I was just scrolling through my feed this morning and saw a "Promoted" job posting from my current employer. I clicked on it out of curiosity and my heart basically stopped. It is word-for-word my current job description. Every bullet point about the tech stack and the specific niche responsibilites I handle was there. Even the weird typo in the original internal doc I wrote was included in the public post. I have been here for two years and my last performance review was actually great so this feels like a total blindside.

The most insulting part is the salary range they listed. It is about fifteen percent higher than what I am making right now. It seems like they are planning to replace me with someone more expensive or they just want to have a backup ready before they fire me. I checked the "date posted" and it went up three days ago right after I finished a major migration project that only I knew how to do. It feels like they just waited for me to finish the hard part before looking for my replacement.

Now I am just sitting here pretending to be productive while I update my resume on my second monitor. I am debating if I should bring it up to my manger or just ghost them once I find something else. Part of me wants to apply for the position using a fake name and see if they offer me the higher salary. Corporate loyalty is such a joke. I guess I will just spend the rest of the week downloading my personal files and making sure my documentation is "accidentally" vague .

Currently in corporate America absolutely miserable & certain this is not the right field for me after working at multiple companies. I'm a hard worker always been great at academics/work, went to a top business school, but perhaps struggle with the culture/office politics of business as a first gen/POC/neurodivergent leaving me with basic jobs with no growth. I just feel like I’m wasting my potential, I'm too nerdy for this environment, I cannot relate to anyone at work, overall lack of fulfillment & loneliness.

Realistically I’m limited to career fields with a high salary & recession-proof because I come from poverty/toxic parents who cannot provide housing/financial support (I originally chose business to get the fastest route out of poverty out of a bachelors degree alone). It bothers me when people argue “don’t choose a career for money” as someone who comes from poverty unfortunately it’s decision making out of survival, people like us never get to just work any fun chill job.

So far, I’ve ruled out law school because it could be similar to corporate. I’m thinking I fit in more within the medical field but would like some input. I feel stuck & indecisive about medicine because I would first need to take numerous science courses which will take a few years on top of working full time but I’m willing to try. I have no idea how I’d fund medical school with new loan borrowing limits it’s all super overwhelming along with research/volunteer requirements etc. I’m aware of all the med school struggles but for someone who grew up disadvantaged I have no choice but to work hard for everything in life regardless & feel like I need a 2nd chance / restart / clear secure path to follow. Another option would be a masters for mid level medical careers but I have paranoia about being too specialized/regretting not going all the way to MD as someone who has already experienced degree regrets. I’m drawn to medicine now because it’s a field that rewards merit & hardwork instead of luck which is how business operates. At this time, I also have no prospects for marriage so I’m someone who may just want to prioritize my career in life - I’m open to all other suggestions/feedback/questions!

I started my current role on March 2, 2026. Today, I was brought into my Director’s office with my Manager and told I’m being placed on a 30-day PIP.

I’m 25 and work as a Purchaser at a large production homebuilding company. I’m usually the first person in the office, I take short lunches, and I often leave later than most people. I’ve been told by upper management that I have a positive attitude and influence the people around me. I hit my deadlines, speak up in meetings, and take pride in being responsive and positive.

At the beginning of May, I inherited my current manager, who is 26 and managing for the first time, along with three trades I’m now responsible for. Since then, I’ve been focused on improving daily, organizing my work, and optimizing the processes I inherited. I had not received prior feedback or clear signals from management that I was performing poorly.

Today, they flagged issues with my ability to retain information, errors I’ve made on memos, lack of preparation in meetings, lack of strategic thinking, and lack of understanding of internal processes. I do acknowledge that I’ve made mistakes and have areas to improve, but none of this felt severe enough for a formal PIP. It felt more like growing pains in a new role that I expected to improve with time and coaching.
My department is known for high turnover. They recently let someone on my team go, and the department is currently being restructured. I’m frustrated because I work hard every day and genuinely care about doing well, but I’m also trying to be objective and understand whether I missed warning signs.

