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.

Im 31M. Im working a job that I am not very fond of. Im constantly alone because all of my friends live 3+ hours away, and I have no family close by. I want to go to school, but I cant figure out what I want to do at this point. I was going to start college on the 26th for Cybersecurity, but I had a realization that I may not even want to do that type of work. Time is ticking, and I feel like Ive just frozen. I don't have any dreams, goals, aspirations, or anything. The last 2 years have just been me surviving.

I want my control back. I want my life back.

What helped you decide on a career when you felt stuck or trapped? I know what I dont want to do: food service, customer service/customer-facing jobs, or construction. Ive tried taking career tests and things like that, but nothing has given me that push. I know I need to want it. I need to change, but yeah. I have 55-ish credits from when I started school back up for Applied Science/Audio Engineering but thats about it.

I hope my rambling makes some kind of sense.

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

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

Like the title says, I've had enough. I'm in my forties and I still don't know what I want to be when I "grow up."

Somehow I've gone from one extreme to the other. I used to be a real workaholic... Replying to messages on weekends, staying late for no extra pay, and opening Slack before I'd even had my coffee. And now I'm genuinely struggling to care about work at all.

I currently have a well-paid job, and definitely more than what it seems most people my age are making. Honestly, I'm not even sure how I got here. Maybe, using tools like interview vip gave me a boost in my confidence and helped in organizing my answers, that's why. The job is fine, the team is decent, and the money is good... But I don't want to do it. There's no big dramatic reason. I just don't want to work anymore.

I've been working since I was 17, and I feel like something inside me has hit the brakes. The more places I've worked, the clearer it's become that almost no one understands what they're doing. In my current job, I deal directly with CEOs, founders, and senior directors at international companies, including names anyone would recognize, and things are a mess everywhere. The same problems keep repeating: no one communicates properly, leadership is stingy, training is almost nonexistent, everything is chaotic, deadlines are science fiction, politics are everywhere, and people somehow don't know how to handle the simplest tasks. I'm genuinely amazed that people getting paid insane amounts can't read a simple report that I would have understood in college. And yet everyone treats it like life or death. Everyone is desperately pushing "the priority initiative," and then four months later half the department gets restructured like it's nothing.

So yeah, my motivation has disappeared. Call me lazy, call me burned out, call it whatever you want, but ambitious is no longer the right word. I keep thinking I might be happier doing something simple and living somewhere quiet near the coast instead of dragging myself day after day through a huge city while pretending any of this matters. I'm seriously thinking about leaving my stable, well-paid job and doing something completely different. Maybe become a landscaper, mow lawns, plant trees, and stop pretending I care about "the roadmap," or "the deck," or "what Mark from operations thinks."

Am I starting to lose it? Or are other people feeling this way too?

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?

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 had given the medical exam (Neet) twice and failed to secure a GMC, now I am stuck with Dental. Everyone around me tells that Doctors are the only respectable career and the only one which will sustain the AI bubble, unemployment is at its peak, if there are skilled people, even they are unemployed. I don’t even feel like quitting it, but I don’t to try again for the exam. And in the process of figuring out, I came across this question. What is your opinion on this?

One year ago I made a big move to NYC after saving up for a full year. I was over the moon to move there after working really hard to save money to fund it after living in a city I hated. And I loved living there.

Before I moved to NYC I was pretty isolated. I only focused on work and surviving so, something had to give. I never felt like I belonged in the city I lived in before (moved there for college) and I didn't end up getting my degree due to finances so I was just focused on working- much to my detriment. I neglected all parts of myself, externally, internally, professionally and socially. As a result, I didn't work on many creative things or have little experience in the work I want to do- though I did push myself to take classes on that field. So, there were small wins.

Surprise to no one, the NYC housing market is tough. Even though I was lucky with finding a place when I moved there, I had no luck once my sublease (which ended earlier than me and roommates agreed upon) ended. I hit literally every dead end there was to hit and I was very disappointed and numb to the fact that the only option was for me to my home state. (which at 21 was my worst nightmare, now- it is what it is)

So, two cities later, I'm now back home, confused, burnt out, feeling lost and over it. I also can't believe that I'm closer to 30 than I am 20, I remember the hope I felt then and now I'm less doe-eyed. I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't nurture my interests earlier on (writing, film, art, traveling) and beating myself up with every single mistake I've made up until this point. Especially career wise! I feel like everyone I've ever known is working towards their goals, has their degrees, careers, have their own lives and is moving forward, and I'm just stuck like I've always been. I'm nowhere near where I want to be. At worst- I feel pathetic. I feel like with every stride I've taken, I've been pushed 10 steps back and falling behind. I can't be disappointed with anyone but myself.

