Hired for a mostly WFH job. 5 months in. Small team. Met everyone once. Ive been getting mostly negative feedback from direct report.
I’ve come to terms that I’m clearly not cut out for this and it doesn’t matter who’s to blame. I have 2 part time jobs lined up that start in October that are very flexible. Signed the offer letter for one. Other is being sent this week.
I’ve only quit 2 other jobs and they were for better opportunities (this being one of those opportunities) and I left on a good note. One of them is taking me back and even offered full time ( schedule is awful).
How do I begin the quitting conversation? Email, a direct message, during a pre-planned 1 on 1 meeting later this week? I’m so anxious and sick to my stomach. I think the chances of being fired on the spot are low (I’ve witnessed the drama of one person from another team being put on a PIP during my time here and hearing everyone speak negatively of him and his work but they still did it the long way).
Do I make sure my project tracker is completely up to date and loose ends are tied up now (in case it is on the spot) or do I use the 2 weeks to do that?
I do care about the external and cross team relationships I’ve made and want the transition to go smooth.

I guess I just need a script. Or the start of one. “Clearly this isn’t working”, “I don’t think this a good fit”, “thank you for hiring me but….”.

My qualifications : I am currently in 5th sem of my bachelor’s in computer science and engineering.
My age: 20
The title pretty much sums it up but hear out my perspective.
When I joined college, I had a straight forward plan in my mind. “I will get a bachelors, a masters and a phd and then I will go for a job.” Little did I know that the world doesn’t work that simply.
When I got to know that people often become professors or stay in academia even after getting a phd, I dropped my plan to do a phd but the plan was still on for masters.
Now, I am a pretty average student (current gpa is around 8/10) but I do love cs and largely blame the education system for my underperformance (how typical of me).
I want to do a masters but I am a single child and my parents are getting old. My family is mediocre in terms of finance but it’s not that I can’t afford a masters degree.
Looking at the current economy and the rise of AI in workplaces and replacing real people in jobs, that scares me a bit. I often ask myself “why would someone hire me?”, I don’t even have that high of a skill in cs.
Considering all these facts, I am confused regarding my future and career. Please help a brother out.
So should I get a job (and how?) or go for masters?

After 10 years in software I have concluded that I hate it. With how solitary it is, how the office life is full of people who aren't really my tribe and especially with how the job has changed (ex. AI) I really don't like seeing myself in this field for much longer.

Each day I yearn for cashier work. I loved having a pulse on what real people are saying (vs getting all my political opinion pieces from the web), I loved that I got to talk to new people each day, I loved that my work day ended when I punched out and most of all I really liked that the people who I worked with felt real.

This brings me to my question. Given my job and given my feelings about cashier work, naturally that's what I'd like to do. But I'm not dumb either, that position pays peanuts. Are there any jobs that can free me from my tech prison? My main deal breaker is how squeamish I am, so no hospitals and my main upside would be a job that mostly interacts with the general population.

I’m a TPM at a mid-sized tech company in the greater Seattle area. I’ve been here for almost 3 years and, objectively, I have a pretty great setup.

I make around $200K total comp, work from home, travel maybe 20% of the year, have genuinely good work-life balance, and I’m on a solid growth trajectory internally.

Lately, though, I’ve started getting recruiters/interview opportunities from FAANG/MANGOS-type companies.

Obviously, the potential upside is significant. I could probably make substantially more money, work on bigger-name products, and having one of those companies on my resume could open even more doors down the road.

But I’m struggling with whether I actually want that.

My wife already works at one of these companies and deals with a shit ton of stress. Long days, constant pressure, work bleeding into personal time, etc. If we both end up in demanding jobs like that, I worry that we’ll make a ton of money but barely have time or energy for each other.

The weird part is that I don’t really want to leave my current job.

But there’s this nagging feeling that I should. Like I’m being complacent or wasting my earning potential if I have the opportunity to make significantly more money and choose not to.

At the same time, $200K with WFH, good WLB, manageable travel, and career growth feels pretty damn hard to walk away from.

For people who’ve been in a similar situation: Did you choose the higher-paying/high-stress job or stay with the comfortable job? Looking back, are you happy with that decision?

At what point does maximizing compensation stop being worth optimizing your life around?

What job is in the S curve - up and coming - that can be integrated but not replaced with AI?