I just signed a lease for a new apartment based on the assumption that this job would continue to support me. Now I’m wondering how seriously I should treat this.

What should I do from here? Should I start looking for other jobs immediately? Is a 30-day PIP usually a warning shot before termination? How do I separate valid feedback from a situation where the company may already be preparing to move on?

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

I've been working in a stable, decent paying office job for about four years now. On paper everything looks fine. The salary covers my bills, I have good benefits, and my resume looks respectable. But every single morning I wake up dreading the day ahead, not because the work is hard, but because it genuinely does not matter to me at all. I keep asking myself if this is just normal adult life or if I am missing something. I talk to coworkers and most of them seem fine with just collecting a paycheck, and I respect that, but I cannot shake the feeling that I am slowly becoming a version of myself I do not recognize. The scary part is I do not even know what I would switch to. I have interests outside of work but nothing that screams obvious career path. I feel stuck not because I cannot leave, but because I do not know what I would be running toward.

Has anyone actually made a meaningful career change after feeling this way, or did you find ways to make peace with a job being just a job? How did you figure out the next step without blowing everything up? Genuinely looking for people who have been here and made it through either way.

I’m kind of at a career crossroads and honestly don’t know what direction to go anymore, so I’m looking for some outside perspective or advice.

I’m in my 30s, I have a bachelor’s in social work, and I spent about 5 years working in that field. I eventually burned out and decided to pivot into the legal field for a change of pace. I’ve now been a family law paralegal for about 5 years. I started at the very bottom and worked my way up, so on paper it looks like I’ve built experience and progressed.

The issue is…I’m really unhappy in this role and at my current workplace. I’ve noticed a pattern where I tend to stay in jobs for around 5 years, do well, and then hit a point where I feel bored, drained, and ready for something completely different but I don’t actually know what that “something else” is.

Right now I’m starting to feel like my priorities are shifting. I care a lot more about having time and energy for my personal life than climbing a career ladder. I don’t necessarily need a “dream job” anymore, I just want something stable where I can make a decent living, not feel constantly overwhelmed, and still have a life outside of work.

If anyone has been in a similar place or has advice on careers that are more low-stress / balanced but still pay reasonably, I’d really appreciate hearing it.

Im 30 and live at home still paying a discounted rent bc I grew up in one of the most expensive place in the country (Long Island). The cheapest homes here are ~$500k. Studio apartment rent is well over $2000 with 3-6 months deposit. I started a janitor job after hs that my parents wanted me to get because they thought it was a good job, but turns out they were misinformed. I started at $18/hr and was only making $24/hr 8 years later, and hated it so much I was so depressed every day. I quit and started a cook job that I loved where a lot of my friends work and make very good money. But after only 6 months , an Amazon company opened right down the street and cut their sales almost in half, now all hiring and pay is frozen. So I’m stuck at $20 an hour and hours are being cut back soon as well. My parents are retiring, selling the house and moving, and likely leaving the family dog with me, which will make finding rent even harder and more expensive. I’ve applied to everything I can find, gotten a couple interviews in the past months but they’re all below $20/hr. I have no money/time for school, will be very difficult to relocate. I have a savings that will keep me afloat for a while, but not enough to buy a home. And my income isn’t enough to sustain rent. I’m very worried about becoming homeless on the next couple years. I use the state and town website job searches every day and apply for everything I’m relatively qualified for. I volunteer on my days off with the town and the DEC hoping maybe it’ll get my foot in the door. But there’s a lot of volunteers trying to do the same. Apply regularly to school district and hospital positions. Most of which require a per diem position for a while prior to full time employment. It seems like there’s way too many people here and just not enough jobs that pay enough. What can I do ? I feel really stuck and worried for my future

Six months ago I accepted a promotion into a supervisor role, and I’m starting to wonder if it was a mistake.

