Hello, I am writing this because I wanted to get ideas and things I need help on! I am 21 driving through college however I messed up and am about still a freshmen its a long story but I live in Maine and go to U Maine, I hate Maine though I have no friends, its cold, dark and people here are so rude and its isolated here! I am originally from nyc and go back every year but I mean I being here in Maine has just gotten me tired of winter and everytime I travel I noticed I wanted to be away from Maine and I hope to move to Texas but I am worried if I don't have a degree and worse now what can I do there?... Also is this the right choice??? to put what I want first or what others tell me for a short term un comffiness for me to achive my dreams which is to move away from cold to a warm big city and have friends and finally peace!

I majored in IT because I enjoyed tinkering with code, solving problems, and (if I'm being honest) I wanted a job where I didn't have to deal with people too much.

Now after 10 years working in tech I'm burnt out and I don't like the direction the industry is headed in.

Looking back a big part of me wishes that I majored something that I can actually talk about for hours: history, sociology, or psychology. I steered clear because the first two are seen as "useless" with zero job prospects outside of teaching. I also cannot see myself being someone's psychologist.

Now I'm thinking maybe that was a mistake. Maybe teaching or a career in academia wouldn't be so bad.

For context I am in my 30s. I don't have a family, a mortgage, or any debt.

Thoughts?

32 year old female here! For as long as I reminded I wanted to be a librarian. Now I’m thinking of applying to grad school, but I know I need a back up.

And I’m trying to decide between radiology or dental assistant, maybe sonography. Because honestly, at this point, I think I need to learn a skill. And the medical field will always be hiring.

So if anybody has experience in any of those fields, let me know what you think.

What changed along the way?

I have come to realize that my priorities in the past didn't make me open to choose wisely between the good options I had. Now the time has passed.

During college, I saw many students doing all sorts of things- startups, drama, preparing for competitive exams etc...

I aspired to start something of my own but never did- always thought I was incompetent. I want to work abroad for some years thus, I didn't pursue an accounting certification which is well known in my country and even if I stay in my hometown after some 4-5 years of experience and open my own practice I would make enough to live. Just that accounting and taxation didn't sit with me compared to how much cfa's curriculum sat, I didn't pursue it- sticking in for 8-9 months straight didn't feel right either.

Both cfa and that accountancy certification would take at least 3-4 years (cfa is comparatively easy)- this is the second reason why I didn't choose the tough accountancy paper.

Cost wise- If I failed accountancy paper 10 times in a row then also it will be cheaper than any level of cfa cost- it is not recommended though.

Now my college is finished and landing in the job market made me realise what instability and pennies worth a salary can do to you. I don't have any family problems as such, we have our family business which earns us a decent lifestyle but my father says to not think about pursuing business full time as it has become really hectic - late night calls, 24/7 availability requirement and dealing with beaureacracy is tough.

My priority is to work the road > make big money(4-6)> and return back(by 28-30) seems to have been hit hard...

I know i am privileged but I live a really confused life and uncommitted life-

1) If I see some 18yo or 23 yo make some ton of money to just live off without any worry then the question of "what am I even doing with less than 10,000usd per annum salary? This guy started at 20 and sold his business at 23...."

2) If I se4e some CFA working in singapore earns double of what my family business makes. That also makes me think- I have a thing that is working then why am I trying so hard for the things that aren't there.

3) If I see my community folk get into some good b school abroad then it flairs that I should also work hard.

Life is dynamic and nobody can map it. I love my parents and the slow life of living in my hometown. I want to go work abroad but I know I will miss my family a lot and as time passes and they get old- I know I gotta become concrete in my decision making otherwise only regrets will remain.

Spending $60,000- $1,00,000usd for education abroad is expensive for us (it's doable but still an expensive bet). Burdensome for me as I have to worry about getting a job. So, either I decide something and commit to it or commit to studying abroad and work.

The only time I can remember i committed to something was once- for 1 month worked so hard day and night that I went straight from thinking about studying in a no-named college to sitting in tier 2 public college in top uni university of my country. At that time I took my reward for such hard work with a pinch of salt. Stakes were smaller then, now the story is different.

huh...

