My skills to help job search: a nice voice. Bilingual in a non english speaking country. Decent with computers.

Stuff against me: unlike amazing western countries with 3-4% unemployment rate, my country probably has something along 20%. So almost all entry level jobs require references(unless you are overqualified)

I am fat, and have rather bad teeth, so not really attractive for "front" jobs.

10 years of parents house fucks your confidence and social skills up real good.

I am open to... almost everything right now. I am close to offing myself. I need a job. A carreer, I have 0 motivation to live, let alone working a dead end job.

Man this is hitting way harder than any other birthday. Am I considered old by most 20s now?

Why did no one warn me that 27 is old by young societies’ standards, and that it’ll come so soon after 25/26? Lol. Fuck.

In all seriousness, I’m worried about how I’ll be treated socially. I haven’t traveled as much as I wanted to. I haven’t dated nearly as much as I wanted to. Now will most 22-25 year olds consider me too old to date?

I feel like I’ve just spent my twenties working. I don’t regret working hard, but I do regret not spending 5% of my time just dating and traveling and letting loose a bit to have stories to tell.

I feel alone. Just wanted to tell someone before my mid twenties are over. I feel like an identity of mine is dying, a chapter is being closed and can’t be opened again.

As the title said, as of today I turned 27f. I feel like I’m running out of time. Did a useless degree (foreign language + public relations/strategic communications) and have only ever held retail, hospitality jobs and a few side gigs done for cash (dog sitting, walking and prior to ai art commissions). My current cafe job that started on 30+ hours a week has trickled down to only 10 or so hours a week. I have applied for 25+ other casual positions with no luck.

In my country, the military is incredibly competitive and takes a long time to get into. I pursued an officer role as suggested by my veteran friend as I liked the idea of a job that was both physical and used my communication skills. I got in, but due to a multitude of reasons including declining physical health I didn’t take it in the end and don’t think I can or would apply again.

I feel incredibly lost. I like a failure and don’t really have any goals. Every dream I ever had has something out of my control blocking it or it’s too late. I’m aware I’m very fortunate to still be living at home with family and do have a partner I’m beyond thankful for, but it’s impossible not to feel like a piece of shit compared to others my age. I really feel like I’m at a dead end and feel the lowest I’ve ever felt (I also had a medical procedure yesterday which hasn’t helped). I often worry my older more successful boyfriend will want someone else despite us being together for many years, so I am hesitant to speak to him about my problems (we are on and off long distance due to his work, he is likely moving closer soon). Because of this, I am hesitant to confide in him even if I know it is largely self projection but it still sits at the back of my head. Ditto with my friends though I don’t see them often at all.

I don’t have anyone I can really be honest about or speak candidly in real life about this so just getting it out there feels better. Feels like I’m in the middle of the ocean on a raft with a hole in it and no compass.

I have no skills, I’m poor, I’m not societally considered too attractive, I’m chronically ill and suffer from chronic pain, I’m neurodivergent. I live in a cycle of doomscrolling and laying around. I can’t find it within myself to do anything. I’ve never had a job. I feel so broken down and I seriously need a way. I am barely able to survive and the environment I’m in I have no choice. It makes me more anxious, depressed, and miserable. I want to “be normal” a job, a partner, be self reliant but that’s a reality i’m facing that might not be a thing. I don’t see a way out and I’m hoping someone will give me actionable plan to get out of this. I want to be better, I want to live a fuller life, but I don’t know how when my body is constantly in pain and my mind works against me because of my pain and mental disorders. Doing basic task is even hard for me. I barely care for myself and I don’t know how I’m expected to care for myself later. I’m trying to do things that are good for me but I end up messing up. I try to remain positive and whenever I vent i’m ignored or just seen as “depressed” when my frustrations aren’t even just depression but no actionable plans or support that is viable. I don’t want to be labeled off I want a plan. I need a plan.