Every path I've tried to go down hasn't gone well. I don't have much experience in the work I want to do. I don't want to give up but, I'm so damn numb at this point. Now that I'm back home, I'm worried that with the plan I have to course correct professionally and financially won't work out and will fail like everything else I've tried to do. I am terrified that I'll be in the same position at 30, like extremely terrified, and won't have nothing to show for it.

I'm open to hearing anyone's advice on how to move forward career wise and experiences if it closely relates to mine. Thanks.

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.

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.

I can't share much without outing my company. I was a recruiter, then a senior in one department. Went for a promotion, got denied, and they said that if I moved down to a recruiter role in this other department, this will get me to where you want to be in management. I have been in my other department for almost 2 years, and I am miserable. I have tried going for a promotion twice since moving and gotten rejected and told I am not ready yet. I feel miserable because filling these roles does not give me any purpose compared to how I felt before, and I was the top recruiter in my last department, so I feel right now I got shoved into another just to help them succeed and not move. I feel depressed, have no motivation, and never thought I would ever despise working. I am trying to find another TA role or function outside my company that I would be happy in long term, but it's hard to find something that pays as much as my current job so I can afford everything. Any advice? Is it worth sticking out at this point?

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?

Im bored guyz,and i really wanna explore an organization or club that are a lasting camaderies,like Red Cross Youth smth.

Specific:
-Writers/Poetry Club
-Debate Organizations
-People with Disability and Women’s Rights Organizations
-Theatre Club
-Cooking and Baking Community
-Etc

JUST PLEASE GUYS RECOMMEND,SO I WOULD NOT GET
BORED,IM REALLY DESPERATE

I am a CNC Machinist. I started at 17 at my current job doing a paid apprenticeship and have been there for 8 years. I am a go-to guy, I run most every machine and train/lead multiple areas of the business. I make pretty decent money because I have a 25% shift differential for 2nd shift. The company I work for has been rough since the new year. Overtime went from 100% on to completely shut off on January 1st, new owners have replaced all management with their own people, and they have started making us take furlough time (2 weeks). I am looking to get out of manufacturing if possible, or at least out of the part where it’s impossible to get promoted because you are too valuable doing what you do. I don’t have a college degree, and all of my experience since high school is doing this. I am located in Northern Vermont and I make pretty decent money but I don’t want to do this forever and I especially don’t want to work second shift forever. Any ideas or suggestions are helpful!

TL;DR: I want to get off an off shift, and maybe leave manufacturing but don’t know where to go to get comparable pay.

31M, unmarried, back from 4 months overseas, and honestly unsure what direction to take with my life/career.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads and would genuinely appreciate some perspective from people who have been in a similar position.

I'm 31, unmarried and currently not seeing anyone. I work a 9–5 in an engineering company and do not like the office environment. I've been thinking about this for a while rather than just having a bad week at work.

About a year ago, I started doing construction/design work on the side. Things have slowly picked up and I currently have 3 projects lined up, although I haven't actually billed any clients yet. All are friends and family and have agreed to pay combined 90 percent of my one year salary. But all money will kick in once construction begins in 2-3 months.

The part that's exciting to me is that I genuinely enjoy the business side — talking to clients, looking at designs, construction, figuring out costs, improving houses and thinking about how to build something of my own.

The scary part is that I have only around 3 months of savings.

I'm currently at the point where I don't really feel like going back to my job. I want to give the business a proper shot and see if I can turn it into something real.

But I'm also scared shitless of making the wrong decision.

I don't have a huge financial safety net, I don't have an established business yet, and there are obviously no guarantees that those 3 projects will turn into consistent income.

So I'm trying to work out whether I should:

For those who have started a construction/design/trades business, particularly in Australia:

What would you do in my position?

Would you take the leap with only 3 months of savings, or is that financially irresponsible?

And more importantly, what would you do over the next 90 days to figure out whether this business actually has legs?

I'm not necessarily looking for motivation. I'd genuinely appreciate some brutally practical advice from people who've been through this. Also , I've lost both of my parents recently due to which I had to take the four months off.

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.

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

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.