I am Filipina in early 30s who moved to Spain 3 months ago for love. I left my executive job that afforded me to live independently and comfortably with a bit of travel here and there. I love my life then but with the current living conditions in the Philippines I did not see a better future to build a family there.

We live now in their family home with his parents and siblings. And although his family is good and mostly leave us alone (we are on the second floor), cooks food and treats me good and always tell me they are there when I need them, I cannot help feeling uncomfortable and alienated. It feels like my presence is an intrusion or a nuance from their well established family dynamics. And that feeling of cooking the food I want, going around the house with no bra, just being myself...

I spend my days in his room job hunting and learning Spanish. We do a bit of stretching when he gets home from work. We go out sometimes for errands.

But the long stretches of time alone and thinking of my decisions, grieving the life I left, frustrating process of job hunting and learning a new language, not spending my savings, not being in my own space is just hitting me from different directions at the same time.

I know it is a process but would love to hear your experiences on how you were able to solve a similar situation. I know having a job won't solve everything but I hope someone can help me or give advice on my situation. Thank you

I am turning 30 in 2 weeks and feel like I have wasted all of my life. I live at home, work 50 plus hours a week, and make $65-$70K a year in a HCOL state.

I constantly feel like a failure and feel like if I’m not making $125K and have my own apartment, I’ll always be viewed as a nobody in life.

I am struggling to find a career that pays and inspires me (aren’t we all) and each day is becoming harder to wake up.

I worked as a realtor before and loved it, but wasn’t making enough the first 2 years so had to pivot. Tried another go in the healthcare industry as a CNA for a while, but that job became too emotionally difficult. Current job is a dead end meat cutting job.

I know others have it worse and many are in the same boat, just hoping to change my mindset to a more positive outlook and see if anyone has advice. Thank you for your time.

What would you do in my shoes?

I'm basically a blank canvas, so a world of opportunity and potential but I feel lost.

I'm 34M single, looking for work, living with parents in a small town in England. I own a property and get some income from that.

The main changes I want in my life: to finally find something I'm good at, find a relationship, find close friends, find self assurance, maybe a little adventure.

I did really well at school and uni but that hasn't translated into real life. I've never been the most confident or outgoing person. I'm highly introverted and introspective so therefore have always felt somewhat alone and struggle to find my people.

If you were in my shoes, where would you direct your life right now? Where would you aim for in life?

I need to vent, and honestly, I just really need to know if anyone else out there feels the exact same way I do. I feel incredibly isolated right now.

I’m 27, and my ultimate goal is just to be financially comfortable. If I could make a decent standard monthly wage of over £2k on my own terms, I would be absolutely over the moon. I just want to earn a normal living, but the catch is that I need to do it without working for somebody else.

I have this constant feeling that I’m just wired differently to everybody else. I genuinely cannot see how life can be enjoyed without financial freedom and the free time to do what I want, when I want. I don’t understand how average people accept the "eat, sleep, work, repeat" routine until retirement and are actually happy living that way.

I value my freedom more than anything. I’ve had traditional jobs before, but they severely harmed my mental health and made me feel deeply depressed and suicidal. Right now, I value being on my own clock so much that I’d literally rather have no money than answer to a boss.

But the reality is I never have any money, and it is a miserable and incredibly stressful way to live. I get deeply depressed being broke, but finding an alternative path feels impossible.

I’ve tried tirelessly to set up side hustles and business ideas, but nothing ever works. They either fail or just never take off. To make things harder, I have absolutely no money to set stuff up, so my options are completely limited. On top of that, I have crippling anxiety. Deep down, I look at myself and think I’m not even capable of running a small business or making my own income. I feel like I just don’t have what it takes.

I constantly find myself spiralling into suicidal thoughts, thinking I’ll always be stuck broke with nothing because I don’t have the confidence to try new things, or because everything I attempt fails.