I (30F) feel uncertain and unmotivated. I graduated with a BA in chemistry and a minor in math. Then I took a few years to have fun jobs, mostly did seasonal work like ski resorts, golf courses, food service. Then that got old, so I had always been interested in teaching (I was a tutor all through college and loved it) and decided to get my MA in educations. I taught high school math for two years and both years were terrible. It wreaked havoc on my mental and physical health. I do really love teaching but so much of the job wasn't teaching, it was managing behaviors. So now, I substitute teach part time, and still work at a golf course as the snack bar attendant. I just feel like I have so much more to give, I love math and science, I feel like I'm very bright and I like learning. I also love art and do all kinds of crafts: embroidery, painting, needle felting, macrame. I also really love nature and animals. I just don't know what to do, I have so many careers I'm pondering: actuary (worried I'll never find an entry level job as its so competitive), mental health counselor (worried about the emotional toll because I'm an empathetic), vet tech (love animals but again worried about having to see the bad outcomes, plus a low pay ceiling). I'm interested in healthcare and sciences too, but all of my resume is either education or service jobs and I feel like no one will give me a chance, I've applied to a bunch of lab tech jobs and reception jobs in healthcare and no one will even give me an interview. I feel like teaching shoehorned me into this role and no other employers can see my potential. What should I pursue?

Been doing hair for about 3 years including school and it just ain't working out for me money wise and I don't see that changing. Only school I've done is highschool and barber school and I can't really afford ( timewise) to spend more than 2 years in a school . Any ideas of things I should look into

Hi 21 M about to be 22 on the 20th this month. I live in Maryland and Honestly just feel like my life is nothing but pieces of shit. I’m in community college I took a couple of gap year and decided to continue. Studying computer science to be in the cyber part or security analyst or something within the degree range and I also work an unarmed security job right now. TBH I don’t have hope or am-close to giving up on school because I just don’t think my degree will matter that much since ai and it saturated but I love it I code and build projects . Lately my mental health has been so bad I’ve been thinking of undoing my self. I felt into the trap of gambling on sport and it been a nasty unprofitable ritual just donating so I quited today.My job is decent I make 21.00hr but I just want something more for now. I’m grateful though. I just don’t know what I need to change in my life to be happy. Like I don’t have faith in my career no more, social media has gotten to me to the point where I think 22yo should be making 90-100k and I’m not even close to touching that yet. Idk what to do no more. Would there be a career you would recommend that is good and good mula. It been a really mental struggle I wasn’t planning to making it pass my bday. Please if drop any advice.

Life Currently

I'm 26M, and I've never had a job. I completed my B.Tech at 23, then took a gap to prepare for GATE, and now I'm pursuing my M.Tech. Currently, in my second year, I've joined an unpaid internship.

I want to share two parts of my life here. Please read the full post.

1. Career life

Honestly, I'm not happy that I couldn't get a paid internship through my college while some of my good friends did. Right now, I feel like my parents need my financial support, but even after trying my absolute best, I still can't find a job in VLSI or at least in embedded systems.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm just here, surviving on my parents' money.

All my life, I've tried to do well academically, but I've failed again and again and again. I failed 10th grade but passed through the compartment exam. Then I failed 12th grade, and later, during my B.Tech, I struggled again. Luckily, I haven't failed in my M.Tech so far.

You know, after my 10th results, many of my relatives told my father, "Arey, why waste money? Just let us help him get a government job." The jobs they were talking about were things like gatekeeper, peon, or clerk.

My parents have never really seen good days in their lives. Both my mother and father were toppers in their 10th and 12th UP Board exams. They were brilliant students, and I'm so, so proud of them. But destiny robbed them of opportunities. Neither of them had the financial means to attend even a government college.

And then there's me.

When my relatives were suggesting those jobs for me, I saw the disappointment in my father's eyes. Not disappointment in me as a person, but disappointment in the future he had imagined for me. A future he wanted me to have but couldn't give me everything I needed to reach.

I made a decision that day: I might fail a hundred times, but I won't give up.

But now, I'm seriously starting to doubt myself. Will I ever be able to make my parents proud? Will I ever be able to support them financially the way they deserve?

One of my biggest dreams is to take my mother on a trip to South India using my own salary, to let her travel and experience things that she couldn't experience earlier in life. It might sound like a small dream to someone else, but it means everything to me.

And right now, I can't even find a job.

2. Love life

How do I even explain this? I'll try my best.

I recently fell for a girl. She was damn beautiful, and let's call her R.

