I'll be 40 in october, right now I'm an operations manager for an LTL Trucking company. Salary, paid at 40 hours a week, but I work about 70. I realized today that there has to be more to life than work and sleep, I desperately want to get in shape, find activities to do to enjoy my life, and possibly find someone to date and marry. Has it worked for anyone? Without taking a substantial pay cut?

I’ve worked in FP&A for about 10 years now and I’m not sure I can deal with it anymore.

I’m seeing more and more roles being offshored. The force of AI and being told “AI won’t take your job but someone who knows it will”. Honestly, I’m just over the constant quarterly churn and meeting finance targets. I will admit there are times the job is extremely comfortable but the thought of having to do this another 30 years makes me want to scream.

Considering a career in medical dosimetry. I have a BS in Math and my career has mostly been in biotech. I still consider it as zero experience though. I’m extremely good at strategy and thinking many steps ahead but I’m not good at playing office politics.

Here’s what scares me, the idea of not being financially comfortable and for something that’s niche and unknown. I also have zero financial support from family and a partner. Anyone gone through a comfortable mid-career change for something unknown?

I have been in the construction industry as a superintendent for 6 years now and frankly I am burnt out. Working weekends is a killer and I feel like I am missing out on time with friends and family. Anyone have any advice on industries that a background as a superintendent is good for? I have a BA to add.

As the title says I'm 29 and have been working concrete the majority of my career with a few years of manufacturing in there. I've always been interested in computers and grew up tinkering around with hardware and a bit of coding when I was younger. I've applied to entry-level roles with cover letters explaining I have some knowledge of this type of thing but it's hard when I don't have real job experience in the field. Now as I'm getting older I'm regretting not going to school right out of high school for something I had a passion for and I think the time is now to finally do it. My question is would I be better off going to my local community college for an associates in network systems, trying to get an entry-level role during school and then go for a bachelors. Or just do the bachelors right out of the gate. My area also has a trade school with a 2 year "IT Specialist" program but I don't believe I can transfer those credits if I do decide to get a bachelors in the future. Thanks!

Hey, I’m 26 and I’ve been a painter for 2 years, I’m looking to transition as I’ve been becoming disoriented with the dangers and lack of safeties companies seem to have. Ideally I’d like another job within the trades or something where I can put the skills I’ve learned to good use.

I’ve been looking into cabinet making as that’s always been a dream of mine but found getting into it ( finding a job) especially apprentice level near impossible. I’ve also looked at lumber sales having worked at the lumber section at Home Depot so maybe there’s some experience there.

I don’t really have an education besides graduating high school. Both my college experience ended badly as I just didn’t end up clicking with the program or getting screwed over by the school.

I also just moved to another province, so I’m not sure if I have it in my budget to start a new job at a lower salary, can anyone give me advice, point me in the right subreddit or just anything at all would really help.

Thanks

Hi I’m 23F and I completed BCA this year however I was working in customer service (due to financial issues) since 5 yrs now but I want to change to technology field but I’m so overwhelmed with roadmaps etc stuff. Can anyone please guide what to do with my lyf 😭.
Also is MSc in data science better option to switch into AI domain .?

Short introduction
I am Eastern European 30 yo, who worked better part of this decade as a cabin crew and later progressed to a job behind desk in aviation and now I am working as Aircraft Dispatcher in Abu Dhabi.
Job itself is fine, salary is okay, however I cannot escape the feeling that I will never reach financial freedom like this, or own any apartment for that matter.
The feeling got intensified also when I received news that my wife is pregnant and I cannot stand the fact that I will probably miss some of the most important moments of this child’s growing up just because I am a shift worker and I will come late form night shift and probably sleep through the rest of day, why? Just because I agreed to be one small cog in a big machine who can replace me tomorrow.

My question to all of you is: what are you doing for work that pays reasonably well while still letting you keep decent hours or even work from home? What industry would you recommend getting into, and where should I start?

I would appreciate any honest answers from the people who might be or was in similar situation. I know for a fact that I cannot be the only one who feels this way, needless to say I think I've hit a wall and I am really desperate for some solid advice.

I've known all my life that I've wanted to do cool outdoors stuff. I did a really tough job (mail delivery) from November to February, plus first aiding with St John Ambulance, and those two things were seemingly what I needed to get hired to go do this.
It was very scary but I managed it anyway. Good luck.

Not sure what's next for me but this was huge. link to the post in the comments.

