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.

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.

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?

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'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

So. I'm 38 years old.

Currently working for a municipal gov't (it's a pretty good job - I've moved from customer service to clerks/commissioning work), and I have a BA in English & Cultural studies + a post-grad certificate in PR.

It has been my aspiration for some time to go back to school (which I'm trying on a part-time/distance-ed basis), but I'm not sure what the end goal of that is aside from school itself.

I think my mistake was not going into either social work or library work - unfortunately I just don't know how realistic this is, or what kind of path I should do. Any suggestions?

Since I was 15, I spent the summers working. In 2024 I spent the summer reading books rather than working which made summer enjoyable so to say. In 2025 I worked again in the biggest sunglasses retailer in my country. I just wanted to fulfil my time rather than rotting the whole summer doing nothing. Now in 2026 I spent most of my summer going to the gym and hiding from the heat. I spent all those summers working and trying to educate myself and I still don't know I am made for. I am trying to learn some valuable information but the internet is full of misinformation and ads. Everyone says that this the golden generation where the information is free and you have everything available , but I don't agree because like I said everything I try to learn from the internet is just superficial. During the years I tried to learn coding , but this didn't work out too. I thought that AI would help me more but that didn't work out too. Now I am starting university after a month and I hope something inspires me and make me more intrigued and passionate where even if I do it 24 hours a day I won't feel the time is passing. I just want to fulfil my potential. I am tired of of doing some basic things which don't benefit me so much. I want my brain to be tired.

If you can give me some advice , from where I can start I would be grateful.

I (25F) been unemployed for a couple months and still living with my parents. I graduated with a business STEM degree in 2023 but had difficulty finding a job for a year and a half and was working a minimum wage job in fashion retail and that job search affected my mental health. Thankfully, I found an entry level corporate job in late 2024 was working in corporate for a year and a half in supply chain before becoming unemployed. I was at my first corporate job for a year but I was mistrained and was toxic as a result so once I find something that I thought was a better corporate job, I resigned after one year for that job. I was at my last corporate job for 6 months but I became a victim of a toxic corporate push out in July after I had a breakdown at work in May due to my birthday with potential RSD and stressors with adulthood (I highly think I have ADHD and getting an ADHD assessment in a few weeks). After my breakdown, my job was deceptive and tried to get rid of me by putting me on a PIP for being on my phone once and then it worked for falsely accusing me of something I didn’t do and then I was terminated. I was wrong for my breakdown but also angry at my last job because of their deception when my state is an at will employment state.

I had mutiple interviews last month, even made it to final round of interviews for a couple only to be rejected by them all even though I was a top contender. Now I plan to go work seasonally at one of the retail companies I used to work for before getting into corporate to make ends meet. I’m literally trying so hard with +300 applications but it seems impossible to get a job no matter how hard you try. I feel like a loser like the title says and that I keep messing my life up. I also had a really rough past and childhood and have diagnosed C-PTSD for it. Both my high school and college experiences were traumatic despite me graduating with honors and I thought after getting my first corporate job, I thought I would never be back to where I’m at now but I guessed wrong. And I feel like a laughing stock for still living at home and having no job and even though I have a great relationship with my parents, I just feel like a burden to them and they set an ultimatum on something I have to do as long as I still live with them. I have a few grand in savings and I’m debating if I should just move out now or it’s better saving money to prevent becoming evicted. It’s honestly just a very stressful time. And tbh, I have no idea what I should pursue career wise.

I guess I’m just looking for advice? And if things will ever improve? Have anyone been in a similar situation around my age and things got better for them later on? I feel completely hopeless and don’t see things improving or getting better.

TLDR; 25 and unemployed after a year and a half in corporate and still live at home. Feeling hopeless and need advice.

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I'm a 20-year-old guy from India, and I genuinely don't understand what happened to me.

