I just turned 24, and about to graduate with a degree in Electrical Engineering. My GPA is terrible, and although I was fortunate enough to land a job, it’s not what I want to do with my life.

I recently got rejected from a job I really wanted because of my incompetence and I’m just tired. I spent nearly my entire college experience depressed and alone, didn’t managed to make any real friends. I feel like I’ve wasted some of the most important years of my life.

I don’t even want to finish the semester. I have no motivation left to keep trying when I feel like my life is going to be trash anyway. I had such big aspirations when I was younger, but the older I get, the more I realize that I’m just not smart enough to achieve them. Sometimes I wonder why I even tried to become an engineer in the first place.

i don’t know what to do

Hello everyone, I'm 26f, and still in college ( engineering) , living with my parents, unemployed, and single for past couple of years . I'm trying hard to finish my degree but it will take 1 more year . I also am trying to go on dates but since my life is messed up I can't understand what i need in a partner so end up cutting all the connections off . I will be 28 when I can officially start my life ... I'm also scared that with no job experience, at 28 it will hard for me to find a job or even a partner in life. I donno I feel so lost in life . Everyone is already settled and i feel stuck . Is 20s supposed to be this fucked up.

I feel like ending my life many times but i feel like it's just 1 year just hold on to it. But some days i wake up with no motivation at all. ( I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder 3 years ago) But i recovered 1 year ago. But sometimes i feel like I'm about to fall back to that whole so I try my best not to.

I’m 32F, divorced, single, and struggling more than I’d like to admit. I’ve traveled extensively, worked in luxury hospitality, challenged myself, and built a life around independence…but lately, I feel like I’m drowning.

I’m realizing how much of my ambition came from needing to prove myself, and I’m exhausted from constant work, financial stress, and uncertainty about what comes next.

Professionally, I have 4.5+ years in luxury hospitality , including management, and 10+ years in general hospitality.

I’d like to transition into something stable, ideally remote or hybrid, where I can use my skills without sacrificing my entire life to work. I’m in therapy and doing a lot of self-reflection, but understanding my patterns hasn’t made the next steps any clearer.

Has anyone else felt this lost in their 30s and managed to turn things around? What helped? what career paths would you recommend with my background?

I’d really appreciate some perspective. I’m tired of feeling like I have to figure everything out alone anymore 🫶

I'm a guy in my late 20s, and I honestly don't know what to do with my life anymore.

Since childhood, I've always wanted to do something of my own instead of working a regular job for the rest of my life. A while ago, I was working a low-paying job abroad, but I quit after less than a year because I couldn't see myself doing it long-term.

I thought I could build something of my own, especially with AI changing the world and so many people making money online with just a laptop and an internet connection.

But now, more than 18 months later, I'm still in the same place. I haven't built anything, I haven't made any money, and I still don't know what I want to do.

The biggest problem is that I don't have any real skills that I can use to make money. I keep thinking about starting an online business or doing something of my own, but I can't figure out what to do or where to start.

At this point, I'm thinking about moving abroad again and taking another low-paying job just to get my life moving. It feels like I'm going backwards, especially after spending so much time trying to build a different future for myself.

I feel terrible about the fact that I'm almost 30 and still haven't figured things out. I see people learning skills, building businesses, and making progress, while I'm about to return to the exact kind of job I left behind.

Part of me thinks I should just accept reality, get a job, and stop chasing something I might never be able to achieve. Another part of me feels like I'll regret giving up on my dream.

What would you do if you were in my position?

Would you move abroad again, take the low-paying job, and try to learn a useful skill in your free time? Or would you stay where you are and keep trying to figure out a way to make money on your own?

I'm not looking for motivational quotes or people telling me to follow my dreams. I'd genuinely like to hear from people who have been in a similar situation and can tell me what actually worked for them.

P.S. I choose my previous job thinking I’d build a side hustle, learn new skills, and work on other things alongside my job. But the reality was completely different. I never had the time or energy to do any of it. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a 40-hour workweek and a low-stress job. That’s one of the reasons I quit. I had no life outside of work, and my mental health was wrecked. It’s been over 18 months since I left that job, and I’m still seeing a psychiatrist because of what I went through. Sometimes, a job takes so much out of you that you have nothing left to invest in yourself or your future.

