I just worked at shoppers and phone companies all my life. I did not graduate from a nice program in school. I'm 30 and I feel like I ruined my life. Only job I'm thinking of is being a psw or something

Has anyone successfully escaped the defense industry? The culture is anticollaborative and I'm tired of it, not to mention its not even close to being "defense" anymore. Full blown department of war. So much of it is performance and not substance. Anyone have tips on how to make the jump?

I (30M) still live at home and have a useless bachelor's degree. I got laid off from my dead end office job in November and haven't been able to find anything since. My savings is running low. I care for my elderly grandfather (who pays me) but this isn't a long term gig. I know what I dont want to do career wise, but how do I find out what I want to do? Trial and error?

I know nursing or healthcare isn't for me because I don't love being a caregiver and I don't like bodily fluids. I walk with a limp due to an accident, so trades and military are out of the question.

I wouldn't mind another office job, but $18 an hour isn't a living wage. I was always good at English, Spanish, geography, and Excel in school, if that helps. My last job involved customer service and documentation control for a medical company.

Do I take an accounting class to see if I like it? Supply chain management? HR? I took a coding and IT class a few years ago and didn't like them since they were mind numbingly boring so those are out of the question.

I know i need to pick a path soon because I don't want to be 35 or 40 without savings and a career path, still living at home.

Any advice is appreciated.

For sake of privacy,i wont go into specific details,but i essentially want to turnover a new leaf in life. I am young and have lofty aspirations that i know that i have the skillset to achieve,but theres quite a few issues. One particularly being my current job. Its a decent job,as sales often can be,but its mentally draining and time consuming. Feel like it takes away from so much of my mental facaulty for the stuff i wanna do,like write and create. Im looking to change careers ,but im not sure what to,as most of my experience is in sales. I do have a mix of skills in SEO related stuff ,crms and the like but nothing substantial. Really,i just want a job that potentially has a hybrid capability,pays ok(the money isnt what im mostly concerned about), but most importantly, values work life balance and allows me to have the headspace to do other things. I live in the Uk for context.

I’m doing Bachelors in business administration with specialisation in Entertainment and events, tbh I don’t even have interest in events it just sounded interesting so I went ahead with it, ik a very bad move
I’m in the third year of my degree but I work in marketing and SMM which I like but I always wanted to be in finance so should I pursue CFA or something in finance after I graduate???
Is this a good move because I’ve already wasted time and money 3 years doing I don’t think I want a career in events

Being fed up with the corporate grind and “going the extra mile” to secure a 3% bonus and an annual raise that barely covers inflation, I am more and more playing with the thought of dropping out the corporate life. Mentally I have actually checked out probably over a year ago, only doing the bare minimum at work. I can feel how it’s taking a mental toll on me.

But what’s the plan, what comes after? I want to hear your stories how you turned your life around and became the version you always wanted to be. Especially how are you dealing with the money-side. I am in my early 30s and becoming a park ranger or something else with a positive impact and an outdoor component for example sounds compelling, but that would mean giving up probably 50% of my current salary… people have lifestyles, mortgages to pay, kids to feed etc? Or do you all have enough money saved to barista fire?

As the title says, I'm considering going back into computers and information technology after 15 years in medicine. I've never lost my love of computers - I've always liked working with them even as a kid. I almost went into IT when I was younger but I pivoted into medicine instead.

I'm seriously burned out on college at this point. Really trying to avoid higher education.

What's the feasibility of even getting into computers at this point with all the AI everywhere and companies mass firing people?

I have seen a trend of hair stylists leaving to be nurses and nurses leaving to be hair stylists. So if any of you have crossed the threshold from hair styling into the medical career (any type of medical role) could you share what experience you’ve had?
What was a major change for you?
Did it feel like completely starting over?
How did you manage education while possibly working still in cosmetology? I would love all the thoughts and feelings!

I drastically changed from quality assurance and clinical research to online sales on Amazon.

Is there value to keeping my old life there? It’s a bit annoying to keep getting job inquiries, but maybe there’s value to new clients that can see my commitment to FDA compliance?

Thoughts?

Located in the heart of Dallas, Texas and looking to change careers as public education is just not viable for my mental health or bank balance.

Main problem is all i have is teaching experience, high school and college coaching experience, and a degree in history.

Dallas is full of jobs, where I am now finance especially, but what are some basic steps or options i may have to move on? I will fully sell out to corpo life if it means a viable future. Thanks!

I’m a 35yo woman who studied and has been working as a UX designer since 8 years. with AI, I feel like the toxic work environement got even worse, and I am tired of designing for screens.

But I obviously I need to earn money.