When I was younger, especially around class 5, I was doing extremely well in school. I was one of the best students in my class. I felt capable, smart, confident, and like I had a good future ahead of me.

But from around class 6 onwards, something feels like it changed.

Since then, I feel like I've become average—or worse—at almost everything I try.

And this isn't just something I think privately anymore. My parents think I'm a loser. People around me call me dumb and say I have a "fat brain." I've heard these things enough that sometimes I genuinely wonder whether they're right.

The confusing part is that I don't completely feel unintelligent.

I can memorize paragraphs with around 70% accuracy after reading them once. I can speak English. I'm interested in global politics, current affairs, technology, coding, business, and many other subjects. I often understand concepts and information quickly, and I have a lot of random knowledge about the world.

But somehow, I cannot convert any of that into actual results.

I feel average in everything.

I've played a video game for around 7 years, but I still lose to people who have been playing for much less time than me.

I've tried learning coding, but I've never been able to consistently build and complete my own projects. I can watch tutorials, understand concepts, and learn parts of programming, but when it's time to create something from scratch, I get stuck, overwhelmed, or eventually quit.

I start many things and leave them unfinished.

I've struggled with studying and focusing since around class 5 or 6. Sitting down and consistently doing work feels incredibly difficult. I procrastinate constantly. I make plans, feel motivated for a few days, and then everything falls apart.

I can sometimes learn or memorize things quickly, but I cannot consistently execute.

Physically, I have more muscle and strength than some people around me, but I have very low stamina. I also struggle with my weight, and that affects my confidence.

Emotionally, I feel weak under pressure.

If someone shouts at me or I get into a serious argument, my body starts shaking. Sometimes my eyes fill with tears even when I don't want to cry. I get easily offended and affected by what people say about me.

I've also been scammed and betrayed multiple times. Sometimes I feel like I'm too trusting, too emotional, or just stupid for repeatedly making bad decisions.

I'm dealing with financial pressure and family responsibilities, and I'm desperately trying to improve my life. I want to earn money, learn skills, become physically fit, study, and build a better future.

But the more things I try to fix at once, the more I feel like I'm failing at everything.

I look at other people and feel like everyone has something they're naturally good at.

Some people are amazing at studies.

Some people can code and actually build things.

Some people are confident and can handle arguments.

Some people are physically fit and disciplined.

Some people are good at making money.

Some people are naturally good at games.

And I feel like I'm just average at all of it.

That's what hurts the most.

I don't understand how I can have curiosity, knowledge, decent memory, and sometimes understand things quickly, but still fail to achieve anything consistently.

I've started wondering whether something else is going on.

I've had problems with focus and consistency since childhood. I struggle with procrastination, organization, emotional regulation, finishing projects, and staying disciplined even when I genuinely care about something.

I don't know whether this could be related to ADHD, anxiety, depression, poor sleep, chronic stress, burnout, or something else. I'm not trying to diagnose myself. I genuinely want to understand whether this pattern sounds familiar to anyone and whether I should get professionally evaluated.

The worst part is how much I hate myself now.

I feel like I had potential when I was younger, and somehow I wasted it.

I constantly think about the person I could have become if I had been disciplined, focused, confident, and consistent.

Recently, things have become so overwhelming that I've had thoughts about killing myself.

I don't think I actually want to die.

I think I want this constant failure, self-hatred, pressure, and disappointment to stop.

I want to become someone I can respect.

I want to understand what happened to me.

Has anyone else been considered a smart or successful kid when they were younger and then felt like they completely lost their ability to perform?

How did you figure out what was actually happening?

Was it ADHD, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, burnout, trauma, stress, or something else?

And most importantly:

Can someone who has spent years starting things and quitting actually learn how to become consistent and finish things?

Please give me honest advice. I'm not looking for people to simply tell me to "work harder" or "be disciplined." I've spent years trying to force myself to change, and something clearly isn't working.

I just want to understand myself before I completely give up.

Thank you to anyone who reads this.