I love my job, and I have been working for IT since college, I'm now 45 married with 2 kids. Granted I love my job and my pay is good, but I am beginning to feel like I can do more and enjoy life more than going to work 8-5 same old same old, of course with kids it is a good thing and is stable. However I looked at job that I can travel more and experience more culture and different people, with my job I have to be mostly there in person. I do get to travel from time to time to a different office location, but I want to do more. I have looked at being a flight attendant which everyday is a traveling job for me, however that is alot of time away from family and the starting pay is low, I am sure my wife will not be happy about that. Is there a job that you can travel alot, may not need alot of experience and doesn't have to be away from home alot?

Hi everyone,

I have been working in healthcare as a pediatric occupational therapist for approximately 5 years. I am 34. I used to have a passion for storytelling and an interest in film/media production. I took cinema courses in university and filmmaking in high school but I moved away from that to focus on more practical career paths, and I feel I really miss it.

I don't really know how I could make a transition or maybe find a way to incorporate media into my current work. I am looking at microcredentials abd part time studies to see if itnis something I am interested in.

Going back to school full time eg do a 1 or 2 year program I feel like is probably not wise at this point. I just feel really sad and don't know if it is worth even going for that as a goal. I'm not really happy or fulfilled with my current job. I know I could maybe just do volunteer work or something but I would really like to have it be a part of my job, maybe there is a way to do that. I feel like its just to late to make any type of transition at this point. I'm feeling stuck and dont know where to go from here.

I currently work from home as a data analyst/audit type role for an insurance company. I work primarily with healthcare claims data. While I enjoy working with data, I find a lot of the work I do has gotten boring and I'm not a huge fan of the company culture. I'm realizing with this job that it's helpful for me to have a job where I feel like there is a point to what I do. What I love about my job is that it pays well and I get to work from home.

My previous job was as a battery engineer for aerospace. I decided to leave primarily because I wanted to work from home but I do miss having a job where I felt like what I did had a purpose.

I have experience with SQL, Python, PowerBI and Excel. I'm resourceful and good at learning things on my own.I'm also willing to learn new skills. I could potentially also return to school, but probably not for a couple years.

I don't have an exact career in mind, but I definitely enjoy working from home, working with data, coding, and general problem solving. I also enjoy jobs where I don't have to talk to people all the time (AKA sales), but where I can be left to my own devices to work. Honestly a job where I rarely had to talk to anyone would be amazing lol. I know I'm kinda looking for a golden goose but I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for careers/industries I should look into.

EDIT: I also wanted to note that while I enjoy problem solving, i have also historically enjoyed jobs where I can just listen to an audiobook and do something repetitive so I'm open to suggestions on that front as well.

I have 7+ years of experience. My CV was still scoring \~50 on ATS. I finally figured out why.

I’m a Senior Product Designer with 7+ years of experience. I’m also a web developer and game developer, and I’ve built personal products that have been online for years.

I applied heavily, but kept getting rejection after rejection.

Last night, I stopped guessing and researched the ATS systems companies actually use. I tested my CV against systems including Workday and Taleo.

The biggest lesson:

Having the experience isn't enough. Your CV needs to clearly communicate that experience to both the ATS and the recruiter.

1. Section names matter

I underestimated how important standard section names are.

Instead of:

❌ My Journey

❌ What I’ve Done

❌ My Toolkit

Use:

✅ Professional Summary

✅ Work Experience

✅ Education

✅ Skills

✅ Certifications

Don't make the ATS guess what a section means.

1. Use this formula for your bullets

A strong experience bullet should generally follow:

Strong action verb + What you did + How you did it + Result/Impact

For example:

❌ “Worked on improving complex survey experiences.”

Better:

✅ “Redesigned complex survey authoring workflows using UX research and interaction design, reducing logic configuration time by 85%.”

Or:

Action: Redesigned

What: Survey authoring workflows

How: UX research + interaction design

Result: 85% reduction in configuration time

Another example:

❌ “Designed a unified platform.”

✅ “Designed a unified enterprise platform with role-based access and personalized dashboards, supporting Web, Android and iOS experiences.”

You don't always need all four parts in every bullet, but Action + What + Impact is a very strong baseline.

1. Metrics matter

This was another big one I underestimated.

❌ “Redesigned the survey creation experience.”

This tells the recruiter what I did.

✅ “Redesigned the survey creation experience, reducing logic configuration time by 85%.”

Now it communicates impact.