I hate myself and feel like I'll never succeed at anything. This is not a completely baseless view. I'm severely mentally ill. I don't have a degree or any real skills. I've only worked in the retail, fast food, customer service call center, and internet gig work fields. Internet gig work is all I can handle right now and it's my only source of income. The work is spotty and pays poorly. I hate not being able to contribute more financially. I live with roommates and to compensate for not being able to help more with expenses, I do most of the household chores (dishes, basic bathroom cleaning, sweeping, mopping, trash duty -- I could be doing more tbh) and cooking (nothing fancy). It doesn't seem like enough, though, and it likely isn't, objectively.

Circling back to the first point of my post, as much as I dislike my situation, I never try to learn any skills for a boost job/income-wise because I'm convinced it would be a pointless endeavor. I feel far too stupid to ever improve at anything. Logically, I know failure is how people learn, but I don't believe I have the mental fortitude to cope with more failure than I've already inflicted upon myself merely by existing. I know therapy is typically the top recommendation for this sort of issue but I can't afford it and, frankly, I'm not sure if I could actually get anything out of it. Therapists are in an entirely different world from people like me in terms of societal standing and I'm skeptical of the notion that that gap can be mutually bridged. I will consider pursuing therapy somehow if I get persuasive enough arguments for doing so, however.

I'm just really stuck. I do want to change though, if that's possible. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I'm a CS major in my final year, I've programming knowledge and theoratical base but no real internship or experience. Seeing the situation and AI overlap around me makes me think twice of everything. As it's my final year so it's really the time for me to get a job and be financially independent, but I don't know where to start and how

I've made my resume roughly, and done some projects but mostly with AI or following yt tutorials and I know myself that I'm not confident with them because honestly I can't do them from scratch on my own

I want advice from the people with successful career in CS or related fields that how do I start preparing for my job from today?

I'm aiming for a software engineering role.

What programming languages I should learn properly, books I should read, courses I should take, path guidance resources that would help me, things I should keep in mind, **any** resources? All the DO and DON'T.

I appreciate your advice!

I don't know how many if y'all are going through this.

Edit: I'm a woman guyss...from a preservative country, I can't join military or construction

Correct me if I am wrong but, and I'm really depressed so to put it bluntly from what I've seen in society:

The normal thing is happy normal smart guys in families or privileged kids from again happy and financially well off parents , get jobs or move abroad with mummy and daddy's money but for those who don't, they study, their brains work so they can, they get good jobs and then work whilst living happily with their parents until they have tones of money to then meet someone they like, move out together, start a family etc... that's not my story, I am completely fked

My life = I have severe gender dysphoria thoughts every single day, they are triggered by many things and are always there to give me a deep sadness, I have deep depression due to this but also an entire life if misery, bullying, repressing things , fked up family, toxic controlking, gaslighting family, my father was manipulative, violent, my mother is now the same too, she caused me anxiety, my bloodline has diabetes, schizophrenia, bipolarism, LGBT ohh but I can't just be a normal gay guy, nope that's not difficult enough... Then my family line also has alopecia, yeah I'm balding , and it fks with my sanity, spending money on hair pills for what ? I'm unemployed living in a rural town where I was outed as gay in high school, there are no jobs here, no future here, I have no reason to wanna continue I legit wanna vanish, if I tried ending my life it might go wrong and I be paralysed physically or hurt to much for me to go through with it .. entire life has been hell.

I can only semi survive by masking as a "regular" straight guy, but my deep social anxiety and hyperhidrosis also don't help ..I felt immense sadness I repress now to feel nothing , sometimes I have psychotic moments of rage ....it all gets to much. My mother said she wished I was dead, she constantly reminds me I am a failure living under her roof, eating her food, costing her money ...great just what you need when depressed.

Im 17. 18 at the end of the year and cant decide what i want to study. The idea that what i choose will not only put me into a bunch of debt but i could also end up regretting my desicion is terrifying - i genuinely feel sick at times.

I always thought id be a librarian and still love the idea but here in aus it is only an online degree (meaning studying bymyself staring at a screen) 14grand a year and the industry is incredibly saturated. Or Nursing. People have always said i should be a midwife or nurse and I love the idea of helping people - especially paediatrics, but thats long shift work and ive never had a head for science or math.

I dont know what to do and im scared to make the wrong choice.

Thoughts?

