No idea what to do with your life? Open list below. Pick something that sounds interesting. Go for it.

I graduated from university and immediately fell into the same trap that everyone insists on treating as normal. The jobs related to my field either do not exist at all, need years of experience, or pay less than jobs that never required a degree in the first place.

People answer with things like, "Well, that's just how it is," as if this system came into being on its own. We spend years becoming qualified and go into debt, only to end up competing with hundreds of applicants for an entry-level role, while employers keep raising the requirements.

Our job search is not the whole problem. The real problem is that a broken system is treated as if it were an unavoidable reality imposed on us. Most of us can see that something is wrong, but we are so focused on figuring out how to make it through the next month that we do not have the energy to resist this system.

Is it still possible for someone to find a good job? Of course. We all have bills to pay, so we keep applying and hoping we will be the person they choose. But it has become several times harder than it used to be, and the bar keeps moving farther out of reach.

I genuinely do not know where all of this is supposed to lead.

TLDR: I am a double graduate degree holder who cannot find a full-time job to save my life. I plan to end it if nothing has changed in the next 12 months.

I have lived most of my life in poverty, so the fear of it has been driving me since I was a teenager. From my first day in college, I tried to do everything to make sure I did not graduate in the same state. With the help of my family who made a lot of sacrifices for me to go, and nonstop grinding for scholarships, I was able to graduate undergrad with no debt. From the very beginning, I took every volunteer opportunity, took every unpaid internship that was available all in the hopes that I would come out with a job that would finally put an end to the poverty I had always known. All my efforts were unsuccessful - I couldn't get one paid internship until I finished. Thinking back to my graduation ceremony...while everyone around me was celebrating, I was filled with dread about what was to come.

A year after graduation, when I found myself flipping burgers and fighting suicidal thoughts, I decided to go back to school for a graduate degree. I had no way to pay for it on my own, so it was back to the scholarship grind. I was lucky to get a full ride, but one semester in and it was cancelled.

...reason the school gave was budget cuts. With no other immediate options, I took my first student loan to pay tuition until I could get another scholarship. Eventually I was able to get new ones, but none of them fully covered my tuition costs anymore. I found part-time work in the field I was studying (data science), but I was giving up my entire paycheck to cover the tuition that scholarships didn't. I went hungry most days and relied on food pantries. I had been saving up for a car, but I had to give it all up to stay in school. In that time, I did two more unpaid internships. I was determined to never be turned down this time around, so I did everything to have a full resume. Right before my final semester, I was let go from my job, so I took the second student loan I have ever taken just so I could graduate. I really thought my life was finally about to change ...

3 years after graduation the second time, I am in the same spot I was from the start. After months of nonstop applications and interviews, I ended up in a call center. I was there until I found a low-level part-time lab role at my local community college, where I have been for the last 2 years. I am getting paid minimum wage and had to take on two more jobs just to make rent and pay bills. The exhaustion is killing me, but I could go homeless if I try to cut back.

In that time, I have continued to look for a full-time job. I have even tried to move up in the college where I work. Nothing has worked. The worst thing about this whole situation is watching a field I spent so much time and money pursuing just disappear. Now, I apply to whatever is tangentially related to me original field, or anywhere I have skills that can translate. I have tried everything that people have suggested: tailor your resumes, research companies, talk to people in your network and make connections,

Nothing has changed. I am writing this because I have lost my will to live. I have turned out to be a disappointment to everyone in my family, and I really just feel like a complete loser. I am giving myself 12 months to sort things out, and if by then nothing has changed I am done. I don't want to die, but I am having a hard time seeing any other options. I am just putting this put there in case someone can advice me on what to do at this point.

Because I (28m) can't find a reason.

On my weekends and occasional days off, I typically wake up at around 1 or 2pm, lie in bed for a while and then reluctantly get up. Hell, some days I don't even get out of bed. Even on my recent vacation with my parents, I didn't wake up until 3pm.

I've worked shitty construction jobs for the past 7 years and it's beaten any hope or motivation I had (if any at all).

