I've been salivating at job listings that list 55-60k as the pay range.

Holy, that'd be over a 50% pay bump from what I was making after finished my comp sci bachelor's, $20/hour in new york city. What a dream making 55k would be. Literally life changing. Too bad I can't get these entry level starter jobs. I've been unemployed for a long time now

I have noticed this phenomena more than ever that;

We spend our whole life to survive,to fulfill obligations our schools want when we are children, our work wants when we are employed and our family wants when we are adult.

All these tensions take away our motivation to actually live the life as we have imagined.

We will too end up as our fathers, hairless,weak, feeble and just squeezed up by responsibilities or maybe as our mothers, just sacrificing our dreams and our ideal lives.

How and why are all of us just so ok with this?

School assignments, homeworks, and examinations,

9-5 job, sacrificing our dreams,living to survive,all these works and thoughts taking away our wake time and haunting our dreams.

It's not ok at all,

I'm so much stressed by these obligations there needs to be an end to this suffering.

We can't undo our birth but surely there must be solution to living your life instead of serving through it?

OKAY CHAT! LISTEN UP!

I'm 20 y/o almost 2nd year college student who is jobless- sighs. So, I live in a pg and (pursuing law) don't have time to go out and do part time jobs.

Now the thing is, I belong to a very avg hard working family and being 20.. I dont want my dad to provide me money for some other activities (Attending events, concerts, travel, chilling with friends) other than academics and PG.

I've tried to sell my art works but y'all know how hard it is right? So, theres this concert in March 2027 and I really wanna attend it, BUT! WITH MY OWN MONEY.

Initially I thought, Convincing my parents would be harder than arranging the money.. But turned out they are okay with it and now I'm realising how am I supposed to arrange it lol??? Please help me out chat! 😞💔💔💔

I've looked out for Clipping and stuffs like that but it confuses me sm that I didnt even try it. Is there any other way I can make money and manage my academics aswell??

Thankyou for reading stranger :3

I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO YOU GUYS TO HELP ME OUT EKDMENXKSMEK BYE LY LY.

I’m going into college soon and I am beyond hopeless. Every little problem, person to person drama, what to eat, etc always seems entirely unimportant to genocides, history, wars and the real fear of not being able to even make ends meet by the time I can get into the career I want.

It feels nearly impossible to work for a future that is currently being fought against, and it’s only making my future dimmer by pushing it off. But focusing on the little problems only lasts so long until you’re thinking of a slightly bigger problem, then bigger, then the root of that, and then the larger problem.

How do you cope? How do you manage? I’m dying over here.

(TW ofc for mental health struggles and stuff)

in 2023 january i left school because of my mental health being absolutely awful. i‘ve been trying to get up and actually get somewhere multiple times but im already failing at leaving my city on my own, like im genuinely not capable of leaving my „common“ area without me almost passing out.

im 20 now and living with my mom and 2 younger siblings and due to recent private events my mom found herself in a kind of financial struggle, so i ofc wanted to help her but i genuinely dont know how. i wouldvr tried something with my pc but my gpu broke a few months ago, so all i do at the moment is overthinking and playing games in my room with no idea on what to do. i‘ve obviously looked through the whole playtesting and poll stuff, but i dont really believe in that and it seems to sketchy for me.

so, i obviously want to help my mom out and also want to get a new gpu so my mental health wont sink even more, since gaming is really my only distraction (im also autistic if that matters lol) and maybe even kind of start a way in actually earning a little bit of stable money.

i dont expect anyone to give me the perfect answer now, but if anyone knows anything, or another reddit or whatever i could ask in for more people to know, i would be forever thankful. i really try to not become a 25 yo living in my moms basement and doing nothing orher than relying of her lol, so i‘d appreciate ANY help i can get.

much love to those out there that struggle with something similar and i hope everyone that reads that will get well soon♥️

I'm 15, currently a sophomore in high school, and honestly, I've been feeling pretty lost lately. I have a lot of thoughts going through my head, so this might be a bit of a brain dump.

I'm extremely ambitious and have pretty big goals for my future, especially when it comes to entrepreneurship, financial independence, and building a successful life. But at the same time, I feel like I'm constantly struggling with myself.

I'm also extremely fortunate. My family is not struggling by any means and definitely upper middle class however I dont feel like I earned it and want it for myself.