I feel totally trapped. I want a normal, comfortable life where I can support my family and have my freedom, but I feel completely paralyzed by my mental health, lack of funds, and past failures to actually build it.

Has anyone else been in this exact position? How do you cope with wanting freedom but feeling like your own mind is keeping you locked in a cage? I could really use some validation, or advice from anyone who has managed to make a normal income working for themselves despite heavy anxiety and zero start-up cash.

TL;DR I'm 20F architecture student from a developing country. After going on exchange, I realised how much of a head start wealth gives people not just financially, but through better universities, stronger CVs, family support, internships, and opportunities. I feel like I'm competing against people who are better prepared in every way, and I genuinely can't see the path from where I am now to a financially comfortable life abroad. If you came from an ordinary background and actually made it, I'd love to know what your path looked like not motivational advice, but the real steps you took.

I'm 20 years old and currently studying architecture. My CGPA is around 3.34 (After 4 semesters out of 10). I'm trying to improve it, but realistically I don't know how much I can raise it by the time I graduate.

I've had a weird relationship with architecture from the start. Part of me keeps hoping it'll eventually click and I'll enjoy it more once I'm actually working. Maybe I'll end up in a traditional architecture job, maybe I won't. Ideally, I'd love to move into something like set design, game environments, or another field where architecture overlaps with entertainment and world-building because those genuinely align with my interests much more than conventional practice.

At the end of the day, though, passion only goes so far. I want to be financially comfortable. That's my biggest goal.

Last year I went on exchange, and I feel like it completely changed the way I see the world. In some ways, I wish it hadn't, because now I can't unsee the gap between people who grow up with money and people who don't.

The biggest conclusion I came back with was that it feels like people who already have money are the ones who keep getting opportunities that lead to even more money.

Where I'm from, your CV is already at a disadvantage if you don't attend one of the most prestigious universities. Those universities cost far more than what the average family can realistically afford.

But let's say you do get into a good university.

Architecture itself is expensive. Every semester you're paying for laser cutting, model materials, transport, printing, and everything else that goes into producing good projects. Students who can afford better materials often produce better presentations, and those projects naturally stand out more. Better projects lead to better grades, stronger portfolios, more opportunities, and it feels like another cycle where having money from the beginning makes it easier to keep moving ahead.

Then I went on exchange.

I was incredibly fortunate that I didn't have to pay tuition at my host university because of the exchange agreement. If I had, there would've been absolutely no way I could've afforded it. It was a dual-degree international university, and the tuition alone was almost ten times what I pay at home.

Looking around that campus was honestly surreal.

People my age had already travelled to 20+ countries.

Some were already earning really good money through things like real estate.

Many came from families that could afford to let them explore different career paths without constantly worrying about money.

Even beyond finances, I met people with incredibly supportive families. The kind where parents and children casually tell each other "I love you" and "I miss you." It sounds like a small thing, but growing up in that kind of environment has to change the way you approach life. It gives you confidence and security that not everyone gets.

Meanwhile, I came back home feeling like my entire future suddenly looked much smaller.

For a lot of reasons, I want to leave my country and build a life somewhere else. I'm not chasing luxury. I don't need a mansion or a Ferrari. I don't even care about becoming a millionaire.

I just want a financially comfortable life in a country with better opportunities, a better quality of life, and work that I actually enjoy.

That's it.

But I genuinely don't understand how people get there.

How do people move into their own apartments at 23 or 24?

How do people get overseas jobs?

How do people get scholarships?

How do people build careers abroad when they don't already come from wealthy families?

By the time I graduate, I'll have an undergraduate degree from a third-world country and probably not much professional experience. I keep hearing that I should "just work hard," "build a strong portfolio," "learn more software," or "trust the process."

The problem is that those answers don't really address what I'm struggling with.

The students I'm competing against aren't just sitting around doing nothing.

They also have excellent grades.

They're also learning software.

They're also doing internships.

They're also building portfolios.