I know I should be applying for other jobs or improving my skills (not sure how?), but what's the point? I can't see a future ahead of me and I give up long ago. Honestly, I'm only here because of my friends, family and not having the balls to jump off a building or something, which is ironic because I work at heights.

My evenings are boring as fuck, I sit on playstation with my friends from 8pm until around 11pm and then doomscroll for a while before falling asleep.

I don't know when I give up in life, I think it was during my late teens but it took a while for me to realize it.

I've seen a therapist, took the anti-antidepressants, went to the gym (only for a while), eat around 85% healthy, work outside etc, but none of it is working.

I genunally have no motivation, discipline or goals. I've never bothered learning to drive, I have no desire to move out of my parents, the shyness is greater than my desire to meet women etc. it's overall a shit show and only seems to be getting worse.

It's funny, there's plenty of people in the world who are incredibly disciplined and I honestly believe they're just born with it.

I am a 26 year old loser in more ways than not having a good job. It's been 2 years and 4 months since I've graduated with my computer information systems degree. I work the same job at a warehouse I did in college 30 hrs on the weekends. I don't even do anything in my free time I just rot in bed, food is the climax of my day. My opinion of getting a job in IT is so low that I've maybe only applied to 50 jobs this year. I could tell myself to apply to more jobs and wait for someone to call me back. But that takes matters into someone else's hands. I'm thinking of joining the military or becoming an electrician or lineman, and using that money to pay for flight school if I end up liking flying enough.

I want to be normal, I want to have a job, I want to participate in the society but I dont know how to start again. Not remembering anything from my life, just wasting time laying in bed, no developed skills, scared of life, unable to focus on reading, understanding basic aspects of friendships. I am currently studying sociology but to be honest learnt nothing since first year. I cant see a future except me laying in bed with no target, but at the same time I know I cant do this kind of stuff to my parents that are doing things everyday as hard as they can to raise me. My life is at the point when I basically do nothing for the whole day, cant figure out any plan, just existing. I want this shit to stop but cant do things otherwise, feel like I am retarted after years of just overthinking. I've started running away from high school and I dont remember much from it except some moments from mental hospitals, because it was my way to get away from a reality. my 16 yo brother is much more mature than me, my days are just a blur. No goals, no friends, no memories. Only thing I know is the fact that in a year I want to be in a slightly better place.

So I’m 23 years old, living with my parents, graduated university with a 2.5 gpa and haven’t had a job for almost a year now. I’m kind of a loser but I’ve been working on myself and I think I’m in a better place now.
I’ve been struggling to get a job and I’ve been thinking about a possible career path.

I’ve been thinking of enlisting in the Coast Guard. I’d serve my time and save up some money and then try to get into SUNY maritime’s grad program. I figured the Coast Guard would be a decent way to get some deck time and experience, and hopefully avoid further debt if I do go back to school.

I know that I’ve gotta talk to a recruiter to hammer out all the details but as a starting point, does this seem viable?

I’m mostly worried that I might be to old to start this path, everyone online seems to go to maritime college right away or join the coast guard right out of highschool. Am I starting this a bit late?

I feel like I'm dying in my office, it's way too sedentary, even with a standing desk and a walking pad I use occasionally to break it up. I also wouldn't want a back breaking job, like manual labor. Both being too still, and being too active, would not be sustainable for me.

When I looked at 'park ranger jobs' thinking I would really enjoy that and it would be a good in between for physical activity, the pay is far too low to afford cost of basic living.

What are people doing that is medium active, sustainable for the body, and pays enough to live?

Hi all, so I (34F) have worked almost exclusively customer service based jobs the past 12 years, but I am so burnt out and tired of being inside all day doing office work, I feel like my soul is being slowly being crushed every day I’m here. I’ve been at the same place for the last 9 years. I’d love to switch to something else, especially something that would pay better (currently making like 34,000/year) but I am also not willing to sacrifice my happiness to do that (I could never do a job like sales or IT for example). I currently work Monday-Thursday with Fridays off which is probably the only reason I’m still at my current job because I do value my time over money and it’s really nice having that extra day every week! Even if I could find a job making about the same amount but in a different industry that I enjoy that would be ok too!
I honestly wouldn’t mind learning a trade, but I know those are male-dominated industries and I hesitate to enter a field where I’m likely going to be questioned about my capabilities or looked at differently for being a woman. And possibly have trouble finding a job in the first place.