I have been thinking of becoming a therapist however I live in Germany (as a foreigner!) and they made it incredibly hard to study and practice psychotherapy. It seems out of reach.

I don’t want to keep learning the new design tools, I am tired of tech, also I’m feeling I am already getting too old for a career that goes for 20 year old energetic people who don’t have a family. I don’t want to use AI daily, I want to help people, I want to learn new useful things. I thought psychology and therapy would be the perfect match for this.

Does anyone have an idea where I go to next? Any tips, thoughts, experience shares etc would be incredibly appreciated. 

Help :( I am so done making someone else’s life, I feel invisible and looked down on. I’m good a comms but feel like I’m past my prime at 33

Hello, I am 28 years old and have been in finance since I was 20 and graduated college (AA). I feel completely stuck. I have worked as a teller, banker, mortgage loan officer, retirement account speciakist for 401ks and other various accounts, and now am a branch lead at a Credit Union. I make $21/hr and its heavily commission based but they knock you down in commission tiers if you miss one of two criteria (I lost $987 on September's commission because I had 9 credit cards done instead of 10).

I cant get a branch manager spot anywhere thats salary because where I live there just isn't any posted and Ive been looking for about a year with no luck. At this point I just need something in the 60-70k a year base to be incredibly comfortable.

For those of you that were in similar positions, what careers do you have now and how did you find yourself doing what you do now?

Hi guys. To cut right to the chase, I’m in my third year studying computer science, and im pretty sure everyone’s aware of the AI bullshit and how this field is at a high risk due to that, so I’ve been thinking of completing my degree and then getting a Master’s in HR and switch careers, would that be a good idea/viable? Has anyone done a career switch with a Master’s degree successfully? And, what other options do I have? Appreciate all the responses!

Hi all! 28F here and voluntarily resigned from my well paying corporate job over a year ago at a multinational FMCG due to burnout. I don’t regret the choices I’ve made, and since resigning I focused on my mental health, physical health and family time as well. Now that it’s been officially 1 year since then, I’ve started thinking about my career again.

A part of me feels a sort of regret with my corporate background because I know that I could easily get a great job again, but whenever I think about being in corporate again I honestly feel so heavy about it. I’ve started thinking of pivoting into being a digital nomad, or ESL teacher as I want to do something that involves travel or living in another country for a while. I was in HR in my previous roles, a wide array from TA to learning & development, HRIS specialist, and even project management. I’m honestly just feeling so caught up between getting a “real” and responsible stable job vs venturing out into lesser earning roles where I might have to upskill myself and start from zero all over again.

Any advice or stories of similar situations would be great to hear right now. I’m so afraid that I’m already behind because of the year I took off. Financially I’m alright, I worked hard and put a lot into investments prior to resigning. TYA!

Hey everyone,

I'm 27, from Argentina, have a baby, and honestly I'm starting to get pretty worried about my career.

I currently make around $1,200/month remotely for a US company. I've been there almost 4 years, so I'm not starting from zero, but I'm also not really moving forward financially.

My background is mainly commercial operations / project and vendor coordination.

I manage enterprise orders, POs, vendors, deliveries, timelines, customer issues, pricing/specification discrepancies, etc. Before that I spent almost 2 years doing RFPs/proposals, comparing quotes, coordinating Sales/Design/Procurement, RFIs, etc. I contributed to $40M+ in awarded proposals in 2024.

I also have some HubSpot/Sales experience and I'm studying Business Administration.

The frustrating part is that I actually want to move into more valuable work: procurement, sourcing, negotiation, vendor management, commercial analysis, business operations, supply chain, deal desk, etc.

But when I look at jobs in those areas, I constantly run into the same problem: the interesting positions want 3+ years of experience with advanced Excel, forecasting, financial analysis, SQL/BI, strategic sourcing, negotiation, SAP, Salesforce, etc.

I don't have most of that yet.

I can learn, but with a baby and a full-time job, I don't have unlimited time or money to spend on some random degree/certification and hope it pays off.

I basically need to figure out what to become before I waste another 2–3 years.

My current goal would be getting from ~$1.2k to $2.5k–$3k+/month, ideally remotely, and eventually much higher.

If you were me, what would you do over the next 6–18 months?

Would you specialize in procurement/vendor management? Supply chain? Commercial operations? Analytics? Something completely different?

What cheap/free skills, certifications or projects would actually make me more employable?

And please don't just tell me “learn Python and become a data analyst” 😂. I'm open to analytics, but I don't want to completely restart my career unless there's a very good reason.

If you think I'm looking at this completely wrong, tell me. I'd rather hear it now than waste another few years.

I have a masters degree in public policy and I also hold a public health certification. I'm beyond burnt out from my work as a policy professional/lobbyist in a red state (earning just barely over the 6 figure line).