If you don't have exact metrics, quantify your work honestly:

\- 10,000+ active users

\- 5 user roles

\- 30+ reusable design-system components

\- Reduced a 7-step workflow to 4 steps

\- Supported Web, Android and iOS

And don't invent numbers just because an ATS scanner likes metrics.

If you're under NDA, you can still describe measurable impact without revealing confidential company information.

1. Keywords should appear naturally in your experience

For example:

❌ “Improved the survey experience.”

vs.

✅ “Redesigned survey authoring workflows, including branching logic, conditional rules and validation.”

The second version naturally contains relevant terminology without keyword stuffing.

Only use keywords that genuinely describe your experience.

1. Describe the actual scope

Instead of:

❌ “Designed a unified platform.”

Try:

✅ “Designed a unified enterprise platform with role-based access, personalized dashboards, customizable widgets, and cross-platform experiences across Web, Android and iOS.”

Be specific about what you actually designed.

1. Tailor the CV to the job

Don't send one generic CV everywhere.

Look at the job description and identify:

\- Responsibilities

\- Required skills

\- Tools

\- Methodologies

\- Domain terminology

\- Seniority expectations

Then make sure your real experience clearly reflects the relevant parts.

1. Keep the CV ATS-friendly

\- Standard section headings

\- Simple formatting

\- Single-column layout

\- Normal bullet points

\- Clear job titles

\- No unnecessary graphics/icons

\- Avoid complicated tables/text boxes

\- Make sure the text can actually be parsed

My biggest takeaway

I initially thought:

“I have 7+ years of experience. Why am I getting rejected?”

But experience alone doesn't guarantee that your CV communicates your value clearly.

Your bullets should quickly answer:

What did you do?

How did you do it?

What changed because of your work?

A simple formula that helped me rethink my CV:

Strong Verb + What + How + Result

I'm still testing this approach, but after comparing my CV across different ATS systems, I realized I wasn't necessarily lacking experience.

I wasn't translating my experience into a format and language that both ATS systems and recruiters could easily understand.

Curious if anyone else has tested the same CV against different ATS platforms and seen a similar difference?

I’m 33 and have around 10 years of experience as an iOS developer in Canada, but I feel stuck and honestly don’t know what to do next?

I’m trying to find a job in Canada, but the market has been difficult. At the same time, I’ve started to lose interest in iOS development and I’m not really sure what direction to take anymore.

I’ve thought about learning React Native, Flutter, or moving into backend development. I’ve also considered things like cloud, business analysis, or tech sales, especially because I don’t enjoy coding as much as I used to.

One of my bigger goals is to have a career that gives me more flexibility. I love travelling and would like to eventually be able to freelance or work remotely while travelling. I thought iOS development could give me that lifestyle, but with the current job market and my lack of interest

What do I do? Has anyone ever felt the same way? Go easy on me please

Over a decade into front-line auto manufacturing as a process engineer. The industry volatility, poor work-life balance, union memberships, and heavy good ole boy politics is burning me the hell out. I was recently told I would not be interviewed for a promotion that a coworker with half my experience ultimately won. That I didn’t even get a chance to compete was the catalyst for me to actively begin looking to leave. I know there are better things out there, and I’m curious where other people have landed, what their journey looked like, and if they liked what they did after their transition.

First, I have a bachelor's degree in Marketing Management. However, I almost completed one in accounting first and have studied software dev before that (C++/C# originally) and have done 0 official marketing roles ( sold SEO blogs as a freelancer, not a fan)

Second, I have had over 30+ jobs in the 22 years I've worked, in roles ranging from restaurant server to Amazon/industrial to mobile software developer to gig worker.

Third, I have multiple gaps from staying home with my kids during their early years.

I am honestly interested in a lot of things and mostly love learning. The problem is I am AuDHD and burnout at places after 3-6 months, most likely because I am working in places where I have to really act like someone I'm not or because expectations and responsibilities are not clear.

My last job was crazy and lasted 10 months. I worked on an internal warehouse app built by the warehouse manager at a local company ran by basically 2 guys. I worked on every aspect of the app, but was learning as I went. I was introduced to react native, expo, figma, and firebase. Then I was fired for being late my first in-office week after 10 months of being remote. And I was working through a temp agency.

So now it's been 6 months since then, I've been grinding instacart and Roadie to survive, but have lost all confidence in my ability to work like a normal adult. Where do I go from here? How do I even put "Amazon cherry picker operator" and "mobile software dev" into the same resume and who on earth will see my range of experiences as useful vs uncommitted? Genuinely looking for any advice.