Initially, everything seemed to be going well. She used to teach me coding languages, and I had already told her that I had feelings for her. For around two months, things felt good.

But suddenly, things started falling apart.

I asked her what was happening, and she told me that I needed to think about my future and focus on my life. For the past three months, I've felt her becoming more and more distant every day.

And honestly, it hurts.

I've always felt that whenever I get attached to someone, that person eventually leaves me, regardless of who they are. I lost my best friend when I was 21. He passed away, and that loss changed something in me. Since then, it feels like I've watched people leave my life one by one.

And now, it feels like it's her turn.

We even made plans to meet this month. Yeah, I begged for that meeting, and I'm not proud of that, but I wanted to see her one last time.

Deep down, I feel like this might be the last time I'll ever see her.

I've never really had big expectations about relationships or anything like that. I wasn't asking for some perfect love story. I just wanted her to stay in my life.

But I guess that's becoming impossible now.

In the end...

I don't even know why I'm writing all of this here. Maybe I just needed somewhere to let everything out without pretending that I'm doing okay.

I'm 26, unemployed, trying to build a career, trying to make my parents proud, and trying to accept that some people I care about might not stay in my life.

I know I'm still young, and maybe things will eventually get better. But when you're living through it, it's difficult to believe that sometimes.

If you've read everything until here, thank you. I genuinely mean that.

If you've ever been in a similar situation, especially regarding your career or feeling like you're falling behind in life, I'd really appreciate any advice.

Thank you for reading.

— AR

I'm midle-aged, decades of experience in retail and adjacent fields.

I've gone back to school twice to try to change careers. Both times, I did well in class, but failed to found anything after graduation.

Right now, I have no network. Socially, I do things with my wife and her friends. Professionally, my coworkers change every couple of years, and no one really stays in touch.

It feels like a silly question, but how do you develop a professional network when I don't have experience in the field yet? When I graduated trade school, I couldn't even find casual labour work because they all wanted work references within the industry.

مرحبا جميعا!

أنا طالب ماجستير أعمل حاليا على مشروع بحث تصميم يستكشف الحياة بعد التخرج، خصوصا حالة عدم اليقين والشك الذاتي والارتباك الذي قد يصاحب معرفة الخطوة التالية.

أنا مهتم بسماع تجارب من خريجين مروا بتجارب مثل التشكيك في اختياراتهم المهنية، أو الشعور بالضياع، أو صعوبة إيجاد الاتجاه، أو التساؤل عما إذا كانوا على الطريق الصحيح.

في بحثي، أستخدم طريقة تسمى الصوت الضوئي، حيث يلتقط المشاركون بعض الصور التي تمثل تجاربهم الشخصية وتشارك المعنى وراءها.

ماذا ستتضمن المشاركة؟

التقاط 3–5 صور بسيطة لأشياء أو أماكن أو لحظات تعكس تجربتك بعد التخرج.

أشارك بعض الأفكار القصيرة حول ما تعنيه لك تلك الصور.

لا تحتاج إلى مهارات تصوير، ولن تحتاج إلى إظهار وجهك أو مشاركة معلومات تعريفية شخصية.

المشاركة اختيارية بالكامل، وسأشرح كيف ستستخدم الصور والردود قبل أن تقرر المشاركة.

إذا واجهت حالة من عدم اليقين بعد التخرج وترغب في المشاركة، يرجى ترك تعليق أو إرسال رسالة خاصة لي!

شكرا لك! سأكون ممتنا جدا لسماع وجهات نظركم.

I graduated with a forensic psychology degree last year. I have worked for the last year doing administration at a law firm. I don’t think I have much job stability or safety as they are actively training an ai to do most of my teams job. Company keeps downsizing. I have severe anxiety about this. I didn’t get the best grades in my undergrad and don’t think a masters would even be possible even if I had the money. I need a job with stability. I like the work from home aspect of my job right now, but do miss the human interaction part of my other jobs. I am so stressed about my career. I know people who are dental hygienist and have great job stability. I want to know what are some routes I can go into or courses I could do that would get me into a field that won’t get taken by ai and I can have a long lasting career in? Is marketing a good transition and how do you get into that? I thought about recruitment. I need a good salary I make 48k right now and I am struggling. I feel like I have no clue what would be good anymore and it scares me. I’m thinking maybe someone who does facials? Or sales?? What is a good career that one can transition into or if you do need to go back to school I won’t be set back thousands of dollars. I’m so stressed and just want to know I will be employable for my whole life and can work my way up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am Canadian! I would preferably like a job that would be transferable to other cities or countries, but atleast a job that I could get into and can feel confident building a career in. Thanks so much