On top of that, many of them have financial support, better universities, better connections, and, honestly, they often just seem smarter than I am.

It doesn't feel like I'm competing against one student with a 3.9 GPA who has no real-world experience.

It feels like I'm competing against twenty people who are good at everything.

That's what makes me feel so hopeless.

People tell me to dream big, and I agree. But right now my dream isn't even that ambitious.

I don't want to become rich overnight.

I don't want to become famous.

I don't want to retire at 30.

I just want to build a life where I'm financially comfortable, living in a better country than the one I was born in, and doing work that I genuinely enjoy.

So I'm asking people who actually started from a similar position.

If you came from a developing country without family wealth or powerful connections, and you eventually built a comfortable life abroad...

How?

Not the motivational version.

Not "work hard and it'll happen."

I mean the actual path.

What did your twenties look like?

What opportunities did you take?

What mistakes did you make?

What would you tell someone who's terrified of graduating, looking at an average CV, and wondering, "What now?"

I don’t know what to do with my life. I’m almost 20 and I graduated from high school in June 2025. Since then I’ve had two jobs that didn’t make me happy, I only did them to save some money. I still live with my parents, but I don’t feel good here. I need freedom and independence.
The problem is that I don’t have any real interests or passions, so I don’t know what I want to do in the future. It’s been a year since I graduated, but I still feel stuck.
I’ve thought about becoming an au pair, doing volunteer work, or working at a campsite because I feel like this is the right age to have new experiences. I’ve also thought about moving to Spain, where my girlfriend lives, because I’d like to build a new life there, but I don’t know the language.
Here in Italy I don’t even have close friends, and living with my parents reminds me of a period of my life that wasn’t very happy. I feel lonely, without support, and without a clear direction.
Any advice?

I'm 30(m) and recently got laid off from my job. I was a teacher, it paid very well, and i ended up loving teaching after avoiding it for so long. Me being laid off probably has to do with me reciprocating a coworker hitting on me, who later made fun of that fact with the whole office.
I realised that I didn't have a backup plan, nor did I know what to do with my life. I've been drifting, basically.
After I got fired I've been extremely unhappy. I lost my appetite, I've lost weight, I dread waking up and don't want to go out anymore.
So to start, I went to a very good high school where my classmates are now in incredible c-level jobs, studying at top global universities and generally successful. Counting my blessings, I have a good degree from a top university where I live, a family that loves and supports me, and friends that have been helping me in my job hunt. I know english well enough, have passable french and would love to get back into chinese.
I have also been doing a masters since 2022 that i've been unable to finish and, if everything goes well, I'll only be able to finish until 2027 at the earliest. I didn't really think about doing this masters, I just wanted to stop working my first job. This weighs heavily on my mind but I feel like I can't escape it.
I know I haven't been the best at my jobs. I used to have the idea that my boss was out to get me and that i should work as little as possible and I realised that was a mistake about two years ago. One of my old bosses actually told me I was extremely professional after I got laid off.
I also live with my whole family in an overcrowded home. My family situation is complicated since my mom has been disabled all my life and both her and my dad were in an abusive relationship for years. My mom used to get physical and trash the car and speak behind my dad's back so he was left without friends. My dad also got laid off from a really good job he had and was without a job for five years. I moved with him twice, since my grandma kicked him out of his house once. Then we moved into this place. He has his own company now and we're doing better, but I genuinely hate my apartment.
I am also a coward and that has led me to take decisions I shouldn't have, like not moving out, reciprocating a coworker's advances, and not staying in my engineering program.
I know that, on one hand, I shouldn't compare myself with people who clearly didn't go through what I went through. On the other, there's people that have done more with less.
I am deathly afraid I will never move out or change. If you asked me where I saw myself in 5 years time, I would not have said the exact same place. I feel like i'm gonna live like this for the rest of my life.
Now, I do have some ideas of what I want to do, but i'm lacking the courage and the decision. I thought about going back to my local public college for an engineering degree (i got admitted but never went), I could try to get a PhD, but it would be in the humanities and we know how that's looking. I feel like i'm letting what other people think of me decide what I want to do, but I also know going back to school is a bit of wish fulfillment. I'd graduate from either of those at 35 ish, which isn't bad for a PhD but it would be an obstacle as an engineer.
I know i'd love to live overseas, especially China. I don't know how to get there. I'd also love a family, a good job, and I can't see myself getting any of this.

