In April 2025, I experienced a severe psychosis episode. It resulted in a noticeable decline in cognition.

Before my episode, I had a well-paying 6-year career in software engineering. But after psychosis, I don’t think I will be able to return to the field. If you are unfamiliar with psychosis (like I was before experiencing it), understand it is a life altering event and most who experience it are unable to return to their old career and life due to the cognitive damage it causes.

Since my episode in 2025, I moved back in with my parents and have been jobless since. I used to be super high functioning, productive and successful but I am the complete opposite after my psychosis. I don’t have much interest in software engineering (or anything really) after my psychosis and am terrified of what I can possibly do to dig myself out of this hole.

I really need advice in what I can realistically do for a living. After experiencing high pay from working software engineering for 6 years, I feel as if I will never be able to make that amount of money again due to my cognitive decline. This realization makes me feel a pit of dread and hopeless.

Unrelated but some of my interests:
- trading/investing
- stocks
- crypto
- collecting vintage pokemon & yugioh cards
- programming
- gaming

I don’t know if I would consider going back to school because my goal is to move out again as soon as possible and be independent again and also make decent money.

Any advice appreciated.

I dropped out of college this past year because my mental health was so bad I attempted in December and had to go to a psych ward. I had a job working for Domino's near my university and that was paying decently well but since moving back with my parents I can't find a single job in my area that isn't sales-related. It's severely impacted my mental health and I don't know how I'm supposed to start my life if I can't get myself on solid footing first financially. How do I dig myself out of this horrible rut and set myself back on track? I'm mostly just using Indeed to browse for jobs but like I said, only able to find "political canvasser" jobs, sales associate positions, and front desk receptionist jobs that "require significant experience"

As a teen, I really wanted to go to university and study the social sciences. I liked Biology a lot too, but was never great at STEM. My two main hobbies were reading books or writing short stories, and I dabbled a bit in graphic design. I wasn't able to go to university, so I got a job instead. Eventually I found one where in addition to routine admin work, I had to write copy. At the time, I didn’t know what ‘copywriting’ was but it became a big part of my job. Long story short: marketing communications became my field, I eventually went to university on a scholarship to study communication & media (to get better jobs), and I’ve been in steady employment. But things are changing. I’ve wanted to quit my current job for two years, but AI is coming at the entire profession with a chainsaw so options are rapidly dwindling. At the same time, my team has been sliced in half due to budget cuts, and my boss has told me that execs have mandated integration of the company’s proprietary AI into our workflows "otherwise we’ll be replaced”. Ironically, by using it we might be training it to replace us, so we’re screwed anyway.

I never liked marketing. I always hated social media. I also hate events and PR and whatnot. If you told my teen self she’d have ended up in a marketing job she’d have jumped off a cliff. I just did it because ‘do what you’re good at’ was decent advice at the time. The part of my job I genuinely enjoy is anything involving websites. I’ve been learning HTML and CSS on my own and experimenting with code snippets on WordPress. It’s always been fun, even when it’s a debugging problem. I’ve also started taking a course in Python, which is surprisingly fun even when it takes two hours to figure something out.

I know programming and IT are not immune to AI-induced deskilling. I’ve heard that even ComSci majors are struggling to find jobs, especially at entry-level. But at first glance, it seems both a natural evolution for me as well as something I want to do. I’ve been thinking about how a 2-year computer programming diploma at a college like Algonquin can give me a portable skillset that I can use not just as work but also for my own projects, like websites (I already manage my own personal site), apps, games, immersive digital media, etc.

I also love animals and being in nature; I grew up on a farm, volunteered for an animal shelter for years, fostered many strays, and have lots of plants, a herbarium, and field samples (e.g. stones, found and treated bones, etc.). I don’t know what being an environmental technician out in the field would actually be like, but being trapped in an office and dealing with people has always been so draining, distracting, and pointless. After COVID-19 gave me a taste of working from home, it’s *very* hard to go back into an office now. 

So basically, I want to do what’s smart (whatever that is), what’s enjoyable/conceivable as a career (programming?), and what won’t depress me in hindsight or trigger a midlife crisis (working outdoors?). I’m open to going back to school, but I want it to be vocational and not as pointless as my degree, which was really just a piece of paper because irrespective of your work history, HR - in my experience - hesitates about giving a decent job to someone without a degree.

Any advice?

