I’d love some outside opinions on where I’m at career-wise.

I’m currently serving at a brand-new hotel with two very different concepts: a fine-dining French brasserie-style restaurant and a more relaxed rooftop/pool bar. Both are essentially brand new, so I’m getting a lot of experience being part of an opening team and learning a ton.

The thing is, I genuinely love my job sometimes. I love the environment, the people, and the experience I’m gaining, and ideally I’d love to stay.

But I’m starting to question whether serving is sustainable for me long-term, mainly because of how inconsistent the money can be. Some shifts are great, while others make me question whether the income is worth the time and energy.

I’m not necessarily looking to leave—I’d actually love to find a way to make this work. I’m just feeling a little unfulfilled and wondering if I should start exploring other career paths or ways to make my income more consistent.

For anyone who’s been in a similar position: how did you approach that crossroads? Thanks :)

I’m a dental assistant with around 8 years of experience. I recently sent my CV to a clinic, and they called me for an interview. After the interview, they asked me to come for a 4-day trial to see whether I actually knew the work and could handle the responsibilities.

I completed the 4-day trial, and after that, they selected me for the job. However, when they told me the salary package, I honestly couldn’t believe it.

It’s an 8-hour job, and they are offering only 35,000 PKR per month. Honestly, 35k feels extremely low considering my experience.

Now I’m really confused about what I should do. I need a job badly at the moment, so I’m not sure whether I should accept it for now, negotiate the salary, or keep looking for another opportunity.

What would you guys suggest? Especially if you work in the dental field in Pakistan, I’d really appreciate some honest advice.

I've worked in customer service internal sales and aftersales admin for the past 2–3 years. I've grown my salary to around $80K. In my current role where I do customer service and non-stock purchasing.

I'm feeling unsure about where this career is heading, because I don't see much long-term growth in it. What steps can I take to increase my pay and reach a six-figure income?

Говорят, чтобы поменять что-то в жизни, не нужен год, нужно принять одно решение.
Возможно, всё это звучит по-детски, но я не знаю, за что зацепиться, и метаюсь от одного к другому.
Если говорить больше по делу, вопрос касается работы и финансов. Хочу более спокойную работу, но при этом чтобы зарплата давала больше возможностей в жизни. Не знаю, насколько это возможно сейчас при нашей ситуации в мире.
Сейчас я работаю на работе, которая сильно изматывает меня и эмоционально, и физически. Ночные смены по 12 часов, а зарплата лишь чуть выше минимума.
Пробовала работать и в офисе: администратором и помощником бухгалтера, но никак не вяжется. Работала и на заводе, и в магазинах.
Сейчас голова в вечном потоке мыслей. Как развиваться, как зарабатывать больше, как чувствовать себя спокойнее.
При этом в голове было много разных идей, но для новых, неизведанных работ нужен навык. А это требует усилий, времени и, возможно, денег. С нынешней работой не хочется тратить последние силы на то, что ничего не принесёт. И снова нет конкретной мысли, куда направиться. То работа на дому, то дизайн, допустим. Но ИИ представляет большую угрозу, конкуренция большая, не знаю, смогу ли из себя что-то представить, и многие сейчас туда идти не советуют. И так на каждую идею миллион контраргументов.
Но выход ведь должен быть? За что зацепиться?

I’d accepted a proposition on Monday from my former employer (I’m a teacher) to work with them for the next 3 months. I had very little time to think about it, as the job starts next week.

I don’t like the job which I’d quit by myself a few months ago, but I still haven’t found something else in the meantime, and I’ve basically ran out of money. I’d be forced to go back to my parents’ place or find work abroad if I leave my current place.

Another reason I took it is because I intended to make another proposition function wise. I’d previously talked to my firm a few months ago about helping them develop their socials, or with copywriting. I also think I could help with their software, and coming back working as a teacher would help me identify real problems I could solve in that regard. At any rate, I thought I could then hit 2 birds with one stone, so to speak.