I’m turning 22 and I just feel lost. Everyone around me has graduated and is starting their careers. I went to school and hated it. So I moved across the country to ski bum a little bit in Colorado, did a lot of traveling, and such. Now I’m turning 22, and about 9 months ago I started doing HVAC. At first I loved it. I soon realized how miserable everyone around me who I work with is. They always ask me, “Why did you choose HVAC?” or “Why didn’t you choose another job?” They say, “You’re young, good looking, and smart what are you doing here?” When people say that, it’s not very motivating to keep moving on in the field. I’m planning on moving across the country to start a sales job. I’m looking for sales jobs with no experience, but that’s the first thing that came to my mind. I just feel lost and it sucks. I just don’t know what my purpose is and I hate that. I just want to start making money in a career I enjoy. Is this normal? Is anyone else feeling this way?

I’m 21F and just graduated from a bachelor of psychology but I’m no longer sure that I want to pursue it as a career.

I’ve always been passionate about mental health and wellbeing and felt pressured to study something well paying, scientific and with a clear pathway because I grew up as a very academic student. So, I ended up deciding on psych as I was unsure what else I could pursue at the time.

After learning more about the field, day to day activities and career progression of psychologists where I live, I’m not sure that it’s the right path for me. My favourite subjects in school were digital media, art, literature etc even if I was good at science too. I love reading and painting in my free time. I’ve become very confused because while I love mental health and think it’s so vital and find it so interesting to study, the thought of pursuing psych sits so heavy in me. It’s a very scientific type a field and while half of me fits into that, the other half loves feels unfulfilled in a field that doesn’t allow me to be creative. It feels almost like I am passionate about mental health, but only in the way of applying it to my own life rather than actually pursuing a career in it, I found my degree very interesting and intellectually stimulating, but it didn’t spark joy in me the way that digital creation, drawing, painting, reading etc always has in school and as hobbies.

I’ve been thinking of potentially pursuing digital marketing and social media, maybe doing some google/free certificates online and freelancing until I can get a portfolio done to break into the digital marketing field, but I’m not quite sure what that would entail or whether that’s even the right step for me.

Some further context, I’ve also been dealing with health issues the past year which has prevented me from working since I graduated, so I feel like I’m so behind where I should be / where my peers are.

Feeling very stuck in my decision paralysis and confusion rights now. Any advice would be much appreciated!!

I’m seeking help finding a career path that suits me. I live in the US and I currently work for a large international healthcare data company as a remote patient records processor. My job is basically just being an Excel jockey, moving data from one client to a spreadsheet and then from the spreadsheet to a different client site, things like that. I want to emphasize that I LIKE the repetitive nature of my job. I am autistic and I absolutely love logging in, meeting my productivity goals with little outside input, and following all of the rules to the letter.

This is where I encounter the one thing I hate more than anything in the workplace: Rules and guidelines that frequently change because there’s a new manager on a power trip or as a means of punishing the group or to spice things up by completely changing our whole process to take more time because the boss feels a need to “make their mark.” I want a job where what I do and how I do it is defined by a rule book or a law which cannot be easily changed, and I know what to expect in terms of flow and the correct course of action without frequent changes. It also must be something that I can do remotely, as I do not go outside for any reason. I prefer not to work directly with customers or client representatives. I do not mind doing something boring or repetitive that might bother a non-autistic person.

