This post is to reiterate some rules and things I'm seeing develop in certain posts, and this is directed to commenters only.

I’m curious how many people here are working in careers they never actually planned for.
Was it something you stumbled into because you needed a job? A random opportunity? A complete career change?
What made you stay?
I’m asking because it feels like there’s so much pressure to find the “perfect” path early, but most people I’ve met seem to have found their direction by trying things rather than planning everything.
I’d love to hear your story and what advice you’d give to someone who’s still figuring it out.

Hi everyone,

I’m a 31-year-old immigrant woman living in Milan. I’m at a point in my life where I feel a strong need to support another woman, share what I’ve learned and contribute to someone’s journey.

This is not therapy or professional coaching. I would simply like to be there for someone who feels lost, lonely or overwhelmed-to listen, encourage her and check in regularly.

I feel I need this connection too. Maybe we can bring something meaningful into each other’s lives, with me taking a gentle mentoring role.

If this resonates with you, send me a message and tell me a little about yourself.

Thank you

Yana

26f I went to college and grad school and became a PA and felt like I had everything figured out. But, these days I feel so lost and I’m not sure what the issue is. On paper everything seems good, I have this professional degree, and a good job, supportive family for the most part, and 1 close friend nearby and few good friends in other states but over the past few months I feel like I’m on a downward spiral. When I first started my job about a year ago for the first 6 months I was doing great and really enjoyed it, but then I had to take a 3 month break for my mental health and since then it’s been rough. I find it harder and harder to just go to work these days and have used up all my PTO, I spend most of my time doing nothing quite honestly or scrolling online to see if I can find an answer for my current situation. I know I have a lot to be appreciative for but I can’t seem to escape this feeling that there should be more to life? Besides mental health, I do think I’m dealing with a slight existential crisis as well as feeling quite incompetent at work. It feels like all there is to life is working. I just dont know what to do anymore. If the answer is just work my current job, do better at it, and suck it up, then I’ll do it. I’m not sure if quitting and getting a less stressful job would be better either. But I wanted to hear if anyone else has been through something similar and how they got through it and if you have any advice or suggestions I’d greatly appreciate it, thank you for reading.

I’m a 35-year-old man in the U.S., and for the last three years, I’ve been drifting in a void. I feel no progress, personally or professionally, just a crushing sense of being stuck and unhappy. I often see myself as that 15-year old teenager who was inexorably confused about the world and his place in it.

Six years ago, I moved to my dream city to start over. Then the pandemic hit, and whatever momentum I had vanished but I remained.

Despite that I feel profoundly lonely, unfulfilled, and depressed about the present and future. I’ve never found a partner and no longer have friends in this city. I’ve always struggled with dating and making friends. I feel extraordinarily insecure about my struggles to find community and companionship at my age.

As an introverted + shy human it’s always been challenging to connect with others. It feels disadvantageous to possess these traits but it’s who I am. Self-help books and therapy have never been particularly helpful in this regard.

My corporate 9-5 is a soul-sucking necessity. The prospect of doing this for another 35 years fills me with a cold, irrational fury. I have zero ambition because the entire "career" game feels performative, toxic, and utterly meaningless. I feel extreme envy but also pity for those who intuitively accept that the only way out of the game is to play it and hope to win. Good luck.

Everyone talks about finding passion or purpose, but I’ve looked everywhere and found nothing. There is no “North Star” for me.

I might sound like a curmudgeon, but I strive to be kind to those around me. People I interact with may describe me as kind, polite, and sociable. People who know me better might say I’m grounded, thoughtful, and caring. And still I am so alone.

My greatest fear is waking up at 50, still in this exact spot, still alone, with a lifetime of nothing to show for it. I don't believe in myself or my ability to change things anymore.

At the same time, I’m fortunate and grateful for what I do have: I live in a relatively safe country even though it’s currently run by a bunch of racist grifting troglodytes. I have some friends and acquaintances who I see every couple of months and connect with digitally almost daily, but they’re not in the city that I’ve made my home. I have my health, a job, and a roof over my head. I’m downright fortunate. And still there’s this gargantuan black hole in my life: profound loneliness and a lack of purpose. I feel extreme guilt about how good of a hand I’ve been dealt and how I’ve squandered it.