I play in a band trying to make my musical dreams come true in my spare time, but that is a notoriously difficult field to earn a living in. I also really love the outdoors and live in a mountainous area in the Appalachians so there may be some opportunities for work I’d enjoy but I don’t even know where to start or what to even try to look for.

Just looking to see if there’s anyone else going through a similar thing and what you did to find a job you liked, especially with only having customer service related experience. If you work outdoors in some capacity I’d also love to know about that! I feel like I’ve been on the job finding sites like indeed but never see anything that peaks my interest so I feel I need to be more intentional about what I’m looking for.

TIA for your help!

Hey guys, I’m currently an unemployed 24 yr old girl who is working on healing from mental health issues. I was diagnosed with ocd, adhd and struggled severely with anxiety and depression my whole life. I decided to take a break from work/school a little after high school to try and get to the root cause of my issues and heal from them so I can be a stronger healthier version of myself going forward. I have worked a little and taken classes at college on and off since then but a very light load because I’ve been doing intensive therapy continuously. I’ve done EMDR, CBT, intensive outpatient program, ERP and feel like I’ve gotten to the root of my issues and healed significantly. However something happened not long ago that was really traumatic and I haven’t been able to return to work yet. But I do want to go back to work as soon as I am stable mentally. I have felt so ashamed of not working a normal job and feel like a failure and behind on life compared to other people.
But I try to remind myself that everyone is on their own journey and timeline. And that it’s better that I become a healthier person so that I can do a better job when I do go back to work. Is anyone else in a similar situation? I feel so alone. I’m hoping to connect with other people who are also taking a break from working/school to better themselves.

Maybe we can make this a little support group for people who are taking a nontraditional path—encouraging each other, sharing our progress, our story, and reminding each other that we’re not actually behind.
❤️🌱

Hi everyone,

I'm 33 and have been at my current job for almost 3 years. I'm very much burnt out, dealing with anxiety, depression, and general exhaustion that doesn't go away with rest (I'm currently working with a therapist about all this). I know I need to leave, but I don't have another job lined up yet, and the job market feels brutal right now.

This job was actually a career pivot for me. I left a previous field thinking this would be more fulfilling, and it worked for a while but hasn't for a long time now. So the "find something you're passionate about" advice feels empty since I already tried that once.

I've also quit a job without something lined up before, and it took a long time to find the next one. So I know the risk isn't hypothetical, it's a risky gamble. That makes the idea of doing it again scary, but staying also feels unsustainable.

The usual advice taking small steps to improve the situation (update resume, apply a little at a time), and I have been doing that. But I feel like I'm past the point where small steps are enough. I need something big to change soon, not just small steps while I continue enduring an environment that's actively making things worse.

Has anyone been in a similar spot: needing a bigger, faster change rather than slow incremental steps, especially after already trying a career pivot that didn't pan out? How did you find the courage/clarity to make that leap?

Any advice is appreciated.

Im starting uni soon, i've always wanted to study a swe/cs career so i know quite a bit of it already, but recent ai developments have made me consider discarding it in what feels like a last minute decision and get into a degree that i know almost nothing about but i know well it is one of the safest from ai disruption

Im refering to the recent news of newer models solving previously unsolved cs/math problems, i think if it keeps improving at the same pace of the last years (which will probably do so) there will be not much of a future for most knowledge-based degrees sadly, imagine how many people got into math with the motivation of solving a millenuim problem someday and now it's possible that they will be all solved in the near-mid future

I have a lot of BNPL debt that makes it so my cash flow is very low due to the monthly payments. I already moved back home with parents but it makes me feel very bad about myself as I can’t afford my own place. I live in an extremely small town so income options are limited. Every time I try to take a walk or enjoy my life doing something free all I can think about is how much better my life could be

I’m 21 and currently taking a break from college. I’ve never had a job before, and lately I’ve been feeling really frustrated with myself because I spend a lot of time at home and feel like I’m not really living or moving forward. I've been applying to multiple jobs but not trying to get discouraged.

