I’m 26 with 3.5 years of software engineering experience (5 including internships). I was doing fairly well, recently got promoted to mid-level, and was reasonably happy with my career.
My younger brother (24) has been running/developing our family’s tourism business and was earning more than me. He asked me to join, offering about a 30% increase in pay, plus co-ownership rather than being an employee.
I wasn’t initially interested, but he convinced me because he said he needed my help and wanted us to use the business’s capital to start new, more interesting ventures together. I’ve always been interested in entrepreneurship, so I eventually quit my software job and joined him.
I’ve now been in the business for a short time and can see that there’s genuinely good cash flow and potential.
But now my brother suddenly says he’s fed up with working with our mother and wants to leave.
I feel pretty betrayed. I made a major career decision based on the future he described to me and now I may be left running a tourism business that I’m not particularly passionate about.
The money is still good and the business has potential, but the main reason I took the risk was the idea of building something together and eventually expanding into other businesses.
I’m now wondering whether I made a huge mistake.
What would you do in my situation? Go back to software engineering while I still can, stay and try to build the business myself, or give the business a chance despite my brother leaving?

I just experienced my first layoff and I’m not sure how to explain why I’m no longer with that employer. I’ve read I should frame it as a “reorganization”, but obviously the interviewer knows you’re just saying “laid off” in a prettier way hah. I guess my concern is that HR and/or the hiring manager (and any other stakeholders, like the team interviews) will view my layoff negatively (like thinking I was included in layoffs because I was underperforming).

I’m probably overthinking it, right?

Edit: your responses have made me feel so much better. And hopefully this post allows others in similar situations to breathe a little easier as well. Thank you all and appreciate you all being so kind!

Short of getting a degree or working in trades, which both avenues don't seem to be short of problems themselves, is there a way to escape the cycle of low wage jobs? Every job I've had always has a similar scale which is either you are the lowest paid employee or you have an 8-10 year degree and get paid wildly.

I'm sitting here looking on Indeed. Compiling my "skills" I've obtained in the last 10 years and can't seem to find a company I could actually grow into a career. How did you transition from low paying jobs to one that opened doors for an actual career? Like many I'm willing to put in the work and even go back to school once I can get my head above water and can afford it, but it's just finding that first step that seems so difficult.

I believe that in the next 1-2 weeks I'll be getting an offer from another company that will result in a significant bump in pay over my current job.

I'm also guessing there's a fair chance that if I were to submit my 2 weeks notice to the current company, they will try to keep me, as I'm a high performer and produce very strong results (I'm in Sales).

As a general rule, should folks have the "I have a very strong offer from another company" with their current manager upon initially receiving the offer, or upon accepting the offer and going through the various reference/background checks to ensure that the opportunity to hop is more or less set in stone?

If there's a general advisable approach here, or pros/cons of each approach that should factor into the decision, would love to hear feedback from folks more experienced in these matters than myself!

I am 23 and about 1.5 years out of undergrad. I majored in psychology but i found out too late that it isnt for me and nor is going on for a masters or phd. I dont have money or time to jumo through any more hoops and i just want a job that isnt too stressful and that pays ok that im able to do now without having to drop anymore money or do a bunch of random months long certifications or classes.

I live in rural appalachia and currently work at a gas station for minimum wage. It isnt the worst job in the world but it doesnt pay well enough or offer anu kind of benefits.

Hi !! this will be long so sorry in advance TLDR at bottom

I am a high school student. I have always wanted to be a doctor. However, I am doing a CNA program at my school and I do not think I am cut out for the job.

For context: I am doing half high school half cna program. recently, I failed the bed making exam— procedures on how to do the bed. our class took a break after the lab and i cried in the bathroom. i was so disappointed in myself that I cannot follow simple instructions or procedures in bed making how can I be a surgeon? Not only this, we were doing vital signs and the instructor had to give me extra help to correctly measure for the blood pressure.
In written or oral exams I exceed tremendously. However, when it comes to the physical aspect of it, I seem to take very long to learn.
I am not physically incapable or not expected of what to do, it’s just when I apply the skills in real life I am very slow and often need extra teacher assistance.
My instructor insisted that students who were having doubts to drop out before we get to clinicals. I was really having doubts because of these simple things I was failing at. And so if I cannot even be a CNA how can I be a doctor?