I’ve come to believe that I can't reason my way out of this hole. Every potential solution feels like a lie I tell myself before I inevitably give up or come up with an excuse for. Most things feel fake, forced and trite these days. Authenticity is my most important value.

I’m hoping to hear from those who have been in a similar situation and you came out of it.

Im so exhausted. Ive been (basically) unemployed Since November of Last Year. “Basically” because I take art comissions from friends when they pop up. I was a barista / management at a coffee shop that unfortunately went out of business. That sucked, but i think it sucks even more that I cant find anything now. My main question before I dive into my personal life; how the fuck do I not give up and stay positive. Literally.

I have an Arts Degree. I love my Arts Degree. I love art. I would rather cut off my own hands before I give up entirely. I don’t give a fuck about anyone that may think it’s a throw away degree; because chances are if you think that, youll think what I want to do in life is stupid because AI exists. Speaking of that; right now with the AI boom I feel so incredibly stuck and fucked. I Graduated in 2019. In a time where we were told ai is terrible, cheating, “the same as using wikipedia as a source”. Now its used everywhere. Every kid uses it. Job recruiters don’t read resumes anymore, they have a fucking robot that reads it, and tells them what to think about a resume.

Its so incredibly disheartening to try and stay positive about finding a job of any kind now is so hard. At the end of the day, Id love to tattoo and I know thats a long uphill climb. Ive been building and perfecting my portfolio for about 2 years, drawing seriously for about 7 years. Ive applied for everything that can make me money (9-5 job) and i mean everything. Pest control. Retail. Janitorial. Barista. Bar-back. Amazon. Costco. Target! Walmart!! By fat the Pest Control interview was the weirdest one; but I digress.

How in the world am I actually supposed to stay positive? Im just genuinely looking for a mindset change and a reminder that im not alone maybe? Or maybe not alone in the fact today was my breaking point where ive just been screaming, and crying wondering what the fuck is going on?

19f, graduated in may with my associates in paralegal studies but for the life of me couldn’t get a legal internship/job so i got a temp role through a job agency doing clerical support/mail preparation for an insurance company and i really like it! unfortunately i make just above minimum wage so i don’t think this position is sustainable long term.

while i do plan on going back to trying to trying to get a paralegal position once my temp contact ends i was just curious if there were any other similar avenues i should look into?

ideally positions where talking on the phone isn’t a majority of my day though obviously that’s going to apart of most clerical jobs.

thanks!

ETA: bonus points if you know any additional associates degrees/certificates that would be helpful for me as my community college allows alumni to take a class a semester tuition free and so i’d like to always be chipping away at something ◡̈ thanks again!

I’m 25 and recently graduated with a BA. On paper, I should probably feel relieved, but instead I feel more anxious than ever.
I am from India.

For the past few years, especially after the pandemic, I’ve been carrying this constant fear about my future. Now that college is over, it feels like all the uncertainty I’ve been pushing away has caught up with me.

Some of my classmates have jobs. Some are preparing for government exams. Some are doing master’s degrees. Some are joining family businesses. Others seem to have a clear direction.

I don’t.

I’ve spent months researching careers, reading Reddit, talking to seniors, watching career videos, looking into fields like public policy, consulting, PR, UX, teaching, filmmaking, NGOs, digital marketing, company secretary, research and many others. The more I research, the more confused I become.

Every field seems to have people saying:

“Don’t do this.”
“The market is terrible.”
“I regret choosing this career.”
“It’s oversaturated.”

Then I find someone who says the exact opposite.

I know Reddit has a negativity bias, but it’s hard not to absorb all of it.

I also come from a family where my parents have their own conflicts. My dad is the only earning member, and although I respect everything he has built for our family, it also makes me feel an enormous sense of responsibility. I feel guilty that I’m still financially dependent on them.