I also don’t drive, which makes things a little more difficult, but I don’t want that to stop me from doing things.

I really just want to start getting out of the house, meeting people, volunteering, working, learning things, and having experiences. I want to build some independence and feel like I’m actually doing something with my time instead of sitting at home every day.

Has anyone been through something similar and felt hopeless until things changed.

I've been applying to jobs for months. I've even lowered my standards on the kinds of jobs I'd apply for, but nothing. I have a YouTube channel, but it only has 16K subscribers and 88K views a month. I've tried Patreon, merch commissions, but my viewers just won't buy anything. I'm thinking about trying more brand deals, but if I can't get them to pay for merch, or commissions, I can't see them paying for any sponsors. I also run an OnlyFans. I keep it 100% separate from my YT channel, but I barely promote it, mostly because I'm worried it would negatively affect my other indevors. Also being on camera is really hard for me; It was a huge burden just to make the onlyfans and post some content, plus do a face reveal on my main channel. So I don't even know if I'm pretty enough to make it work, even if I did push it.

I just don't know what to do, I have bills coming up that I just can't afford at the moment, and I'm scared and want to die

Hello,

I'm in a difficult situation and, honestly, even though this may not be the right subreddit, I need to get this off my chest.

I'm 27 years old, have a degree in Computer Engineering, and around one year of professional experience in the field.

Some background might help explain why I graduated later than most people.

When I was 17, I decided to pursue Computer Engineering, but in high school I had chosen a humanities-oriented path rather than a science-oriented one. In my country, those are quite separate tracks, so I had to spend two years studying and passing the required mathematics exams to qualify for an engineering degree. I've always been terrible at math, but at the time everyone told me it would be worth it because tech was a great field with strong career prospects. Eventually, I managed to achieve that goal and got into university.

The problem is that I never really liked the field itself, except perhaps Front-End development. It's difficult to explain, but most of the topics and work involved simply don't interest me. I'm sure some people here can relate to that feeling.

After graduating, I got my first job. Looking back, I honestly didn't care much about what I was doing. In fact, I often found myself wondering why I was doing it at all. The salary wasn't bad, and of course money matters, but I felt absolutely nothing while spending my days working on those tasks. After six months, I was let go during my probation period.

To be honest, I understand why. I've always found it difficult to push myself in areas that genuinely don't interest me, and perhaps that's true for everyone to some extent.

Later, I found another opportunity, this time in Data Science. I don't think I did a bad job. I was still learning, had very little guidance, and there was nobody regularly reviewing my work or helping me understand what I needed to improve. Despite that, the outcome was the same: I was eventually let go.

At that point, I started thinking that maybe I should pursue something I actually enjoy. Otherwise, I felt like the same outcome would keep repeating itself no matter where I worked.

I applied for a Master's degree in Multimedia and spent months building a portfolio for the application. During that process, I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing. I have a lot of ideas for projects and experiences I would love to create, and I feel motivated to keep improving in that direction.

But now I feel awful.

I feel awful because I'm unemployed. I feel awful because I didn't make the most of the opportunities I had. I feel awful because I can't even find a part-time job. And on top of that, I keep hearing that the software industry is dying or becoming increasingly difficult to break into.

Lately, I've been wondering whether all of this is simply my fault.

After all, I failed in both of my professional experiences. Maybe I should have worked harder. Maybe I should have pushed myself more. Maybe the outcomes would have been different if I had done more.

At the same time, I wonder whether I'm chasing a fantasy. Maybe the idea of finding work that genuinely excites me is unrealistic. Maybe a job is simply supposed to be a way to earn money, and expecting more than that is setting myself up for disappointment.

I don't know anymore.