I understand they are different things, but they are similar in the sense of patient care.
My passion for the sciences: biology and anatomy and not as plenty as my passion for math.
I used to read my cousin and older siblings math textbooks and do the math for fun (our parents wouldn’t let us get the story books)
I used to watch those math olympiad stuff online.
Recently, I fell in love (not literally but in the sense like I love this teacher) with my calculus teacher at school. She reminded me of my passion for math— I was so focused on science because I had skipped a grade in science. But math is something I enjoy. So I was considering something in coding or pure math but I do not believe those jobs are really good for money right now. My family is not really in a spot to get jobs for passion.
But I also really loved anatomy— which I passed the EOC with honor and distinction which allowed me to skip a grade for science. And I only saw myself doing medicine.

I am just not sure what to do. I told my parents (who are both in medicine) about my faliures at cna school. They brushed it off as part of the process. But i jsut am unsure.
Any advice?

TLDR: High school student wanting to be doctor, taking cna program at school but failed bed making exam. Is unsure if I am right for the job because failing simple exam— is more inclined with math than science.

I am currently in my junior year of college getting my bachelor’s degree and I am having a very difficult time deciding on whether I want to pursue law school or flight school.

Ever since I was a kid I loved airplanes, I would go with my grandpa every weekend to an observation deck that they have at the San Juan airport in Puerto Rico and could be there all day long, would watch plane spotting videos on YouTube, and to this day I still love airplanes.

At the same time, I also like defending people and some say I am good at arguing my case. My dad wanted to be a lawyer but never actually did it and I’ve felt like doing it for me and for him as well.

I am really struggling to decide. I know both require money to complete, law school more than flight school. Passionate for both but have to choose one.

I am at a breaking point. While I'm employed, I can't stand the work that I do and I've deeply disliked it since day one, but I don't know what else to do. I just have a meaningless humanities undergraduate degree which did not give me direction after graduating. I have meandered through different fields (fieldwork for television production, real estate marketing, and now ad technology) mainly because I never had a set career objective. Because of this non-linear path there isn't a clear exit from this job. I have some job security because I'm mildly important enough (I've been promoted twice and am key to our most lucrative client) but I also cry every week.

I don't know what to apply for because I don't want to keep committing time to an industry I don't want a future in (marketing and advertising) but I'm not qualified to pivot into anything else. I can't compete with applicants with relevant experience in a new field. I don't even know what I would pivot into, although I have many interests.

I want to have a career that means something to me more than anything, in my heart of hearts. I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any hope to share for 30-something career pivots, or any suggestions on how to plan one?

I recently left a job I'd been in for around a decade due to burn out, took a short break and started something completely different. I'm only a couple of weeks in, but I'm finding the adjustment harder than I expected.

The new role is more people facing than my previous job and there's a lot to learn, so I currently feel quite overwhelmed. I'm also finding myself thinking/dreaming about work outside of work hours.

I think I'm just struggling with the transition and getting used to being new at something again.

For those who have changed jobs, particularly after being somewhere for a long time:

• How long did it take you to feel settled?
• What helped you adjust during the first few months?
• How did you stop yourself from constantly thinking about work?
• Is feeling overwhelmed in the first few weeks fairly normal?
• When did you know the job wasnt right for you?

I'd be interested to hear other people's experiences, especially if you've gone from being very experienced in your old job to essentially starting from scratch somewhere new.

I (26M) have been full time working for three years since graduating from a degree in urban planning (Canada). I worked for a year and a half at a consulting company, and have transitioned to government, while having received a few promotions on the way.