Lately I’ve also noticed that my mind wanders constantly. Even when someone is talking to me, I sometimes drift into thoughts about my future, random memories, books, movies, politics, history or career anxiety. It’s been happening since school, but I notice it much more now because I’m trying to become a responsible adult. I’m planning to speak to a mental health professional instead of trying to diagnose myself.

Some days I feel completely exhausted even if I haven’t physically done much.

I don’t think I’m lazy. I don’t think I don’t want to work.

I think I’m overwhelmed.

I keep wondering whether everyone else also felt this lost in their twenties or whether I’m falling behind. Seeing people my age getting married, buying homes, earning well, pursuing higher studies or simply knowing what they want makes me question whether I’ve missed something important.

If you’ve been in a similar place:

How did you get through it?
When did things start making sense?
How did you stop overthinking every career decision?
How did you deal with feeling like everyone else had their life figured out?

I’m not looking for motivational quotes. I’d genuinely like to hear from people who’ve been through this and eventually found their footing.

Hello,

I usually don't post or do much on Reddit, but in the past few years, I've been really sick with being caught in a constant loop of getting job, hating job, leaving job, and then being financially worse off. It's like I want to create or make something and then when I sit to do it, all my motivation goes out the window and then I spiral about not making enough money and not enjoying my job. I struggle heavily with depression and ADHD, inattentive.

I work as a Forklift Picker which isn't too bad, but not doing something that requires creativity or using my brain makes me bored and unhappy. I don't hate manual labor if it's something I'm interested in, but stacking boxes on a pallet all day isn't it for me.

I've worked fast food management, warehouse and forklifts, and a little video editing, which I have an associate's in but the area I live in doesn't have much jobs for it unless it's freelancing, and I suck at networking.

I've been researching certifications and degrees and CNC programming, UI/UX design, and whatnot sound good, but I think if I really went back to school, it'd be for animation. I want to make something that people can watch and be like "whoa, that's cool" and I can not live paycheck to paycheck anymore. Any suggestions? I'm burnt out, depressed, and don't know what to do with myself.

I’m thinking of doing Med Lab Tech degree but I’m pretty stupid so idk. I’m a hard worker so maybe it’ll be worth it. I have about 200k in the bank because my last family member died. I know how privileged I am and am grateful for it but I’ve done nothing with it and all I do now is sit in the dark watching anime (tbh I don’t even have access to it because someone else is managing it). I’m 23 and alone without anything to do. I’m bored as hell. I used to be an AP student in high school but quit because the teachers and covid fucked it up for me.

I went to college for art but lost the will to even want to draw because of professors bullying me. I tried so hard to draw again but I just find it very boring even though I could be using my time to study.

I honestly think I need a job. I mostly just want to go to college and use the money that way so I can be stable and live a decent-ish life. I feel guilty for having nothing I’m good at but I’m just done atp so any suggestion is welcome :(

The title is a bit preposterous. I do know more or less what I want to do. However, considering the current present where we are as a society (at least here in America and maybe in another parts of the world), the job market will only get more competitive.

I'm majoring in History from a well-ranked regional school here in the Northeast. Not that it matters. Right now I work part-time as a library assistant at my local branch, and I was thinking of going for my Master's in Library Science and Information (the cheapest/online program accredited from the ALA) and focus towards either finding entry-level jobs at law firms or corporate... However, I don't know if that is the right decision.

With a humanities degree, I don't know exactly what to do. I definitely want to think about a career and future, I want to travel and be able to live comfortably. Any advice would be appreciated. I don't know what other jobs I could get with a BA in History and while the soft skills are real, I do feel a bit tad limited.

Probably no one will see this, but I need to put it out there anyway.

I've been struggling to find my first job since finishing my B.Tech in 2025. I was applying even before graduation, and I'm still at it now - nothing has gone my way.

My family and friends keep telling me to prepare for competitive exams. What none of them know is that I don't even have the confidence to do that anymore.