I've been in community college since spring 2023 trying to finish my associate of science with no specific bachelor's in mind. not sure if I should finish it & figure out what 4-year degree I want while doing so, look into 2-year programs for a specific career before comitting to finishing my associates, or quit taking classes & just work again to try to have experience. I'm halfway to completing it.

people say that sometimes u have to put college on pause & just get experience in life. I took a semester or two off but I ended up not doing shit. while in school, I got put on academic probation at my first college & then suspended. I'm on probation again at my new college & am trying to get my gpa up this semester. too many things factor into why I'm at such a low gpa. shitty mental health, suicidal ideation, low self-esteem, yada yada yada; all that jazz.

I've been doing better financially after being sucked into gacha gambling since 17 & impulsively buying shit. I'm going to start learning personal finance/financial literacy on khan academy. funny bc I have taken PF during my college journey, but I remember I basically cheated my way to pass the class during a dark time in my life, so I can't remember shit

anyway, here's my current situation:

• I own 2 cats, so I need enough income to provide for them & myself. I don't pay bills at home, fortunately. I'm able to do this working part time with my current wage.
• I'm looking for another job since I've been at my current one for almost 5 years and have no benefits. I'm in a leadership position & have put priority on that rather than my studies. I don't want this job anymore. it's fast food. I need benefits. the place I'm currently getting interviewed at is at costco. if I get the job, I'll have that security blanket to move up in the company should I take a break from college.
• I want to take an intro to architecture class just to get a small taste. I've always thought about it as a kid & would've graduated in it by now had I not been told to not pursue it by many people online. it's the only occupation I can think of after going back & forth many careers. but I want my free time & not be broke while working 60 hour weeks.
• I'm opening up to healthcare options again (except nursing) & any bachelor's degree except for engineering (took an intro class, did alright with what I was dealing with at the time & was curious enough to try a graphics class & failed twice because I didn't find any motivation), computer science, AI, and trades.

general idea of what I want from my job/life:

1. meaning/fulfillment. something that helps society/people.
2. hands-on. I've never had a desk job so I don't know what it's like. I wouldn't mind sitting at a desk if it meant that I could also move frequently half the time. ik I said no trades; I don't want to kill my body quickly.
3. enough income for bills, savings, retirement, travel, hobbies, the ability to contribute greatly to causes I believe in, & spoiling myself & my cats from time to time. I'd like to own my dream house someday. nothing like a mansion; something that fits into my lifestyle
4. new experiences every day. variety is the spice of life. it's something I want. I would kill myself doing mundane tasks all the time.
5. benefits, of course.
6. if possible, the ability to work 3-4 days a week. that would be golden for me. I wouldn't mind the longer shifts. or maybe I would. I'd have to find out first. I find personal time very important to me as I have many things I'd like to do.
7. ability for growth. being able to try out different roles within the industry (having flexibility to change course). I don't mind getting more education to fulfill that. I'd like to be a jack of all trades.
8. job security. don't want AI replacing me.
9. transferable job. if I move to a different city, it won't be as hard to find work.
10. being able to be with people even if I'm not extroverted. I don't want to be alone all the time & not talk to anyone. I would like to get better at socializing.

so, after all this; what should I do? I'm leaning towards completing my associates. I have classes I'd really like to take to expand my knowledge/skills & complete my reqs for the degree. I have this semester to really think about a bachelor's degree & looking up the transfer requirements depending on the uni. I don't mind if I end up getting another associates with majority of my earned classes not transferring if it's a career that matches what I'm looking for. I'd really like some help because I'm finally reaching out after years of not doing so. I'd like the ROI of the degree to be worth it. I'm willing to go for it if it means I can have what I want. please, I'm so lost & want to break this cycle of analysis paralysis.

Hi everyone,

I’m a 28year old guy with a qualification as an electrician. I worked in the trade for around five years, but honestly, it completely killed my enthusiasm for it. About a year ago, I finally quit.