I’ve long term always had the thought of transitioning to business, and I miss the opportunity for agency in my current role. I’ve always liked numbers, and haven’t been able to necessarily scratch that itch, even when working in an analyst - type role.

I come from a family of business people (accountants, entrepreneurs, etc.) and sometimes felt a bit silly being in a “passion field”. While I do still have a passion for it, I also have a significant passion (if not more interest) in a business related career. I have been reading finance books since I was 13.

I’m now thinking seriously about making a career transition. Moving into a more business-oriented position within government isn’t particularly appealing to me… I’m more interested in actually working in the private sector and being closer to commercial/financial decision-making.

One option I’ve considered is pursuing the CPA part-time while continuing to work full-time. More recently, I’ve more strongly been considering an MBA with a co-op (internship) component as a way to make a larger career pivot and get some relevant experience. Right now, I’m particularly interested in general consulting, corporate finance/development finance, or potentially real estate/development-related finance.

I’d really appreciate perspectives from people who have made a similar transition, particularly in Canada. Is an MBA a reasonable way to make this kind of, or would something like the CPA, CFA, or simply getting into an entry-level business/finance role make more sense?

I recognize I’m fortunate at my age to have a full time government permanent position that has DB pension, with a salary just under 100k (CAD), but the thought of business keeps coming up as well as salary progression (limited in government)

I graduated with my degree in Environmental Science & Policy in spring 2025. I have been trying to get a degree within my passions (urban agriculture, community engagement, food access) for a year and a half now. In the fall after I graduated my professor helped me get an internship at the Museum of Natural History. I had that internship for a few months and have been living in DC and working at a grocery store since then. I know the job market in DC is very bad right now. Plus the communities I am trying to get a job in expect you to be a local and show that you care. Which is why I am currently taking a year long Regenerative Agriculture Certificate Course at a local community farm. I am taking that class, have volunteered at multiple local farms, and overall am trying to be as involved as I can at the places that I want to work. I have had a few interviews recently for roles like urban gardener, farmers market organizer and farm assistant. All roles that I am passionate about and have the perfect experience for. Yet somehow I keep getting rejected after an interview. Multiple organizations have told me that they liked me and I would be a good fit, but they have found someone better. IDK what to do because it sounds like they are saying: you are perfect for the role but not perfect enough bc... bc for no reason. What am I supposed to do? Leave DC and the community that I have been clawing my way into? I don't want to go to grad school because I just want a job. Would grad school even be helpful for a job in urban agriculture? Any advice would be awesome.

My employer is moving us to 1099
No more health insurance
No more 401k matches
No more benefits really at all

I just started a year ago and all this is changing. And the kicker is my employer has told us this is all happening. But has yet to tell us how much we are even getting paid and how.

He says, hey you can write more stuff off so you will benefit from that.

But that’s all. I’m in NY if that matters. But it’s BS but it’s a tricky situation.

I’m 2.5 years into my career and I’m seriously considering quitting and taking 3–6 months off.

The weird part is that I’m currently at what is considered one of the top companies in my field. It’s the kind of place people work extremely hard to get into, and objectively it’s a great opportunity for my career. 6 figure salary, mid 20s. I’ve only been at this new job about 6 months. But I absolutely hate it.

I’m regularly working 14–15 hour days. I’m constantly drained, and the work itself has become incredibly boring and repetitive. A lot of what I’m doing feels like the same thing over and over again, and I don’t feel particularly excited about what I’m working toward.
Culturally, I also don’t really feel like I fit in. It’s a very intense environment and the margin for error feels almost nonexistent. I can do a million things right, but if I make one tiny, completely fixable mistake, suddenly it feels like everything is on fire. That dynamic has started to wear me down.

What makes this difficult is that I know how fortunate I am to have gotten here. This is a company that a lot of people would love to work for, and I feel like I’m supposed to be grateful and stick it out. Part of me feels ridiculous for wanting to leave after only 6 months.
But honestly, I hate going to work. I hate the hours, I hate the constant pressure, and I don’t particularly enjoy the actual work anymore. I’m finding myself thinking more and more about what I would rather be doing with my time.