I am 33F A few months ago, I became unemployed, and since then, I’ve been constantly doing things I truly enjoy. I feel happier and more energetic—I even wake up earlier now than I did when I was working. Fortunately, I was compensated by the company so I can be financially secure for a year or two.

I enjoy traveling, changing my surroundings, and switching up my tasks. I feel like I’ve done things in reverse: I studied engineering and started working, which allowed me to buy an apartment with a very low mortgage.

My friends are already getting married and having children—even those who spent their youth traveling and moving between different jobs. It makes me feel like I’m doing things backward.

I love my friends, I love caring for people, and I value meaningful human connections, but I have no interest in a committed, long-term relationship.

Right now, I’m trying to figure out how to make a living without a "steady 9-to-5 job."

I can’t use "work and holiday" visas because I’m over 30. I’ve considered seasonal work or studying tourism to become a guide somewhere, but I’m not sure where to start or how to go about it. I’m also very interested in studying something related to nature—something that would still allow me to stay mobile. I feel like I have so many different interests.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Did you find a solution?

It's pathetic to admit but I can't see myself doing any job. My only hobbies are reading and writing but journalism/author is off the table.

My only real passion is to make a stable income ($80k+, it's okay if starts lower and grows overtime) I am a woman and not very physically fit so the trades intimidate me. I struggle with sciences and maths so anything requiring proficiency in physics, chemistry or math is not an option. I feel I have no strengths, I've always been a 70s-80s student no matter the subject.

I looked into aviation services as I have a high interest in planes however I don't do well under pressure so a pilot or an ATC would not be suitable for me.

Additionally, not to be nit-picky but I don't want to do anything super business esque so no marketing, sales, finance or analytics.

Im extremely stressed about picking a career as I just don't see myself enjoying nor excelling in any job and I would like some career suggestions for me to do proper research on.

I’m 28 year old mom. I used to work in childcare but now I’ve been a SAHM for 4 years. Recently I’ve been feeling down about my life and I want to get my life back on track. I’ve always wanted to go to school and get degrees. I think motherhood made me slightly depressed but now I’m finally feeling like this is my moment.

I’ve been wanting to go to nursing school but I’m very antisocial and honestly I dont know if I’m a good fit to work in healthcare.

I know I want to be making good money. I’d love to work from home.

I love studying, I like challenges and I believe I’m a hard worker.

I was thinking about IT field but a lot of people fears AI will take over most of IT jobs. What else is there I could study to help me get a remote job and good income?

Hey guys! I’m 19 and currently a freshman in college majoring in philosophy. I’ve never really been particularly great at school. I attended a Catholic grade school, Catholic high school, and will soon be transferring to the University of Dayton, another Catholic institution. So I’ve always had access to a pretty good education, but I’ve never really stood out academically in any particular subject besides religion. Ironically, I’m actually an agnostic atheist, but I find religion and philosophy deeply fascinating.

Recently, I’ve started realizing something about myself. One thing I’ve always genuinely enjoyed is leading, teaching, organizing, and speaking in front of people. I love public speaking, having an audience, sharing ideas, and being in a position where I can guide or motivate others. Looking back, I think this desire to lead has always been a pretty consistent part of my personality.

I’ve considered becoming a philosophy professor, and even coaching has started to interest me. I think there’s something really fulfilling about helping people grow, bringing people together, and working toward a common goal.

I’m not necessarily looking to switch my major, because I genuinely enjoy philosophy. But I’m curious: What career paths would you recommend for someone who really enjoys leadership, teaching, public speaking, and working with people?

I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who have found careers that allow them to use those qualities regularly!

I've been living back home for a year after rehab and ED treatment and I've been running my own business but it isn't profitable yet.

I've been looking for a job/career to help bridge the gap but I've been struggling to find any job willing to work with my disabilities. I have Bipolar, BPD, Autism, ADHD, OCD, Dyscalulia, Slow Processing Disorder, POTs, ME/CFS, Klippel- Feil Syndrome, and hypermobility.

I've gotten fired from almost 20 jobs in the 7 years I've been able to work for similar reasons: flaring up on the job and almost passing out, working too slowly, not understanding social cues, and needing to take breaks to sit down. I go in and give every job my 200% effort, try to mask my neurodivergence and daily pain/fatigue, but I end up falling behind.