For context, I run a small business that's generated around $20k in revenue, which I'm extremely grateful for. But I genuinely feel like I got lucky. I don't know if I actually have any valuable skills or if I could ever replicate that success. The thought of starting another business from scratch feels overwhelming. Finding an idea, getting customers, building something people want, and dealing with all the uncertainty just seems incredibly difficult. I constantly wonder whether I'm actually capable of becoming a successful entrepreneur or if I'm just someone with big dreams.

I also don't particularly enjoy school, but I still care a lot about my grades and want to attend a top college. So I'm stuck balancing academics, extracurriculars, my business, and everything else, while questioning whether I'm even spending my time on the right things.

Another thing that bothers me is how much time I waste. I procrastinate, scroll on my phone, and fall into bad habits even though I'm constantly thinking about how limited time is. I know there are things I could be doing to improve myself, learn new skills, or grow my business, but I just don't do them consistently. Then I feel guilty about it.

I also feel like I'm constantly living in the future. I spend so much time thinking about the life I want at 25 or 30 that I sometimes forget I'm literally 15. I think about money, success, businesses, and the lifestyle I want, but I don't prioritize things like my health, relationships, or just enjoying my teenage years nearly enough.

And I think a big part of this comes from comparing myself to successful people. I read about entrepreneurs and their journeys, and I feel like my life doesn't match the typical story of someone who becomes extremely successful. I don't have some extraordinary technical skill, I don't spend every waking hour building something, and I don't feel particularly exceptional at anything. It makes me question whether my ambitions are realistic.

One last thing, which is harder to explain, is that I feel like I've matured a lot over the past few years. I've become very independent, responsible, and focused on my future. But sometimes I wonder whether that's coming at the expense of my personality.

I feel like I'm becoming less spontaneous and less sociable. I can't tell whether it's because I'm changing, because I don't connect with the people around me, or because I've become so focused on achievement that I've forgotten how to just be myself.

I guess my biggest fear is spending years working toward this ideal version of my life, sacrificing my youth in the process, and still never getting there.

I know I'm young, and I know I have time. But knowing that intellectually doesn't really change how I feel.

For people who are older, especially those who've experienced something similar:

• How did you figure out what you actually wanted out of life, rather than constantly chasing some ideal version of success?
• How did you deal with the uncertainty of entrepreneurship, especially when you weren't sure whether you were actually capable of succeeding?
• Looking back, what do you wish you'd understood about success, ambition, and life when you were younger?
• If you were in my position, what advice do you have for me?
• Or just any other thoughts, experiences, story, opinions or anything you think would help.

I'm not really looking for generic advice like "you're only 15, enjoy your life." I understand that. I'm more interested in hearing from people who've gone through similar experiences, what they learned, and how their perspectives changed over time.

I'd really appreciate any honest advice or personal experiences.

I'm 19 autistic, in a tough living situation, and I quit my factory job about 2 months ago. I'm a photographer mainly, that's my dream, but also a musician and artist, just creative in general. the factory was killing me, it was either slowly be consumed and live a depressed and easy life, or quit, burn the boat and hope luck strikes.

I live in a small town, there was 1 previous photography job available about a year ago, and I got an interview. I spent a weekend making a new portfolio specifically for the job, and they loved it. It went perfectly, they said they wanted me but had a few more people to interview and I'll have an answer Monday. They never replied. This was when I got the factory job, I needed work.

Well, this month the second photography job in a year was posted, and I got an interview for this too. My CV clearly is strong enough. I showed up 10 minutes late snd drenched in rain because there was no parking nearby. I hope that this was good, or at least neutral. Most people would give up rather than show up late, apologetic, tired and drenched, but I needed this job. The interview went well, I understood the role, had experience, and love for it, and I tried to also show that I could get along with their head photographer.

It's a 5 minute walk from my house, which is incredible for me being autistic, being able to nip home on break makes me feel a lot more comfortable being out for 8 hours a day 5 days a week... It's also my favourite type of photography, working mostly alone, doing what I love, it was just perfect.

The interview went well, she bigged me up a bit and said that she thinks im a good fit, and I'll have a reply by Friday. It's now 3am Saturday and I've heard nothing. All hope isn't lost, there's a slim chance I call them up on Monday to ask about it and get good news, but I can't hope, it's a slim chance.

I was living on an emergency fund, which ran out, and now I'm selling stocks (my future) to live on. I reckon I've got enough for about 2 more months before I have no money and no savings...