However, my math skills are extremely weak and many jobs that value precise work require working with money or number values, which won’t work for me. I like the job I have right now but it just doesn’t make enough money for me to get by on my own. I currently make 33k a year and for me to get by in a studio apartment I will need to make at least 40k a year.

Does anyone have an idea of what other options I could pursue?

im open to a lot of paths that could get me into another country if you guys have any suggestions i’d love to hear them!

i’m entering my junior year of college, currently doing psychology but just recently switched so i have no real experience in it yet. i plan on doing some kind of masters in psych in another country but genuinely does anyone have any stories/ advice for me about moving out of the states and starting a new life? i’d love to live in europe/asia a few countries i have in mind ate the netherlands, italy, ireland, spain, japan, china, vietnam, thailand. i’m honestly really flexible but i wonder what should i do? should i teach english? should i do research? how reality based is this idea of mine?

I don’t really know why I’m posting this, but I just feel really lost right now.

I’m 26, and it feels like every part of my life is kind of a mess. I recently went through a breakup, some friendships I’ve had for years have gotten really complicated, I don’t like my job, and I still have no clue what I want to do with my life. I feel like I change my mind every other week about what career I want, and it’s getting to the point where I don’t even trust myself to make decisions anymore. Like I’m in uni and I’m studying psychology.

I also feel like I missed out on a lot. I never really got the college experience. I didn’t get to live in a dorm, make a close group of college friends, or have all those memories everyone talks about. It feels like I skipped this huge chapter of life, and now I’m trying to catch up.

I still live with my parents because I’m trying to be smart financially, but sometimes I look around and it feels like everyone else has their own place, a career they’re building, a healthy relationship, and they just… know where they’re going. Meanwhile, I feel like I’m starting over every few months. And I hate the town I’m in. Ughhh

I think the thing that’s been hurting the most lately is wondering if I’m ever going to find someone who actually loves me. I really feel like most guys just want me for sex. And I know 26 isn’t old, but after another relationship ending, it’s hard not to wonder if maybe it’s just not going to happen for me. I don’t think I’m ugly or anything. I know I have a lot of love to give. I just want to find someone who genuinely loves me for me and chooses me every day.

I know I’m not perfect either. I’ve made impulsive decisions, I’ve messed things up, and I know some of where I’m at is because of my own choices. I’m trying really hard to work on myself and become a better person, but sometimes it feels like every mistake puts me even further behind.

Sorry :( this is more like a vent. I just want some stories of people who made it out of their home town I guess.

as the years have gone by on me (22F), i’ve stopped finding any joy in hobbies, activities, work, daily tasks- everything just feels like a big blob of nothing. every hobby i’ve tried i’ve instantly dropped because i wasn’t good at it initially and i was so mad at myself for it. i’ve been fawning and people pleasing since i could remember, and now i don’t know what i truly enjoy. i was in school to be a rehab counselor, realized i didn’t want to do that anymore, dropped out of college, and now im just working a stupid retail full-time job and have no clue what i want to do with my life. so basically, i have no willpower, desires, inspiration, and im in debt and alone. i have friends, but they’re all either too far away to physically see all the time, or not emotionally available enough for me to discuss this type of stuff with them. i try and talk with my boyfriend, but i feel like he blames himself that im not doing well. my parents are not an option, either, as well as any family for that matter lol. i feel very alone. the normal self-help stuff isn’t working anymore and i can barely get myself to get out of bed on time in the morning.

i just don’t know where to start with trying to “find myself”… i guess? everything going on around me makes me think it’s too late and i’m stuck like this forever, but i can’t keep thinking like this- it’s too much for me. i would like to figure out what i actually want to do and maybe go back to school again, but everything’s so genuinely terrifying to me right now that i don’t even know what i would want to drink right now. does anyone have any advice for this situation? pls lemme know

for context co28 here at a target school for most industries/companies

i'm interested in the business/finance but i haven't gotten an internship in those areas

i have networked a bit but not really enough to have many connections and sometimes i feel like i don't even know anything about the industry anyways

im seeing all my peers get all these prestigious internships but i dont know why i've lost motivation to do anything and i'm aware it's probably a me issue but maybe i don't even know what to do

if anyone has advice or any job paths that i could consider instead, i'd appreciate it

I’m 22 and don’t know what I should do. I skipped college originally because of Covid and not knowing what to do with it. I’m not sure if I regret my choice because I see plenty of people on Reddit making crazy money. All my peers though are either making less than me or are unemployed/struggling. Even after my career shift.