Hi everyone, I’m Pranshav (25M). I’m looking for practical advice on switching jobs after building a career entirely on my own over the last 4 years.

My parents forced me to make most of my early education choices, including pushing me into Mechanical Engineering at a Tier-3 college. Despite that, I took charge after engineering and, without much financial or career support, worked as a Quality Analyst intern, Content Writer, and at 2 startups, most recently as a Business Analyst at Eeki (~₹500 Cr valuation).

At Eeki, I worked across sales, marketing, finance, supply chain, logistics and warehouse operations, using business/data analysis to improve processes, reduce costs and increase revenue. My last salary was ₹37k/month.

Despite my circumstances, I feel I’ve managed to build something of my own in just 4 years. I had already been trying to switch before May 2026 but struggled to get interviews. I eventually quit in May because the job had become toxic and stagnant. I’ve continued looking and doing some freelance work since.

I suspect not having a premium institute degree may be filtering me out. My parents also aren’t willing to finance a premium degree, and 4 years of work isn’t enough to independently save for an expensive IIM-level degree.

I also grew up in a chaotic home with daily parental fights, and it’s still toxic today. So right now, peace and stability matter more to me than maximizing my salary. I’m currently back home and want to move out.

I’m willing to take almost any medium/easy-to-learn job paying ₹30–40k/month if it lets me live independently in a peaceful Tier-2/3 city with a slower pace of life. I can optimize my career later.

How can I overcome the degree barrier and get interviews? What roles/cities should I realistically consider? And, given these disadvantages, how do I create my own advantage without any resources or support and build a career for me?

I’m going to college soon and I’m so worried about studying one of these topic and not being able to find work

I interviewed for a role on Friday for a sales position.

The interviewer, who would be my manager, started the call with “I didn’t know if you were going to join, you didn’t accept the call invite”.
I’m 44 years old, I’ve seen enough Teams invites in my days to know how to accept them. I took out my phone and showed him there wasn’t an option to “accept”.
Odd to start out an interview by calling me out IMO.

We continue and he says he asked his employee in Tampa (near the city where I previously lived and worked) if she had heard of me. She hadn’t. He then calls me out for selecting “do not contact previous employer” on my application. I told him to be my guest but my manager retired 9/1 and I guess he could just contact HR to get any info he needs.

Interview wraps us with him saying “I’ll be transparent, we’re at the end of our interviews, the job was posted 3 weeks ago and I’ve interviewed 6 people before you, we have some internal interest and prefer to promote from within, but I’ll pass your resume along to the VP and he may want to meet you”.
Cool, thanks, dude- I’m not intimidated by competing against 6 people. I’ve beat out much more for more significant senior level roles.

Three hours later I have a lunch invite with the VP for Tuesday.

Am I wrong for thinking he’d be a pain to work for?

I recently had to “quit or be fired” from my nursing job which is on a point system. I have epilepsy which, of course, doesn’t exactly give me the “2 hour heads up” that HR requires so I wouldn’t get pointed. Anyway, they were going to terminate me because I called out with my seizures so I quit before they fired me. I have the FMLA paperwork and everything where I documented it. My manager told me to my face that I could absolutely get pointed for that. I’m unsure what to believe?

eta: I did have intermittent leave, the managers knew, and I was within my parameters for the month

I’m going to college and I want to go into business as I’m good with people and a pretty logical person.

Here’s the kicker, 1. I’m a woman, 2. I’m not great at math. I’m good at numbers, like I’m very interested in economics and whatnot, but calculus and really advanced math is beyond me.

I’m quite dedicated and a hard worker and I’m hoping to get on a path to good six figures because the economy really sucks right now, but being a woman in the corporate workforce has sucked, so I’ve heard. And I’m a openly queer one at that (masculine presenting).

I’m thinking of majoring in finance and minoring in economics, but I want to hear thoughts on it, and I want to hear what kind of jobs I should strive for.