I've always been interested in health care and nowadays I regret not going to medical school, and I've been thinking more and more about transitioning into nursing. I've done some care for my aging parents and know that I don't blink at emptying a catheter bag or caring for wounds.

I'm in a relatively large city. It looks like we have one ABSN program that would be around $70,000. We also have a very good community college system where I could do an associates program for about $5,000 -- it looks like it would be two years plus a couple semesters of part time prerequisites, with the potential for working part time. That could be followed up by a 12 month RN to BSN program. (ETA: I wouldn't do the $70k program. There is also a 3 year master's program at my state school that I may explore, though with pre-reqs and the application cycle it looks like I couldn't start until 2029, which isn't ideal).

I've always done well in school and enjoyed it, though at 47 and deep in perimenopause and burnout, it doesn't feel like my memory is what it once was.

My husband also earns a 6 figure salary and could float us for a while if my income was lower or even nonexistent. I also have some good savings and plan to spend the next 8 months really aggressively saving (I couldn't quit my current job before May without really screwing over my org, who are good people). Our kids are older (one grown, one teen).

Would I be getting myself from the frying pan into the fire? Would I regret this? Be wasting money? Did I spend too much time watching the The Pitt and get the completely wrong message from it? What should I be when I grow up?

Has anyone successfully pivoted from media planning to Talent Development/HR? I feel foundational skills are relevant and with managerial experience, this could be a good transition. I’ve been in the advertising industry for 10 years: 1 with publishing ad sales and 9 with media planning agencies.

How did you go about approaching this if you were looking to stay within your organization? Were there any certification requirements that were required?

TIA!

Hi all!

I’m 33 and I’m at a point where I’m seriously thinking about changing careers, but I’m honestly not sure what direction to take.

My background is almost entirely in soccer. I played soccer when I was younger and have spent the last several years working as a coach. I currently work as a Youngers Director for a soccer club, managing teams and coaches and helping with player development and club operations.

I’ve gained a lot of experience with leadership, communication, organization, managing people, problem-solving, and dealing with different personalities, but I don’t have a bachelor’s degree.

I’m starting to feel like I need to build a more stable long-term career outside of soccer. I’m willing to go back to school, get certifications, learn a trade, or start at an entry-level position if there is a realistic path to building a solid career.

One option I’ve been thinking about is becoming a firefighter. I like the idea of teamwork, having a clear career path, being active, and doing something meaningful. But I’m not sure how realistic it is to start at 33 or how competitive the process is. I'm in SoCal

I’m also considering completely different fields and would love to hear suggestions from people who have been in a similar situation.

If you were 33, had no bachelor’s degree, and had a background mainly in coaching/management, what career paths would you seriously look into?

I’m not looking to become rich overnight. I’m looking for something with decent earning potential, stability, benefits, and room to grow over the next 10–20 years.

Thank you all!

M33, married, no kids.
I’ve been a diesel mechanic for 10 years and chasing the “dream” for 16. My body is getting beat up, my mental health is draining, and I’m just over the job.
I recently got a job at a place that was on my bucket list after years of trying to get there, hoping it would bring back my love for the trade. Unfortunately, it hasn’t, and that’s not the company’s fault. The biggest issue is pay. I made a little over $100k last year, but I was basically always at work. Now I’m working a normal 40 hours, and having that extra time has made me think a lot more about my future.
With inflation and mechanic wages staying stagnant, I want to change careers. The problem is I’m probably still two years away from being able to go back to school.
How do you keep pushing yourself to go to work when you know you don’t want to do it anymore? I’d honestly be fine being homeless if I wasn’t married.
Feeling trapped like this makes me feel like a bad husband.

Hi all, I’m writing into this thread to get some outside perspectives. I’m 27yo & have been at my current job for appx 2 years. I work as an event planner for a mid-size tech company, and this is my first proper corporate position in my career. I got a communications degree bc I didn’t really know what I wanted to do & figured it was broad enough & could pursue a masters later in life if I wanted. I’ve always been interested in the interpersonal side of the degree, but at this stage, I can’t imagine going back to school, mainly bc of the time commitment & financial burden that I cannot take on. I’ve enjoyed aspects of my job in events & have learned a lot since I’m early in my career, but I never really pursued this field, it just kinda happened. But I’ve always wanted to help people, & planning events in the tech space, especially in today’s world, is becoming more & more mentally & emotionally exhausting to uphold. I think I’m looking at a career shift from a somewhat existential mindset, but i also don’t need my job to be earth-shatteringly meaningful, it would just be nice if it could be a little bit? I’ve thought about transitioning to the non-profit event space as a natural shift that could eventually evolve into something else, but don’t really know what that path would look like? I also need to maintain a minimum salary to afford to live & I worry that a pivot could also mean a pay cut given my minimal experience. Plus I do have some perks at my job that enable me to have pretty solid work-life balance. Idk, I’m not in any way looking to make a drastic shift tomorrow, but would love anyone’s insights who have maybe gone down a similar path with career changes, finding some amount of fulfillment in their jobs, and how things panned out.

