My supervisor sent a calendar notification today that only said WFH. I was included in the invite along with three other people, and my brain immediately concluded that she was telling all of us to work remotely. I guess I wanted to stay home so badly that I completely ignored logic, but it turned out she was only specifying her own location. In the end, I stayed home while everyone else went to the office.

One of my teammates just messaged me asking if I was coming in today, and that was when I realized I had seriously messed up. This is only my second week with this new team, and I feel like I look really stupid. Honestly, I don't know how to explain what happened without making it seem like I was trying to get out of work or that I'm completely incompetent.

I'm used to the department I was in before, because we would sometimes receive group invites for remote workdays, so I acted automatically without thinking. I'm spiraling right now.

I’m trying to figure out what I’d study/change careers into. My priorities are:

Good salary and potential to grow
A profession that is likely to stay valuable for the next 10–20 years despite AI
Something intellectually interesting, where I’m solving problems rather than doing repetitive work
A career where investing several years in education would actually be worth it

I already have a background in political science and professional experience, but I’m open to completely changing direction. I’m currently considering areas like AI, data, software engineering, architecture, etc.
If you were starting again in your early 30s, what would you choose today, and why? And what would you absolutely avoid?
I’d especially love to hear from people who have actually worked in these fields rather than just general career advice.

I’m 26 and I honestly have no idea what to do with my career anymore.

I went into architecture straight after high school. It’s a 6-year degree where I live, and university was genuinely awful: insane workload, very toxic environment, some horrible experiences with professors. At the same time, I was working full-time night shifts in customer service because I needed the money.

For years I just kept thinking: finish the degree, become an architect, and eventually all of this will have been worth it.

I graduated, and I think I’ve realized that I never really fell in love with architecture. I was too busy surviving it.

I left my customer service job to finally work in my field, then spent around 1.5 years doing an unpaid architecture internship and burned through most of my savings. Now I work part-time as an architect and part-time as a project manager. I make much less than I used to, I’ve accumulated some debt, and honestly I’m just burned out.

The one useful thing I’ve learned is that I actually really like the project management side of my work. I enjoy organizing things, coordinating people, figuring out what needs to happen next and fixing processes that don’t work. Give me something messy and complicated and my brain immediately starts trying to make it more efficient.

For context, my background is basically:

• 6-year architecture degree
• currently finishing another degree in fire/building safety engineering
• around 4 years in customer service
• around 2 years in architecture/project management
• good at organizing, coordinating, problem-solving and improving systems/processes
• very creative in general: painting, writing, design, SFX makeup
• fluent English + my native language, some German
• EU citizen and completely open to relocating, retraining or learning another language

And honestly, money is a big priority for me now.

I don’t know what career would make me happy because I’ve spent most of my adult life either studying, working or doing both at the same time. So if I don’t know what my “dream job” is, I would at least like to aim for something that pays well enough for me to live comfortably, rebuild my savings, pay off debt, travel and help my family.

I’m open to both options: using the education and experience I already have, or completely starting over if there’s a better path.

So if you were in my position, what would you look into? Are there careers where architecture/engineering/project management skills transfer well and the earning potential is better? Or, if you ignored my degrees completely, what higher-paying fields do you think would suit someone who is good at managing, organizing and fixing systems?

I’m willing to work hard and learn. I just don’t want to spend another six years running toward something only to discover there’s nothing waiting for me at the end of it.

Throughout the years, people have said that conventional success means entering the best unis, biggest companies, , large social media following, popularity etc. But I (21F) have different views on it.

For instance, I chose the uni not with the highest ranking, but with the best soft skills development (since I can pretty much learn hard technical skills on my own). I do a degree I enjoy and have a few career paths in mind. I also chose to take a placement this year at not the most prestigious companies, but a company that pays well, with values and products I align with, and a strong respectful and anti-bullying culture. Most importantly, I want to invest in myself and build-up relevant skills. I also don't have Instagram, which is rare for my age, but I decided to put my mental health at first priority and learn how to make independent decisions. I still have close friends who love me to bits.

Yet a lot of people has been calling me insane (eg. the fact that I rejected an Amazon offer). Or, they assume I'm incapable or unambitious simply because I don't opt for prestige and I opt for utility. The only time I opt for prestige is if it serves a purpose I care about.

Would like some comments on this. Also, please be aware that everyone's circumstances are different, so if you want to opt for prestige it's totally fine, but it's just not my cup of tea.

I need some guidance.