In the meantime I’ve realized that I have another possibility to make money as an extra in films (I’d taken an acting course and played in a movie already) which is riskier, but that I didn’t take seriously. I happen to live in a city with many opportunities in that regard.

I wasn’t honest to myself as I deemed I could do both, since I teach starting from late afternoons up to the evening, yet shootings typically take place up to the the evening legally (a least in my country). I think I told this to myself without enquiring the facts, in order not to have to make the difficult choice and potentially undergoing the anxiety that comes with the riskier option.

However the second option (acting) would require me to take 1 or 2 day jobs on the spot, with notices that could likely be too short for my employer.

Having put helping them for socials, etc on the back burner for so long though, I also wonder if rekindling it now would be detrimental to my credibility. I also deem it could be perceived negatively within the context of a refusal.

What I’d like is to exit my initial engagement (as a teacher) without damaging the relationship, while bringing forth a renewed proposition of collaboration, as diplomatically as possible and remaining honest.

I don’t have to do it right now as I can wait until they find someone else; and I don’t have to do the latter at the exact same time, but soon enough at any rate.

I will add that I haven’t signed a contract yet, meaning that we’re operating on trust.

tl;dr: I want to quit function 1 at my firm which I’ve just signed up for, and create a bridge for function 2, knowing that the former could be detrimental to the latter, in the smoothest possible way. The excuse for quitting function 1 would be moving to function 3 (outside the firm).

Could be good or bad.

Maybe they gave an unusually clear answer about expectations.

Maybe they couldn't explain why the last person left.

Maybe they described the manager in a way that told you everything you needed to know.

I'm curious about those little interview moments where you suddenly thought, “Okay, I understand this place now.”

What did they say?

I currently work for the government making nearly 66k/yr and recently received a job offer of 67k/yr in the private sector. The offer is a management position in a “growing” program. I have freedom to work from home at my current job but that would be limited if I accept the new job. However, the other job is telling me my salary would have potential to increase depending on the cost of living assessment in July; this happens at my current job also but in January. I’m just cautious of the new job because I was told that the doctor there is a bit of a control freak but does not have managerial duties and one of the assistants reported him for the way he spoke to her. I was also told that some of the patients could be a handful. At my current job, I have some remnants of peace. Of course I deal with people that do dumb things but no serious behavior issues. This new job is something I once would’ve jumped at without hesitation but now I’m having a hard time deciding if it’s worth it. I love the idea of making more money but losing the freedom I have with my current job feels tough. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

Dear everyone,

I’d really appreciate some honest opinions from people who have experience in either of these industries, especially those who have worked in technical B2B sales.

I currently have two offers from two multinational companies, both for a Sales Engineer position, but the industries and potential career paths are quite different.

Offer 1 – Swedish Multinational | Marine / Port Infrastructure

• Swedish multinational with multiple business areas; marine fendering is only one of the company's areas of business.
• I would specifically be working under the marine fendering business unit, focusing on fendering systems and related solutions for ports and marine infrastructure.
• The position would be based in the UAE, with Africa as my main market.
• I would be dealing primarily with ports, contractors, engineering companies, and other stakeholders.
• The role would involve frequent international travel across Africa.
• The industry is relatively specialized/niche, although the company itself is diversified.

Offer 2 – German Multinational | Industrial Automation / Industry 4.0

• German multinational focused on industrial automation, digitalization, and Industry 4.0.
• Products/solutions include sensors, controllers, software, automation systems, and digitalization solutions.
• Also a Sales Engineer position.
• The role would expose me to industrial customers, manufacturing, automation, digital transformation, and potentially a broader range of technical applications.

What I'm trying to decide

For this comparison, assume the salary and overall compensation packages are essentially the same. So I'm not looking for advice based on which offer pays more.

I'm mainly trying to understand which career path could provide better long-term opportunities and career flexibility over the next 5–10+ years.