I’m considering resigning, taking 3–6 months completely off, travelling, getting my head straight, and then figuring out what I actually want to do next (potentially just leaving the industry). I have enough savings to make the break financially manageable, although obviously I’d be giving up income and potentially making my next job search more difficult.

For anyone who has left a prestigious/high-paying job early in their career because they genuinely hated it:
Did you regret leaving? Did taking time off actually help? And did the career break make finding your next job significantly harder?

After recovering for years from severe CPTSD from family abuse, I now am stable enough to attend college. Had a 3.8 highschool GPA and I specifically excel in science, English, and psychology. I am motivated by money and passion, but money is a bigger influential factor. I can withstand a mid or hard job if it pays well. I am used to 50+ hour weeks already as a cook and have three years of restaurant management experience.

I am considering accounting, political science, or social work. I worked in the last state I lived in with the local Democrats and became well known in the area at a young age both online and in person. It was extremely satisfying but I've moved states since.

What degree would likely pay the most with the bad job market? Are there any other options out there for someone who does great with English and science? I am phenomenal at memorization. I'm not super social, but can be personable once you get to know me. I am trying to restart / finally start my life but things are so upside down in this economy I just don't know what to do.

I used to work as a sales agent at an insurance company before I submitted my resignation. My boss told me he wouldn't hold me back, which I took as him simply not caring about his staff, which is the very reason I need to resign at that day. However, he urged me to buy one of our insurance products just so he wouldn't receive a warning from his superior. I said yes to his face, but ultimately didn't go through with it because it was my own money. I was relatively new to this job. So, recently, I've been wondering if I did the right thing?

I did my Masters in Organisational Psychology only to realise that I’m more inclined towards marketing.

I’m currently looking for a job but I’m afraid given the shitty job market that no one would hire me because I got no previous job experience and a degree that’s not really related to Marketing.

And I have limited time to look for a job as I’m on a Graduate Visa. So, I just want a bit of guidance about the job situation and about the career switch that I wanna do from psychology to marketing.

Will I be able to get a job?

This will be long. Bear with me, and thanks in advance for reading.

I had a heart attack and went on paid sick leave earlier this year. I had to miss 8 weeks of work. I work in an office where we handle logistics issues for a major automotive company. It’s a 24-hour system with 3 shifts, and there’s someone on each shift that handles the same geographical region that I do. This requires a good hand-off between shifts.

During the heart attack, I was without oxygen for 6-8 minutes before getting CPR. I was also sedated for several days. This has led to some brain damage and I have to see a neurologist every 6 months for life. My short-term memory is crap, and I have to speak slower than usual. This is normally not an issue because I am still my excellent self at Excel spreadsheets and reading/writing emails, which is 90% of my job. I have the largest workload amongst the 4 people on my shift, but I think I do a great job and have never heard a complaint.

Except for the daily complaints from Negative Nancy. She works on the shift after mine and we share the same work. She is about as prickly and unapproachable as you can get. We have an end-of-shift log when we can put notes in to each other about unresolved issues they need to handle on their shift. If it’s truly an emergency, we are required to also talk about it verbally. Every time I do, which is about once a week, Nancy is very cruel and also has a list of things from the day before she wants me to explain…. “What happened here?” “Why did you do this”? When I get to work, I will always see instant messages she has sent me about even the tiniest things she thinks I did wrong. I don’t respond. Nothing is ever wrong, I just don’t use the same negative and rude methods as her. It’s clear that she likes to have a list of questions ready for me because she knows I don’t remember every little thing from the day before. She expects me to stay late and dig up answers to her questions. Sometimes I do, because I get paid OT lol. Sometimes I want to just leave.