I've always been told I'm a nice, bright guy but I have my issues. I enjoy cooking/baking, creating content, writing, traveling, coming up with new brands/businesses, and weight training (when my body will let me). I've been trying to monetize some of these passions with no luck yet.

I used to be so optimistic about the future and have all these ambitions and goals, until the reality of my health issues took hold. I know one day I'll be able to figure something out, I haven't given up hope, I'm just lost in the present moment. But this is just a season, not the entire journey.

I look around.. on job boards, on indeed, local government programs, all these things.

All I can say is that when I look at all of these things..it fills me up with anxiety.

It seems like nothing at all pays good, nothing is worth learning in 90% of these programs because no one wants a man in training, or the pay in that field is garbage until you're in it for a decade.. and all the jobs near me are basically confidentiality asking people to come work for them and not be able to afford your bills and essential living costs - besides medical.

I keep trying to look into the trades but the requirements are very egregious. I can't even get a general labor job and my last job was a year doing labor in fab shop. Everywhere wants you to know how to use multiple heavy duty machinery, years of experience, know this and that.. it's clear I'm not in demand. Journey men are. And I can't waste my time in these razor thin margin shops that don't have time to train and keep you as a general laborer.

All I can think of is trying for nursing, EMT or something related because it seems like that's the closest there is to making some ok money. . and honestly if that isn't the answer.. then I don't know what the next step is.. tired of being stumped and lost, I turned 25 a month ago and I feel like I just can't afford to keep wondering aimlessly anymore. It's killing me.

I have been an events coordinator and front desk at two hotels, worked for the court as a legal assistant, admin assistant for a corporate company and dealership, and lastly a loan processor assistant for a mortgage company.

It was my favorite job I've done so far because there was so much to learn, problem solving, communication within different departments and had various deadlines and required me to be very organized. I love when everyday is different and I also wouldn't mind doing something that involves me being slightly active. I am introverted and enjoy working on my own and not being around many people.

I am also good at helping people but have no interest in Healthcare or working at a hospital.

I have no idea what else to do since so many careers require 2-5 years experience. I've done research on programs at different universities and nothing seems to interest me.

I live in California and I feel like every job posting requires so many years of experience

I'm 26 and have been having a hard time figuring out what to do with my life. I was in mortgage and was promoted 2 months ago and they ended up doing a mass layoff

I have tried so many different careers I feel like I'm running out of options and I have no idea what to do anymore. I'm getting anxious since I'm seeing there's a decline in administration roles too.

Greetings,

For the last few years I struggled to find my professional path and have lived through a time of uncertainty, always thinking about going back to university or doing something completely different with my life.

I am a neurologist interested in intensive care and emergency medicine. Fields that are somewhat uncommon for neurologists and most of my colleagues (at least here in Germany) lean towards the more conservative areas of our profession, mostly working on hospital wards or in doctors' offices. It took me quite some time to find my path, but from the moment I realized that I am one of those "odd ones", I've felt that my professional life is moving in a more fulfilling direction.

Now, since these specializations are quite uncommon for neurologists, there aren't many clinics actually offering positions in these fields (especially in intensive care units run by neurologists). There's only one clinic in my vicinity, and it's my current workplace. Unfortunately, working there is extremely bleak and unfulfilling because the ICU is run by anaesthesiologists and we neurologists only handle the most basic tasks somewhat related to intensive care medicine. I've tried to improve things but our chief isn't interested in helping me, since he himself leans strongly toward the more conservative side of neurology.

Long story short, to find professional fulfillment I basically have to move to a different city, probably quite far away from my hometown due to the lack of fitting clinics.

Which brings me to the other side of my problem. I currently live in my parents’ house, where I rent a space; another household lives on a different floor. I really live in paradise: a very good neighborhood, a forest just across the street, and a quiet town. Also, I am going to inherit this house when my mother passes away. Material things are obviously not the whole deal. Leaving this town would mean leaving behind my mother and my best and actually only real friend. I left for university before and even though I came back almost ten years ago, I feel that i never really settled in again. I no longer feel a connection to this town and besides my mother and my friend there isn’t really anything keeping me here since I haven’t managed to build a proper social circle beyond my colleagues at work. I'm seriously thinking about moving somewhere else and even about moving to Sweden for reasons that go beyond the scope of this thread.