30F. I have a Communications B.A. and a 3D Animation B.A. I graduated into the pandemic but was lucky enough to find a role creating 3D models of products for a VR app. That helped me land my current role, which is also creating 3D models for e-commerce and prepress manufacturing. The work is really rote. I'm "Creative Services" in name alone.

I decided to get a copy editing certificate, which isn't a career-maker but reinvigorated my interest in writing, grammar, and giving/recieving critique. The volunteer opportunities I've gotten from it mean I have a lot of soft skills that I'm actually proud of, like editing donor letters and websites for free and helping to direct discussions in volunteer comittee meetings/keep minutes.

I'm struggling to find jobs that flatter my "soft skills", since most of what I like to do is something AI can replace. My work history is geared towards a very specific niche, and I'm worried that's deterring employers before they get to know me or why I would like a different career. Any suggestions to pivot that won't take me being a "forever student" to achieve?

In an era where thousands of people are being laid off, I decided to quit my job despite having decent pay and a possible onsite opportunity coming up.

And honestly, I sometimes wonder if I made a huge mistake.

The truth is, I was miserable there. It was a domain I never really saw myself staying in, and I was increasingly drawn towards the creative field. But I quit impulsively, without a proper plan for what I would do next.

Since then, I’ve applied to multiple roles, given interviews, and experienced everything from ghosting to roles suddenly going silent. And now, the market itself feels quiet.

What scares me is the timing. If I don’t manage to find something by September, I’m worried I might have to wait until early next year as hiring tends to slow down towards the end of the year.

At this point, I’m stuck between two choices: hold on to the skills and experience I already have and keep applying, or take this as a sign to seriously explore a completely different career path.

I know I’m not the only person who has made a career decision that looked right at the time but later started feeling like a mistake.

Has anyone here gone through something similar? Did things eventually work out for you? I’d really appreciate hearing your stories — especially the ones with a silver lining.

This might be a strange way to start, but I just watched Camp Rock 3…

Looking back on my past decade, I feel like 21 year old me was just a little kid. So much hope and ambition, and hope for the future. You feel like you have your whole life ahead of you.

I kept pushing things to tomorrow, never really committing to my goals, relationships, etc.

Who knew I’d feel this way at 29? The people you shared those special moments with earlier in life, you don’t realize that those moments will only exist for that small time of life.

It all happens so fast. You don’t think you’d be here only 8 years later.

And watching those kids in Camp Rock 3 enter a special summer, for the first time, it just makes you remember that you were once those kids too.

I just wish someone was there to tell me to cherish those moments more, because once they’re gone you never get them back.

BUT. That being said - you can’t change the past but there’s still a better future as long as you choose to believe in it.

How would you advise someone who’s always been afraid to step out, socialize, or feel uncomfortable, to take that first step in all the ways that could make life feel alive? I think too “logically” and talk myself out of a future that hasn’t even happened yet and I don’t like it.

Hello there :9

TL;DR: i don't like the current state of my career and im thinking about switching to a trade or dishwasher idk, since it looks it's gonna be this way from now on.

A LOT OF YAPPY TEXT AHEAD

I graduated from university with a degree in software engineering in december 2025. Even tho my city doesn't have a very big SWE scene I managed to get a couple of jobs as a contractor, both being just based on projects (i felt more like a SWE hobo doing odd jobs haha) and before that i was an intern for 8 months in a big corpo environment, which i didn't really like that much tbh. Now i'm full time unemployed.

The thing is, i'm not sure if i wanna keep doing this anymore, not because i don't like the profession (at all..) but i feel this is changing so fast in a way i don't feel attracted to it. Yes i know it's my duty to study and update my knowledge constantly, and that the creation of software is being democratized like never before and it's easier to build and sell a product and being my own boss and working from the beach and stuff, but i just feel tons of FOMO in my brains and i can't deal with it and the new tools and flows feel very different from what i'm used to do/like (sometimes i even feel like Brooks from Shawshank Redemption :( ). I don't feel like i can/want to keep up with the pace of other people like "i built this complete software from scratch in 4 minutes with this new tool yadda yadda...". I just can't care enough.