These days I don't feel like talking to anyone. Just completely lost.

Some days it's hard not to feel like a failure. I'm 24, still figuring this out, and tired of pretending I'm okay.

Any advice anyone?

I enjoy reading and helping people. I would dread working a 9-5, and I don’t want a career that is repetitive each day. I’ve considered becoming a librarian, but I don’t know if I could see myself doing that for the rest of my life. I’ve also thought about becoming an English professor not sure if it’s worth it though? Hydrology/Environmental science seems interesting enough. I’m honestly stumped. I really value time over anything . I want time for my passions and hobbies, spending time with family. I know for sure I could not work at a job I hate.

I just can’t. I don’t know what to do with my life. I thought I’d figure it out by now. I can’t work my desk job much longer. I’ve been here 4 years and it is draining me. I want to make money being creative some how, I want to write a book maybe, idk anything. I hate working an 8-5. I can’t do it, thinking harder isn’t helping me figure it out either.

What has helped you with your quarter life crisis

What did you pivot to after failing to find work in your major? What was your major/trade, how long did you try to find work before giving up, and what did you switch to? Specifically not just retail, but say you majored in X field, tried to find work, and then just pivoted into something completely different?

At what point did you give up and realize that your degree was a waste or time or that life just didn’t work out like you’d planned?

33M, I currently work in higher ed. (More on that below.)

I want to start this off by saying that I've done a lot of healing to get to this point in my life and I'm really proud of that. I'm realizing my current job is a symbol of my past in a way that I don't love, and I'm trying to figure out where I - and the skills that I offer - can go from here.

I'm starting off with some context as to my upbringing, as I think it might be helpful.

Life Journey

I was an only child primarily raised by a single parent, and my home environment was...chaotic. There is so much I could say, but the easiest way I can summarize is that my parent's behaviors could reasonably fall under Munchausen by proxy - I got told a lot that I'm mentally unstable, autistic, was never going to be able to live independently, got thrown on a wide array of psychiatric medications, so on. Sometimes this came from a place of frustration with me, and then other times it felt like it came from a place of love. I also got told as a kid - in elementary school!! - that nobody would ever want to marry me because I liked video games, because I thought Pokemon was cool...it felt like everything that went outside my parent's narrative for me was punishable. On the days I wasn't getting berated for whatever reason, I was also expected to be my parent's therapist, listening to all of their problems & having to provide mental & emotional support when I was much less than qualified to do so.

As you might expect, I spent my growing-up years hella reclusive, anxious & depressed, super perfectionistic, and never ever felt like I could be good enough or had anything to offer to anyone.

It wasn't until my senior year of college that it began to occur to me that the things I was told as a kid weren't really true. I'm thankful to the amazing therapist I had at the time who helped pull these stories out of me so I didn't have to carry the shame alone anymore. I also was encouraged from my freshman year to get involved on campus, and I became a resident assistant, an orientation leader, as well as a couple of other things. Looking back, it's like it was the first time I got to create a life that I had ownership of.

Those on-campus involvements turned into a career in higher ed - I have a master's degree in student affairs & higher education administration, and currently I'm a residence hall director (and have done this role for many years). It's a really chaotic job and there are many aspects of it that I appreciate. I get to have a positive impact on a lot of people, I get to facilitate trainings & presentations, I help people think more introspectively about themselves and find potential in themselves they didn't realize they had. It is a HECTIC job - there is rarely a dull day. And I don't have to pay rent!

With all that said, this is where some of the cons also come in.

• I am responsible for a LOT of people including those I directly supervise. Since it's college students, crises are frequent - lots of mental health related challenges that I very suddenly end up having to talk to people through which is mentally exhausting. I can't ever expect that I'm going to get to leave work on time, which can make having fun plans/hobbies in the evening a challenge.
• Lots of unpaid hours in the nights/weekends, including crisis calls in the middle of the night to respond to issues while still having to show up to work in the morning, or just having to catch up on work.
• I live in the same building as the students I'm responsible for. As much as paying rent sucks I miss living among people I am NOT in charge of lol.