I can see many arguments for and against both leaving and staying.

I value professional fulfillment highly and have a pragmatic view of it. I'll be spending most of my life in this job, might as well do something interesting and fulfilling. I do not see myself working "just for the sake of it".

On the other hand, for the last few years I always had this feeling that I might be about to leave again. I can't fully rule out the possibility that this feeling has led me to let opportunities to improve my private life slip by. I do want to add that marriage and starting a family are no longer on my life’s agenda. But who knows, maybe, if I had good social connections, friends, a partner, maybe I'd bite the bullet, work a less-that-ideal job and stay here in my house?

So, to wrap it up, as I see it, these are my options:

a. Move somewhere else, find a fulfilling job, build a new life, and leave behind a house, my mother, and my best friend.

b. Stay, endure a mind-numbing, uninteresting job that might or might not improve in the future, really commit to the people around me, find a partner, and build a social circle.

I’m lost and could use any input. Thank you so much!

I’m 28 and torn between joining the IBEW and going back to school to eventually become a CRNA. I’d appreciate honest advice from people in either career.

I have around 7,200 hours of nonunion electrical experience, mostly residential, and enjoy working with my hands. The IBEW would let me build on that experience and start earning sooner, but I’m concerned about physical wear, potentially driving an hour or more to job sites, and whether I could make $90k–$110k without relying on excessive overtime or travel.

CRNA appeals to me because of the earning potential, potentially less physical wear, and the possibility of working part-time or three shifts a week. I live within 15 minutes of several hospitals. I also shadowed a CRNA who genuinely loves his job and expects to make around $300k this year working roughly 40 hours a week. I realize that’s not necessarily typical.

The downside is that I’d need to complete prerequisites, nursing school, ICU experience, and CRNA school. I’m not particularly fond of school, and I’m worried about the time and money involved or putting my life on hold for years.

My goals are to buy a house, get married, have kids, save for retirement, travel occasionally, and enjoy hobbies. I’d like to start dating seriously within the next year or two, too. I want financial security without work consuming my life.

For those in either field:

● Can electricians realistically make $90k–$110k while working around 40 hours, without excessive travel or long commutes?  
● For CRNAs, was the schooling worth it? How realistic are part-time schedules and strong incomes?  
● Which career gives you a better quality of life, schedule, and work-life balance?  
● If you were 28 again with my experience and priorities, which would you choose?

I’m not just comparing salaries. I’m trying to figure out which path offers the best overall life in the long run.

Hey guys, I’m super overwhelmed, recently graduated masters but I don’t know what to do now, what to look for, anything. I’m still looking for a “simple” part time job but it’s hard to even find that, and due to my disability I can’t work in noisy/busy places, so that doesn’t leave a lot of side jobs I can do, which sucks. If it was possible I would’ve worked in a club or cafe but I can’t, sadly. Unless I get captioning glasses but even then, it might not work as well and is expensive. I’m also often too “old”, at 27, because many places just want cheap labour.

So my education is as follows, I did Cambridge advanced English first of all, then went on to university and studied film & literature, then did my master’s in design (university level not practical level) and I did a short marketing internship for 2 months but I couldn’t finish it because I burned out due to physical & mental health issues.

For working experience I worked in retail for a year or so. As a kid I lived in a town and I sorted mail in the early morning for a while, as well as distributing folders and mail in a few neighbourhoods on my bike. Due to my disability I found it hard to work next to school.

I do have skills, but I don’t have a portfolio bc it was always just a hobby. I have skills in all of the Adobe programs, especially graphic design, photo & video editing, I used to do it for years as a teen, just for fun. Next to that my biggest love is producing music & DJing, which got some traction but yea finding a job is a bit more important to me right now.

I’m just laying my cards down on the table and I hope you could give me some advice or guidance from an outsider’s perspective.

Im in a dead end minimum wage job at 23. I fell for the scam that is college and majored in something i thought would be worthwhile but was really stupid in hindsight. Ive somehow locked myself out of every job a high school dropout can do from what i can tell given ive easily sennt out 1500 apps in the past 2 years and im still stuck here. People talk about what they want in life like settling down, having hobbies, growing old but i dont imagine ill make it to 40 with where i am and the state of the world. I just keep lying to myself that everything will be ok but i know deep down it wont. As soon as my family has had enough of me and makes me move out some day ill be as good as dead given i live in a rural area with no resources for the homeless (this is honestly probablly a good thing ultimately though so my suffering wont be dragged out).