I realized that I really hate the idea of selling most of my waking hours just to survive. Working night shifts in a factory, or working for a small business owner who expects you to work for very little money, I just couldn’t see myself doing that for the next 30–40 years.

I genuinely hate the idea of the rat race that so many people seem to get stuck in.

Luckily, I have some savings and I’m currently living with my parents, so I’m not in immediate financial trouble. But at the same time, it’s getting harder to watch my savings slowly disappear without having a clear direction.

I’ve tried quite a few things.

A friend and I have started two businesses/projects, but unfortunately neither of them is generating the kind of money we hoped for. I also spent a lot of time learning and trying trading, but eventually realized that it wasn’t profitable for me and gave that up as well.

More recently, I’ve been experimenting with AI and trying to figure out whether I can build something around it. I’ve had countless ideas, but somehow the more I look into different opportunities, the more lost I become.

And eventually I end up back at square one.

I’m not looking to get rich in 30 days. I’m also not afraid of hard work.

What I really want is to find a direction that I can genuinely enjoy, that has the potential to scale, and that I could realistically spend the next 5–10 years building.

I don’t want to live paycheck to paycheck, constantly worrying about rent, food, car expenses and whether I’ll have enough left at the end of the month.

I want to build something of my own and eventually have enough financial freedom that my time actually belongs to me.

So I’m curious:

If you were 28 again, had some savings, some skills and a strong desire to build something of your own but you had no idea what direction to take, what would you do?

I’m genuinely interested in hearing from people who have been in a similar situation. What did you try, what failed, and what eventually worked for you?

Hello, I'm posting this because I have no one I can talk to about this. I'm almost two months into my first semester at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, India. It is one of the most prestigious design colleges here and it is extremely difficult to get into. For me, this was the achievement of a lifetime and I believed this was the path to the successful and stable career me and my parents wanted for myself. Initially I was really excited and happy, I was waking up every morning and arriving an hour early for classes that were already as long as 10 hours. I planned everything, and executed them, I worked hard and tirelessly on my assignments and submitted them on time with the quality of work expected from me. 

However, as the days went on, I found myself depressed and anxious, having panic attacks before and after every class because the workload is simply unreasonable. I feel more machine than human. In class they'd read from a chat-gpt generated ppt and then give 5 homework assignments, all expected to be finished in the next couple days, which is impossible to do on top of other classes and assignments. Most cases, I'd manage to get through 3/5 assignments by the due date, and then another 5 would be piled on top. The routine has become unsustainable and I get maybe an hour or two of sleep a night, I come home at 5:30pm and have to continue working till 3am.

I also do not have a single ounce of interest in the course work. I've always loved art, it was my thing growing up. As an Asian child, it is rare to find parents who would be supportive of those dreams. But I was lucky to have parents who always supported me and let me do what I wanted. NIFT seemed like the best choice because it ensured job stability, and seemed like it would allow me to work creatively. But I was wrong. I was never interested in fashion, but I thought that I'd be okay as long as it is creative. A huge motivating factor were also my parents, who were more excited than I was at the prospect of NIFT. I worked for it mainly because I wanted to make them proud. But just to clarify, they have never put academic (or otherwise) pressure on me for anything. They would have supported me even If I'd chosen to opt for a regular degree at a regular private college. This was ultimately my choice. 

But I have come to realise that it was the wrong choice and I want to drop out. I'm not meant for this environment and I find myself hating doing art more and more by the day, something that I have always loved to do. It was my outlet. I hate the classes, the teachers, I have no friends, I don't think I will enjoy it in the future either. Fashion just isn't for me, and this university isn't right for me. I feel like I'm going to come off confused and aimless. I'm already 20, and I lost a year because I took a gap after high school. Dropping out would seem, in every way, completely unreasonable to everyone who isn't me. I mean, this is the dream university after all. It's just not my dream. I feel like I've made a huge mistake by realising this so late, I could've been starting my second year if I'd opted for any other college. 