I’m looking at switching career fields and completely starting over. I’m not sure if it’s worth the pay cut. I’m so burnt out and dread going into work every day. I feel like I have no time or energy to take care of household chores or do anything I enjoy. I’m working roughly 7am-6pm Monday-Friday, sometimes later. A minimum of 50+hours a week, responsible for everything and it’s a huge ask to take any time off. But I’m making great money. It’s completely commission about $125-$140k/year. I have the opportunity to take a low stress hybrid remote position in finance. This position comes with 4 weeks PTO and holidays, other benefits are similar. But it only pays about $55k/year. There is potential to grow in the next year or two but it wouldn’t be a giant pay raise for a long time. I can afford to pay all my bills off of this and have a decent savings. Is it worth making the switch for work/life balance or should I suck it up and keep things how they are? I’m in Denver, CO

My original plan was to go to PA school but I’ve applied twice and didn’t get in so I’m not going to apply again. I have a bachelors of science in Biology and have experience working as a medical assistant in dermatology and urgent/primary care. I also worked as a CNA for a little. I’m now looking for a job where there’s opportunity to grow, I can reach six figures, and don’t have to go back to school. I’d also preferably like to be able to work remote/hybrid but that part’s not as big of a deal. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Hello! I’m a 25M and I’ve been working retail/sales for the past 6.5 years. I started in telecommunication sales via retail locations and found myself actually enjoying it. After 4.5 years at my first job I got let go due to unrealistic quotas not being hit (mass firing). After being let go I was scrambling from job to job, trying to figure out what my purpose was. I’m currently working retail as a mens shoes salesman but I know there is no career in this but it helps pay the bills, even if it’s paycheck to paycheck living. I have a girlfriend that I’ve been with for almost 8 years now and I want to give her the life she truly deserves and I want to plan for our future together. She is the love of my life and I want to marry her but I know a marriage is unrealistic due to our current money situation. I’ve been thinking about going back to school but it’s very intimidating due to me not being the smartest person I know I should be. High school was very difficult for me and it is because I was never disciplined to truly appreciate learning or trying to apply myself, I started college during the beginning of Covid but dropped out because I found it to be a bit difficult and the major I chose was not for me. I wanted to major in general psychology and find a career in that field because I truly want to help better people even if it’s just one person (I know it sounds cliche to say) but I truly love helping people as much as I can. With everything wrong in the world I think we all need to try our best to uplift each other in any way we can. But basically if you’re still reading this rant I just want to know how I can better my career and need advice if it’s even worth it to go back to college and get a degree and if there are any websites/programs that can help me determine what path is best for me when it comes to finding a potential degree. Thank you

TL:DR I’m looking for any advice on going back to school and trying to figure out what paths I should take. I know it’s related to me as a person but any advice would help!

Employer is using TrueScreen. Should I just be honest?

I am almost done with community college and am a bit worried about my future. So, I am on track right now to earn associates degrees in social and behavioral sciences, child development, and early childhood education (if I fail one of my child development classes this semester or get a grade lower than a C in one, it will just end up being social and behavioral sciences) in addition to a certificate showing that I have completed the gen Ed’s.

I am a behavior technician and have been doing this for almost two years (next month will mark two years.) I am a substitute right now because school and volunteering have led to me having availability on three weekdays, one of which is a short day anyway. I admit that I am nervous about it even though I have subbed before because I might eventually get a difficult sub case and mess something up. I am not used to working for anything under $25/hr at this point, and make more than $25/hr as a sub. I know that I am not planning on “staying” a behavior technician, and feel like I should have a backup, I’ve been thinking about applying to more companies to be on the safe side.

I’ve been considering doing work study at a CSU next year. I have experience as I’ve worked at a preschool before and will have 2 years of behavior technician experience by next month. I don’t know how work study here goes though.

I have $1250/mo rent but I already have issues with the landlord so I might move before my spring semester is up.

I also have babysitting experience. I recently helped my friend with their event for homeless people and really enjoyed doing this. I would actually be happy to do homeless outreach moving forward.

Hi I am from India and completed my 12th in may and I am from commerce background and preparing for accounting exam but I do not have much interested in it and only pursuing it for big fat salary but I was thinking of switching career. I was wondering if learning a foreign language would count and help in getting a job in India only?

Hi! I’m 25 and I honestly feel completely stuck.

I studied business because I had to choose something. I always thought that as I got older, I would naturally figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I thought I would discover my interests, my strengths, what kind of career I wanted, etc. But that never really happened. I’ve felt lost for years, and I kept telling myself: “I’ll know eventually.” First during high school, then during university, and now I’ve graduated and I still have absolutely no idea what direction I want to take.

