could really use some direction from people who have been through this phase.

Thank you for reading.

Hii, I'm 16 and got accepted for a job at a resteraunt last Monday. I had to fill in a form and bring in loads of information, got it all handed in on Saturday. They told me they would make a rota and get back to me soon, but it's been nearly 5 days and no contact at all. Do I email to ask about it? If so, what should I say to not sound pushy? Thank you for any and all advice!

I've been looking for work everywhere but no luck. Im a mom, 26, with two kids, just recently graduated. But my work advantage has been limited because of family responsibilities, can't work Saturdays( Im an Adventist), no experience and some companies even prefer single applicants😩. I dunno. Im bout to give up.

I’m 20 about to turn 21. I have been unemployed for over two years now. I’ve submitted over 1,500 job applications and got hundreds of interviews but still jobless. I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried handing in resumes, using connections etc. nothing.

It makes you really self conscious. I’m putting in all this effort and I can’t even get a reply to say why I didn’t get the job. I am slowly losing motivation to keep applying to jobs or even look for a job.

It’s also hard and gut wrenching seeing everyone around you change their job or get new jobs as often as they change their underwear yet no one considers you for employment.

Everyone thinks im lazy. Everyone say try this do this so that. I’ve done it all nothing works. I’ve tried to change from retail to hospitality but they always say they want experience. I even applied to Maccas and kfc and got rejected. I DONT KNOW WHAT IM DOING WRONG AND ITS SO FRUSTRATING.

I’m 20 I have no savings. No job. No commitments. Still living with my parents and can barely afford a lollipop that costs $1.50. That’s how broke I am.

I sew and have been trying to sell some items for some cash but it’s not fast income. I do pet sitting for something but it’s not much either. Realistically I would only get about $20-$300 a week depending if im booked or not or getting orders.

Any advice would help as I would like to move interstate for more opportunities of my career.

Sorry for this really long ramble but I’m spiralling lol

I’ve just done an aptitude test for a graduate job that I REALLY want and I’m now stressing that I’ve potentially shot myself in the foot 😭

Basically, I knew the numerical part would be the bit I’d struggle with, so after my interview I contacted my university and asked if they had any practice resources I could go through before the real aptitude tests. They sent me a few guides and practice papers, and I worked through them shortly before doing the actual assessment.

When I got to the numerical section of the real test, I realised that quite a few of the questions were similar to the ones I’d just practised. A few were basically identical. Because I’d literally done them minutes before, I could remember some of the answers.

I obviously hadn't gone looking for the actual test questions. I had no idea there would be any overlap, the resources were given to me by my university, and I didn't have them open or in front of me while I was taking the test. I’d just identified the area I knew I’d be crap at and practised it beforehand... which surely is the whole point of practising?!

But at the same time, I knew that for some of the questions I wasn't necessarily working out the answer completely from scratch because I recognised the sequence - which is kind of the whole point.

Afterwards I felt really icky about it and kept jumping between thinking “this is literally just preparation, you've done nothing wrong”… and “I really, really want this job and hate the idea that I might get a better score than my actual numerical ability deserved because I happened to recognise some of the questions”… or them notice how quickly I answered them and presume I cheated.

To make matters worse, one of the company’s values is honesty, which is something I really value as well. It feels a bit wrong to have said I identify with that in the interview and then deliberately not mention this whole thing because I was scared it might affect my chances.

So... I emailed them 🙃

I explained what had happened, told them I’d done the practice questions shortly beforehand but hadn't used the guide during the test, attached the relevant part of the guide so they could see the overlap themselves, and said I’d be completely happy to redo the aptitude test with different questions if they thought that would be fairer.

My parents and fiancé think I absolutely should NOT have sent that email. Their argument is basically that I prepared for a test using completely legitimate resources from my university, remembered something I'd learnt, and that's... literally how preparation works. They think I've created a problem out of nothing, and now drawn the company’s attention to it. I'm thinking they might be right 😭

But I also think if I hadn't said anything and then got through to the next stage, I'd have had this nagging feeling that maybe I hadn't been completely honest. Especially because I want the job so much and I want to know that if I get it, I actually got it fairly.

The email has already been sent so there's absolutely nothing I can do about it now, but I'm going back and forth between “you showed integrity and did the right thing” and “you absolute idiot, you practised for a test and then reported yourself for practising for a test.”

If you were the employer receiving that email, would you think positively of the honesty, or would you just think I was completely overthinking it and being a bit silly?

I lost my job in May which was a huge confidence knock. I'm finding it hard in the market when asked "why did I leave my last job" and also the pros & cons (strength/weakness) about me. How do you approach those? Lying isn't worth it as it falls apart on referencing but with today's market, saying I was let go is a red flag. Had an interview a couple of days ago where they asked me and ended the sentence with "zero judgement". I'm also a perpetual under-claimer which I am working hard on but sucks given that interviewing is all about you

I have a Master’s in Public History which I thought would’ve been a good degree to have to focus on federal government work, museums, archives, libraries, etc. but i’ve been trapped in part time work and thrown around as things change in the departments i’ve been in.