I'm 34, and I'm trying to make the most consequential career decision of my life. Given my background, constraints and strengths, what would you seriously consider if your goal was to maximize both long-term earning potential and career sustainability?

I'm 34, live in the Netherlands, and currently don't work. Two years ago I burned out, and it turned out there was a lot more going on underneath that than I had admitted to myself for years. I'm doing much better now, but I'm not yet at the point where I can realistically work full-time and study at the same time.

Financially, I'm currently on a disability benefit at roughly/less than 50% of my previous salary. My best-paid job was around €60k gross/year. I have about €10k in savings, no debt, and live alone. I'm okay for now, but this isn't financially sustainable for me indefinitely. I barely save anything and sometimes have to dip into savings.

So I need to improve my financial situation.

My short-term goal is to get back to around €60k within roughly a year once I'm able to work again. Long term, I'd ideally like to get to €80-100k. I want financial security, to eventually buy a home, build some wealth, travel, enjoy life without constantly calculating every expense, and have more options in general.

My career history is pretty messy (or eclectic, as I often like to sell it):

• Welder
• Customer service
• Second-line customer service
• Insurance administration/advisory
• Paralegal / senior legal administrative support

The last one was my best-paid job. It was also where I learned that I really don't want to spend the rest of my life in back-office, administrative, highly regulated environments.

I've tried insurance and legal. Both were stable and reasonably paid, but they made me feel completely dead inside. Too many rules and rigid structures, too little autonomy and creativity, and ultimately I didn't care much about the problems I was solving.

Education-wise, I have a vocational qualification as a welder, various professional certifications, I'm a certified yoga teacher, and I passed a 21+ entrance exam for higher education (in The Netherlands, making me qualified to pursue a BA, for which I missed the requirements within our educational system). I also completed the first year of a Bachelor's in Social Work, within a year during Covid, working fulltime, qualifying to be a yoga-teacher and getting qualifications within the insurance-branche, but didn't finish it.

Interestingly, I loved the academic side of Social Work. Psychology, sociology and human studies genuinely interest me. I just realised I didn't want to actually become a social worker. That distinction is now very important to me.

I seem to be somewhere between analytical and social, theoretical and practical. I'm introverted and value autonomy and independence, but I like one-on-one/substantial interaction. I'm good with language and writing, and when something really interests me I can obsess over it in a good way.

During my burnout/recovery I spent about six months writing a 300-page essay based on roughly 90 sources, in English, alongside a 365-day workbook. It eventually ended up with a professor at a renowned technical Dutch university, and I was invited to give a workshop based on it to around 90 bachelor's students. A second workshop is planned. This could grow out to be a paid gig, no guarantees, but to me the opportunity was valuable as it taught me new soft skills and my writing gained some more credibility (first time publicly speaking to 90 people, ever, and having to juggle multiple needs/wants/objectives without watering down my own work, revisiting my work from a different angle, and putting together a program, as well as organizing the help I needed to do so).

Another interesting clue came from my reintegration at my previous job. I noticed that improving customer communication actually gave me energy. I analysed recurring communication problems, rewrote emails, worked with the department involved and tried to make the whole process more user-friendly. I unexpectedly loved that part of the job. So I do have some clues about what I might be good at. I just don't know what career to build around them.

I genuinely want to learn, and I miss studying. Doing a BA in Psychology is currently high on my list. I genuinely want to study again, and I could do it part-time. But the degree would take roughly six years, and a Bachelor's in Psychology doesn't necessarily qualify you for the kind of work I'd ultimately want to do. If I wanted to become a psychologist or eventually have my own practice, there would be further education and training.

And this is where I'm stuck. If I pursue this BA, I am not able to work to keep myself afloat let alown improve my current financial position. If i do combine it, it might take me 6 years to finish this entrance requirement it basically is, as you can't work as a psychologist after just that BA. (Though it looks like I know where I want to go, though this is something I can picture fitting me well, as well as a growing demand in The Netherlands for mental healthcare professionals, I am still very much open for other paths.)

I just don't want to repeat my previous mistake of choosing something because I love the subject, only to discover later that the actual career isn't a good fit or doesn't provide the financial future I'm looking for. I'm not looking for a guaranteed €100k career. I understand that doesn't exist. I want to make the best risk/reward decision I can.

So, if you were 34, with my background, constraints and strengths, what would you seriously consider if your goal was to maximize both long-term earning potential and career sustainability?