I literally have zero plans for life or goals even out just 10 years from now, i really have no idea how ill live that long. Absolute best case scenario is i work minimum wage till i die at 80 all alone while being homeless and never being able to retire since retirement in general is becoming a thing of the past.

So yeah, head injury 14-15 years ago, basically the word is Anhedonia I think. I don't have passions, dreams or interests. They aren't buried or not lack of self esteem they just don't exist, so I don't have any internal compass to guide me as a starting point.

Have tried thinking of any skills I do have, but many of those, like driving I can't use anymore because I have seizures and lost peripheral vision in my left eye so driving isn't safe and such.

I keep trying to narrow down by health factors but what solves one health factor, would set off another and I can't seem to find the combo that would actually be safe/sustainable for my body.

I don't like being at home doing nothing all the time, and I'm kind of restricted financially due to unemployment because of health so I can't really just try things or go places.

I've tried all the usual advice of therapy/medications (medications messed me up worse and therapy didn't really help because its not a self esteem issue or such), i've tried remote jobs admin etc all that but those overload my brain and I can't keep up, so I'm not sure what else to think of.

I can still learn, but its really slow. Like mega patience required. Gotta show me several times, ideally have a checklist to make sure if its a workflow type thing, or if its a simple task, sure I can do it like fold these for me, go sweep up, sure, but after that i'd be waiting for the next task to be handed out.

Really frustrating feeling this dumb because I struggle and I guess the question is, how to find a path, when - you don't have wants/interests/passions (literally at all)? As well as trying to juggle health issues that make a lot of jobs or even hobbies unsafe/unsustainable?

Many thanks for reading if you got this far

I'm a 23M from Syria, and well, I know most of you aren't familiar with the situation here in Syria, so I'll explain it all briefly:

Well in 2011 a revelation broke out in Syria against the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad but after a while hell broke loose and well it became a full civil war.

And well from that moment My whole life turned upside down from a peaceful life any 8 years old kid had to just trying to survive and wake up tomorrow and hope for the best that you and your family are doing well

And well that's not all either because even before the war itself i was born in a broken family

To a father who only cares about work

And a mother that only cared about us so we repay her in the future like a living and breathing retirement account

So all of this resulted in the fact that i grew up so isolated from everyone around me i didn't have any friends at school because every year we moved to a new house because of the war

And my day to day activities are like :

Go to school , come back home , study , sleep and repeat 🔁

And well after graduating school and going to college

This cycle continued in my life i didn't have any social life in college i treated it just like school before

Go to college, attend all classes, go back home, sleep, and repeat

And you will notice that there's something different in the college cycle which is the fact that i wasn't studying that well

And that's because i didn't have the energy to so i was so depressed and lonely at the time to the point that i didn't have the will to live anymore

I was a walking corpse . a shell of a man

But time doesn't wait for anybody, so the years kept running and in April of 2026 i was a freshly graduate software engineer

And well because the mental state that I'm in

When graduation came by i wasn't specialized in any field i studied a bit of web development a bit of android development and a bit of game dev and a bit of cyber security

And well, each time I start in a field, it always shuts down in my face

Mainly because the fact I'm living here in Syria

For several facts :

The first one is that electricity cuts out most of the day (I'm currently writing this in total darkness)

The second one is that the internet is so slow that reddit barely opens

The third is that I can't pay or get paid via any payment service

The forth is the rise of Artificial intelligence (i think this one explains itself)

And well it's been 6 months since i graduated and I didn't get a job still living with my parents and my CV is not looking good for me

And i don't know what to do

i'm 26, live in germany and enjoy swimming, so i'm trying to see whether it could point toward a career direction. i'm not looking for a professional athlete route, and i'd need work with a fairly regular schedule. what jobs or entry paths around swimming might fit that?

I'm not sure what flair would be best for this. It's mostly a career issue, but not entirely.

I'll try to keep this fairly concise since I've talked about this extensively in other subs. In short, I'm 24 and I'm objectively behind on a lot of basic milestones. My mother wouldn't let me learn to drive as a teenager, so I don't have a license. She's become more open teaching me, but lessons are inconsistent at best. I have an Associates, but I can't afford a university degree. Nearly all of my jobs have been entry level customer service positions. I have cPTSD and I struggle to cope with work long term. I live with my mother and I tyically help her with rent, but I had a pretty long job search before I got my current position. It's seasonal, $13/hr, no benefits.