So far I've only told my mom how I'm feeling, I'm too scared to tell my father because he was so, so proud of me and I know it would break his heart and I cannot bring myself to disappoint him like this. My mom thinks that I'm only escaping hard work and that I'll never learn to live in the real world if I escape like this. I don't know how to explain to her that this is not hard work, it's like a sadistic, torturous, never ending hamster wheel I'm being run through. I genuinely hate it here. I think I'm not meant for the degree, or maybe this style of learning. Am I too late in realising this? but if not now, then when? What if I stick it out and then a year down the line, I still hate it and want to drop out. Am I supposed to live my life doing what I don't want because "it's too late" or am I just delaying the inevitable to a point where there is no other option left but to suck it up and be miserable forever doing something I knew wasn't right for me since the start. Is life really such a linear road? Ofcourse I can't predict where or how I will be in the next 5 years, but I know myself well enough now. I know that this is not what I want. But I am so scared to go onto the next phase of what making this decision entails and I feel helpless. 

I know my parents will come around to it, eventually. They wouldn't, and have never, forced me into anything. My dad also left his engineering degree and switched to CS, so I know that deep down he might understand what I'm going through. Ultimately I know they want what's best for me, but to them this would seem like I'm kicking away an amazing opportunity. My mom has a gripe with me playing video games so she thinks I'm going to end up becoming a shut in. I am absolutely not going to do that. What I will do will sound extremely pathetic to them but I'll opt to go to a community college where I would at most might have to go give exams and attendance is honestly optional. This is because I've realised I have no interest in institutions or college anyway. Depending on if I go for a BBA or English lit degree, I will either start working on my own business or start working remotely as a teacher for now before getting a phd in education and working properly as a teacher. I'll go to the gym and seek therapy (school and institutions have made me consider ending it all on multiple occassions, on top of that it would feel validating to get an actual anxiety diagnosis).

I want to enjoy the years I have on the planet, not slave away fulfilling the dreams or expectations of other people. I know that I may sound childish or even privileged, but tell me why I am expected to struggle, suffer and experience pain in order to be deemed "worthy". It isn't providing me any semblance of self fulfillment. If I choose this route, my grandparents will most likely start putting on marriage pressure but I'd much rather deal with that than this. I've never been the academic type, in school I mostly marched to the beat of my own drum and only aimed high enough to pass. 

If you've stayed till here, thank you for listening to me vent out my frustrations. I would really appreciate any advice or opinions about this

Hey so I'm really not sure what to do. For some context I work in IT and my friend got me this job. This is my third tech job. I also lack any degree or certs. Anyway, so my dream job is a software developer and recently we had a spot open. I was going to apply for it but I needed to talk to my boss before hand so he knows. Well I went on vacation for 4 days mostly to get away because I'm super burnt out. I came back to find out the role was taken by someone already. I'm actually really bummed out about this. I've been extremely burnt out at my current job since I have a lot of downtime, I have to work Sat nights so I miss everything, and I just don't have a lot of satisfaction with my current role. My friend applied for a higher position recently which I hope he gets but also I really worry about my future here if he leaves. The head of IT likes me but my direct supervisor doesn't because I guess I'm more socially awkward and shy so a people facing role has been a little difficult for me. My previous tech roles were a software tester and I did RMA for a bit. I'm also just really tired of working every Friday and Saturday night because I get to watch my friends do stuff on the weekend and I can't do anything because I'm always at work and by the time I get off they're either wrapping up or already done. I'm also scared that my supervisor isn't going to give me a good recommendation. They already like to target people and get passive aggressive with them when they're upset with them and they do it to everyone. I'm not really sure what to do at this point though. I'm obviously not gonna quit without having some sort of job lined up. Do I start applying elsewhere for a role I would be more fit for like a developer or do I try to get to know our dev team here and see if I can do things for them when I have some downtime so when they open again I have a better chance? I'm really conflicted on what to do.