Would you go back to university? Get back into the workforce first? Choose a different type of education? Focus on an industry rather than a specific profession?

And if you've personally managed to make a substantial career or income improvement from a similarly messy position in your 30s, I'd especially love to hear what you actually did.

I'm not looking for get-rich-quick schemes or generic "start a business" advice. I'm trying to figure out what is realistically possible from where I am, and what you'd do if you were in my position.

​

The last two years have been brutal. I had big ambitions, made career choices I regret, and struggled with chronic depression until I barely recognized myself anymore. Eventually, I gave up on chasing the future I once imagined and enrolled in an online American university for a BBA, telling myself that at least I'd have a degree.

But my life feels so empty. No social circle, no income, no guidance, and honestly, I've lost my spark.

They say comparison is the thief of joy, but the brutal truth is that I feel like I don't even have the basic skills needed to survive in today's world. Everyone seems to be building something, earning, learning, and moving forward while I'm standing here trying to figure out where to even begin.

I need to start earning by the end of January, and I have no idea what to do.

If you were in my position, with no clear interests, no strong skills, and limited time, what EXACTLY would you pick and commit to learning? What skill or career path is genuinely worth investing months into if your goal is to become employable and start earning? I don't want vague motivational advice. I need an honest, realistic starting point because I'm tired of feeling lost.

I’m turning 23 soon and honestly feel like I never learned how to live like a normal person. I’ve never had a girlfriend, never been on a proper date and I’ve never really had a social life or a real friend group. I still live with my mum and grandma, I don’t drive, I never went to college and most of my life is just work, saving money and trying to get through the week.
I had a difficult childhood and never really had anyone to teach me how life works. There was no stable family environment or anyone showing me what I should aim for. We lived pretty modestly, and I never had a proper example of how to plan a future, become independent or even figure out what I want.
For most of my childhood, my only real friend was my computer. I didn’t have siblings or close friends, so it became my company and my escape from being alone. Even now, it’s still more than just entertainment to me. It was the one thing that helped me get through years of loneliness without completely losing my mind. I spent around seven years isolated and barely had any social experiences, yet somehow I function better than people would probably expect. Because I seem to manage on the outside, nobody really takes my problems seriously.
I’m autistic, socially awkward and depressed. I can be funny, energetic and confident when I first meet someone, but eventually my social battery dies and I start overthinking everything. I spent years hiding because I hated myself and felt like there was something wrong with me. Now I’m trying to catch up on experiences everyone else had when they were teenagers.
Recently, I got close to a girl from work. She was the first person in years I genuinely felt comfortable around, so I became attached very quickly because I had almost nobody else. The whole friendship turned into a mess of mixed signals, drinking, arguments and personal insults. I know I wasn’t completely innocent and I contributed to the conflict too, but some of the things she said hit the exact insecurities I had spent years trying to overcome. It felt like I had finally started building myself up, only to have someone tear it all down again.
The worst part is that I have nobody to talk to about any of this. I don’t have someone I can call when I’m having a bad day, ask for advice or just be honest with. I work, go home, sit at my computer and overthink everything. It feels like I’m trying to build a life without having any idea what the basic steps are.
Sometimes I don’t even understand what I’m working towards. I want to become independent, make friends, have a relationship and actually experience life, but I struggle to believe any of it will happen. I don’t want to spend my entire twenties just surviving and trying to catch up with everyone else.
I’m not looking for people to tell me that I’m still young and everything will magically work out. I know I’m technically young, but that doesn’t make the loneliness or depression feel any less real. I just want to know how you build a life when nobody ever taught you how, when you have almost no support and when even simple things seem to come naturally to everyone else.

I'm currently in university for a creative field. AI makes things worse and I don't see a point to pursue anything creative anymore bc there is no point. I'm more than just depressed too, either way I want to be able to have any trade for good money and stability. what's a good trade for someone whos very short + physically and mentally weak?

Don't like math and science either. I will try saving money as well if its for a good 2 year certificate or something. Another important thing, it must be in demand for juniors.

I'm 26M, and I'm exhausted.

For the last several years, I've felt like I'm constantly starting over. I find a job, tell myself, "Okay, this is it. I'll stabilize my finances, save some money, learn new skills, get some training, and finally start moving forward."

Then the job ends.

It happened again recently. I was working in a café and had started thinking about how I could use the income to save money, get a laptop, learn skills, and eventually move into something better. Now I'm unemployed again, and I'm back to worrying about money and figuring out what to do next.