I need to become independent, but I don't know how to get there without the ability to transport myself and earn a consistent paycheck. It's possible that professional help could get me to a more stable place, but I can't afford it. It feels like an endless cycle where I need help, but I can't afford it because I struggle so much, but I can't stop struggling without help, and so on. I know that I'm not suited to the service industry and I would probably cope better with an admin position, or something remote so that transportation wasn't such a barrier, but I haven't had any success getting positions like that. I did have a temporary library job that I loved and functioned much better at, and they even wanted to bring me on long-term, but they couldn't get approval for a new position.

I don't know if there's any advice that could help with this, but I'm putting it out there in case someone has been in a similar position and escaped. I feel stuck and I just don't know what to do with myself.

I've never felt as passionate about any other job in my life. I know it will be hard, but it is so deeply meaningful and I love the idea of spreading the Dharma and serving something so much greater than myself.

I know a path forward, for my sect, Jodo Shinshu, in the US I would need a Masters or M.Div from the Institute of Buddhist Studies if I wanted to be a full time priest. Schools is expensive, there are scholarships but it can still be pricy and they can't take government loans.

There's also the matter of placement. There is a priest shortage so I could probably get a job, but you have to be willing to move in a lot of situations and that's hard because I'd like to be near family, especially because I don't think the job pays well. It's not that I want to be rich, but I fear living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of my life and if I have to move for the job I won't have family for support if things get bad. Then, even if you get placed, the temple board has to vote on whether or not to keep you. I am not of Japanese ancestry, I'm not married and I'm not straight. While it's never explicitly stated, I know that these things make me less desirable as a head priest. It also makes it harder because there are some red states I simply could not live in because I would not have proper legal protections my counterparts enjoy.

That said, I love the temple, I love this school of Buddhism and I truly feel it's what I'm meant to do with my life. I thought about going for a masters in something that could give me other work, like working towards an LCSW or LPC, which could support me and help but I've spoken to other therapists who cautioned how time consuming it is, they asked how I could be a therapist and a priest, and in truly I would be pursuing the masters for therapy specifically so I could support being a priest. I would be devastated if I couldn't be a priest.

How can I realistically make this goal happen? How can I realistically do this while also not ending up in a situation where I'm one bad financial day from houselessness?

Hello and thank you for reading this. To introduce myself I’m currently a freshly turned 19-year-old male living in a small hometown of around 30,000 people in Ohio. I graduated high school a few months ago, and honestly, due to health issues, depression, anxiety, procrastination/ADHD and laziness, feel like I’ve just been wasting my life away these past few months and past year and a half.

It all started after I got sick, and ever since then, it feels like my life has been in black and white. Before all of this, I felt like I had so much potential and so many things to look forward to. I had a sense of warmth I felt in the world, safety, I wasn’t afraid all the time of my health or depressed on how the world is, or stressed out from things. Now, most days feel like I’m just existing rather than actually living. Everyday I either get a panic attack from not feeling good, and days I don’t I’m just depressed and so cold/ pointless viewing of everything.I used to get good grades, have a long-term relationship, and play football and I had such a sense of belonging, purpose, safety, warmth, and felt busy all the time and I want it back. For example, I played football I never thought about having a heart attack or anything but after it happened, this senior year I would get bad skipped heartbeats and before every game I even told my teammates to get the AED if I ever collapsed.

I’m slowly getting better physically and mentally but stuck at a negative, symptom ran baseline, and I’m trying to stay optimistic, because im naturally a motivated, happy, and excited person but I’m dealing with some ongoing health issues that doctors and I haven’t fully figured out yet, although I’m hoping to get answers soon within the next few weeks. Its nothing crazy but ever since a traumatic green out/hallucigenic event I’ve had real bad health anxiety, and also real symptoms that I suspect to be dysautonomia, CSF leak, heart issues, ear issues, or autoimmune. I also went in a months faze of researching religion and it’s turned me atheist and into this nihilistic way of living. I’ll randomly think about how lost we are as a society and no one really knows anything and I just feel so scared and tired of feeling sick and have such a morbid way of looking at the world and cold. It’s been exhausting physically and mentally, especially because I also already mildly struggled with anxiety and depression, disorders I didn’t even know were a real thing before suffering from it myself. I just want to feel like I can go into a room without being lightheaded and other symptoms 24/7, or having panic attacks, or being so negative and feeling trapped in my body all the time and get back to being the person I was before all of this started and these thoughts and I think figuring out my health and getting help is the first step.