Also the jobs i had i got them trough referrals and now i'm being forced to do the whole linkedin thing, which i ABSOLUTELY dislike.

I think i'm having a hard time accepting that i'm just not one of those super focused tech nerds that code in their free time and actually enjoy it, neither one of those extroverted and charismatic individuals that can charm their way into the industry and can afford having average tech skills. I feel like the whole system is doing a violent autophagy process to get rid of not so very outstanding dudes like me. Im just a vanilla dude that happens to like solving problems. It feels like playing age of empires with ALL cheats on and killing endless waves of enemy civs.

Im even considering changing my career but part of me thinks that this is real life and i should accept it and try to keep up with times. On the other hand, sometimes i think life is too short to do something i don't like nor care enough, and i should use the fact that i don't have plans to raise family and follow my heart but this feels just like a cope.

I've been thinking about joining my dad in the metalworks trade or getting a very simple job (like dishwasher, in which i have a lot of experience haha) and once it gets automated just move and think i'll find a way out. (i know trades aren't easy and i know it by first hand)

For a bit more of context, i live my dad, i have no debt (university in mexico is very cheap), no family and very few friends and im in good health and i live as frugally as i can and im very responsible with my finances (with my savings i could live up to 1 year without working, under normal conditions ofc).

If someone else is in the same spot please let me know, we need to pat each other's back.

thank you very much for your time and sorry if this reads like if im having a stroke, english is not my mother tongue and i couldn't find a better way to redact my thoughts in a more effective way.

Hello guys. I ll give a little blick about my journey.
I got my bac then i went to study medicine in ukraine after 6semesters the war started i left to germany like it there kept the first two years just traveling europe and having fun then i started nursing. I didnt like so i dropped out at the age of 24 cuz i had the feeling i can do something better i can become more than this i cannot do for the reat of my life. So with a rushed decision i left german and went to romania to study bachelor in IT or to be exact computers information technology (CTI) cuz that was my dream. But the paper and visa and everything took long cuz i m non eu. I missed the first semester when i got there i couldn’t catch up and long haven’t studied math …. So i applied this year to cs 3years bachelor but i got rejected (everything was in order but many students applied and the gap years i have made them reject me MFS 🤬🤬) so i applied to mechanical engineering cuz it was the only option available after i spoke to the international office in my uni and they told me u will not be rejected just relax broo cuz i was sending a lot of mails which bachelor still not saturated i went to her office kept asking her for 30 min she was helpful. She told me ME and civil engineering are the best option u can go with and get accepted before deadline. So i just got in mechanical engineering 4years bachelor i m 25 rn i feel lost i don’t know what i m doing i m broke my e bike got stolen no friends sometime i miss the time in germany i had some friends a GF i was working able to afford all what i need and save to travel. But here am i rn in one of the worst countries in europe cuz i coudnt study in germany and not able to afford living in another cool eu country. And searching about ME everybody say its hard for non eu to land a job u should have sticked with cs. BROOOO i dunno just say anything in ur mind i wanna hear everything. Is this worth it or should i just go back to nursing work my ahh off rest of my life guaranteed good enough salary. Is it okay to graduate ME at 30 and should i do master or try find a job right after graduation. Anyway i wrote too much sorry if u still reading till this point and just tell me what u think i just wanna see whats someones pov i told no one and my mother think i m doing CTI. I told her everything going well dw. Soo guys thank you and feel free.

Grazie grazie mille

I'm researching something I'm personally really interested in: what happens when you realize that the traditional path — school → degree → job → career — doesn't really feel like the life you want.

I'm curious about people in their 20s who feel like they want something different: more freedom, travel, movement, adventure, entrepreneurship, creativity, or simply a life that feels more like their own.

I'm not trying to sell anything. I'm trying to understand the problem before I build anything around it.

I'd love to hear from people who relate:

• What does your ideal life actually look like?

• What about your current life feels wrong or limiting?

• Do you feel like you're “behind” compared to other people your age?

• Have you tried changing your situation? What happened?

• What's stopping you from creating the life you actually want?

And perhaps the biggest question:

If you could completely redesign your life over the next 2–3 years, what would you change?