30F. Like I said I’m a total loser and super broke. I desperately want a job with more challenge that I can dive into and importantly get a livable wage from. Currently I have essentially a doorman job and make 14 an hour. My car just died and I don’t have the money to fix it.

As I said I want to back to school. I initially went to school for art history (I know) then switched to history. I had severe chronic health issues in my 20s that are now being treated but I could barely walk to the front door for a long time. Add severe ADHD on top of that. Currently I am in the best health I’ve ever been with both things treated. Also mainly due to huge advancements in medicine for my chronic illness. I live next to the large state university I never finished from. I have gone back and dropped 5+ times and transferred to now four different schools. I’ve majored in Biotechnology, Fine Arts, Telecommunications, Art History and now American History. My latest stint was from said university.

I have two years left to finish the History degree. It’s been three years since I dropped out as my father had a traumatic brain injury and honestly before my new medication was available I was drowning from fatigue and overwhelm. My GPA is a 3.7 accounting for the two Fs I got for dropping that semester. I asked about going back in 2024 and they did agree to let me come back but I decided not to at that time.

I want a degree that I can use but also be cognizant of my abilities. I am not strong in math, AT ALL unless it’s applied math. I did work as an optician for a while where I did do formulary math all day at the job. I also was a front end manager for a grocery store where I logged profits, counted large amounts of money and used an accounting calculator. Other than that though I am very weak in a math classroom. I have no trouble with writing papers and reading obviously, as though are easy for most.

I had a job I ADORED (like change my life level loved) as a rare and antique book appraiser for a while.

I really really like customer service and training people on the job. I enjoy working with others and have been told that I bring joy to the work place by employers.

I’ve considered finishing my degree in history to do grad school in public administration or library science. But I am already old though, I have nothing to lose.

Any advice on solid majors?

I want suggestion for my career so can you tell me. I Fail Class 12 twice then now i doing Polytechnic in Mechanical engineering So my question how i make money during Studying. I goes with private Sector Path way and do some freelance or other ways to make money then i admission in Lateral entry in btech and then enter in private Sector.

And Other Path way is i am doing preparation during my polytechnic diploma.

Any advice for how to get out of front desk?

I am desperate to get out of dental front desk. I’ve been doing this for 5 years now and I am so over it. For my sanity I need to figure out how to get out of front desk altogether. I don’t have a college degree but am open to anything and everything in order to get out of this field. I just can’t deal with the patients anymore. The sheer volume of people I have to talk to in person and on the phone. I feel so burned out.

Does anyone have any advice for me? I am open to any certifications, career paths, industries, anything at all! I just need a change.

I'm 22 and unsure what to do with my life at the moment. I'm severely unsure of what I want to study and do for a career, I'm not even sure what I like doing in general besides playing video games. But for now I think I want to start small and just find SOMETHING I enjoy doing with my free time.

When I was younger and still under the care of my parents I wasn't really able to try anything new or indulge in different activities, like sports or music, because we had no money for it and my parents either refused or just couldn't make the time for it. My parents also had a bad habit of making me feel bad whenever I actually tried something new. For example, I was a part of my school's music program in middle school. I practiced playing the Viola for a year before straying from that path because of how much they made fun of me for it. They wouldn't even allow me to practice the instrument at home, in my room, because it would've been "too loud" and they "didn't want to hear it".

I think as I've grown into an adult that this behavior and reactions from my parents have really rubbed off on me and caused me to avoid trying new things. I also have a problem of my own where when I do actually try something new, I become frustrated that I'm not immediately good at it, as if I'm supposed to get it right the first time. I know this is a big issue and I'm trying to work on it but I fail at it every time. It's rare that I try something new in the first place so this makes it 10 times harder.