One of the hardest parts so far post high school has been having to medically withdraw from my first semester at Ohio University due to getting mono, something I’m still recovering from, on top of my other symptoms.. I feel like a loser for it, especially because im older as well (turned 19 already earlier this month, even though I know I didn’t exactly choose to get sick and honestly deep down I felt like I wanted to stay home and save money and not be in debt anyways but even when I was there, and am such a positive, talkative, no social anxiety type of guy I felt like I never belonged and wasn’t a big partier and again I was so depressed and had multiple trips to the ER out of fear my spleen ruptured and lightheaded spouts which caused more trauma and depression. My plan right now is to attend a local branch campus and live at home, which I’m thankful to live with my brother and mom and have a very healthy relationship with her, literally the best mom I could ask for who would let me stay forever if I could, but anyways stay for the rest of the academic year because of this. I come from a pretty poor family, so graduating with as little student debt as possible is also really important to me but I fear like staying away from the events and people my age, or growing, especially as an extrovert, I feel like its taking away my experience and I feel like a bum just being at home and not really doing anything.

The biggest problem besides my health is that I feel like I’m wasting my life right now. On days when I feel healthy enough, I work, currently employed at chipotle and just got a second job at Texas Roadhouse as well but haven’t worked yet and broke due to being sick with mono and away at college. A lot of my days currently consist of staying home, doomscrolling, watching YouTube, maybe hanging out with my new gf who makes it all a little easier, going into a deep dive into NFL videos or madden, eating, having panic attacks, and repeating the same routine. I’m not going out much, I’m not meeting new people, and I’m not doing many of the things I imagined I’d be doing at this age.

Career-wise, I’m still figuring things out. Im really interested in sports, exersise, content, travel, and filmmaking/being creative in general. I’m interested in becoming a business analyst or going into project management because I think I’d enjoy the problem-solving aspect of those careers, and maybe later in life a pilot as I could see myself finding the work rewarding. I want a career that pays well enough to give me freedom, let me travel, and allow me to build a comfortable healthy life without being miserable at work every day.
Music is another big part of who I am. I produce music and work on it as a passion project, and my dream would honestly be to become a successful music artist someday. I know that’s an extremely difficult industry to make it in, so I’m not expecting to magically become famous. But I don’t want to completely abandon that dream either. Ideally, I’d build a stable career while continuing to pursue music seriously and see where it takes me.
I’ve also considered joining the Air National Guard at some point, mainly because of the benefits and opportunities it could provide. I’m not interested in going active duty or making the military my full-time life right now, but it’s something I’ve thought about as a possible option for my future.
The biggest problem is that I feel like I’m wasting my life right by doing nothing to build towards my future or any of these passions or goals.

I want to get back into the gym, get in shape, feel confident in my body again, and become healthier. I’m extremely out of shape and I wanna have that feeling of being exhausted from a hard days of work again when I was healthy, and I’m nos granger to hard work, I lost 100 pounds a few years ago and was in the best shape of my life before I lost it all. I want to make friends, experience new things, stop wasting my time doomscrolling and being anxious, travel, make music, build a career, and eventually become financially successful. I want to look back in a few years and feel proud of the person I’ve become.

I know I’m only 19, but I already feel so old and I’m feeling so behind. I see people moving away, going to college, making friends, dating, traveling, healthy, and figuring out their lives, while I feel like I’m stuck in the same place waiting for my health to improve.
I also feel lonely in my hometown. It’s not necessarily that there’s anything wrong with the place itself, but I feel like I need to experience more of the world. I want to get out there, meet different kinds of people, and discover who I am outside of the environment I’ve always known.