I'm 19. I love strategic thinking. I love reading about massive military campaigns and learning about the strategies of past generals. Next to strategy, I love the tactics that are used such as deception, clever tricks, precise timing, concentration of force, etc. I love having a long term goal to work towards and feeling like I have a purpose. I love playing chess. I love strategy games. I'm good at math (I'm a mathematics major). I hate coding. I don't really want to join the military. Are there any jobs that fit these skills or is officer corps the only route.

hello im 23, f, and i dropped out of high school in my senior year. all because i was so behind, burnt out from working, and had very serious apathy, and no one encouraged me to do anything with my future. recently, about a year ago i was in a major car accident, broke all my limbs and basically almost died. it was very serious, im still relearning how to walk. but lately ive had to depend on everyone for everything. and as a hyper independent person, im realizing i dont have anyone to depend on really.

i want to get my ged and go to university, not community college because i feel like i wont take it seriously enough. i feel like im late in everything and its really discouraging. i want to go to school for philosophy. i dont even know what careers look into that type of stuff.

does anyone have any experience being a adult student? or with a philosophy career?

actually begging for advice and help 😭

I’m currently applying for radtech school but im having second thoughts. I also thought about paralegal but it seems risky.

At my core,I would really prefer something thats an office job,preferably non customer facing or introvert friendly that would make 60k a year without overtime and has a friendly barrier of entry

Not rlly tryna make a family or anything just want more pets and money to provide proper care for those future pets.

I’m willing to get certs or college degrees if needed. And i am in florida. I may consider relocation if possible but i just wanna put effort and money into something that will actually get me somewhere in life.

I just got my degree in Business Administration a month ago. I played Division 1 baseball and am currently trying to find a job. Throughout college the only professional experience I really have is a sales internship. I’ve been looking at sales roles (tech sales/equipment sales). But haven’t had a good look at the interview process (more experience wanted). Can I get some suggestions on some other fields that i can look into? I love sports but i want to make a lot of money while im in my 20s and want a field that I can climb the ranks.

I m indescive I dont know which career to choose between teaching and dental hygienist a little about me I m 31 F I ve been searching my whole life what interest me .. but then later I realized no matter what u study life is about finding a career that balances work and ur personal life i have studied dentistry for a year it was soo hard on me as i m not studios person i failed twice in my first year i gave up i passed outs of 4 subjects only three which was dental anatomy dental histology and anatomy head and neck i failed physiology and biochemistry twice then i gave up and i switched to bachelor of business administration which i completed and graduated which I dont even like it i just did like that anywho i got married young and have one child now they my child is grown up and is 9 and my marriage is almost on the verge of breakup and all my life i felt from inches i n depended on a man and i dont want that narrative i wanna do something for me and not lived by control of finance to be honest i have wasted soo much behind marriage that I haven’t started anything for myself i just want stable career where i can give time to my child and able to work in the morning i have previously worked as English teacher in a nursery it was very exhausting with planning and making worksheets didn’t enjoy much but i know I would get holidays with same time as kids the only reason I think of studying bachelor of education but i know every great person has studies education which lead to something but my interest is in health care field i wanna do something like study hygienist open up my own clinic and have all the health care services given not medical ones like the spas ones i like to work in health care and sometimes i think i should do both but the degree i m thinking to obtain from for education is from Middle East and its has a lot of scope to work as teacher but again because of the economy now i feel nothing is guranteed and for hygienist i want to study in canada as it has less year and in Middle East they don’t hire hygienist and even if they do hire which is rare the salary sucks its not good as it is in Canada if u studied there and my long term plan might be staying in Canada as i m Canadian and not sure about the certainty about in Middle East even if i study bachelor of education in Middle East and went back to canada i know i can use my middle eastern degree and upgrade it with some short course and able to work quicker but if i studied hygienist and tried working in Middle East it’s not the same pay as in canada and wont be able to open up my own clinic as a medical spa without the actual Botox and filler one just regular spa which a non medical can do it without a doctor .. i m soo confused as i m also in the middle of my marriage breakup and i m scared also if i joined anything i wont be able to continue or have stress and on top of that i m teaching my child as homeschool because i cant right now afford to pay for physical school fees and when i teach my child she really be testing my patience and my family says if u wanna be a teacher u gotta be patient and they all demotivate me i mean i just want to stand on my own without but i m unsure what to do i m thinking to study bachelor of education for two years as i have to stay in Middle East in for two years then try to enroll in dental hygiene program but i dont know its all making me feel overwhelm that i feel like sometimes leave everything and dont do anything . People be telling me to be a teacher u gotta be patient i do have patience and i did worked as teacher previously in teaching setting but i sometimes i m doubtful if i can do it or not and then if i can study hygienist and become one or not i just want to do everything quick and start earning i want to be financially independent with the choices i have taken but then again i think does putting money in this matter what if i die in between completing all this all this is making me feel overwhelm with life i m soo exhausted with everything . My family said if u be teacher be ready to deal with even difficult kids I know that bas everything has good and bad and i feel time is the biggest thief half of my life went pleasing everyone and listening to what my partner wants and get dumped once life gets hard I feel the stuck the most every day my heart feels heavy with all this I m running behind is it worth it as my husband has been against all this but I m tired to being controlled I don’t want it .. I feel like when life gets hard I leave things and run away from it and that’s my weakness please guide me with all the pros and cons and I want to know seriously if anyone can guide Canadian hygienist course guidance and studies if anyone can share with me the notes to actually see as I m trying to find out about the studies pleasee help meee .