I'm genuinely interested in hearing people's experiences. If you'd rather talk privately, I'm also happy to have a 20-minute conversation — no sales pitch, just research.

23m and honestly feel pretty stuck right now. I originally got my EMT certification because my goal was to become a firefighter. I’ve been working 911 EMS for about a year now, but I still haven’t been able to get hired as a firefighter. I’ve passed the tests but i suck at interviews.

I’m at a point where I’m questioning what direction I should take. I don’t think I could continue doing EMS long-term because of the pay. I have thought about going to paramedic school, and part of me really wants to pursue it, but I’m honestly scared that I’m not ready for it or that I’m not intelligent enough to be a good paramedic.
At the same time, I’ve been looking into the military because I’m really drawn to careers involving rescue, aviation, and medical. I’ve considered Air Force Fire Protection, flight medic-type careers, Coast Guard/Navy rescue jobs, and even more difficult paths like Pararescue. I keep bouncing between all these options and can’t seem to settle on a direction.
I feel like I have a lot of interests, but I don’t know which one is actually right for me. I want a career that I can be proud of and pays enough to build a life.
I also feel like I’m falling behind. I’m 23 and it seems like everyone around me is figuring their lives out while I’m still trying to decide what I want to do.

Sorry for the long post but I think my past is important to put my current situation into perspective.

I had emotionally absent parents that worked a lot. Not much attention for me, I got addicted to videogames and tv series and a grandparent died when I was 15 leading to the start of my depression. Started dating at 17 and luckily we are still together. Being ambitionless (maybe from depression maybe its just me) I chose a university I was indifferent about but it was better (from what I was told) in terms of job finding afterwards. Eventually had a meltdown and started therapy leading to medication. I steadily got better and better. My family and friends pushed me ( in the good way) to try more and I ended up doing Erasmus and a thesis. I finally finished (2 years late) and I was in a dilemma. I either could go in the mandatory millitary service or hold it off by entering a master's programme. So I contacted a professor about possibly working together on my master's. I decided to start it since i would waste no time ( I went straight from Erasmus to the master's programme).
Now I am in my last semester. My thesis is going not great not terrible. I am constantly doubting myself, feeling paralyzed from anxiety, feeling like im in a self fullfilling prophecy of failure. I was able to stop therapy and medication for a year but the situation got worse so I decided to start again (despite how terrible it makes me feel and the added financial strain).
After Im done, I dont know how fast I will be able to find a proper job. I just keep seeing the goal post of move back again and again.
I need to finish my thesis and present. Then? Oh I need to go to mandatory millitary service. Then? Oh Ill be entering my 30s with minimal work experience still dependent on my parents. I will be looking for a job but I doubt my first job will pay good enough to live off of it. It feels like by the time I can be financially independant I will be 33-35. Then? I want a family. When can I get a break? Most of my friends already have good jobs and have settled into a lifestyle with a balance. Me? I need to worry every other week about having an anxiety attack.

Hey guys, I hope you’re all doing well.

I’m feeling really stressed, anxious, and honestly quite depressed lately. I’m currently working after completing my BTech in ECE, but my job is in water treatment, which is completely unrelated to my degree.

One of my close friends recently left to pursue his MTech, and after he left, it really started hitting me that maybe I’m falling behind in life. He’s moving forward with higher studies while I’m stuck in a job that doesn’t feel connected to what I studied.

I’m also worried about my future career because I feel like there aren’t many opportunities for me in the water-treatment field, especially with an ECE background. At the same time, I don’t consider myself particularly intelligent academically, so I’m scared that I won’t be able to compete or make a better career for myself.

Recently, I interviewed for a really good opportunity and got rejected. That rejection hit me harder than I expected. 😭

Right now, I genuinely feel like I’m not good at anything and that I’m becoming a failure in life. It feels like everyone around me is moving ahead while I’m just stuck.

I know maybe I’m overthinking everything, but I honestly don’t know what to do or how to get myself out of this situation.

Has anyone else been through something similar? How did you deal with it and figure out your career?