Despite how depressed I’ve been, I still have a lot of hope for my future. I genuinely believe I can build a life that I’m excited about. I know I have interests, ambition, and things I want to accomplish. I’m just struggling to figure out how to turn that into something real when I don’t feel like myself physically or mentally.
Part of me thinks I need to stop worrying so much about the big picture and focus on small steps: getting my health figured out, going back to the gym when my spleen from mono is back to normal although I constantly fear of dying from cardiac arrest or something , getting into a routine, saving money, and doing well in school. On the opposite end part of me feels like I need to be doing more right now, exploring opportunities, meeting people, and making the most of being young and taking the risks because I’m stressed to, even without that foundation to be able to do it.

Any advice/first steps on how to get back on my feet both mentally and physically?

What can I do so I’m not wasting away my days? The past year and a half has gone in a blink.

Am I a bum for moving back home and doing community college for my gen eds?

What are some goals I can set?

And any more advice is greatly appreciated. I’m sorry if my text was sporadic, I have bad ADHD and it’s hard to organize my speech.

Ive been almost a year out of highschool and I have no idea what career I want. All I know is I like the thought of not really being limited to an hourly pay, but more commission-based if that makes sense. I dont really like the thought of being limited to how much money I can make in a day or working my way up someone elses business. I understand whatever career I choose I wont start making alot or being independent but I just have no idea what career to choose in general.

One of the worst feelings is knowing you’re capable of more but not knowing what to do about it.

I’m in my 20s and think a lot about success and becoming wealthy. People say to follow your passion, but what if you don’t know what your passion is?

How do you find the right direction? Do you discover your passion or build it along the way? I’d love to hear real advice from people who’ve been through this.

I’m 34, and feeling really lost about my career. I want a profession I can throw myself into, become skilled at and build a future around.

My background is in hospitality, events, customer service and rental administration. I prefer practical, people-facing work over spending the entire day at a computer.

My Strong Interest Inventory results were highest in Artistic and Social, with Investigative and Enterprising almost tied. My stronger interests included teaching, public speaking, law, entrepreneurship and helping people. Adult education and self-enrichment teaching were my closest occupational matches. I also identify with aspects of ENFP/ENFJ, although I know those labels don’t determine a career.

After five paid career-counselling sessions, I have more possibilities but still no clear direction. The expanding list is making me overwhelmed, and I need help narrowing things down.

What one or two careers would you seriously recommend investigating and why? I’d especially appreciate hearing from people doing those jobs about actual pay, training requirements and the less appealing parts.

Hi all, I’m 32 and live in Ontario, Canada. I’m back with my parents after a divorce (no kids).

I’ve worked in my family’s commercial cleaning business for most of my life, from floor care up to supervisor and account manager. About 10 years ago, I studied Social Service Work and worked in the field for a while, but I found out it wasn’t my cup of tea. A few years ago, my ex and I decided to go back to school together to switch industries and study graphic design. We separated partway through, so I moved back in with my parents and finished the diploma.

After graduating, I got a remote design job. I liked working from home, but after a few months I was let go because of budget cuts. Nowadays, entry-level design looks very competitive and futile with AI, and trying to freelance burnt me out, so I stopped pursuing it. I then took an area manager job with a service company, but it was 24/7 on-call with constant driving, and it never moved from a temporary contract to permanent, so I felt like I couldn’t build a stable future there. I quit, and now I’m helping my dad with his business. I’m grateful for that, but I don’t want to make a career of it.

Outside work, I’ve mostly done music, art and games my whole life, so I feel like I haven’t experienced much else.

I’m looking for a regular, roughly 9 to 5 job, mostly at a desk, with room to advance over time. I don’t mind starting at the bottom and working my way up, since I have the time and my parents are supportive. Remote would be ideal. The dream would be a remote job with a US company that might eventually sponsor a work visa so I could move to the US. I’m also open to going back to school if it would lead to solid opportunities.

I’ve sent about 150 applications for admin, coordinator, support and operations roles and heard back from none so far.

I currently feel stuck, I’m not sure which direction to go, and I often find myself questioning what I even want to do with my life. I’d love to hear your thoughts on a few questions:

1. How did you figure out what you’d enjoy doing when you’d tried a few things and none fit?
2. What entry-level desk jobs would you start with, given my background, that have a real path up?
3. How realistic is working remotely for a US company from Canada, and could that ever lead to a work visa, or is that only for high earners like software engineers?

Sorry for the long post, and thanks for reading it all. I really appreciate any advice!