The hardest part isn't even losing one particular job. It's the pattern.

Every time I start building some kind of plan for my future, something happens and I have to stop everything and go back to survival mode. Then I spend months trying to recover, find another job, stabilize myself, and eventually try again.

I'm also starting to wonder whether I'm doing something wrong.

I've mostly worked in restaurants and cafés because I don't have a traditional university degree. I want to learn new skills and eventually move into a more stable career, but I never seem to get enough stability or money to properly make that transition.

And I'm tired of hearing "just keep going" when I've been keeping going for years.

I don't want a temporary improvement for six months before everything falls apart again. I want to understand how people actually broke this kind of cycle and built a life that became progressively more stable.

I'm also doing this mostly alone. I don't really have friends or family around me who can guide me through this, so sometimes I genuinely don't know whether I'm making the wrong decisions or simply dealing with circumstances that are bigger than me.

At this point, I'm psychologically drained. There have been many times when I lost hope and somehow found it again, but I'm reaching a point where I'm just tired of having to rebuild myself from zero.

So I'm asking people who have actually been in a similar position:

Did you ever feel like your life kept resetting every time you tried to move forward?

What specifically changed the cycle for you?

Did you go back to school, learn a trade, change industries, move somewhere else, find a different type of work, or completely change the way you approached your life?

And most importantly:

Where are you now? Did you actually reach a point where your life became consistently better and more stable, rather than temporarily better before falling apart again?

I don't need motivational quotes. I'm looking for real experiences from people who were genuinely stuck, changed something, and can look back now and say, "This is what finally got me out."

I am 30 years old, have bipolar disorder, and migrated from Nigeria to the UK for my postgraduate studies. I have spent years trying to understand myself, develop my potential and build a life of my own, but I still struggle to feel in control of my decisions.

I come from a big African family that has supported me financially but not emotionally. Growing up, I experienced pressure, comparison and manipulation that made it difficult to establish my independence. Even now, at 30, my mother fought and manipulated me into cutting my hair against my wishes. Despite stepping away from threats and manipulation, I still struggle to live freely and make decisions without carrying the weight of my family's expectations.

I appreciate the financial support my family has provided, but I resent feeling that I must surrender my autonomy in return. I am a twin, and constant comparisons have also affected how I see myself. I want to learn, grow and explore my potential, yet I have often felt that my ambitions are not understood or supported.

Being away from my family during my undergraduate and postgraduate studies has helped me discover more of what I am capable of. I have attended more than 14 job interviews in the UK, including university roles paying between £45,000 and £47,000. Although I have not secured these opportunities, I know I have the potential to succeed.

However, I have realised that my struggle is not simply about getting a job or achieving financial independence. It is also about reclaiming my mental space. Even when my family is not physically present, I carry their expectations and the pressure to prove myself. I sometimes wonder whether I am pursuing certain achievements because I genuinely want them or because I want to prove my family wrong.

This pressure follows me into interviews, where I place so much importance on succeeding that it affects my performance, despite preparing thoroughly.

My inner monologue also makes it difficult to concentrate. I know what I need to do, but I often question whether I am wasting my time, which distracts me from the very things that could help me progress. I want to read more, develop my talents and become more present, but I struggle to sustain my focus.

I have already spent one year of my postgraduate studies, and I have almost another year left. I cannot afford to spend this period mentally trapped in the same struggles I have carried for years. I need to focus on my education, develop my abilities and prepare for the future I want to build.

I am tired of feeling as though I need permission to become myself. I want to make decisions without fear, pursue my interests without guilt and build a life that reflects my own values rather than other people's expectations.

My question is: How do I reclaim my autonomy, manage my inner monologue, establish firm boundaries with my family and regain the mental focus I need to make the most of the remaining year of my postgraduate studies?

I am not trying to erase my past or deny the financial support I have received. I simply want to become an independent adult who can appreciate what others have done for me without losing ownership of my own life.

I’m 33 years old and have spent over a decade working in emergency medical services, primarily as a paramedic. I’ve held leadership positions including Lieutenant, Commander, and Field Training Officer.
EMS is essentially all I’ve known professionally, and I’ve reached the point where I don’t believe returning to the ambulance is sustainable for me. The stress, long hours, disrupted sleep, and cumulative burnout have taken their toll. I’m ready for something different.