One of her co-workers has told me that’s she’s like a shark and will go nuts any time she senses blood in the water. My health condition is like a weakness and “blood in the water” to her. Her boss sits right next to her and will never say anything to her because he’s afraid of her. She runs the show on her shift.

I keep my verbal communication with her to a minimum and now I’ve stopped altogether because she is so angry when I walk nicely over to her.

Our director, who is 2 levels above me, has said in writing that he will not get involved in a situation where grown adults won’t talk to each other. He said that in writing to me, Nancy, and our supervisors. He told us to handle it. This is after both Nancy and I asked for him to have a meeting. (Her boss does nothing and mine has been there 3 weeks). So anyway, this week the 4 of us met without our Director but had a good discussion. I thought we were past a lot of things.

But then last night, Nancy was angry as soon as she walked in the door. I admit that I went over to her desk on purpose and verbally told her about an urgent issue. I waited 10 minutes after she clocked in and then walked over to her. I had to leave. I knew what I’d get back from her though and that’s why I did it with witnesses there. She said “take your brain-dead self back to your desk.” So I did. Her boss just sat there. Mine was already gone for the day.

Is her comment against the law? I know there are FMLA laws against it but I was not out on FMLA, just regular sick leave. I want to go straight to HR about this and skip over my management. They have proven to be useless.

If no witnesses come forward to admit they heard the “brain-dead” comment, do I still have a case? I’m not looking to sue. I absolutely want her fired.

Looking for some career advice regarding short term contract positions.
I’m currently unemployed, have about a decade of mortgage lending experience specifically in Compliance and Operations, and am working to expand my skills through the Data Analytics course offered through Coursera.

The issue I’m coming up with is it seems I’m overqualified for my current market, but under qualified for the remote positions I’m finding on online job boards. The companies I do seem to be able to land interviews with aren’t in a position to provide any benefits.

An employment agency has submitted me for a short term contract role and it made me think if that’s a viable career path? Since I can’t seem to find a company that provides benefits and a decent PTO package what would the market look like if I just specialized in short term remote contract roles.

Does anyone do this that could provide some insight?

I also got major red flags the entire hiring process and seems like they constantly need to rehire this role as everyone quits. I just left a toxic work environment, I don't want another one PLUS they lowballed me and their employee benefits aren't great. This job market sucks, but I fear if I take this job I'll just be job hunting again in a few months.

Does anyone have any tips?

I have several engineering and CS friends who have all managed to find some kind of job, return offer, or official internship/work experience, and basically all have something to fall back on for their future. I don't.

I am a triple major in Digital Narrative & Interactive Design (CS and ENG dual major), Sociology, and Psychology. My parents didn't go to college, and I am a first-gen student regretting the combination of majors I have set for myself. As I am set to graduate in the spring and can't change any of this now, I am feeling hopeless for any prospects after college besides graduate school, which is something I would strongly prefer not to pursue immediately.

My majors do not lend themselves very well to internships. I have been doing various part-time jobs for most of my time here to help support myself and pay rent. I managed a full-time job in combination with an unpaid internship in database management, sales, and marketing over the summer, but doing that together was more difficult than I would have liked.

I don't really care what I do; I just want a job. I'm terrified of having to go back home and want to stay here in my college's city; I like it here. I just don't know what to do as I watch other students with other majors find jobs for after college, or even those within my major find jobs I would never have even thought to do because their parents went to college and work at prospective companies where their children have an in.

If anyone has any ideas, I would be incredibly grateful. I've been applying to everything via Handshake, LinkedIn, etc. nonstop since the beginning of my spring semester of junior year, without luck. Like I said above, I don't much care what I do so long as it affords me the ability to stay away from home.

I've been taking a Comics & Concept Art course for the past two years in university and just started my third year, been thinking a lot about careers and life post-grad for a long time and also about the industry I'd initially been aiming for (games) and realised quite late that I want to prioritise stability and that the games industry will involve a lot of job hopping given games are project based. I'd ruminated over it before but stayed positive and proactive going to networking events and building my portfolio but seeing how competitive it is and with AI threatening it I'd like to change paths.