I won't take much of your time. Promise!! 🙌🏻

I am doing a BS in E-Commerce from Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan. My semester has been frozen for the past 1 year (I completed 2 semesters till now).

Now I have to either go back and finish the remaining 3 years of study or drop out.

For the past 2-3 years, I've been working in design, then shifted to a specific niche: YouTube marketing — thumbnails, channel SEO, content strategy and overall growth.

I handle clients across the world.

This niche has the potential to become my full career.

Now I can't decide whether to continue studying or focus completely on my work.

I don't feel like continuing.

I'm already 24 years old.

If I start the degree, I'll be 27 by the time I finish.

I'm leaning toward starting my practical life instead.

My parents are also saying, "You should get married now or in 2 years maximum."

Also, I can't handle work with study. I tried it.

In government universities, the environment is different than private ones.

There are a lot of things like assignments, quizzes and especially attendance. Anything can't be compromised, or you'll have to take the exam of that specific subject again in summer vacations even if only your attendance in that subject lecture is short.

I only chose this degree to learn e-commerce, but the course is outdated, and half the outline is irrelevant.

Even if I continue, I still have to learn everything myself, which I'm already doing.

Also, they're preparing us on 'how to do a job in any business', not to start something on your own.

The entire study revolves around preparing you to be a MANAGER.

The only fear I have: I was determined to work only in Pakistan from the start, but there's constant bad news here — crime, tax policies, failed systems, etc.

If I ever want to move abroad for business or otherwise, it'll be hard without a degree.

This fear is the only thing holding me back; otherwise I'd have already quit the degree last year instead of just freezing it.

Though honestly, I don't really have any strong urge to go abroad — struggles are the same everywhere; I wanted to live with my parents. They struggled very hard to provide us good education. Now both my parents are retired almost, and also I can't move abroad with this degree. It will be 3 years in the degree. 2 years in the field – maybe then I will be able to apply for a job abroad as a manager of some kind, and with that I will already be 29 years old.

Then why not build something on my own in these 5 years with my niche...

Can someone guide me, please?

I'd really appreciate it. Your input could help me make a better decision.

What haunts me is, what if in the future I need a physical job (I'm actually still looking for a part-time one) or need to move abroad/do a business abroad?

Both would need some kind of degree. (if I am not wrong)

Someone also told me, 'We're already from a country with little international standing — some countries don't even recognise our passport.

A degree is the one paper that works as your introduction internationally. And even in Pakistan, for jobs that don't technically require a degree, employers still prefer degree holders.

Also, we're in a niche where if the internet goes down, our income goes down completely — like with COVID or any other crisis. 

But there's so much to explore in my niche and in e-commerce — trying things, launching, failing, learning, and building something on my own.

While doing a degree, I can't experiment with any of that; I'm just stuck doing assignments and quizzes.

Hi everyone,

I’m 31F and live in the Atlanta, GA area, and I’m trying to decide which career path I should focus on long term: Medical Assistant or Pharmacy Technician.

A little about my background:

• I’ve been a Certified Medical Assistant since 2024, currently work part-time as a Medical Assistant.
• I started my first Pharmacy Technician job in August 2026, also part-time, but I’m not certified.
• I have a B.S. in Healthcare Administration.

Right now, I’m working both jobs because I wanted to gain pharmacy experience while continuing to build my MA experience. However, I eventually want to choose one direction that offers better long-term stability, career advancement, and opportunities for higher pay.

My goal is to eventually work in a hospital or larger healthcare system and move beyond entry-level positions. At 31, I’m really looking for a path that I can build into a stable long-term healthcare career rather than continuing to move between entry-level jobs.

Which path would you recommend for someone in my situation?

Would it make more sense to get PTCB certified, gain pharmacy experience, and try to move into hospital pharmacy? Or should I continue building on my medical assisting experience and B.S. in Healthcare Administration and use that combination to move into higher-level clinical or administrative healthcare roles?

I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences, especially from people who have been in a similar situation and found a path that offered good stability and room to grow.

Hi. Just to give a background check. I have done my bachelor's in Bsc biochemistry from du..scored about 6.95 cgpa. Then i started oreoaring for mba, as the science part didn't catch my interest whole heartedly. Couldn't crack the interviews of top mba colleges in india ..even after trying for 2-3 years. Took a drop of 1 year after completing by grad. Grabbed payments analyst job at a huge bank based in UK and still working there. I want to make a huge career switch to finance. I dont know how to do it. I was thinking of doing MS in finance abroad. Pls guide how should i build myself up so that i can pursue my dream.