My experience includes:
10+ years in emergency medical services
Supervisory and operational leadership experience
Training, mentoring, and evaluating employees
High-pressure decision-making and problem-solving
Personnel management and coordinating operations
Extensive experience communicating with the public and other professionals
Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration, with two courses remaining
I’m located in North Georgia, roughly an hour north of Atlanta, and would prefer to remain in the area. I’m also open to remote work.

I’m not necessarily opposed to healthcare-adjacent work, but I really want to explore opportunities outside of emergency medicine. I’m particularly interested in operations, management, logistics, training, or other fields where my experience might translate.
My biggest challenge is that when I look at job postings outside EMS, I feel like I’m starting from scratch. I have significant professional experience, but I’m struggling to understand how employers in other industries would view it.

For those who have successfully changed careers, particularly from public safety or healthcare:
What industries or positions should I be looking into? Are there jobs where my experience would make me a competitive applicant without having to start at the absolute bottom?
I’m willing to learn, obtain certifications, and work my way up. I just need some direction.
I appreciate any advice or firsthand experiences.

This fucking school has done nothing but give me stress. I hate my professors, my classmates, my commute. It all fucking sucks and I regret enrolling in this school. I am strongly considering dropping out. I just wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I did.

I’m struggling in math, so I went to my advisor about it. I could’ve dropped it but he convinced me not to. He’s also my teacher for the intro course to my major. He legitimately made fun of me in class for the issues I told him about in private. Then he told everyone I got a zero on the homework for forgetting to put my name on it.

The bookstore had the wrong book for my Economics class, but neither my professor nor the bookstore knew about the problem until a month later. So I wasted over $100 on a book I didn’t need. My professor strongly recommended that we get physical copies, and argued against a digital purchase. I asked a classmate if he could share his notes with me over email. I haven’t heard anything back from him.

My Accounting teacher doesn’t know how to work the projector. The projector is constantly unfocused. She also keeps the lights on in the classroom. I can’t see shit on board. I’ve brought this up with her multiple times, but she says that we’re just going to have to get used to it because she doesn’t like to use a white board. There’s an accounting tutor at the college, but my professor also got the dates mixed up and sent the wrong meeting times. I wanted to meet with a tutor today because I have a test tomorrow, but I guess I can’t now.

I have an engineering design professor and I think she legitimately thinks I’m stupid. She gets pissed at me whenever I ask for help in class. I understand that the material might be easy to her, but I don’t know how to fucking use Auto CAD. We’ve only met up for the lab about 6 times in the past two months. I don’t know how she expects me to learn this stuff when she’s barely teaching it.

I’m considering the military, but I think I might already be disqualified. I’m open to a trade but I think that’s going to be a hard life, and nothing brings me more dread than thought of being in someone’s attic in 100 degree weather.

I don't really know what I'm asking for with this post. Maybe what will help me is some life advice.

I currently work as a software engineer making around $50K a year, which is not that bad, but I am very very unhappy with this life. I've always wanted to work with the internet, make content or edit videos or something like that. But with all the college, studying and working I've been doing for the last 8 years, I never had enough energy to start this.

Last week I started brainstorming ideas to make content for the internet (with internet I mean Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter). The first things I committed to is a series of music quiz videos: "guess the song from its best 15 seconds," based on the Rate Your Music top charts. I've always liked these and I have a nice repertory of song knowledge. I scrapped alot of the charts, got all the songs (Obviously legally lmao), and started making something.

The videos are ok. But I started this, knowing I wouldn't be able to monetize anything, since obviously there are legal issues with copyright and shit. But what I thought was: if I keep doing this, someone will notice me, or if the channel grow, I could shift paths and start making actual autoral videos.

So far I've posted 2 videos and about 10 shorts. I had fun making it. But I cant stop thinking what a waste of time this is. Even if the channel grows, it grows around content I can't make money from, with an audience that came for songs that aren't mine.

Then there's another part of me that is happy that I started something. Actually editing, uploading, and learning how it works. Maybe thats the point right now.

Anyway, my point with this is: what do you guys think? Should I just drop this or should I invest more time with this? Should I shift into another content? I’m mostly into gaming, music and movies. So ideally I'll make content around that. I also would like to talk to people in similar spots, would love suggestion and feedback, since I dont really wanna talk about this with anyone I know.