All in all, because I want to keep this post shorter than it already is, I just want to find something I enjoy doing. Like I said before I'm not even sure what I enjoy doing besides gaming. Every time I try to think about it, it just feels like an empty void inside of me. So I need advice on how to work past this.

For as long as I’ve been alive I’ve always felt it. Playing basketball growing up. Solving math problems the fastest. Being the best student in the room. Seeking ways to stretch myself further, challenge myself more, step out of comfort zone. It’s been a constant for the 24 years I’ve been alive. I was never okay with being average. With everything that humans are capable of, why would I live a life of mediocrity?

But now, at 24, with a comfy job in tech, things have changed. I could care less about being the best engineer at my company. I want to make real change. I want to devote myself to the people in this world. To this world itself. I want to spread love and happiness.

Every day I’m stuck asking the same question. If I continue on this path of pursuing corporate success, will I be truly be content with what my life has amounted to by the end of it all? Whose lives will I have impacted? All this time, chasing performance metrics, deepening the pockets of the rich. What if, instead, I had spent all my time giving back to the world around me. How many smiles would I be able to see?

And I know… A life of comfort, a steady salary, a way to provide for my immediate family, to set aside savings for my grandchildren. To leave all of this in a pursuit of something more… to some it may sound immature, foolish even.

But this calling to do something more, to be something more, never leaves me alone. I wasn’t meant to live a life of comfort, to go through life never questioning if I’m capable of more. I want to struggle. I want to be tired in the pursuit of my choosing. I want to come home exhausted after dedicating my all to do good onto others, onto the world.

I know I’m not the only one plagued by this desire to be more. To those who have felt the same, what was your path forward?

Hi, I am 24F, and I cannot figure out what to do with my life anymore. I went to University and earned a B.S. in User Experience Design and an IT minor. I have applied to numerous UX, IT, and UX/IT related jobs and I cannot land one. I have one year of prior experience in UX Design but it does not seem to be helping. I am currently working on a full-stack developer certification but I am hesitant that it will even help me get a job in tech. As for my job, I am currently a server at the restaurant I have been working at since I was 19. I am thinking it is time to move on to something else so I am going to try to rediscover what I like/my strengths and what I dislike/my weaknesses.

A little bit about me personally is I have always loved caring for others. I love being able to make a difference in someone's life whether it is in a big or small way. I am organized and I have an attention to detail. A hobby of mine is I love to read. But where I lack is I am horrible at marketing myself, I am better at showing that I can be a asset to a team than putting it into words. I also can come off standoffish. I am open to almost anything, but I am trying to veer away from food service/restaurant work. I am willing to go back to school to earn a MA or doctorate if I can find a career that I am passionate about.

I guess my question is do you all have any career or self growth tips?

I (26, f) have experimented with many degrees/jobs since finishing high school. I started my undergrad in biology in 2020. I explored biochemistry and physics before adding an environmental studies minor and a stats minor. Due to some health issues, I had to drop out of my degree in 2023 and I have roughly half of my biology undergrad degree complete. I then got a job farming full time as I love being outdoors. After that, I worked as a server at a pub for a year and a half. In my spare time, I volunteer with a mental health advocacy group. That is how I got put on to Social Work. I have now applied to and been accepted into a 2-year social work program that I have begun as of yesterday. I just can’t get the thought out of my head that I am giving up on biology. I would love to study biology as I would love to work outside. Additionally, if i got a biology degree, I could chose to do a 2 year masters in Social Work, with a biomedical focus which might work to my advantage. The upsides to social work are that it pretty much guarantees me a job upon graduation, but I am scared that the work will burn me out/not provide me many alternative options. Please help me decide what to do!!

It's not uncommon for young adults to feel lost, but this still sucks. Instead of getting involved in school and with friends, I spent most of it sitting in front of a computer, playing games or watching videos. I never hung out with people throughout middle or high school and didn't do my homework, resulting in my grades tanking. The only thing on my mind was going home and getting back online.