Hello everyone, I'm quite young, first year college, 18 years old

Some context- I am from a prestigious college from my country, also in a good branch (mathematics and computing) engineering.

The thing is, idk if I wanna do this, I've grinded because that's the norm in our country, it was either engineering or this, financially my family is quite comfortable, I have everything I need. So I took engineering as that's what my dad did

Problem is, I actually dk what I wanna do, and the feeling has increased 10 folds seeing all motivated guys in college

Its not loneliness, I love college, many friends, insane extracurricular, I love networking/socializing. I have it all persay. But there's this huge emptiness in me because I simply know that this isn't what I wanna do

Idk what I wanna do, I wanna explore, I don't wanna settle, i hate commitment i hate attachment, probably why the idea of settling in for a job with loyalty is exactly against me, this requires grit

Another huge doubt is I was on the luckier side to be with a group which loved to study, made me study, I also studied, and I did well in exams to get into this college

However now, the fire is like not burning as much, i convinced myself that, ill get insane money, and that money is directly going into my dreams of travelling/exploring/never stopping

However now the money's motivation is also fading, I am realising that what if it's too late.

Once again, not a feeling of loneliness but rather emptiness. I don't know what to do, my cgpa might take a huge hit cause of 0 interest. And i still have 0 idea as for what I'm ending up as. I wanna keep moving around

I still love learning stuff, I just picked up instruments and its been a huge relief because it makes me feel that I'm still doing something useful, but there's always a feeling of if I belong here.

very happy, very comfortable, just anxious that if I'm even where I belong, and if I'll ever belong there.

I’m a 26yo busy mom. My youngest is 1yo. Not sure if that’s important info but I feel it might help get best advice to be realistic.

I haven’t had a lot of work experience in my life. Last 3 years have been the most active in work. I have mainly worked food manufacturing warehouse as a packager or currently machine operator. I’ve had brief training in quality assurance at my former job.

I want so badly a career that will one day be great for myself and kids. Something that will cover our wants and needs, in demand, and a schedule as my warehouse jobs of 2-2-3. I love that because it allows so plenty of time with family still.

My current company is great! They have started me at $21/hour. In April I may be due for a raise.

Healthcare has always been a career I’ve had in mind. Starting with Medical Assistant, seeing if it’s a good fit for me then go to LPN/RN.

I know you’re not suppose to really know everything about nursing before nursing school, but I feel so silly as if I absolutely do need to 😆 and it makes me pull back from the idea.

Another idea I had was cybersecurity.

And lastly something like paralegal.

I love paperwork, I enjoy working with people, I think I do well in intense situations.

Would I be able to get onto some type of certification or degree in the very near future while also being a mom?

I’m also interested in something highly remote. I know for health stuff a lot is online but clinicals are obviously required in person.