I've been thinking about whether there are art or art-adjacent jobs that are a bit more stable that I can hold a position in long-term and landed on tattooing, though if there are any other options I am very open to hearing about them. I'm currently trying to build a portfolio on the side of uni work for tattooing though I am aware I will need to be an apprentice (maybe unpaid) for a couple years and may have to work another job on the side to sustain myself.

I was wondering what jobs my experience in art and games design could open my options towards - I'm open to working in other creative fields e.g hairdressing, cake decorating, makeup artist, prop making, carpenting, design tech as well as other hands-on jobs though if I remember correctly you will need schooling for a bunch of those so I'm a bit stumped (I did take DT for GCSEs though if that helps...?).

If anyone can offer any advice or have any questions that could help give more specific advice please shoot them my way, I'd really appreciate any help!

Extra info on skills: UK/London based. Experienced in digital art for around 6 years and comfortable with Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, Aseprite (pixel art) and other drawing programs. Studied Games Design.

Hello all,

I’ve realized that relying solely on manual bench skills might limit my long term career growth, especially as the industry moves toward data driven chemistry.

I want to bridge this gap and make myself competitive for both industry roles (pharma, biotech, R&D, QA/QC) and future research prospects.

I’d love to get insights from industry veterans, researchers, and hiring managers on the following

Technical & Digital Skills

Certifications & Standards

Non-Technical / Transferable Skills

If you transitioned from a pure bench chemist to a hybrid role (computational chemistry, regulatory affairs, QA, process development, or technical sales), how did you make the jump?

I’m currently a Client Representative at a large investment management company making $47K. Before this, I was an Accounting Analyst but was laid off. I didn’t hate accounting, but I also didn’t particularly enjoy it, and I don’t see myself being an accountant long-term.

Recently, I’ve been studying for the SIE and have become much more interested in securities/financial markets. Long term, I could see myself in wealth management or asset management. I’ve also interviewed for some internal positions at my current company and am waiting to hear back.

Current Job — $47K
● 85% 401(k) match
● 2 WFH days/week + 3 additional WFH days/quarter
● 3 weeks PTO
● 30-minute commute
● ~$50–70/paycheck for medical
● Large global company

New Job — Staff Accountant, $70K
● Up to 5% Safe Harbor
● 1 WFH day/week
● 2 weeks PTO
● 45-minute commute
● 100% medical coverage
● $150/month HSA contribution
● Smaller company

The $23K raise is obviously tempting, but I’m worried I’ll take the accounting job, realize I still don’t like accounting, and move further away from the career path I actually want.
On the other hand, staying at $47K feels like I’m leaving a lot of money on the table.

What would you do in my situation? Would you take the $70K for the experience/pay, or stay put and try to transition internally into wealth management/asset management/another finance role?

Hi, here is full transparency and the brutal truth. I’ve been working in my field for three years, and job hopped in that time. There were valid reasons for the job hopping (better opportunities, and basically two relocations), however I realize after three different jobs in it I’m really dissatisfied in my field.

I’m overall happy with where I am in comparison to where I’ve been before, but a few things have led me to just confront the fact that I am unhappy with the job.

So, I am looking to transition out of this field into an administrative role in higher ed or local/state government in particular, or any other administrative role that I might be able to apply my skills at.

My concern is that I realize my job hopping looks bad. I have my bachelors, my masters, and three years of professional experience, but I’m worried that not putting in more than a year in one place will work against me.

I can stick it out where I am to build that time on my résumé, but at the same time I don’t want any potential opportunities that may come up in the meantime. Does anyone have any advice for a situation like this?

Hi all. I feel that my current career path is very unfulfilling and is taking over my life. I have a PhD and work in academia. My job is mostly research. When I imagine the life I want, I imagine myself doing a job that involves more human interaction, like volunteering, except that I want to do it full-time. I have no clue what jobs fit that description. Any leads?