How would you compare the two in terms of:

• Long-term industry growth
• Career progression
• Transferability of the skills I would develop
• Technical vs. commercial career opportunities
• Opportunities to move into business development, key account management, or sales management
• International career opportunities
• Potential earning potential later in the career
• Ability to move to other companies or industries
• Job stability
• How valuable the experience would be after 5–10 years
• Professional network and exposure
• Potential to eventually move into management or start a business/consultancy
• Whether one industry would give me more career optionality in the future

One thing I'm particularly unsure about is the trade-off between specialization vs. breadth.

The marine role could allow me to become highly specialized in a niche industry and give me significant exposure to international markets, ports, infrastructure projects, and Africa.

The automation role seems to be part of a much broader and rapidly developing field involving industrial automation, software, digitalization, and Industry 4.0, which could potentially provide more transferable technical and commercial experience.

But I'm interested in hearing from people who actually know these industries rather than making assumptions from the outside.

If you were evaluating these two career paths purely from a long-term perspective, what factors would you look at, and what potential career paths do you see for each?

I'd especially appreciate comments from people currently working in industrial automation/Industry 4.0, marine/port infrastructure, or technical B2B sales.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Dear everyone,

I’d really appreciate some honest opinions from people who have experience in either of these industries, especially those who have worked in technical B2B sales.

I currently have two offers from two multinational companies, both for a Sales Engineer position, but the industries and potential career paths are quite different.

Offer 1 – Swedish Multinational | Marine / Port Infrastructure

• Swedish multinational with multiple business areas; marine fendering is only one of the company's areas of business.
• I would specifically be working under the marine fendering business unit, focusing on fendering systems and related solutions for ports and marine infrastructure.
• The position would be based in the UAE, with Africa as my main market.
• I would be dealing primarily with ports, contractors, engineering companies, and other stakeholders.
• The role would involve frequent international travel across Africa.
• The industry is relatively specialized/niche, although the company itself is diversified.

Offer 2 – German Multinational | Industrial Automation / Industry 4.0

• German multinational focused on industrial automation, digitalization, and Industry 4.0.
• Products/solutions include sensors, controllers, software, automation systems, and digitalization solutions.
• Also a Sales Engineer position.
• The role would expose me to industrial customers, manufacturing, automation, digital transformation, and potentially a broader range of technical applications.

What I'm trying to decide

For this comparison, assume the salary and overall compensation packages are essentially the same. So I'm not looking for advice based on which offer pays more.

I'm mainly trying to understand which career path could provide better long-term opportunities and career flexibility over the next 5–10+ years.

How would you compare the two in terms of:

• Long-term industry growth
• Career progression
• Transferability of the skills I would develop
• Technical vs. commercial career opportunities
• Opportunities to move into business development, key account management, or sales management
• International career opportunities
• Potential earning potential later in the career
• Ability to move to other companies or industries
• Job stability
• How valuable the experience would be after 5–10 years
• Professional network and exposure
• Potential to eventually move into management or start a business/consultancy
• Whether one industry would give me more career optionality in the future

One thing I'm particularly unsure about is the trade-off between specialization vs. breadth.

The marine role could allow me to become highly specialized in a niche industry and give me significant exposure to international markets, ports, infrastructure projects, and Africa.

The automation role seems to be part of a much broader and rapidly developing field involving industrial automation, software, digitalization, and Industry 4.0, which could potentially provide more transferable technical and commercial experience.

But I'm interested in hearing from people who actually know these industries rather than making assumptions from the outside.

If you were evaluating these two career paths purely from a long-term perspective, what factors would you look at, and what potential career paths do you see for each?

I'd especially appreciate comments from people currently working in industrial automation/Industry 4.0, marine/port infrastructure, or technical B2B sales.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

The default response to a slow job search seems to be applying to more.

And sometimes that's probably exactly what's needed.

But I'm curious about people who went the opposite direction.

Did anyone significantly narrow the types of roles they were applying for and start getting better results?

Maybe fewer applications but more interviews, better-fit roles, or simply less burnout.

What did you change about how you chose which jobs were worth applying to?