Over the years, I have done a lot of work on myself, therapy, etc. and I'm really proud of a lot of who I am today. Recently, I realized that my current job, in many ways, an artifact of who I used to be but have outgrown.

More specifically - I was absolutely a workaholic through my 20's. I didn't mind working until or past midnight a couple of days a week. I avoided a personal life because I didn't know how to build one, didn't think I needed one. But now, I can recognize that I deserve to live. I want to have the time to date people. I've had tastes of potential hobbies that I want to pursue further. I'm more in touch with the four to five year old me, who was so playful, outgoing, fascinated by people; before my many years of repression and self-preservation.

It's funny - and a little painful - how much of what my students tell me stays with them in the advice I've shared, stems from my past pain & current desires for myself.

I also see how this job mirrors my past. It's chaotic, full of random crises, makes it difficult to have boundaries/a personal life, asks me not only to play a role but also to live in that role of having to be extra-responsible for people. Working so many hours now feels extractive. As excellent as I've been at this job, it's time for me to figure out what's next - but having only ever existed in the higher ed world, I'm struggling to identify what makes sense. I'm hoping to get out within the next academic year because I know that this always-on feeling is going to burn me out if I don't leave.

What I Enjoy & Am Good At (and also not good at)

I'm both highly analytical and people-oriented. A lot of people have told me that I'd make a great therapist because I'm excellent at listening to people and hearing the "story underneath the story." I can easily pick out patterns in what people are saying & doing and gently point those out.

As much as I appreciate that feedback, I think I'd struggle as a therapist. Too many clients, and while I do really enjoy deeper-level conversations with people, I think I'd get burned out with several days a week of talking with people about their mental health & struggles. I'm trying to get away from dealing with that type of crisis.

With that being said, I love the analytical part of what makes therapists good at their jobs, and I apply that not just in my work with individuals but also in systems-level work. I can so quickly identify inefficiencies in a training program, what exactly the sequence of a presentation should be for it to be received well by people & why, refining assessment questions because I'm like "is the way this is worded, actually going to get us useful data?" I love people, ideas, giving presentations, fixing processes to make them better, figuring out ways to use my strategic brain. One of my favorite parts of my current job is coaching my student managers on how to think more critically & develop agency in how they problem-solve and watching their growth in that area.

I'm much more energized in group settings. I really enjoy giving presentations and know how to connect with & be engaging to an audience. In group planning meetings, I love being the person to dig deeper into a process, a training, etc. and identify what needs to be better & how. Developing trainings that have a participation element is especially enjoyable for me.

I don't think I could sit at a desk alone all day. I enjoy people & idea exchange too much.

Some people have mentioned going into learning & development as an idea, but I'm not sure if I currently have the demonstrable skill set for it? I also know that is a broad field. Perhaps there are other possibilities as well.

Writing this is also making me realize how hungry I am for engaging mentorship. A lot of the people I would normally go to for advice are in the world of higher ed, but their advice is, naturally very higher ed-centric. I also just feel...different in those conversations? Like, my skillset isn't something that people are looking for. I like being pushed harder intellectually and I don't feel like I'm getting that right now, I'm just getting pushed harder through my volume of work lol.

Sorry, I know this is long. It feels really good to get it out there and connect the past & present in writing like this - honestly, writing this out has given me some things to think about.

If anyone has any questions, ideas for how to narrow down what could make sense as a future career path for me (or even specific career ideas to look into) I'd love that! Thanks so much for reading this.

I was laid off early 2023 from my backend/cloud development job. Haven't been able to find full-time work since. Honestly, dealt with a lot of depression and maladaptive coping in the last three years and have just emerged on the other side of it. I can probably upskill and study in the next 3-6 months but don't want to try to keep working in tech. I work in food service now.