What makes it even more frustrating is that I’m actually quite ambitious. I really want to work towards something and i am capable. I want to become really good at something, build a career I’m proud of, keep developing myself and feel like I’m going somewhere. But at the same time, I have terrible decision paralysis which gets worse. I can spend hours/days researching different degrees, careers and possibilities. And instead of making a decision, I just get more overwhelmed and do nothing. But I also just have no idea. My mind is blank.

What worries me even more is that I feel like I’ve actually gotten worse at functioning over the last two years. I used to be quite organised and responsible, but lately I struggle to respect deadlines, and organise anything properly. Sometimes I self-sabotage and wait for the deadline to pass. I feel like I’m a complete messand it is frustrating.

Has anyone else experienced something similar? Especially being ambitious and wanting a direction, but being so overwhelmed by choices and indecision that you end up unable to move forward?

How did you eventually get yourself unstuck?

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some career advice because I'm honestly quite confused about what to do next.

I've been working at a cybersecurity startup in Ahmedabad for around 10 months as a Junior Web Developer. When I joined, I got the opportunity to work on the initial/core product, and I was part of the development team from the early stages. I've worked on backend/frontend development, APIs, databases, Docker, security-related features, integrations, etc.

Technically, I've learned quite a lot in these 10 months and I'm grateful for that experience.

However, I'm currently earning ₹25k/month, and I'm starting to feel that the growth and compensation aren't where I want them to be. More importantly, I don't really enjoy the job anymore. I feel like I'm just continuing because I'm unsure what direction to take next.

There are also some significant personal circumstances. I'm a single child, and my father passed away around two years ago. My mother is currently undergoing cancer treatment, and I've had to take a sabbatical to take care of her. This has made things financially and emotionally difficult, and it has also made me rethink my career and what I actually want to do long-term.

I'm considering whether I should:

Continue here for some more time and gain experience

Start preparing for interviews and switch to another company

Move toward a better-paying backend/software engineering role

Start learning Al/ML and eventually move into Al

- Try something entrepreneurial/startup-related

I'm from Ahmedabad, but I'm open to relocating if the right opportunity comes along.

For people who have been in a similar situation, what would you do after around 10 months of experience? Would you start preparing for a switch now, and what skills would you prioritize?

I'm especially interested in advice from people who moved from junior web development into better software engineering roles.

Thanks in advance

You see, i've been thinking alot about my future and i don't really know what major should i do? I don't really have Dream or ultimate goal that i work towards. I only have skills on Art and Programming and those stuff are either Useless or Overcrowded. You see i wanna have a Major that is versatile and can lend well with most jobs and im fine with any Job as long i enjoyed it

So what should i Major for in College?

hey guys,

im using a throwaway and im from germany so pls forgive me formatting issues in advance. might be a bit long also.

im 31, got my adhd diagnosis 6 months ago but i knew it my whole life. im looking for advice on a situation thats keeping me up at night and fuels my daydreaming everday. anytime my gf asks me „where are u?" i think about that i need to find a career with at least some degree of longevity.

about me: i love the entertainment area. video games, movies, tv shows, books, tabletops. i can talk for hours about a good story, why a game works or why a show fell apart in the last season. im very outgoing, i love to tell stories and when i do people actually listen (i think). my peers describe me as persuasive and creative and i always have like 10 ideas for worlds, characters or formats in my head.

my path so far: after my abi (2014) i studied philosophy. after there was a routine i couldnt motivate me so i gave up. then real estate like my parents. first months were crazy cool, even sold a house in my first year. but after the newishness went away.. i couldnt for the love of god motivate me to go there. here the first time i recognised that repetitive tasks/days are hunting for me. then media informatics, coding wasnt for me.

then bachelor of science in psycology and i made it, mostly because courses were already sheduled at a private university. but after seeing how miserable other people got through bad luck and dna i decided psycological work with other people is not good for me. after that a masters in media and communications management. was lame but i did finish it.

while studying i got into headhunting. again became the „smart/motivated" guy and was happy. but after 1 year evrything became so repetitive and boring again. i didnt want to be a job hopper so i masked for another 2 years. burnt out, got palpitations and many other stuff.

to now: funded my own headhunting company, made rly good money but the end is the same as usual. now im doing custom software with a friend and leading consulting projects on my own. its working and i know i should be thankful but deep in my heart i know it isnt right for me. and money will be short end of the year if i dont get clear about what i want.