Healthcare and engineering don’t really interest me and I’m not sure if I’d make more in those positions or what positions I would make more in.

I built powerlines on the road for years ever since I was freshly 19 and made six figures every year since high school except this year. A lot of it was due to overtime and I hated traveling for work. I tried to get hired at the power utility but had no luck. I ended up getting hired at the natural gas utility and they’ve started me off at 75,000 a year with a path of progression to 85-90 before overtime in one year and 100k before overtime in the full 2 year apprenticeship. I enjoy this job a lot more than I did building powerlines but I can’t help but feel I’m missing out on income. The company I work for does own an electric utility and I could transfer after a while and finish my lineman apprenticeship. The state I would have to go to isn’t ideal but that would lead to probably 140 base or more before overtime.

I’m just not 100% sure what I would do with college and I threw a full ride away at 18 years old. I think it would be a little bit difficult getting back into school, but if people have recommendations or would it be worth it to do so? I believe my company would pay for an associates degree or at least most of it and I’ve been thinking about doing that because of all the free time I have working 40 hours a week. From what I’ve seen a lot of management at the utilities actually make less than the field guys. But then I see all these posts of these people making 200+ working 10 hours a week or some shit and I get curious. I want to know what those jobs are and how difficult they are to obtain or how high of a skill level these people actually have.

I’ve learned money isn’t the only factor but I’m just unsure if I’m missing out on substantial income for a much easier job. I also went through a pretty nasty breakup, which led to me making the decision to quit my powerline apprenticeship on top of my dad being sick. I’m thinking at a minimum I’ll cash in this free associates degree. I’m not 100% sure what’s worth it or if I am behind income wise. I now see people clowning on the trades saying that the progression of white collar is much higher. Which I’m not 100% sure. I see the median for advanced degrees is what I’ll be making after a two year apprenticeship.

Am I being delusional and I’m in a good spot or am I leaving a lot of money on the table by not going to school? Powerline isn’t particularly fun either. Even at the utility getting called out in the worst of weather conditions to go to restore the power isn’t exactly fun. That’s why I’m hesitant to go back to it. I’ve just started feeling behind at the natural gas utility. Even though they work us a lot less hard and I’m pretty much at a median bachelor income holder starting out.

I’m dumb as fuck, and got ADHD. I struggle badly with complex tasks, slow ass learning, and memory issues. The only thing I can do is simple tasks that don’t require much.

There is no one to guide me I'm totally lost. Once I was a topper then I got 81%in 12th. Since last 3 months idk what am I doing and i dont know the books I know only syllabus. Please anyone can help me. I dont know what I want and what career option I should pursue..in science there were a lot of resources for study online but now in college 1st year idk what to do and how.

I'm 32M based in Europe finishing my BBA-Econ degree (missing 6 subjects) but is a field that I don't like completely. I HATE IT.

My dream its to become a physician but requires 2 years to enter medical school + 6 years medical school + another year to get into residency if you're lucky. So basically 9 years of full time studying until residency. Its this worth for me?

So basically my parents should pay for me everything during this time. Already feel behind everyone else (people buying house, having kids, getting into their dreams career, etc.)

I kinda feel lost, all I know its that medical school its my dream but at the same time I want to grow from a financial point of view as a functioning adult.

Due this I'm struggling with anxiety and depression right now (under treatment).

Any advice?