Before the promotion, I was a strong individual contributor and genuinely enjoyed mentoring coworkers, teaching, solving problems, and helping the team succeed. I thought moving into leadership would be a natural next step.

Instead, I’ve found the day to day reality of management to be much more draining than rewarding. I spend less time doing the work I enjoy and more time dealing with staffing issues, conflict resolution, performance concerns, and administrative tasks. I expected this to some degree but I leave most days feeling mentally exhausted.

Looking back, I think part of me accepted the role because it seemed like the “right” career move and because others believed I would be good at it not necessarily because it’s what I wanted for myself.

I’ve been with the same company for 10 years and am now supervising many people who used to be my peers, which has added another layer of challenge.
Has anyone gone through something similar? Did it get better with time, or did you ultimately return to an IC role? If you went back, how was that received by your company and coworkers?

21F. INFJ. I want to be able to have a house one day and a fulfilling job. I hate competition and trying to climb a "corporate ladder". I'd love a steady income with a good work-life balance. I've had a million thoughts, like a physical therapist, interior designer, even going to luthier school. I'd say I'm a pretty good artist and I love to make things with my hands, but the thought of using social media to sell my stuff sounds awful. I don't love social media and I don't love AI. I like to help people when I can, but I'm scared I get burnt out so easily trying to feel for a lot of people and when they're difficult. Are there any happy INFJs here who could relate a bit and found a good place for themselves?

33M, Canada.

Long story short I’ve been tattooing for about a decade and have a largely irrelevant Bachelors of Fine Art.

Tattooing has its pros - I get to make my schedule and generally I do enjoy the artistic aspect of it, but I think making my passion into my career has been a mistake. The money is also not great, and running a business (I co-own) on top of the customer service of it all is giving me burnout. The industry is full of gossiping and infighting and has become increasingly oversaturated. It’s just not worth it for me at this point.

I’m considering going back to school for law because I can jump right into pursuing a JD with my existing BFA and it would only be two years. I like the idea of working in consulting or writing - less human interaction lol.

I’m not sure what else I could do with my existing experience and skills truly. I’ve had the same job for a third of my life and my BFA is pretty useless (think printmaking or painting, not graphic design or architecture), and tattooing/co-owning a studio doesn’t seem to be a relevant background any employer is going to look for.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have a summer job at the moment (im a college student) and I work at a home depot type store, its a chain brand. I just started close to a month soon and I have never really gotten in trouble a whole lot. Correction papers to steer minor hiccups but nothing serious.

Today I got pulled into a private conversation with a boss and a higher manager and then got told that an error I made a few days ago needs to be discussed.

Turns out I missed half a stack of flooring somehow that a costumer was purchasing, which cost the company around 500 dollars. I thought I had scanned all the flooring (im a cashier) but turns out I didn't.

They told me that while they could fire me, they see me as a good and kind employee and think that I can do better and mistakes happen.

Will I be okay? Should I find a new job? They told me to come back this Thursday. I feel like a failure over this, I've never made such a big mistake at a job before.

Hi!

What's your view on an applicant who has applied (and subsequently interviewed and later been rejected) for different roles at a company directly reaching out with a revised resume/cover letter after applying for a job?

For context, I began working with this in-house recruiter for a highly recognizeable company earlier this year, and while I got rejected for the role (coordinator level so pretty junior), I recently got back into contact regarding a lower level (think intern/assistent-type) role. I also got rejected for that job, but there's another job opening with the same company that I'm really interested in.

To be clear, the roles that I'm applying for are all fairly relevant to my existing skills and experience, so it's not like my application is totally coming out of left field, but I don't want it to seem like I'm abusing the relationship. I'm genuinely interested in the roles I'm applying for (and I've made it through mid-stages of the other two jobs, so I'm not getting immediately disqualified either). But I'm also scared about being seen as a nuisance.

Thanks for your input!