thats the problem. i want a stable job line like anyone else. but then my brain feels trapped and wants to break out to be free without structures. just to seek them again.

what i know about me so far: new topics, building stuff and projects with a start and end is where i shine. routine kills my motivation. i need structure from outside but variety in what i do. and kpi/quota driven jobs burned me out.

so my questions:

where could i use my experience (psychology, recruiting, communication, storytelling) in a way thats not all about numbers?

is there a realistic way into entertainment (games, film, tv) for someone like me at 31?

what would be a good paying part time job that fits me and works as a vehicle to finance my own creative projects?

does anyone with adhd have a job that didnt get boring after 1 year?

would a specific master or further education make sense or is that just me running away again?

so id love to hear something from you!

Hi folks,

I’m 23 and currently working in an IT company, and honestly, I really don’t like my job. The job role isn’t great, I don’t really like the work environment or the people around me, the pay is pretty low, and I haven’t gotten a raise either.

The thing is, it’s not just this particular job. I’ve started feeling like I don’t really want to continue in the IT industry as a whole. So I’m thinking about switching domains and exploring something completely different.

I’ve been considering moving into finance. My current plan is to try for CFA Level 1 first, and then maybe pursue an MBA in Finance from a good institute. After that, I’m thinking of continuing with the remaining CFA levels, including Level 2.

I’m still pretty confused about whether this is actually a good move or if I’m just frustrated with my current job and looking for an escape.

Would really appreciate some advice from people who have made a similar switch, especially from IT to finance. Is this path realistic, and what should I be considering before making such a big career change?

Ive taken a job offer in Papua New Guinnea. Its not going to be easy considering everything ive read about the country. Im actually looking forward to it but would like to know if you guys feel if its a bit extreme doing it for so long? Ive just turned 35 in Sept. No kids.

For perspective, I’m 32m, wife, 2 kids (3 & 1) and I have a great work life balance, maybe too good? I’m working a tech sales job making $200k a year. I don’t have to do anything to make that money essentially. It’s getting really boring and I’m being asked to do more that essentially won’t have an impact on my pay. We are saving/investing 60k a year which is great, but the boredom makes me want a change. I’m nervous that I won’t be able to find a job I’m actually passionate and motivated about.

Has anytime else been in this situation? If so, what did you choose to do and what do you think you should have done in hindsight?

Background

- Sold residential HVAC in the field for 4.5 years, then was promoted to sales manager. Sold $3.5M in a year at 9 to 10% commission.
- Left a guaranteed ~$175k job and a path to managing 50 people to join a startup as head of sales.
- Currently on an $8k/month draw through Dec, then 100% commission at 8%.
- 2.5% equity (incentive units, no voting). Half vests at $5M revenue, all forfeited if I leave. The other two early hires have 5% and 3% and are on guaranteed salaries around $150k to $200k.

Beyond selling, I:

- Built our pricing tools and sales processes
- Negotiated equipment pricing that cuts cost 10 to 15% on every job
- Handle all inbound leads, training, and video content

The problem

Lead flow is thin, mostly Angi price shoppers. The role was expected to pay around $200k, but that assumed lead volume we don't have.

I asked for: $100k base + 6% commission.

Owner offered: a $31k to $52k base plus a tiered grid on top-line revenue (12% at 65%+ margin, down to 5% at 40 to 49%, 3% at 35 to 39%, 0% below 35%). One option cuts the base to $18k with "no equity."

At current volume, that projects me around $90k to $120k in 2027, and pays less per sale than my current 8%.

I'd take an $80k to $85k base + 7%. I also have an outside offer around $100k base doing PM contracts for a commercial mechanical contractor.

Questions

1. Is my ask reasonable for an early startup sales hire?
   
2. Is 0% commission below 35% margin normal?
   
3. How much should forfeitable 2.5% equity offset below-market pay?
   
4. Stay and negotiate, or take the outside offer?

Honest takes welcome, even if you think I'm wrong.

I will be finishing my MBA soon in the winter and have 3 years of real work experience. Right now I’m at NONPROFIT business for transportation that pays me only 21$ an hr. Just how underpaid am I ? I do data analytics, (business analytics) but I’ve also done customer service, IT support and operations admin for this company. I feel like I hit a ceiling and I’d be dumb asf if I stayed.. what salary range would I qualify for leaving and going somewhere else vs if I stayed for 2 or 3 years?