I bought a house right before I got laid off and can't save any money. I would like to stay in the city just because it's not a good time to sell, I would have to sell at a loss, my sister lives here and I have no other family in the country, but I live in the southeast and all of the jobs are largely in healthcare and logistics. I don't think I'd necessarily fare better anywhere else. I have been trying to get out of tech, but jobs are so specialized now that even industry-agnostic skills like project management require industry background (ex. HVAC, wastewater, construction companies).

I have little confidence in my ability to perform job duties because of the cognitive impact of protracted unemployment. I need to make a certain amount of money to continue existing, or just give up and live with my sister, which I'm leaning more and more towards. If I sell my condo and move to her bumfuck town, I will essentially be giving up re-entering the workforce and I will probably never be able to afford my own home again.

I can drain my retirement, focus on getting certs and working on personal projects, and keep trying to work in tech. Pivoting almost seems less feasible at this point. I have no idea what to do.

Hi everyone I (25M) recently graduated from university and facing the important decision of choosing a career. I have two paths: one is the family business path in which there are hurdles with my father (abusive and short tempered; lashes out; have been hurt multiple times from him) and the second path is through a job. The business path doesnt automatically promise success (big money) as I will have to work towards creating business and new clients. Along with that taking up responsibility for running the whole house and other responsibilities. This one offers limited freedom and big money if I am successful. The job path offers quick financial independency and freedom but obviously not too much financial leverage. There is a lot of money that I will have to start making through side hustles to survive and thrive in this economy. Plus the dread of a 9-5. This path promises small money, more freedom but not the emotional hurt that I will get by being with my father.

In both of this, I am offered something that I value and something that I dont. I have thought about what I value more. And I am currently stuck at this point. The thing is I have always valued my mental health more and avoided emotional hurt even over money. I wont be in a job that drains me neither in a business that drains me. But the thing is there is an underlying need for an excessive amount of money. Like having the kind of money that allows me to be a bit relaxed rather than living marginally through a monthly pay check. So this is what I an stuck at. Choosing between ownership under my father’s business and money vs limited money and freedom. I would appreciate if someone can give their own opinion or advice as to what I should do. Thanks.

Hello all,

Apologies for the long-winded response, I want to try and paint as accurate a picture of my situation as I can.

For the last four months or so now, I’ve been working back home in a fairly rural area of scotland as a till operator/ cashier in a garden centre. This is after deciding not to go into teaching.. of which I spent four years studying and got a degree (first) in DESPITE the fact I never wanted to do it in the first place…. yeah a great big pat on the back to me 🫪🫪. ANYWAY, in Scotland you have to complete a year’s probation (a year teaching a class) before you become fully registered and I opted out at the start of this year. Despite all I have said above, this has hit me extremely extremely hard and I have been really struggling with my mental health as a result.

I have absolutely no intention of going back into teaching, but I also have no idea what I could do now- my life has been solely focused on getting my degree and with no genuine plan for what would entail for me after that point. I know I’m not alone in this feeling and experience at all but still.

The truth is I have never even felt capable of being a teacher even though I’ve got my degree, and completed placements. I have for most of my life had a huge inferiority complex in respect to my intelligence. I’m virtually non-verbal most of the time and cannot interact with people, even my family- responses IRL are a few words at most, and my memory (short/ long) is embarrassingly bad. Like I can’t even tell you what happened a few minutes ago with any degree of accuracy let alone what I did on a trip two years ago!

Sorry for the rant, that was not my intention. What I would like to know is what jobs/ sectors are out there for people who are not necessarily great with people, yet pays fairly well and is not too demanding intellectually.. if that even is a thing in this economy?

I have had a hankering to go and live in Japan through the JET programme (which ironically is teaching lmao).. but I’m not sure if I’d be cut out for it long term, or if I could even survive it tbh.

Any advice would be appreciated, and thank you for taking the time to read my post 🫶

I'm not the first or last person to post about this, but I'm looking for some advice from people who've been in a similar position.

I'm unemployed and still living at home. I worked in digital marketing but was laid off and haven't found another job. Even if I could, I don't feel like that's a career for me. I have no idea what is though.