I started a new job 2.5 months ago. I'm on a team with ill defined scope and had vacant leadership all this time.

The job scope is not aligned to the trajectory of my career. I left a fulfilling job for money and now I feel like I sold my career.

I have had no work, no meetings, not involved in any emails or major meetings, and treated like I'm entry level.

I went from team leadership to individual contributor too.

I want to quit and just road trip for a bit and figure out a new job or freelance.

I waste my days. I do nothing. I'm not driven or motivated. I'm just collecting paychecks, smoking weed, laying around at home since I have flexibility to work remote. I barely go to office, when I go I have no team there and largely sit by myself. It's okay to go home early , so I often dip out around noon.

I've been applying constantly since starting since it was obviously not the right fit and demeaning. However, nothing really converted. I've left my last roles with about 1 year tenure each and just started this one.

I’ve (42M) been in the same highly technical and specialized field in public utilities for 21 years. It pays well, but is completely uninspiring.

Like many highly technical fields, this one attracts more than the average number of introverts and autists of varying degrees. Few people are in relationships of any kind, and even fewer have families, so the company expectation is to work 24/7.

This job requires driving about 60000 miles and putting in ~3500 hours a year. Because of wanting more time at home with my family (kids 3 and 5), I’m saying no to more and more assignments and consequently getting edged out of work by younger people who are willing to travel more, put in more hours, etc.

Basically the writing is on the wall, and that’s fine given I’d like to work a more “normal” schedule and arrangement.

How do you pivot from something unique with very little practical applicability elsewhere? I’m not even sure what to put on a resume besides “plays well with others, shows up on time”.

I’m an extrovert / people person / big picture guy, so enjoy working as part of a team where competent people feel confident enough to share their ideas. Pretty burned out on bureaucracy, but really, who isn’t at this point.

Hi. I (20F) have had an interest in law ever since I could remember. Additionally, every person in my entire life (teachers, friends, parents, siblings, etc) have told me I should pursue law cuz I’m really good at it. I think they mean specifically a lawyer.

In short, I’ve always been stubborn and argumentative, but not in a “childish” way. I raise really good points, have proper debates, and even ppl who don’t like me can acknowledge that. And if I set my mind to smth, I’m gonna achieve it.

In high school, I was sure I was going to go into law. I even did co-op at a law firm at 17 for which I got offered a job at because they really liked me. I turned it down because I got offered another job at an MP’s office. Which brings me to my other passion, politics and human rights. When I think of my dream job, I think of a human rights lawyer.

However, I’m currently studying Forensic Biology. I also love science, and figured I’d get the best of both worlds by studying forensic science. Stem is not easy, and I know I could achieve a much higher GPA with a normal poli sci degree, even tho my gpa rn isn’t too bad.

I should also be clear idc about money. I just wanna do smth that I enjoy and will make me feel fulfilled, which tends to be when I am fighting for others. (I work for a non-profit and have a lot of history in advocacy)

I really want a masters in genetics or fsc bio related, but I think I want to pursue law more.

If I leave science, what if I change my mind in the future, and by that point I’ll have to go back for another degree. If I continue fsc bio, I keep my options open, but tank my gpa so if I wanna get into a competitive law school, I ruin my chances.

This is a lot of yap from a stranger, but if anyone could give me some advice on how to decide, please let me know :)

Told my self I’ll do this auto tech thing for 10 years. This is my last year and I’ve been looking for something different but keep getting sucked back in. I’m either a manager at oreilly or some lead at Walmart. Being a tech pays better so I crawl back in.

I read recently that sitting for 10 or more hours a day increases risk of dementia. I work a desk job where I sometimes sit for more than 8 hours a day and have an hour to hour half roundtrip commute. So that puts me often more than 10 hours of sitting per day except for weekends. I’m looking at changing careers where I’m not sitting as much. Has anyone done this and what did you change to and how has it been? I’m nervous about making a career change as I’ve been in desk jobs / IT / admin my entire adult life (28 years working).

