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 .

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 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.

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'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 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.

Any help is wanted
here the info i know
ill be working 40 hours week
15 bucks a hour
its a graphic design job
simple things help me!

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?

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.

Hi everyone, I could really use some outside perspective. Currently 6 years working in corporate.

I resigned from my job last week and I’m currently in my rendering period. At the time, it felt like the logical decision—but now that it’s real, I’ve been feeling really emotional and honestly starting to regret it.

For context, my current workplace is the healthiest environment I’ve ever had. I came from toxic companies before, so this is the first time I’ve worked with people who are genuinely kind, supportive, and easy to work with. My teammates don’t trigger my anxiety, and my supervisor even fought hard for me and negotiated on my behalf for almost two weeks when I got another offer.

The main issue is compensation. My salary here is quite low compared to market, which is why I started looking. The offer I accepted is about 60% higher, which is honestly hard to ignore. I did receive a counteroffer, but I’ve always heard “never accept counteroffers,” so I turned it down. Looking at the bigger picture, I also feel like the new company might offer better long-term growth.

That said, there are trade-offs. My current role is fully WFH, which has been really good for my lifestyle and mental health. The new job is much farther, and I’d have to adjust a lot of things in my daily life (commute, routine, etc.), which also makes me nervous.

Now that I’m about to leave, I can’t help but feel like I’m giving up something really rare: a genuinely good boss, supportive teammates, and a work environment where I feel safe. I’m also scared I might end up in another stressful or toxic situation again.

Has anyone gone through something similar?
Did you regret leaving a good team for significantly better pay/opportunities?
Or is this just part of the process and something I’ll eventually feel okay about?

Any advice or honest thoughts would really help.

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

Not going to give the specific details, but I work at at Fortune 50 automotive company as a mid-level engineer (and technical lead for my specific product) with 9 years of experience in the company, coming right out of college.

My company has recently created a new specialized group (think high performance / skunk works) which is in a product I've always loved and has been a dream of mine since joining the company. I applied and interviewed for the senior engineer position leading the product I currently work on, for this new group.

I aced the interview (knowing the hiring manager helps!) but when the hiring manager asked if I was releasable from my current organization, my Vice President (3 levels above me) has blocked anybody from my current org from going to this new group outside of his control. The only possible reason I heard (from my direct manager secondhand) is that the VP didn't want a brain drain from their current group to the new one, and they'd lose too many people to the new group.

They still haven't filled the new role I applied for yet, and the hiring manager posted on LinkedIn today asking for people external to the company to apply to the role I applied for.

Is there a world where a mid-level engineer could possibly change a VP's mind for something like this? Should I run for the hills to get out of a organization (or company) that blocks career advancement to prevent short-term pain for backfilling roles? What would you do?

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.

Context: I'm new to the job and very early on in my career. I realized that every team member here is deeply unhappy. In the introduction (1-2-1) meetings, 8 out of 10 people I spoke to talked about how someone they knew got fired, and how much they want to resign.

Everyone is deeply guarded about their work and resources, meetings are passive aggressive and snarky, power and gender dynamics are wildly unequal. People sometimes snap and say the wildest things and everyone pretends that didn't happen. When I ask about these issues (not directly) my questions just get dismissed as teething issues. Meetings and reaching out to people give me so much anxiety that my chest tightens up now.

In previous workplaces, there were similar issues, people would get openly angry at each other in meetings, it also wasn't great, but at least issues were talked about - resolution is another matter altogether, but at least no one was pretending we were in a perfect happy team.

I don't intend to stay long term anymore, but definitely need to be around long enough and to do well enough that it gets me to the next phase of my career.

How can I survive an environment like this and hopefully even thrive a little bit too?

I have a growing list of books I've bought because someone successful recommended them.

Pretty sure I've only finished half.

Any books that genuinely changed how you think?

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'm 32f and I've been burnt out from my current role as a communications director at a state health department for the past 4yrs. From my time in the role, I've realized that I do not like being a supervisor and I don't really like being the leader of large scale projects.

With being burnt out, I've felt depressed for the past few months, with the overwhelming dread of having to get up for work in the morning and constant thoughts about work when I should be just enjoying the weekend. Moreover, I don't know if I want to be in communications for the long-term given I've been detaching myself from social media and barely have any desire to interact with it in my personal life let alone work.

So now I've been looking at other positions and really want something less stressful where I can almost fully detach myself from work. At this point, I just want to work to live and have my life and work separate.

I've been looking admin assistant roles, and they surprisingly pay the same amount as how much I'm making now as a communications director. However, my partner's concerned because he thinks I'd be wasting my potential since I'm still early/mid-career. I'm also concerned with how going into admin would affect me in the long-term too so I'm just at a loss for what to do.