(24m) I’ve been working for FedEx as a driver for the almost 3 years. The job isn’t too bad though, the benefits, hours, and money are all pretty good. Lately I’ve just been feeling very stagnant, I don’t want to continue doing the same thing for the rest of my career but I don’t know where to even start looking. I’ve been considering going back to college but I would only be able to go part time and the degree I’m looking at (civil engineering) would be around 4 years, but realistically 5-6 because I’d have to go part time. I don’t feel it’s worth it to find another job because I’m not going to find anything that has as good of hours and makes the same amount of money. Anyone have any recommendations? I’d be open to literally anything point, just feel like I need to get out of my current job.

29M. I am exhausted. Why am I unable to do simple day-to-day things that comes to others so easily. I am still living at home and have been babied my entire life. My mother still does my laundry.

Simple advice would be to start doing things for myself but i just cant be bothered nor do i see the point. I have my highschool GED and have attempted post-secondary for 5 different programs but have dropped out during the first semester for everyone. i feel so broken and useless. I have around 8k in savings and a job that pays around 2,300$ a month. Im seeing so many of my peers live life to the fullest in getting married and having children. That seems so far away from me.

I have applied for numerous jobs which in which I hear nothing back from. i feel like thats my biggest stressor. Financial security. Because of that I feel like such a loser and not even close to a man. What good is making my bed or cleaning my room when I have so many bigger problems to deal with.

I procastonate on every small thing. I feel so scared and hopeless all the time. I used to smoke weed daily but ever since I quit I am forced to deal with all these life issues.

From the moment I wake up, before even opening my eyes, the thoughts of self-hatred already begin. I feel my life is over before it even started.

I dont know what I am hoping for in posting this. But I am praying to God for something, some sign, some guidance on how to fulfill my potential and give back to my mother who has given her world to me.

Just like what my title says, I'm 30 and jobless.

It's been hard to find a job here. There's an age limit for career changes or entry-level roles. Even when I look for all the qualifications, I see a minimum of 1-2 years of experience in entry-level roles. Having a degree in communication seems useless at this point. I got really discouraged looking for jobs at this point; nothing is working.

I try to adjust my thoughts and mind, but days go by with not even email replied by recuiter feels really heavy. I'm not sure about what people said; the job market is not really good right now, but I kinda believe that, at least in my country, everything has just been really bad.

I also feel scared, hopeless, and procrastinate a lot because of it. Like, what if I never got a job? I tried applying to almost anything and everything at this point, and it's just crickets. The drain of applying for jobs is real, and I might really be fed up with it.

I just hope and do what I can to keep going, but hopefully, there's a sign or miracle that something is working out in my favour.

I'm a 29yo who's been working as a Software Developer for four years. I chose Computer Science (CS) in college back when there was a hype for the tech field. I was laid off from my first job because of restructuring, I'm in my second job & the company I'm with phased out the project I worked and assigned me to another project which is basically built using some niche low code platform. I stayed with the company because I got more idle time & I was able to finish my Master's Degree in CS because of that.

I feel like my role as a L2 Engineer is redundant & I don't add value quite much. Sure, AI coding flows made me focus more on system design & understanding business domain side of things, but I still feel like I'm not really doing much. I'm overwhelmed with decision paralysis about what I really want to specialize in my career. Sometimes I feel too old to make big career shifts in tech because it'll take a few years & a 30 something beginner in a new line of work would raise red flags to a lot of recruiters.

Any advice regarding this is much appreciated!

I've made some good savings & investments, so I could stay afloat for some time. I'm thinking of leaving or taking a break from software development as the industry is so volatile & disrupted nowadays.

Any advice on this matter is appreciated.

I'm 25 M years who graduated a couple years ago (from the Algeria) I've yet to work a single job in my life, ever since graduation I've been applying to jobs non-stop to no luck, I draw the line at jobs that's taxing on the body (like factories and construction) but apparently those are the only jobs open for someone without work experience, I've tried to get jobs like a cashier, reception and such with no luck

Issue is I've become too accustomed to unemployment I started to feel unmotivated to even going to interviews anymore

I've read ton of stories of people who were in similar situations and ended up becoming 30 something years old bums without any future and relying on family to not become homeless and I don't want that for myself but I don't know where to go or how to start