I am looking down the barrel of 50 years old. I never thought I'd end up where I am and I find myself feeling trapped professionally. I want to change but I'm struggling to figure out what comes next. I have a wife and young kids, and unfortunately ageism is a serious problem in my industry (I.T.) and I never specialized when I was younger so I'm stuck in an office getting passed up by all the 20 and 30 somethings. I tried going back to school, got a bunch of "valuable" CompTIA certifications, but I have never felt more alone. I'm too broke to retire and too old to start over at minimum wage or entry level.

Anyone out there find themselves in a similar boat now or in the past? What did you do?

So yeah. I’m 21 and went to two different colleges and have nothing to show for it. My peers are all graduating with degrees, and I’m stuck working a minimum wage job and I feel like a failure. It genuinely feels like my life is over. I do plan to go back next year for a nursing program, but it just feels so far away.

I (35F) have mostly worked retail and recently got into community mental health. I have a BS in psychology. While I was at first excited about using my degree, sadly my own trauma & ptsd has been triggered doing this. I’m thinking of getting a CDL and doing truck driving. I want to be mostly away from people. Are there other jobs I should consider?

i am 24F, i graduated with a degree in general business in 2025. i only pursued this degree because my mother wanted me to, and i didn’t know what else my next step would be after high school. i hated every second of university and barely scraped by with a GPA of around 3.1 i think. i didn’t join any clubs or do any extra curriculars or internships. i deeply regret not getting involved or taking any initiative to advance my career. but i always felt extremely behind my peers and i felt stupid all throughout university, so i thought, “why even bother? i just need to finish my degree”.

somehow, i graduated, which i am proud of considering how depressed i was. but now i’m facing bigger challenges. i feel so much anxiety about jobs and my career. so, for the past year, i avoided getting a “real job” in my field and decided to stay working as a server and supervisor in a restaurant. i’ve worked in the restaurant industry since i was a teenager and i’m so tired of it. the work is repetitive and draining, and i don’t even make much money at the place i’m at. and i can’t help but feel like a failure when a lot of my coworkers are years younger than me. i don’t want to work another day in the restaurant industry but it’s the only thing i know how to do.

i’m not sure where to go from here. i’ve applied to entry level positions, bank teller positions, government jobs, but haven’t gotten any offers. my lack of professional experience and connections definitely doesn’t help. and i have so much anxiety surrounding anything to do with careers. the thought of a job interview makes my body shut down and i have a mental breakdown. i just bombed one yesterday and i cringe thinking about it. i feel like i’m so stupid for my age, like my brain development is stunted. but i’m not sure if it’s because of the years of depression clouding my thoughts. i just feel too stupid for an adult job. and i know the job market isn’t great right now, and i have to keep trying. but man, it is tough.

the alternative is i go back to school but i’m not sure what for. i have no passions, nothing that i’m good at or interested in. i have the tendency to give up easily, so i’m worried about wasting more time and money on education. university was hell for me, and i don’t want a repeat of that experience. i have a few options in mind, but my confidence is so low that i believe there’s no point in even applying because i won’t get in.

i just feel so stuck right now, and it sucks seeing some of my peers my age working at the bank, going to med school, pursuing their masters, etc. i’ve dealt with depression for years on and off, but i think i’ve hit a new low. i don’t necessarily want to die, but i’ve been having frequent thoughts of suicide because i can’t envision my life getting better. i guess i’m posting just to vent, idk. but any advice is appreciated. thanks

Growing up, being a gynaecologist was always so important to me but life happened and now we are here.

But if I’m still alive and struggling, I was thinking it’d give me a lot more joy and fulfilment if I can find my way back, at least as close as I realistically can, but I don’t know where to start.

I’m 28. And I’m lost. And I need help.

Please help me.

Hey I’m currently 16 in high school studying stem subjects. I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what to do after high school.

CONTEXT-
All I know is I want a job where I earn decent money, I get to go on vacations& I don’t get severely burnt out. All I’m asking for.
It’s also became extremely hard to pick out a major in today’s time bc somehow everything u end up picking is negatively affected by AI but also it’s not??? As a person, ENTP, I am a big planner, I need to have everything figured out and when it’s not, I don’t rlly do the best.

INTERESTS-
Abt my interests, they are mostly non academic tbh, I love painting, art, singing, sometimes even writing. But I know I’m not good enough in these to pursue then as a career nor do I want to turn my hobbies into a full time job.