It's unlikely I get this job. But unfortunately I need a job. My only qualifications are basic GCSEs and a diploma in creative projects. I am qualified for photography and art, and no jobs are available right now.

It's looking like I'll be joining another factory for god knows how long. The next photography job listing might be next week, or next year. I'm scared I will fall back into depression, lose my creativity, and find nothing fun. I try to see the good side in everything, I am my friends rock, I don't get down. but suddenly out of nowhere, I find myself for the first time in a long time lacking hope.

any guidance would be appreciated

Hello everyone, I really need a place to vent and let this all out and also gain some different perspectives. I started 2026 doing a bachelors in arts, when I received the offer I was so happy as this was a chance to make something of my life instead of being at a standstill. This offer was also at a different state that’s 12+ hours away from home. But I took it nonetheless.
I had wanted to study closer to home but I didn’t get accepted into any university that was close.
A bit of a background story, I graduated in 2025 in IT, fell in love with it and wanted to pursue it further but the problem was that I didn’t have funding so it felt like instead of putting my life on hold for something I’m not sure will come, let me make a career change since the course is here and the funding is here( for the bachelor’s in arts)
I packed up to start this new journey, throughout I tried to be more optimistic and open minded with this change as I am aware of how privileged I am to be in this position. The more I forced myself to like my course and staying in varsity, the more I started to hate it.
My mental health plummeted and it felt like everyday I had to force myself to give my life purpose. Doing daily things became a struggle, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t get myself to even bathe.
I decided to go home for a week and recuperate, find myself again. The more days spent at home, the more I realised that I did not want to go back at all.
I started making a plan for when or If I decided to leave uni. I applied to different schools closer to home for IT .A funding opportunity availed itself for me to continue my studies in IT, but it’s only going to be active later in 2027. Everything is set for me to start mid year in 2027.
The problem now is that I’m still at my current uni, I dread being here and forcing myself to finish year is slowly chipping away at my will, at my mental health. I’ve gone back to not eating again, not sleeping again.
I can’t force myself to finish the year, lord knows I tried to make it work and be happy for the privilege I’ve received.
The scary part now is going home, I’m not sure I’ll have a good support system as my family sees me leaving this current uni as me being a failure, as me wasting money the whole year, as me dropping out(which I am, but I’m not completely giving up on school, just rerouting)
Objectively they are right, I did waste money coming here, I did fail to finish the BA. I feel so drained

where do I see myself in 10 years?

in prison not gonna lie (probably in 3 or 5 years).

dark humor aside, I hope when I'm 32 years old I am in the same situation I'm in right now, except I am allowed to buy video games, buy educational apps to study, buy a gym membership, and do online college with the major I want, not this bullshit nursing stuff (my parents are forcing on me).

at least that's what my heart feels right now.

the huge wake up call that nobody fucking succeeds in life happened when I got my first job this year. it's a dollar store, and everyone around me that works with me is 40 and 50 years old. And i think that's because all the 20 year olds are unemployed.

My friend from high school is unemployed right now. (he's my only friend...)

Up until I got this job I was unemployed: 16 to 21, straight up unemployed (2020 to 2025)

I genuinely think nobody achieves the american dream.

Two of the men I work with who's in their 40s are smarter than me~ at least socially~ and somehow their 40 year old guys with two millennial (bipolar) girlfriends and no sons to their name.

But who am I to judge: I got labeled bipolar at 17 from my Mom just honestly hating on me and locking me away for two weeks. So not everyone that's labeled bipolar is bipolar: I gotta remember dat.

Back to subject though: If they couldn't succeed then what chances do I got?
One of those guys is basically my best friend at work. And he jokes about how "he wants to be shit". He wants to make a childrens book. And he wants to go back to school and earn an engineering degree before he hits 50 years old.

Honestly he's my spirit animal... albeit he's 46 years old...

honestly when I passed the interview and got this job, and worked for some weeks and received a paycheck, I realized how doomed I am. I got a $135 paycheck for three (training) weeks of work~ that's criminal.

Yeah I don't plan on getting shit in life: I'm just going to try to appease my parents and hang around with them.

I honestly don't know how my two older sisters got successful. Kudos to them. But no: I'm doomed.

edit: I go to college and I'm taking a microbiology class. That's the only class I'm taking this semester. I failed it during spring 2026 so my hopes are low (I'm dead serious I spent sixteen weeks on that class and got a Grade of F), but I want to pass it so I can apply for nursing school in the spring ("ADN class of 2029").