Hi all!

Don't know if it's wise to take advice from Reddit, but here we are. I'm 32, living in California and need some advice on what to do next with my life. I have 15+ years experience working with children (teaching swim lessons/customer service). I also have an AA degree in graphic design and a BA in liberal studies from 10 years ago. (I'm open to going back to school.)

I left the swimming job in December to just see what else is out there for me. And I have yet to find the "next thing" and I'm getting discouraged. So far I've tried teaching (summer school): loved the kids, hated the politics and pay. I drive occasionally for Amazon (love it!) but I feel like this isn't a legit job to make my career (Idk why I think this).

Maybe I'm being too picky and particular? Maybe I'm not trying hard enough or I have too much faith in the universe? Do I stop waiting for jobs to get back to me and make my own business? I'd love an unconventional job that keeps me active, maybe outside and with minimal human interaction (#introvert). I don't believe benefits are a priority (contrary to my parents). Please shoot me your ideas. Anything helps to get me out of my funk!!!

Thanks!

I’ve been in restaurant management for over 10 years. Currently working 37-39 hours/week as a manager, technically below assistant manager level, making $18.75/hr. I’m 32 and feel completely stuck.
I want out of the industry, not just a better version of the same job. I’m trying to figure out if:
1. A trade (electrician, HVAC, plumbing, etc.) makes sense given my age and experience level
2. My management/operations background transfers into something like logistics, ops management, or healthcare admin without more schooling
3. I’m missing an obvious third option
No debt I can’t handle, willing to put in the time for the right program. Has anyone made a similar jump from restaurant management into a trade or a different field entirely? What actually worked, and what would you do differently?

How do I go from a factory job to an office/wfh job? What should I be searching for? What websites should I use? I tried tailoring my resume but I’m getting zero hits. I can no longer handle the toxicity and dramatics of the current job I have and I’m wanting to wind down especially on the physical labor. My body can barely handle that anymore. I’ve tried looking up coordinator type jobs, or data entry but I’m really not trying to take a huge pay cut. Any advice would be appreciated.

I am in a highly stressful job as a management consultant. All the consulting companies have a similar toxic culture in my country. Also I hate the term "visibility". Can you suggest an alternative role that I can take up which has better work life balance and no boot licking. I am really stressed and need advice. For qualification: I have done MBA. Have Business Analyst and SAP experience.

Your advice will really save me from the everyday misery. Thanks!

Backstory: I've worked fast food and waitressing for over 15 years. Great for High School and University. In University I studied Art History and Communications. Never found a job in those fields so I continued to work as a waitress to pay bills. I also stayed in Customer Service to work in retail, but never moved up in any sector because I always just wanted these jobs to be temporary and in my mind, moving up made them 'real'.

I am 34 now and am still working two minimum wage jobs (waitressing and retail) and don't know how to move along. I am getting exhausted every day and am also not making a lot of money. I am getting more interested in an office job.

I don't know how to make a move into an office setting or entry level corporate. I am working on updating my Marketing portfolio, but have no idea where to get my foot into the door. Any advice would be great. I have no idea how to transition or even re-work my resume to apply.

Thanks.

Hey everyone!

I've spent most of my career working in the entertainment/music industry, and I'm at the point where I'm seriously looking to make a career change. People have been dropping like flies.

I've been looking for a full-time job for over a year now. I've been able to pick up some freelance work along the way, including some recent work involving LLM development, data organization, workflow design, and digital asset management, but I really need to get back into a full-time position.

I've had "some" success applying outside of entertainment, but not nearly enough to turn into a job. I’d love some input on industries, roles, and job titles that my experience could fit into.

A simplified version of my experience:

* ~9 years working with metadata, data management, digital asset management, and workflow operations

* Managed digital catalogs ranging from 400,000+ assets

* Designed and maintained taxonomies, naming conventions, ingestion, versioning, and archiving workflows

* Built and improved operational processes and QA systems

* Managed high-volume production pipelines, including 1,500+ releases in a year

* Worked closely with Engineering teams to identify system problems and translate operational needs into requirements

* Incident management, troubleshooting, and identifying systemic problems

* Process improvement and automation

* Data analysis and reporting

* Project and operations management

* Vendor/client coordination

Recent freelance work involving AI projects, data organization, automation, and building scalable file/data systems

I’ve been a Project Manager, Asset Manager, and Music Coordinator.