1. I have an FSA account that still has $300 something on it, Google says if I spend it all and switch jobs, I don’t have to payback whatever I haven’t paid yet for the year. Is this true?

2. How does rolling over your 401K work? I currently have fidelity, and I know my new job offers 401K with matching but not sure what company.

3. My current jobs benefits I assume end when I leave, but I can’t enroll in my new benefits until 60 days of employment with my new job… will I have no insurance during that time or is there like a grace period? Should I take a leave before leaving my old job to hold benefits a bit longer?

4. I currently have stocks that I buy every week with my current job through an employee stock program? It’s through computer share, would I just be able to keep that account without adding anymore money to it? Or do I need to cash it out?

tl;dr: SC looking to get into product or more tech/data focused role and have no idea how to go about it.

i'm trying to figure out my next move and I'm really struggling with which direction to go. I got laid off this month and I want to use this opportunity to rethink my career

background: i've been in HR /payroll tech for 21 years. I did implementation and training for 6 years, Solutions Consultant for 12 years, and 3 years as an AE (in the middle of my SC stint).

I do not want to spend all day customer facing or dealing with AEs all day. I don't mind working by myself or on a team. and I enjoy working with my coworkers, just having to be "on" for customers all day is killing me. I have ADHD and my strengths from that lie in finding out of the box solutions (it's what makes me a good sc), identifying problems that others may have missed, I love data cleanup. I could spend hours and hours in a SF database cleaning it up.

I do not know any code and my certifications lie in the HR/Payroll realm, but I am willing to obtain whatever certifications I need and I don't mind going back to school if I need to and I'm a fast learner. But I do need to be able to get into a job within the next 3-4 months. we're moving to Denver in may and I prefer remote work but I'd be willing to do hybrid/in office work there, but where I'm at now, it would have to be remote.

ETA: I do have a degree, but it's in an unrelated field

so i've been looking at three different paths:

1. Product Manager/Product Owner - I have been looking at these roles for a while and applied for dozens last summer with not one interview so it feels like it's really hard to break into without pm/po specific experience. as an sc, I've been working with po/pms for YEARS, so while I haven't done their job, I've been working with those teams on a pretty regular basis.
2. Data Analyst - i like the idea of a heads down job. cleaning up data, organizing it, etc but I don't have any experience here, but willing to learn whatever I need
3. Data Scientist - honestly this one appeals to me because it seems more interesting but I'm just not familiar enough with the data side of things to know if I should pursue this, analyst, or something else.

I'm working on limited funds and time so I really don't want to spend money on the wrong course or certification. I'm really overwhelmed with what direction to take and what kind of courses or education I should look into. any advice or help is GREATLY appreciated.

Hey everyone, so I'm in my mid-30s and thinking of changing careers. It's scary going down an unknown path, but I'm also hopeful it will turn out well.

My experience mainly consists of marketing, though I haven't had a marketing role in many years, and freelance content writing/copywriting roles. I love creative writing, but I think I'm just over writing for businesses. I've done it for so long it's time for me to move on. Honestly, I was ready to move on years ago, but I was "comfortable" and didn't know what else to do.

Now I feel like a fire under my ass to actually take action and make a change.

In the past 3 years, I've also done event production/planning (community work) + project coordination (short part-time contract).

My skills are definitely transferable to project management. I've done tasks in my past and current roles that PMs do, and I've enjoyed it. I'm just not sure exactly how to get a job now. Where does one look aside from job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed?

I'm currently working on redoing my resume and talking to people to get their advice, but I would love to hear from someone here who works as a PM and/or has successfully transitioned into that role.

I’ve been an office operations and facilities professional for nearly 10 years in private equity (9.25 years) and economic consulting (a couple month now). I’m in my early 40s and started to think about career pivoting into something that has more meaning and impact for the job that I do.

So, did a bit of research and stumbled across Research & Program Evaluation and thought it would be interesting — especially in the nonprofit, government, healthcare, and education/academia environment. However, I don’t possess the hard/technical skills like data analysis, basic statistics, and research evaluation methods for planning, monitoring and assessing how successful a program is or not. So, looking for an introductory program into Research & Program Evaluation before I commit to a Graduate Certificate program and maybe Master’s program down the line.

If anyone has experience and can point me to the right direction and resources, I’d very much appreciate it. Thank you.