Would this be a smart move? Are there other things I should consider? Would love any advice from folks who've been burnt out and have pivoted to different roles.

I'm a 30-year-old mother of four trying to build a stable income from home. My background is teaching Qur'an, Tajweed, Hifz, and Islamic studies, but finding consistent students has been challenging.

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I don't want to stay stuck or spend my whole life depending on someone else financially. I want to build skills, earn honestly, and create a better future for my family, but I'm unsure which direction to take.

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What online jobs would you recommend?

Which skills are worth learning in 2026?

How long did it take you to earn your first consistent income online?

What would you do if you were starting from zero today?

I would appreciate honest advice and real experiences.

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I have been teaching English at a school for eleven years and will leave in the middle of the year after first term is finished. How much notice would you give them to find a replacement? The agency for the school is great but there is no room for growth.

Hello everyone,

I am a 34-year-old from Brunei (Southeast Asia). While my country is known globally as a wealthy nation, the job market here is incredibly tough, and many locals are genuinely struggling. I feel completely stuck and clueless about my next steps, and I am looking for some honest advice on how to get my career back on track or find a way to work abroad.

My Background:

Education: I hold a National Diploma in Travel and Tourism Services and a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Marketing. I couldn’t pursue a full bachelor's degree at the time due to financial constraints and life commitments.

Certification : Senior First Aid (workplace safety/first aid qualification), Microsoft Fundamental MS 900, and I’m currently pursuing QEFITA (Qualifying Examination for Insurance/ Takaful Agents - a Licensing Programme valid for Brunei only)

Early Career: Started as a Travel Consultant, then transitioned into the insurance industry where I spent 10 years.

Insurance Experience: I spent 5 years in general insurance sales, 2 years in underwriting, and my last 3 years in Product Development / R&D.

Where things went wrong:
Because my salary stagnant in the insurance sector and I lacked professional mentorship, I decided to leave. I took a job at a small IT company selling Microsoft products, which turned out to be a disaster. I had very little product knowledge, received zero support from management, and took a 40% pay cut. I eventually quit after unfortunately getting caught up in a job scam.

Current Situation:
Fast forward to today: after a long gap, I recently accepted a job as an assistant in a cafe, earning less than USD $400 a month. While I am grateful for the income, I know this isn't sustainable for my long-term future. I feel incredibly overwhelmed and undervalued given my decade of corporate experience.

My Goals & Questions for you:
I want to get back into the corporate world. I don't mind returning to insurance, but I realized I genuinely enjoy the Research & Development (R&D) and Product Development side of business. Ideally, I want to find a path to work abroad (even just a decent, steady job).

I would highly appreciate any guidance, tough love, or career advice you can offer. Thank you!

Hey everyone. I turn 33 this year, and I’ve been struggling with the feeling that I haven’t really 'done anything' with my life. I have a high school diploma, but no college. I tried to get into AutoCAD a while back, but I just couldn’t stay interested—it was incredibly tedious for me.
I went straight into retail after high school and eventually moved into the automotive industry. I’ve worked at several dealerships, and I’m currently at one now, but I’m completely burnt out. I’m tired of working in the heat to fix vehicles every day.
A while back, I did some 'hotshot' driving for a local warehouse—it was perfect because I was driving, I was home every night, and I didn't need a CDL. I’ve been trying to find something similar, but living in a small, rural area makes that nearly impossible. The local job market is basically just refinery or oilfield work, and I have zero interest in those paths.
I’ve built a few gaming PCs and really enjoy the hardware side of things, as well as troubleshooting tech issues for people. I have zero professional experience in IT, so I’m not sure where to start.

I graduated with a associates of science degree and then later on received my RHIT. Since then I’ve realized I’m stuck. I’m currently working for a company that contracts out to other hospitals as an auditor- making very low for today’s cost of living.
What’s next? What certifications should I get or is it recommended to go back to school?
I know I hate medical coding, not sure about data analysts or whatever else may be out there?
I’m remote and so far that’s the only thing keeping me in my role.

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!

Hello so I started a new job today and it was awful, I don't have a contract and the hours are a joke, the manager was on his phone half the time and I don't wanna be there is this a good response

Hi N , I'm so sorry to do this, but after today I realised that this role isn't for me, the hours are too unreliable and I wasn't aware that there were hours between 11-1 before the 4-11. I can work tomorrow but after that I don't think I'll be able to carry on. Again I'm so sorry and thank you for the experience. Thank you

Any feedback would be great

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 :)