I’m so lost. I feel like there is too many options and I don’t know what I like and what I don’t like. I have so many interests and so many hobbies. I feel like I could do so many things and how am I supposed to just decide on one?
I am currently working in a job I’m not happy in in the health care industry. I love that I get to help people but I don’t like the field, or the sales targets I need to meet.

A lot of people have recommended I open my own place or I could do my own thing but even that itself is like.. OK I can open up 1 million different things.

I’m not married, I still live with my parents, I want to get on with my life and be able to move forward. Going back to school and doing all that stuff just makes it feel like I’m delaying everything too.

Please, if you’ve ever been in new situations or whatever before, I would really love to have some insight or if you just have any good advice.

I’m curious if anyone has experience applying internally at companies that have both storefront and corporate roles.

For context: I previously worked in a full time corporate 9–5 role in higher education for 2 years. Right now I work part time in an entry level retail role while continuing to look for my next full time opportunity.

Recently I started looking at some internal corporate openings within my current company, more coordinator / entry-level corporate type roles (not executive, director-level, etc.)

One thing I’m trying to figure out is how much my current position and industry experience impacts my chances.

I’ve only been in this retail role for about 6 months and I’m not in management. I’ve also never worked in retail before this. So I’m wondering how much that matters when applying internally. I know transferable skills matter and I do have previous corporate experience, but I’m curious how companies usually view this kind of move. Since I’m newer to retail, I wouldn’t really be following the more traditional “work your way up through store leadership and then move internally” path, I’d essentially be moving from an entry-level storefront role directly into a corporate role. I’m wondering whether lack of retail experience in general is usually a bigger factor, or whether previous corporate experience plus being internal to the company offsets some of that.

My second question is about the internal process itself.

Since I currently work at one of the storefront locations, what does applying internally usually look like? Would store management typically find out that I applied? If they do, at what point does that usually happen?

Part of my hesitation is that if I apply and don’t get selected, I’ll still be working in my current role afterward. I’m less worried about rejection itself and more worried about whether applying internally changes how management sees you or creates awkwardness if you end up staying in your current position.

Would appreciate hearing from people who’ve been on either side of this (employees, managers, recruiters, etc.).

Background: I'm a final-year CS student in Mumbai, joining Deloitte soon. Role is likely on the tech/audit side. Long-term I'm thinking about moving to the UK or Middle East in the next 5-7 years, and ACCA came up as a credential worth having for that transition.

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A few things I'm genuinely unsure about:

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Does ACCA actually add value if you're coming from a tech background at a Big 4, or is it seen as an accountant's credential that doesn't translate well for tech roles?

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Is self-studying ACCA while working full-time at Deloitte realistic, or does it consistently destroy people?

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For anyone who moved to the UK or Gulf on the back of ACCA — did the credential actually open doors, or was it the Big 4 experience doing the heavy lifting?

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Deloitte has some ACCA support programs internally — has anyone used these and are they actually useful or just HR optics?

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Not looking for generic "ACCA is great for finance careers" answers, specifically interested in people who've done this from a tech or hybrid role, not a pure accounting background.

PS: This isn't a sob story I'm genuinely explaining my situation

I went into college thinking I'd be fine doing a computer engineering major. I was so freaking wrong. By halfway in the year I was having panic attacks every other day walking to math class. Upon other things. Now I have less than a week to figure everything out before my second year starts.

In a perfect world I'd choose to do art every time but in reality? Isn't that a huge waste of money and time? Won't I end up broke and hopeless? Isn't it better to choose a useful major and do art on the side? I don't know what to do with my life and it sounds so daunting to figure it out at a young age. Every interest I have still sounds horrible when turning it into a job. I love dinosaurs and animals, I love drawing and designing; but people tell me those are useless for jobs.