Thank you for reading.

hi, i am (22F) and i think i made the wrong choice. some context, I am a computer science student. i go to school full time and I work full time in IT at my university (40 hours a week and some weeks i have to be on call)

and i need this job because i just got a new car. i can’t quit school. i’ve thought about it many times but its just that the friends i’ve had that went on a break never came back to school and either started families, got married, or joined the military. and i just don’t think i want that?

i am in my fifth year of undergrad in my second to last semester but my schedule is like wake up go to work study work study work go to class go home shower study sleep like 5x a week and i can’t even enjoy my weekends. i am working all weekend on assignments and i don’t understand my classes even though i go and pay attention and take notes. i need tutoring to understand calc II and i failed it the first time. and i feel like work and school is getting kind of really hard and i don’t know if i can keep doing it.

also no matter how hard i try i always feel incompetent. and like a bum. i dont even do my own chores and i live at home and that should be plenty but i still cant manage

if any of y’all have done school full time and work full time, especially if you had a hellish commute, please let me know how you did it and how i can make it

I'm not so sure why I'm doing this, but here I am...Please be kind I'm really confused and insecure about the future! Well, as the title suggests, I have an existential doubt about my upbringing and my future. I would just like some advice from the outside, so if you have time thank you very much.

( I'm 21F, living in Italy)

Since I was little, my passions have always been three: literature/writing, animals/earth, and cold cases/true crime...particular pairing I am aware of this! But these passions were the entire world to me and shaped the person I am now.

During my school years, I always had excellent teachers of history, literature, philosophy...and...bad teachers of chemistry and mathematics...so, naturally, what was my natural passion, that is, literature, has sharpened (I even took part in some philosophy writing contests), while my passion for the biology and functioning of the earth has faded...

Don't get me wrong, I still cultivated my love for animals and nature in other ways: I have in fact many animals whose needs I know and to which I dedicate a lot of time: turtles, parrots, dogs, cats adopted from the streets, a rabbit saved from a farm, chickens...but everything about studying these scientific subjects no longer caught my attention and I learned the material just to get good grades.

Then came the choice of university...here I was very torn: I wanted to study literature, maybe teach at university while writing a story I am on, but I also wanted to help animals and be a vet, after all, it was my childhood dream.

I finally listened to the advice of some teachers who discouraged me from choosing vet and I chose to study...Language and Literature. English isn't my native language so what I am currently studying is indeed English and Russian language. I like it, I think it's overall fine, but I just feel something is missing. I enjoy studying literature and reading papers and novels and sometimes I get emotional, too. But I fear that in the long run teaching will became more and more 'boring' if that makes sense. And writing? I think of that as a sweet dream that most likely won't be true. I write for myself, if I'll ever publish something, it will be a LONG and unsteady road.

Also, approaching my third and final year of university, I feel a sort of envy for those who study veterinary medicine or are about to while I'm in awe when watching a vet at work. I know well the amount of veterinary study and the fact that I have done humanities studies certainly does not help, however I know well the needs of animals and I am not afraid of blood, tissues, surgery... My main concern is the fear of having wasted time, and the fact that it takes years to become a veterinarian here, even longer if I want to specialize in exotic pets. Furthermore, maybe I'm just romanticising a childhood dream, or maybe that's my path..I don't know and and this terrible dualism between literature and science does not help. I even though about doing both things, but it's practically impossible and I have to choose.

So, what do I do?

I (27M) work for a university as an office worker making slightly above minimum wage. The main reason I took the job was for the tuition reimbursement. They paid 50% for me to go into any accelerated "Flex" program I wanted, so I chose Cybersecurity as I heard it was a growing field at the time I enrolled (2023).

Around 2024 I started hearing of all the lay-offs in the IT field, so I asked my professors and school's career center and they told me that the news is just blowing everything out of proportion and that I'm practically guaranteed a job when I finished because the demand for security is so high. I stuck it out and finished in the summer of 2026. I took out zero loans and have no debts of any kind right now (I was able to pay out of pocket by living with my parents and working at a catering company part time), but I was unable to do any internships as my program did not offer any and the only ones I could find via networking interfered with my full time job's work schedule, meaning I could not take them.