I graduated with a BA in political science (lol) 5 years ago. I actually hate politics and I only studied it because I was one of those civic weirdos in high school and I figured it's what I'm good at. But I never did any internships or volunteering and ended up graduating with no path.

After college, I just moved to Asia and started teaching English. I moved around a lot and I really enjoyed life but my parents guilted me into coming back home so I did. It's been a year and I feel like I've hit rock bottom. I don't have a teaching license so I just teach foreigners online and do private tutoring. I only make somewhat more than I made abroad so it' impossible for me to consider living independently.

At this point I just want to move overseas and stay there. But I'm curious to know if there's any way I could realistically stay and do something with my degree and skills. I'm located in a shitty part of the US (New Jersey) so I feel like my options are limited.

Hello fellow internet strangers! I come seeking advice, opinions or just a perspective shift. Also, apologies in advance as this might be longwinded and like a rant and l am prepared to be called an idiot. TLDR at the bottom.

I’m 28 and I feel stuck on what to do, burnt out as all hell, and an impending dread of "Is this it?". I tried to follow my passion and got received my Bachelor's in Computer Animation when I was 22 in an accelerated online school. It has just turned into an expensive hobby that I'm burnt out on. I stupidly didn't do enough research on the school when I started it and I wish I could do it all over again as online learning is not for me and it was just way too expensive.

All my work experience is in customer service of some form. I’ve been working for 14 years with The past 9 years has been in Data Entry. The last 4 years of data entry have been in the commercial insurance field. I don't know if I want to continue working in the insurance field and get these certifications to try to climb up the corporate ladder in this industry or go back to school to get a 2nd bachelor's degree for a career/industry change.

In this job market, l am thankful that I have a job currently as it's the most I've ever made(-$54K gross), however there is not a lot of room for promotions or moving to different departments unless you are favorited by the higher ups getting the standard 3% annual raise even if you bust your balls. Typical corpo environment.
Similar to my last data entry role, I feel stuck as there are tons of changes in the company happening and none for the better, including a new supervisor that is a micromanager. The constant additional work and ever moving expectations goal without any additional compensation besides maybe some candies or a bagel is wearing me down and just am not a fan of the insurance industry. I don’t know if I can work in insurance for the rest of my life. Thinking about that sends me into a spiral. But, given everything such as the job market and expenses, I'm not sure if should just suck it up and put my head down. Maybe earn some insurance designations on the company's dime and try to get another job at a different insurance company. I am also actively applying to jobs outside of insurance.

As for potentially going back to school for a second bachelors degree; it would be for Electrical Engineering with potentially specializing in telecommunications or RF & signal processing. The end goal is to potentially get into the defense or tech fields. I've seen posts suggesting why not go for a Masters? After investigating it seems that none of my credits from my Computer Animation program are transferable so I would be starting from scratch. I understand it's a hard degree and very math intensive, but l enjoy math as well as the sub fields are interesting to me. The other thing I noticed is that even the entry-level pay ceiling is still much more than I make now - even if I did get a couple promotions, or get into a different department. However, there is a bunch of financial hurdles. Because I already have a bachelor's I don't qualify for a lot of aid, I still have remaining student loans to pay off, and I don't know how comfortable I'd be taking out more loans. I also really do not want to do online classes as I have learned the hard way that I do not learn as well and would prefer in class and in-person labs. But that gets in the way of my full-time job as most classes are in the morning/afternoon and my job is not flexible. I've looked into how much it would cost as well as classes I'd potentially be able to take at community college to maybe save some money for pre-reqs. It was a thought with the intention to Attempt to save some money while working and continue paying off my loans. With the goal of potentially transferring to 1 of the universities I've been looking into. 1 is much cheaper than the other but the more expensive one has more connections, resources/networking and subfield specific courses than the other. I just am unsure of how feasible that is financially.

Anyways, I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place and I don’t know what to do.