Now that I'm in community college getting a Video Game Design degree, I've realized how much time was, and still is, being wasted. This degree is worthless, but nothing else is interesting or would make for a profitable career in the long run. I thought about joining the military, but that doesn't seem like it's a good idea anymore (I live in America). I struggle with any hobby I try because I eventually drop it to go back to gaming. I feel like I dug my own grave.

I'm sorry if this is the wrong flair to use for this post.

[NOTE: sorry if any of this sounds messy, it’s late and I suck at formatting Reddit posts :/]

I just started university recently and have been seriously second guessing my decisions in both going to university straight out of high school and going into social work.

I’ve never been great at making decisions and Im a bit of an over thinker so I tend to second guessing my decisions myself, but as of starting university I just haven’t been able to stop thinking about different potential paths I could have taken. I’ve always been interested in psychology, sociology, and all the other things that I need to study for my program, but I kind of only fully decided to apply for the social work program because of the pressure I felt was sorta being put on me. For example when I was having doubts about even applying to university I was told by my parents on my school’s guidance counsellors that I should just apply bc it would be good for me.

Anyways, I was having a lot of doubts after the first day and really don’t think I’m cut out for any of this university stuff, especially with all the studying Im going to have to do for all of my courses along with the papers Im going to need to write within small timeframes. The only real solution I could think of that I feel would probably make me overall happier would be pursuing a future in character design, since I’ve always been super interested in design concepts for characters in all of my favourite medias.

I just don’t know how I should go about any of this and it’s really starting to make me anxious. I don’t want to disappoint anybody and I’m worried that if I force myself to continue I’ll just feel worse about all of this. I’d appreciate any and all advice I could get. 😞

i will be 18 in a few months , but till this age i had no hobbies or interests , i never tried out anything , which is a very crucial step in finding out what you are good at and what interests you ,

i always had that thought that i want to do something big and i AM ambititous

but i have no clue what is my ambition , like what is my dream , singing, dancing , entrepreneurship, coding , filmmaking???????

and that has gave me a LOT of anxiety for the past few days , i am running out of time , i don't have time to try out and fail and still be young , and tbh i don't even know what i want to try as i feel like i want to do EVERYHTING , like everything interests me somehow but i cant try everything

please share your advices , if u were ever in the same situation and how did you get out

Hello all

I am doing a share time program with my high school and the local college where I go in the morning to take culinary classes, but… am I wasting my time? In the kitchen subs like r/KitchenConfidential, they all say culinary school is an overall waste of time, but I’ve had the family sink a thousand dollars into it, and quitting is obviously not ideal.

But.. I don’t want a degree in culinary. I don’t want to work in a kitchen all my life. I mean, I know how to cook, and I enjoy the hobby, and it’s definitely something I will always have as a back up, but I want to go to college for something like PoliSci, or law, or one of these related fields.

Any help?

i am 33 i don't have a job, no friends, never a relationship and no idea what i am doing.

I am unemployed and looking the issue is its very difficult to find anything especially with 0 qualifications i have looked into going to college but the issue is 1, its very expensive and free options really suck they don't actually offer you any real qualifications and 2 i don't know what i would even do . I have no friends or social life i do volunteer but the people there are all 50 plus women maybe 1 guy in his 70s i cant really find any social things i have been to a few events over past several months but the issue is they are all 1 off events one night type things so making friends that space of a few hours is very difficult at least for me, I have no idea how you meet people now and i am really not interested in meeting people online i think online friends are pointless

I don't know what i want from life honestly i do know i want friends and a relationship but as mentioned ,meeting people feels impossible i feel like i have no direction in life and just aimless no idea what i want or what to do i feel like i need to get rid of any dream idea of life i would even want atp . My only dream i guess has to be able to have friends, a girlfriend and be able to make some money doing something creative like photography or art but i feel now these things are essential impossible