Right now I'm looking for a part-time job to get some income and structure while I decide. I know it's a reasonable step, but it's hard not to compare myself to people my age who are ahead of me.

I applied to join the IBEW but wasn't accepted. I've also considered becoming a truck driver, but I'm not sure it's the right fit long term. My parents think I'd make a good teacher because I've always been good with kids, but I'm still unsure whether that's the right path for me.

Any advice for what to do when you're directionless? If I just had an idea of where to start I would. I feel there's too many things to consider right now and I feel I don't have time to make another wrong decision.

So ever since i was little i always used to distract myself with doodling stickfigures then after a while in middle school i found out about html and websites and i felt wow!, im creating something new, but nothing to deep.
Then by the end of middle school i dont remember why but i got really into the idea of going to tech school, i even followed a tutorial on how to make a robotic arm with arduino and showed it off as my final project!, but then when i actually got there i really, really , didnt care about anything, especially the math and chemistry and literally anything actually scientific even the programming was boring to me, and when i ended up back into drawing - but this time with actual art tutorials - i found a spark again!, so since i was failing my high school's first year i just , changed schools to an art one, and .... surprise! i guess i like math and science now! i started learning python and the later years get into calculus and stuff (but really surface level), but after a few years i battled it and held it down to continue drawing.

Now im here with a pretty good set of drawing skills that i would never give up on, but this odd pull i have to constantly do something tech is really bizzare but makes a lot of sense considering my zig zag motion as a kid. Either way factually speaking, i dont know if i could ever be both and be satisfied with the skills, on an objective level, how much will i lose if i were to do both?, so far i've been doing alright with just sticking to art, but that nagging pull is always there, even seeing one technical gizmo it pulls me back in.

tldr: weird pull between being tech/science savy and also a great artist and its constatly conflicting with my day to day life, and i dont know how to exactly handle it? my question is just what do i do with this pull , do ignore it? or accept it and be a jack of all trades?

I have tried almost every job in the book I can’t get any money some of it is my fault but some of it isn’t. I am trying to gain new skills to break into some type of industry but I can’t get in anywhere. I have tried graphic design they let me go after one day. I have tried tech as everyone knows now it’s impossible to get in, I have tried retail never could make enough plus I hated it. I have tried the trade route and recently just got fired from that. I can’t seem to have a job for long enough where I climb through the ranks. I don’t even have any ideas to start my own business.

Any ideas where to go from here?

I’m 23 and graduated recently. Instead of feeling like my life is taking off, it feels like I’m starting over.

I’m changing career directions, studying for graduate school, reading books on economics, learning programming, exercising more, and trying to develop new hobbies. On paper, I’m making progress.
But emotionally, I often feel like I’m rebuilding everything at once—career, friendships, daily routines, even my sense of purpose.

One thing I’ve found surprisingly difficult is how much harder it is to meet people after university. Everyone seems busy building their own lives, and making genuine connections feels much less natural than it used to.
I’m not looking for quick fixes—I know building a meaningful life takes time. I’m just wondering whether anyone else has gone through a similar phase.

Looking back, what helped you move from feeling “lost” to feeling like you were heading in the right direction?

Hi everyone,

I’m considering pursuing a master degree in economics, and I’m trying to get a better sense of what career paths it could realistically open up.

I’ve always been passionate about history and geography, and economics feels like a good balance between something I’m genuinely interested in and something with strong career prospects.

Long term, I’d like to do work that has a meaningful social impact.
I want to feel like what I do actually matters and contributes to improving people’s lives or society in some way.
Because of that, I’m not particularly interested in traditional finance, investment banking or consulting.

Assuming I earn an M.Sc in Economics from a well-regarded target university, what kinds of careers would fit those goals?

I’m okay with some math—I can handle it, even though I’m definitely not a math genius—but I wouldn’t want a job that’s nothing but spreadsheets, data analysis, and Excel all day.

I’d like a role where judgment, communication, and decision-making matter, and where my input can genuinely influence outcomes.

I’d really appreciate hearing about careers that might fit this profile. Thanks!