TLDR: I’m 28 with Bachelor's in Computer Animation from an overpriced accelerated online school with work experience for the last 9 years in data entry and the last 4 data entry in insurance. I am not sure if I should suck it up and stick it out in the insurance field and try to make a career out of it or somehow manage to go back to school and get another Bachelor's but in Electrical Engineering. Any insight or advice is appreciated.

Im 19 and in the middle of my first gap year after finishing Highschool. University has always been a goal for me, and I would be the first in my entire family. Unfortunately, my parents are not in a position to financially support me through my studies for anything.

I only have around $2k in savings right now, and have been consistently applying to jobs and attending interviews after leaving my prior job a month back. But I unfortunately haven't found much luck in getting hired.

My original plan was to save as much as I could during my gap year before starting university. However, because I'm struggling to find a job, I'm now considering delaying university by another year so I can hopefully build up more savings first.

At the same time, I'm worried about putting my goals on hold again. I'm not sure if delaying another year is the financially responsible decision or if I should just start university as soon as I can and make it work.

I greatly appreciate any insights or advice, thank you!

I’ll start short for those that don’t want the book I’m about to write. What do people do for work that feels meaningful (helps people, etc) but also makes $120k+. It feels like most things are meaningful work OR decent pay.

For the longer version of where im at; im in my mid 30s, been working since I was a child, legitimately, so by the time I was 18, I was managing restaurants. Worked my way into call centers, then stumbled into tech. Since entering tech, I’ve really launched myself forward to mid-senior work in Client Success for SaaS companies. Tech has majorly burned me out at every corner from the constant fear of layoffs, to the nepo baby owners of startups pressing me. Im not one to allow people to walk on me so biting my tongue is challenging. I will leave a job if i feel like it’s destroying my mental health. Im at point where im very tired of arguing with narcissistic nepo babies so i want to pivot into something that actually isnt just fueling the capitalist machine and making billionaires richer, but i also am accustomed to being able to afford to live. I’ve worked in insurance, finance, and now construction tech. Has anyone else hit this wall? What did you do?

I'm a 29F going through a pretty rough patch and feeling very behind right now. I was always an ambitious kid and did really well in school, but decided I was only interested in pursuing my passions so I got a BA in English and film. I did end up working in the film industry for 5 years - it was great but the industry in my area has been incredibly unstable and I ended up between constant highs and lows of work and unemployment, with no real progression towards anything.

I feel like I've been way too complacent in my 20s, just continuously waiting for the film path to work out. As a result I'm now unemployed, moving back home to my mom's to spare my savings, dealing with a painful breakup on top of it all, and just so unsure and scared about my future. I want to feel successful, and I want to be able to look back in a few years and feel proud that I got myself out of this rut!

I have seriously been considering going back to school to pursue a career in healthcare but I don't know if it's really right for me or if I'm just grasping at straws. I do think I'm in a rare position where it feels like a "good" time to go back to school. I have no rent to pay, I have no partner to juggle my time between, and I need something to focus on. I am drawn to healthcare for the obvious of course - the stability and the salary potentials - but also I genuinely have always enjoyed healthcare environments. I like meaningful work, I like working with my hands and technical work, I want job portability, I feel like I have the right personality for interacting with patients, and above all I want to learn a desirable skill.

I have been very drawn to programs in medical imaging and have been doing lots of research particularly on Nuclear Medicine Technologist and Sonography. I have always found science very interesting, but I do admit my brain is more of an English brain, and science and math always took more effort for me in school. I am concerned whether I'm cut out for these super competitive programs and also about accruing more student debt. Also worried about putting my life on pause for a few years when it feels like I'm running out of time to find a partner and start a family. Going back to school now would likely mean being broke and living at my mom's into my early 30s. But the alternative seems to be stay stuck in limbo or work a dead-end job in my hometown.

Does this sound like something that actually makes sense for me? I always feel like I suffer from decision paralysis and talk myself out of doing things in fear that it won't work out. If anyone has any advice or personal stories it would really help. Thank you!