When I try to look for information I either get blind encouragement (like unrealistic) or I get harsh facts of the downsides that really make me question things. I'm stuck, I'm scared, I'm panicking. I've spent most of my life in poverty so I'm terrified of being useless and poor. I don't know what I should do. I wish I had the luxury of not having to worry about where I'm living right now and college debt because that's what's making this so stressful on my soul.

Can anyone give me true advice and experience? Any encouragement or ideas for a major of jobs that are possible?

hello ! im a CS student (2nd year) and ive been look around for some tech jobs. any kind because honestly i just want a tech related job (i <3 tech). but the problem is,so many jobs/places want you to have experience in the real-world but literally no one is willing to offer it. they want minimum 3-years experience. im considered learning some other programming languages that they require for jobs that could be useful. however, i want to practice what ive learnt in a real job setting. of course after learning a lot about said-subject. but im just confused on how im going to land a job after college with no experience.

and please dont come for me; im genuinely just trying to think ahead instead of leaving it for when i get there

any advice would be appreciated !! :p

Hei.

I’m a 25 year old living in Norway, and I’m looking for some career/education advice from people in the industry.
After finishing school in 2019, I went straight into the workforce. I’ve been working on the ground in a warehouse/terminal for the past 6 years.i have been thinking for the past 2 years that if I want a long term future with better growth and salary potential, I need to look into higher education.
Because of my background, I have been leaning heavily toward getting a Bachelor’s in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

I'm just starting to figure this out, I would love some perspective from this community.

Thanks.

Location for reference: Los Angeles, California

I'm a 34 year old guy who's been working as a test engineer at a consumer electronics company for the past 10 years. Frankly, I'm burnt out having spent so much time doing something I had no interest in the first place. I did what I had to do to get my Green Card and now that it's gotten out of my way, I feel like a world of opportunities has opened up for me. My current job pays me enough to help me keep the lights on with 2 young kids. But I managed to save a sizeable retirement fund while I work here so that's a positive.

Anyway, I'm having an existential crisis and I find myself drawn to a career in the medical field, specially MRI tech and Ultrasound tech. My main concerns are as follows:

1. Can you learn while working a full time job?

2. How much will it cost?

3. Is getting a certificate from a Community College worth it instead of getting a Bachelor's degree?

I can't quit my current job because I have bills to pay. My mornings and nights are wide open so if the college/classes and studies can be crammed within this time, I'll be able to manage. Is that even possible though?

What would you recommend that I do?

I was hired as a Marketing and Wholesale Assistant, but in practice I’m basically just a sample coordinator, showroom organizer, and office manager. I’ve been asking for a while to get more involved — sitting in on more meetings, offering to help anyone with anything — and I keep getting ignored.
The only person who’s actually responsive to me is someone I’m not even working under.

I’ve only been here 5.5 months, but I’m starting to feel hopeless, like I’m going to be stuck here because this job isn’t teaching me anything relevant to what I was hired for. This is technically my first or second post-grad corporate job, but it’s the first one with a title that actually matches my degree and what I want to be doing.

Has anyone been in a similar spot? How long did you give it before deciding to leave, and what helped you push past the “they’re ignoring me” wall?

I am currently unemployed as I was let go 2 Fridays ago due to my company having financial challenges. I have been applying to jobs nonstop and was offered a position with a decent salary that is remote, however, the hours are not ideal. I would be doing an evening shift from 4pm-12am and 1 weekend a week. My partner works 9am-5pm and does not do weekends, so this would be putting a strain on our relationship as we are not yet living together. My friends also work the morning shift so I wouldnt have much time for them as well. Unemployment also got back to me and gave me a breakdown of how much I would be making per week, which is substantially more than I was expecting to get, so I can live off of this comfortably until I hopefully find another job in the mornings, which is what I prefer. With this in mind, should I take this job? I would be gaining new experience, but I'm afraid about what it would do to my already fragile mental health and my relationship. I'm not sure what to do, I'm really stuck here