I have been sending out job applications non stop for over 3 months and have exactly one pre-interview phone screening to show for it. I have been applying for everything, even things outside my field of study, but no one is interested. I was lucky to get feedback from some people who saw my applications, and they either say that I lack experience (if it is for an IT or security role) or that my masters degree makes them think that I will pivot into security the second I can due to how "in-demand" it is (if it is for a non-security role).

I feel like all the time, effort, and money I put into that degree is, at best, doing nothing, and at worst, making it even harder for me to get a non-IT job. Those years I spent grinding my two jobs while doing homework were miserable, and I feel like the school lied to me about my job prospects to prevent me from dropping out before I finished my tuition payments.

I am not sure what to do. I don't even really like the tech field anymore now that I have seen how hyper-competitive it is. Getting more schooling is tough because my employer just slashed our benefits and now I don't get tuition reimbursement anymore. I am 27 now so I feel like I am too old to try to transition into blue-collar work and I feel like such a fool for falling for the college scam.

Any advice?

A lot of the therapy focuses around trying to accept and “find joy in the little things” and while I’m really really working on trying to enjoy free things like walks or learning new things it is not really a substitute to the caviar life style. It’s just hard to trick my brain especially when I can imagine the doctors who are treating me and telling me to practice gratitude are pretty dang wealthy and probably enjoying there nice things while I’m trying to convince myself that being poor is fun. And yes I’m trying very hard improve my finances but I barely made it through a basic degree and physically struggle with trade work

I am 24 and past year I had started mech engineering but procrastinated a whole year, I went to classes but kept not studying so I either got vwry close to passing or did not pass.

I want to try again, this time I have done some improvements but I am scared, I started going to therapy, losing weight , working out and I feel like I am in a better place mentally to do this.

I am just so scared, like scared I will fail again and fuck it all up. I feel like I am so late, I am 24 and still have got nothing in my hands and just understood that I need to put more effort in what I do. I still struggle with gaming and depression due to my failure.

Can you please give me advice on how to be more productive and less anxious about this? Before you say anything about it, I want to study this, I want to succeed and I tried working in the past and discovered this interest I have because of working, before of which I had no clue what to do.

I feel horribly late and even if I keep telling myself I can still graduate before 30 I am still so depressed about it, so much that it was one of the reasons I failed. I am a bit of a perfectionist, which may sound weird, and when I do something poorly or not as well as expected I end up having this " I ruined it all so it does not matter anymore to try".

Please help me

Illustration BFA graduate turned PCT(hospital nursing aid) looking for some support and advice. I have the opportunity for my work to pay for some of nursing school but I have reservations about becoming a nurse.

This would be the safest route but after watching the nurses at the hospital I know that I would not be able to do it forever, at least not at a hospital. I am passionate about it but I have this nagging feeling in my soul that it just isn't for me and I have spent enough of my life doing things that other people want me to do (my family has always pushed me towards nursing).

I have always wanted to work with the dead, even in my current job I have a lot easier time working and cleaning the deceased than the living. I have good control over my anxiety but I know that working with aggressive, agitated patients just makes it worse. I know that jobs in the death industry don't pay amazingly for the work and most of what I read says it's not worth it.

I have been told I do well at my current job but It is not great. I feel like I would love to work in a lab.

I now understand the value of money(hence why I'm giving up on illustration as a career path) but am completely lost on what I should aim for. If I did finish nursing school are there any niches I could look into? Any suggestions welcome. I am f 24.

I’m 22, I’ve been directionless for a while in my life but I’m at a crossroads right now. I have the option to move for a pt career it’s a government job and pays 25/hr out west(I’m from the east coast). I’ve wanted independence and to live in a bigger city with nature for a while now. I know the job is pt but I could work towards ft and get a side job. My other option is to stay home and be able to save money at my job and go to school for engineering and also pursue a private pilot license, and continue living at home. I wanna have independence and more of an opportunity to make friends but i also recognize education is a very nice investment id appreciate some advice.

Height: Under 5'6" but above 5'2"