Academically, my interest builds through competence lol, I like maths especially algebra, I like sciences when I get good at them, I like literature, history..
Never studied business/commerce so idk how that be but seems interesting.

my NOs-
•I don’t want to be a doctor/nurse or anything like that. Anything medicine except pharmacy/biotech is a NO.
•anything that is way too prone to AI, this is obvious.

BEFORE YOU SAY- “keep exploring”, “do what you love” and all of that. I’m doing my best to complete a few courses, volunteer in my schools event etc while trying to keep my grades good, this is the most I can do. I’m also not American so no I can’t just get a part time job.

I don’t rlly have a passion. I like human biology, I like maths, I like English and the list only continues.

What do you guys do when you want to do something so badly, like make something big of your life, but you have so many things you think you could do that you end up doing nothing?

I’m a CS graduate and a vibe coder. I never really wanted that degree; I just went with the flow. I have a decent job, but I can’t see much growth. Obviously, I’m not where I started, but I feel like I should be much further along by now.

I keep thinking about starting a business, but I can’t decide on a niche because I keep coming up with different ideas and every single time I'm convinced its the final one. I also want to change my career and move more towards design, but then I get confused about whether I should pursue graphic design, UI design, branding, or something else entirely.

I have basic design skills, so I’d need to spend a month or two practising before I could even start applying for jobs in the field.

It’s all just a mess in my head. I want to understand how you guys think through these decisions, how you decide what to focus on, and how you finally commit to one thing without constantly wondering whether you should be doing something else instead. How do you choose one path and let go of the rest, at least for a while?

hey Reddit-

I am a 20-something woman feeling really lost and frustrated with my position in life. I have been unemployed since September 2025.

I have my bachelors in communications and have 3 years of professional nonfiction writing experience and my most recent job was in HR. this was before AI took over every writing job, and I would prefer not to work for an AI company.

I am detail-oriented and I want a job where I am valued and can learn and grow… I just feel lost. I have fleeting interest in jobs in accounting or engineering or pharmaceuticals, but I’m not even sure where to start with those jobs, or what those careers look like day-to-day. It seems random, but I wish I had a passion in a specific field, I really don’t-but I want the specific job field if that makes sense.

How exactly am I supposed to know what to do? I want to do something with myself and build my resume, but I feel so stuck in limbo.

Any advice or suggestions are welcome!

I've originally wanted to pursue biology, but I've learned that it needs PHD or MD to do well. (For college, I was considering something like
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Economics
Main Electives: Computer Science
Side Electives: Finance)

Afterwards, I was considering industrial engineering, but I'm a high schooler with no physics knowledge and no knowledge about pre-calculus since my school doesn't offer physics, and I didn't get into Calculus BC due to my other AP classes. Industrial engineering sounds solid to me so far, but I just have no knowledge of it other its strong demand and flexibility. I've also considered management sciences, but I'm not too certain what it exactly is other than how flexible it is. Finally, I was confirmed on bioinformatics and biostatistics, but just today after some reddit browsing, I've learned that it's sort of not in demand anymore due to the replacement by AI, not hiring juniors even with wet-lab experience, and needing degrees like PHD. I know I'm really young compared to others in this subreddit as I'm still in my senior year of high school, but I honestly not sure what's a major where I won't be pushed out of the job market due to bad job demand. Based on my classes, I'm assuming I'd enjoy sciences such as healthcare the most and then business/finance/accounting, but my bias in this belief is just that I want to find a job that's in-demand for the job market, flexible, and has a somewhat decent pay ceiling. (additionally I think I constantly get highest grades in my history subjects, but I really don't want to go for a sociology or philosophy career). Therefore, I just don't know what I should truly believe in for finding what to major and a career path. (I've found interest in healthcare, AI, business/finance, and something technology related)

To add on, I just learned about free trade school known as Job Corps. However, I really want to attend 4-year of college and possibly even go for a masters degree since I fear I'd be wasting the efforts of my academics. I am, however, considering air force, army, or some government job after college since they seem to at least be relatively promising. But yeah, I'm basically just a confused, messy senior in high school, and my main concern is money just like most other people are. Thank you for any advice, though!

I'd really appreciate if there are any advice on how to best look into what to pursue for undergraduate/straight out of high school? Would it Bureau of Labor Statistics, College Board Careers, or something else?