I just feel like wasted potential and I want to be something I can be proud of and for my kids to have someone to look up to as they grow up.

I use to do super well in school. I actually loved it so thinking of going back to school makes me excited.

Thanks for any help, and if there’s more info I can provide for better advice let me know. !!

I am currently studying at a Community college in Pennsylvania USA.

Right now I am studying Political Science.

I am also in my Junior year.

I am seeing a lot of people complain about not finding jobs after getting a Political Science degree.

I am really unsure what to do since the government just isn't hiring people either.

1. Where can I go from here?

2. Who can I talk to about career advice?

I sit here at 34, at a crossroad that is painful. It is necessary now, but was easily avoidable.

Escaping into partying, partners, and gaming to cover a hole that was never going to be filled by anything but self-actualization; I never truly sat long enough through those uncomfortable moments with my feelings and desires.

It would be easy to blame my self-centered parents, of which I had three (divorce, I have more of a family bush than a tree). Or the coaches in my life that only knew how to inspire through fear.

All the perceived wrongdoing in my life should have lit an insatiable fire. Instead, I used it like a pilot light that I would only turn up when I was over-satiated on my hedonism.

You and only you, know what is truly worth pursuing.

Sure, I got very good at what I am doing for a career. I've had multiple lives, including an opportunity to play football at a high level. I pursued women recklessly. And in between those fleeting experiences, instead of asking myself the right questions, acknowledging the fear, and choosing my passion, I numbed myself with the partying, gaming, and doing what I thought was a good compromise between the stability my father wanted for me and my creative instincts.

I've now lost touch with a majority of those so-called friends I made along the way. Never truly reached the potential I saw within me.

It is only my timid fears that is truly to blame.

My life, and your life, is not done. But, try to fail faster before it becomes a arduous, mid-life saga of finding what is YOUR purpose and meaning to life.

I am a neet and I didn’t choose to be the one

I am 30 yo. I have 5 years of work-ex. I am 3 years unemployed and surviving on my savings, loans and staying with my family. Before that also, I was working from home and barely get out of my house because I had no friends. Since just after my graduation, the COVID hit, it was hard to go out but even when things got better, and restrictions were uplifted, my lack of social circle or friends made me stay at home.

It was 3 years back that I decided to change things, since my job was a dead-end job and there was no growth with low pay, I decided to leave it, and I was sure I would get another job after some upskilling, because I had changed jobs like that before, and I did get it within a few months but this time, one year turned into two and then three.

I am still so socially awkward and now without even a job. It’s not that I wasted all my time all these years. I was preparing for an MBA, and gave Gmat, got invites from T20 schools but couldn’t convert. I did get some interviews, in my first year of being unemployed, but got rejected in later rounds.

I feel so defeated in life both socially and academically. I haven’t made any friends or relationships all these years and now not even earning.

I had anxiety and stress issues that have gotten more serious. I am on meds because my panic attacks have been getting severe. I feel so much worse in life. I didn’t ever think that my 20s would be this miserable and I would struggle like this in my early 30s.

Is there any hope?

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice on something that has been on my mind for quite some time.

I'm a 33 year-old male who has worked in the same industry (corporate / office job) for 10 years now. I have predominantly worked in the same job / company but have moved departments and changed job once for a year to slightly different roles over that time. I always thought when I moved to a different department / role I would be much happier / more content but as time has progressed that is not the case and I still feel unsettled.

I have been feeling very anxious of late and over the last 10-15 years have been on various anti-depressants to deal with anxiety and low mood. I also thought the anxiety etc would pass however I am now in a job that I thought from the outside would be perfect but still feel on edge. I definitely believe that this anxiety is holding me back in my job and I am worrying and overthinking too much with the job not feeling enjoyable but a bit of a daily slog.

I think that it is the job that is causing the anxiety in the first place and over the last year or so almost every week without fail I will sleep extremely poorly on a Sunday evening. Again, I think this is anticipatory anxiety about work / the week ahead. My job is not super stressful and my workload is manageable therefore I don't think workload is the issue. I also work with a really cool team and we all get on with one another and have regular team socials.

Over the last few months it has occurred to me that I simply might not be the right fit for my job and my heightened anxiety is my body telling me that. I might be better off / happier doing something else outside of the corporate world.