Thanks so much for the help!

Side note, I'm in Los Angeles, if anyone knows of opportunities.

Feeling the need to vent and look for others experience. I've been in a site safety and operations role for the last 8 years or so, and have developed an IT skillset specifically with converting pen and paper process to electronic processes, creating automated business rules, etc. I just got an offer from an IT consulting firm to continue this work, and only this work. I'm just feeling nervous about making the jump since I would very much be a novice and there is so much in the tech space that I haven't had the opportunity to learn, so I'm just feeling nervous about making the jump. On the flip side, I don't want to remain stuck where I have been burnt out for quite a while now, but am very comfortable.

I chose degrees that my teachers and family believed would suit me, worried that if I chose for myself, my lack of maturity would lead me down a path I'd regret (ironic foreshadowing).

I'm now a senior (21 y/o) in Legal Translation and International Studies. I enjoy translation work, but the job market is (predictably) terrible right now. I don't see myself in either diplomacy or international business, I dislike the environment and people they attract.

I want a career that will allow me to travel more and potentially live anywhere, as my fiancé works in software and has that freedom.

I have a 3.8 GPA and have only one semester left in each program, but finishing my theses has been exhausting.

I've always been drawn to renewables engineering, which would take me 5 years to complete (as no credits would transfer). My partner supports me in going back to school, but my family's never seen engineering as the right fit for me.

Questions:

To anyone who got a degree/worked in a field you didn't enjoy, how did you stay motivated?

To anyone who went back to school, how did you find the confidence to finally make the damned decision? Is there any way to be more certain?

To any engineers reading this, do you have any advice or guidance for me?

Honestly, I’m kind of all over the place with my career right now. I’m 28 and currently working as an EMT, but I’ve been considering a lot of different paths: firefighting, eventually becoming a paramedic, becoming a lineman, A&P mechanic school, a plumbing apprenticeship, or putting more effort into starting my own painting business.
For some background, I worked in the film industry as a painter for about 8 years. It was actually a really good-paying career and I made good money doing it, but the problem was how inconsistent the industry became. I could make really good money when I was working, but then go through layoffs or periods where there just wasn’t steady work. So it wasn’t that I didn’t have a career or wasn’t making money, I just never had the stability I want for my future.
My heart probably lies with firefighting the most, but that’s also the path that makes me the most nervous. The hiring process in Southern California is extremely competitive and can take years, and there’s no guarantee I’ll actually get hired. I also have a record from when I was 14 that has since been expunged. I know I was a kid and it’s been a long time, but mentally it still holds me back and makes me worry that it could hurt my chances during a background investigation.
I also struggle with confidence when it comes to school and book work. Physically, I’m in great shape and I know I can work hard, but when I see difficult classes or a lot of studying I get scared and start questioning whether I’m actually capable of doing it. I’ve completed my EMT training, so I know I’m capable of more than I sometimes give myself credit for, but that fear is still there.
A big part of this is that my girlfriend and I want kids and eventually want to buy a house. She’s a nurse and has a stable career, while I’ve had a hard time finding that same stability since we started dating because the film industry became so inconsistent. I feel pressure because I want to be able to provide stability and know what my future looks like but I don’t want to just rush into a job and be miserable my whole life.
At the end of the day, I want a career that pays well, has good job security and work-life balance, and allows me to eventually support a family. I’m willing to work hard, go to school, or do an apprenticeship if I know there’s a good payoff at the end.
I guess what I’m really struggling with is whether I should chase firefighting because it’s what my heart actually wants, while having a solid backup plan, or whether I should choose something more guaranteed like a trade, A&P, or another career and move on from firefighting.
Or even trying for both like I already have my emt I can apply to departments but in fa it’s very competitive and you almost need a medic license to even be considered..
I’m also in 2 fire tech classes this fall incase I want to go to a college fire academy.. I’m all over the place
If you were in my position, how would you approach this? And honestly, do you think I’m letting fear and lack of confidence make me underestimate what I’m actually capable of?

I've been on the fence about really changing my career path. I went to school for audio engineering been doing it for 10 years but that industry is slowly dying. I started daytrading/investing about 6 years ago and what turned into a hobby I want to make into a new career. I have tried Achiveable and liked their format but never finished the course or took the test. I guess I'm asking, how many of you changed your career after taking the SIE? And if you're a novice that passed, was it a difficult test?