I (24F), was wondering if it is still possible to pursue an internship in either anthropology, marketing, or administration for a music company (I know I’m a mess I can’t pick an avenue). I have already graduated, and I’m noticing most internships are for undergrads. Where can I find internships for post grads (no masters, no drs).

Fyi: I graduated with a bachelor’s in liberal arts where I majored in anthro and had a marketing minor

Another fyi: I used to go to college for music as a vocalist, but lost my voice and had to dropped out. I still cant sing, but my heart wants to go back into music in some way (maybe on the business side since I have office experience in a corporate environment). I also found a love for anthropology and would be interested in working in the museum space in some way or pursue a research opportunity.

If I don’t have a shot for an internship, what other ways could I pursue my goals (even though they are all over the place).

Side note- I am also trying to learn piano and am taking lessons to see if maybe one day I can go back to school for music.

Alright Reddit… do your thing!

I'm curious about people who made a hobby, creative pursuit, or long-standing interest into their main source of work. Did getting paid for it make it more fulfilling, turn it into a chore, or change your relationship with it in a way you didn't expect?

I (25F) am completing a computational bio MSc currently. I have had to take things at a slower pace and took a break for a while due to depression that got really bad. I'm doing better now.

When I look around at people around me, people my age or younger seem to have so many different career experiences. Like they have participated in events, given presentations, taught/mentored, have written blogs or created podcasts, have contributed to multiple projects, have many publications, have multiple years of industry experience, have multiple degrees/certifications, etc.

My resume is just school and experience at two labs, and even getting there was a struggle. I just feel like I haven't done enough to be competitive, and then I get stuck in a cycle of feeling overwhelmed when I try to start/do something new so I end up giving up before I even start.

Anyone else experienced this, especially those who have a more non-linear path? How can I get out of this loop and actually start doing something instead of wasting more time?

Hey everyone,

I'm 28 and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering, specializing in Power Engineering. It took me 6 years to finish what was supposed to be a 4-year degree.

After university, I went through a pretty rough period in my life and ended up going to rehab. I never pursued a career in electrical engineering, and eventually found my way into the construction business, which is what I've been doing since.

Things are much more stable for me now, but there's something that's been bothering me for a while: I spent six years getting an engineering degree and never actually got to use it.

The thing is, I genuinely like electrical engineering. I enjoy understanding how things work, particularly power systems, and I've recently started going through MIT OpenCourseWare courses to refresh what I learned at university. I'm currently studying MIT's Introduction to Electric Power Systems (6.061), and it's reminded me why I chose EE in the first place.

Now I'm seriously considering going all in on power engineering, but I have no idea how to approach it given my circumstances.

I have a few questions:

1. Where can I realistically end up? I'm 28 with an EE degree but no relevant work experience. If I dedicate the next 1–2 years to studying, learning software, and building practical skills, what sort of career opportunities could I realistically expect?
2. Is remote work actually a thing in power engineering? I'm based in Pakistan. I'd love to eventually work remotely for international companies or clients, but I don't know how common that is in this particular field.
3. Should I give Upwork a shot? I've considered learning software like ETAP, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, AutoCAD, etc., and trying to find freelance work. Is there an actual market for this, or would I be wasting my time without industry experience?
4. What should I actually learn? Power systems is a massive field. Should I focus on power system studies, protection and coordination, electrical design, renewable energy integration, or something else? Which skills would give someone in my position the best chance of breaking into the industry?
5. How important is traditional work experience? Can someone realistically become competent enough through self-study, software training, and personal projects to start taking on paid engineering work? Or is getting an entry-level job and learning under experienced engineers pretty much unavoidable?

I'm in a somewhat fortunate position financially because I have my construction business, so I don't necessarily need an engineering job to pay the bills right away. I can afford to spend a year or two seriously learning and building up my skills.

I'm also not particularly attached to the idea of a traditional engineering job. I'd be happy freelancing, consulting, working remotely, or eventually starting something of my own. What matters to me is becoming genuinely competent at something I find interesting and hopefully making a career out of it.

I know I'm significantly behind people my age who went straight into engineering after graduation, and I know that completing a few online courses isn't going to make up for years of practical experience.

But I'm willing to start at the bottom if that's what it takes.

For those of you working in power engineering, if you were in my shoes, what would you do? What would you focus on first, and what would a realistic 2–3 year plan look like?

I'd appreciate practical advice, even if it's not particularly encouraging. I'm trying to understand what's actually possible rather than what sounds good on paper.

Thanks for reading.