My issue is I have been doing this job for over 10 years, have built up a relatively good network and on paper have been "successful" in my industry. I am also earning a good (not massive) salary and have therefore got used to a lifestyle etc. based on my income. Any change of pathway will inevitably see quite a significant pay cut and therefore changes required to lifestyle / cutting overheads etc.

Ultimately I want to be happy and not feel anxious, particularly on Sundays where it is particularly bad and I sleep very poorly. It just feels like such a huge decision to walk away from something I have spent 10+ years building as I am quite a proud person. I have also given thought to changing my medication again (back to Sertraline) as I recall historically that this worked well for anxiety / low mood albeit with some unwanted side effects. Could it be a case that my anxiety is worse and therefore I am more anxious about everything else?

Another issue I have is that I don't really have any idea of what the next steps look like for me as I don't have an "ideal" job / career. I do think however if the last few years are to go by being stuck in an office all day then a corporate environment is not for me. My gut feeling is usually right and recently that feeling is that I am in the wrong job.

I'd be grateful to hear from anyone who has experienced something similar or anyone who might have any advice please including a plan / steps to take or managing this anxiety?

Thank you for reading.

I spent my whole life preparing for a successful career and doing what I was “supposed to” - studying hard, getting into a good college, networking, landing a full time job, and graduating.

Despite doing everything “right”, I was laid off 3.5 years into my career. 3 of those years were spent in public accounting, and the last 6 months were spent at a finance role for a tech startup. The details around my layoff are another story, but it was as toxic as corporate can get and was extremely political, revolving around optics that I didn’t have control over. Both of these jobs had poor work life balance and involved 12-16 hour workdays, weekend work, and grueling commutes (almost 3 hours round trip, 3 days a week).

After these experiences, I needed a break to recharge. It’s been 7 months since my layoff and don’t know what to do next, and I feel guilty for having this time off as it might damage my career trajectory (still working on how to frame this “narrative” for my time off when I eventually start getting interviews). I’m willing to learn and work hard, but I physically and mentally cannot put up with such demanding hours which seem so common in finance and accounting. I don’t have experience in anything else and my BA was in economics with an accounting minor.

I’m surrounded by peers who have small businesses and social media pages on top of their corporate jobs. With all my free time currently, I’m hoping to explore my interests more and get back into old hobbies I used to have and see if any of those could potentially be turned into a side hustle down the line, as my main career is on pause.

This is my first time in my life I’ve felt “lost”. I’m very fortunate that I have savings to lean on and can move back in with my family if absolutely necessary in the future (though I haven’t told them about the layoff yet to avoid worrying them). Has anyone been in the same boat or have suggestions for fields to go into that have better balance?

I’ve been feeling like this ever since I started my business. When I turned 16 I started a power washing company with my dad’s financial help, and very quickly got a taste for what it was like to have money. Over the past 5 years the business does well, but could 100% do better. This year I have had my best year by over $20,000. My goal is to do better next year and scale a bit and get another truck and worker to hopefully at least 1.5x it which might make me feel a little better but 1 I don’t know how and 2 I doubt it. Every winter for the past 3-4 years I have felt directionless and kind of depressed because the money isn’t hitting my pockets every day like I’m used to during the warm months. This last winter I got my real estate license (which I have t really used because I got so busy this year) and the year prior me and my buddy attempted junk removal but found it an issue finding a good dump so we put it on pause. In the mean time just to take up some time I would work odd jobs here and there. Target, back of restaurant, server. Which put into perspective that I will not be a wage slave because no way are these people supporting families with $19 an hour. With pressure washing I have a lot more saved up this year than previous years and I want to start christmas light installation this year and I’ve been putting signs out and starting ads for it but even then i feel like I won’t succeed with it. My step dad constantly is saying how I “cant pressure wash forever” and I “need to find something more stable” and same with my mom. The only person that ever believed in my really was my dad and he committed suicide 2 years ago (to my belief was mainly Money and a woman) and he told me before then that he would help me achieve financial freedom by age 25, and I wish he were here to guide me still. Pressure washing is slowing down a TON leaving me with a lot of free time and idk what to do. The money I have could definitely coast me to next season and rinse repeat but I want to build more and make more money and I hate that it’s all I can think about but I need success. I hate feeling purposeless and directionless and I just want it to stop. Sometimes a 9-5 with structure doesn’t sound so bad to me but it sounds like torture.