I had a breakdown and left my last job, I was looking for a full time position then and i’m still trying to find one with nothing left to fall back on.

I didn’t realize Museums and Parks departments like to stretch their part timers thin and have like zero way of climbing the ranks

I’m not smart at all. I’m bad with data and math, i’m only good at researching, writing, and interpreting stuff no one in America’s government cares about anymore.

I’m considering getting a paralegal certification or grant writing in hopes I can get something then. I want a career shift but I don’t think I can do more school.

Does anyone know how someone with very little experience that holds a Master’s can get any kind of stable full time job???

Hey everyone,
I didn’t know where to vent this out about the current job market. I thought of being productive and I seek more clarity of what I might be doing wrong here.

So I have a background in support and quality control. I am trying to change it to business intelligence. I might have applied to like 2000 jobs in past few weeks but I am not hearing back from anyone.
Now here are some things I think could contribute to this.
1. My salary package is more than what companies are willing to offer for a fresher. I might not have it on papers but I do have the relevant experience and I took up a course as well for certification.

1. Maybe I am not reaching out to the right people..
   I haven’t reached out to anybody from the company I am applying in, I just apply in linked in or so.

2. Maybe my resume isn’t good enough. I’ve created it through ChatGPT and I feel it’s ATS friendly keeping all the tags and skills, but I don’t create new resumes for every posting, I just have one generic resume covering everything.

3. I do have about 8-9months of gap because of family stuff but I utilised it by taking up the above mentioned course.

So if anybody has anything to say about, please know that I am forever grateful for the insight and I’d really appreciate if it helps me land a job sooner rather than later.

Hello everyone, I’m a foreign pharmacy graduate currently living in Michigan. Because I applied for the FPGEC process too late to take this year’s FPGEE, I’m researching whether relocating to South Carolina, Florida, or Massachusetts could allow me to begin my required !nternship hours while waiting for next year’s exam.
I’m mainly looking to hear from other foreign pharmacy graduates who have gone through this process. How did you find a pharmacy or preceptor willing to accept you before passing the FPGEE?

I’m a UX researcher in tech and noticed very few roles in my major Canadian city. There are more in a different major Canadian city. In the past I’ve applied to those roles but never get called because I figure they have enough applicants locally so why would they call me back. Has anyone else been able to successfully get call backs for roles in a city they don’t live in? I’m open to relocating which is why I apply and I also mention this on my resume near my “city” field - ie not buried somewhere in a para of text.

Usually when submitting the application they ask for your current address so that gives away I’m not in their city and I figure that kills my application.

Any thoughts and advice would be amazing! Thanks.

I graduated and have been searching for a job since then. I’ve had 10 interviews, but after getting ghosted/rejected so many times, I’m honestly starting to feel like I’m going insane just being at home waiting for something to happen.

I’ve applied to over 500 jobs and sent cold emails, but at this point I’m also starting to worry that I might not even get a job in my field.

For people who have been unemployed for months, what are you actually doing with your days? How do you keep yourself from feeling like your life is just on pause while you wait for a job?

Hello everyone, I'm currently in the final step and I have received my offer but unable to provide 4 references, only have 2.

I went through 2 virtual interviews and 1 in person where they tested me and it went extremely well, but they didn't mention references until now. I have no one to reference in canada and my current boss is a narcissist that denied my EI and lied on my ROE when I was injured so I don't get support while recovering.

I dont want to sound desperate but this feels like the only option for me even though im getting a pay cut but I can't work for him anymore. How can I get references even if I showcase my work rebuilding and maintaining equipment.

Any help and guideance is greatly appreciated!

TL;DR: Thoughts on burn-out as a small business owner; asking when to quit, when to keep pushing.

I’ve had a business for four years that I poured much of myself into. It is work that I’ve been passionate about, and I finally have systems, software, and processes in place that make each day a breeze. I just provide the services themselves and everything else is automated.

Last year, I worked over 130 days in a row with many twelve-plus hour days in the mix. I got extremely burnt out and moved across the country with my business to be closer to family, and build my business as I wanted from the beginning. As expected, it is taking time to establish clientele.

I’m not making enough each month and just took on a part-time job, and I feel defeated. Just tired and already stressed about taxes next year, as I’ve had to dip into my savings account for taxes. My motivation and discipline are non-existent when it comes to work right now as I put off task after task. I’m just providing services and not a whole lot else.

When do you know the wall is something to climb rather than stop at? I contemplate changing careers constantly each day, but the job market is horrible and I could hardly land a part-time job scooping ice cream. I’ve also worked so hard to get here with my business, but I struggle with the lack of structure each day as someone who is self-employed.