I need someone to explain to me how this corporate logic makes any sense, because my brain is melting.

Last year during my annual review, my director looked me in the eye and laid out the rule. He told me that in our company, you don't get promoted to Senior Analyst and then start doing senior work. You have to "demonstrate capability at the next band" for at least six to nine months first. Basically, do the higher job at your current pay grade to earn the title.

i took the bait.

For eleven months, I took on lead projects. I ran the weekly stakeholder meetings, trained two incoming associates, and handled client escalations that were previously above my pay grade. I worked late. I hit every single milestone.

Yesterday was my year-end performance check-in.

I brought up the promotion and the salary bump we discussed. My manager gave me an eighty-page deck of compliments, told me I was doing fantastic, and then dropped the hammer. He said: "Well, since you have been doing this scope of work for almost a full year now, this is just your established baseline. To justify a promotion to the board, we need to see you stretch beyond this current baseline for another cycle."

Are you joking?

I gave this firm a year of free senior-level labor, and now its just my new normal. I should of never taken on a single extra responsibility without signed paper.

It is completely EXHAUSTING chasing a finish line that moves every time you take a step. Why is this even a thing?

I've been an account coordinator at a marketing agency for almost 4 years. Last week I ran into a client at an industry event who looked genuinely shocked to see me. He said my manager told him I'd left the company months ago.

Thought it was some weird misunderstanding until I contacted another client I used to work with. Same story.

Confronted my manager and he admitted he'd been telling certain clients I was no longer with the company because he wanted communication going directly through him. Apparently it was easier than explaining our internal restructuring.

The crazy part is there was no restructuring. I'm still doing the same job, sitting 20 feet away from him every day.

I'm now wondering how many professional relationships he's damaged without me knowing.

Would you take this straight to HR or start looking elsewhere? I'm worried about what else he's been saying about me.

I'm 29 and currently make around $78k working in corporate communications.

Got approached about a position paying $130k for a CEO at a midsize company. Went through two interviews and found out the actual job is pretty much managing his entire public personality.

LinkedIn posts, replies to comments, congratulating employees, sharing personal stories, even writing opinions on industry news. All under his name. Apparently he doesn't have time for any of it but wants to appear more involved and approachable.

The recruiter called it executive communications, which I know is an actual career. But during the second interview they made it clear he wouldn't even be reviewing most of what I write.

I'm having trouble deciding whether this is a great opportunity or a really weird direction to take my career.

Would you consider this legitimate experience for future communications roles? Because explaining that I spent 3 years pretending to be somebody's CEO on LinkedIn sounds ridiculous.

I spent the last four years being the undisputed workhorse of our operations department. I was the one who fixed the broken vendor pipelines, worked late during client emergencies, and trained every single onboarding class. When our department lead resigned in November, I figured the promotion was a no-brainer.

They passed on me and hired an external guy who spent his first two months asking me how to pull basic internal metrics. During a casual lunch last week, my manager finally let his guard down. He told me: "Honestly, if I promoted you, my entire department would fall apart because you are the only one who actually knows how to run this place."

I sat there staring at him while my salad sat untouched. Being indispensable is the fastest way to get TRAPPED. If you are too good at the gritty, load-bearing work, they will never move you into leadership because replacing you is too inconvenient for management.

I stopped being the office savior on Monday morning. I deleted my weekend Slack notifications, stopped jumping onto unassigned tickets, and started letting broken processes sit until someone officially asks for them in writing. Its crazy how much loyalty gets weaponized against women who keep the lights on. Why should being competent at your job be the exact reason your career stalls? Why is this even a thing?

Yesterday

I was called to head office by HR. I had to sign a written warning, resulting in disqualification for year end bonus.

Tomorrow

I've asked my HOD for a face to face meeting. I will start by saying that we have to have a difficult conversation, I have 2 points and 1 question.

1. David you employed me, there were many applicants, but you chose me. Surepy there is a reason for that.

2. On the few times I've recieved feedback from you. It has always been positive.

I don't want to go into too much detail but since starting at this company I've accomplished..... and ..... Both times you told me how well the projects went.

David are you trying to get rid of me? Why have you gone straight to HR, twice now, to complain about a minor thing a phone call would have resolved.

Edit; First warning - I did not have money for fuel to get to work. I informed and asked my HOD if he could possibly borrow me a couple bucks till pay day (which was a few days later) when I pay him back. Didn't even respond, went straight to HR.

Second warning ‐ I was absent from work Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Each of these days I informed both my HOD and HR that I am unable to get to work this morning, I have exhausted every possible way to get money but I simply cannot afford the fuel costs. And that i would will try my best to get something together to make it to work tomorrow. (Thursday evening was pay day)

Why I want to say the 1st point. Because even if I was a bad hire, I want to learn, eager to improve and will literally fill ANY role they need for a fucking decent salary

I'm 30, originally from a developing country, and spent several years in Canada. Currently making around $60k USD working remotely, barely 1–3 hours a day, very few meetings, and can pretty much live anywhere. I also have a potential 5% stake in the company if it eventually sells.

I know this sounds like a dream job, and I'm grateful for it, but honestly, I'm miserable because I don't feel like I'm growing professionally.

I've tried travelling (Digital nomad stuff) , hobbies, and enjoying all this freedom, but none of it really replaces the feeling of being challenged or working toward something. I'm tired of just having fun. I actually want to build a proper career.

A bit about my background:

• Business bachelors degree and PMP certification.
• One year of Big Four audit experience, although that was seven years ago.
• Current role is a mix of operations, project management, occasional customer support, and now it is is mostly building internal tools and automations using AI/Codex.
• I enjoy solving business problems and building things, but have very little mentorship or career progression.

Here's where I'm confused. What should I actually invest my free time in?

• AI and automation: I enjoy building tools, but worry AI will eventually make a lot of these skills less valuable.
• AI governance, risk, compliance: Seems interesting and potentially more AI-resilient, but I'd be starting almost from scratch.
• GMAT/MBA/master's: Considering going back to school in 2027, possibly in Europe, but unsure about the return on investment.
• Something completely different? I'm open to suggestions and careers I haven't even considered.

I'm willing to dedicate 3–5 hours every day to learning, studying, building projects, or whatever helps me move forward.

My biggest fear is waking up at 35, losing this comfortable job, and realizing I haven't developed the skills or experience to find another good one.

I don't necessarily want to quit my current job. I just want to use this opportunity wisely and build a stable, fulfilling, long-term career.

If you were in my position, what would you focus on for the next 6–12 months?

Hello! I dont want to make this too long as I just need some quick advice.

My current job is crap, im not happy with their payment system and they are hardly scheduling me. I have bills that I need to pay, and either way I already dont enjoy this job. Ive already been offered another job at Starbucks which pays $2 more than my current one, i want to take it but ive only been working at my current job for 3 weeks. How do I go about this? This is my first time quitting suddenly and so quickly like this, i honestly feel like an asshole. My schedule doesnt look like its going to get any better either, another girl who started at the same time as me was only scheduled for about 3 hours this week. They do not have the hours for the amount of workers that they have, i do not want to be here and I have no idea how to go about this. Everybody at this place has been insanely kind to me which is another reason I would hate to leave, i just need some advice on how to go about this. Also, is this even okay for me to do? Will this look terrible on my record? I apologize if I sound stupid, im a teenager whos in poverty and desperately just trying to survive.

Hey everyone,

I'm in my early 20s and recently graduated with a bachelors degree in technology. Honestly, I don't really know where my life is going anymore.

A few months ago, things looked very different. I landed a six month internship at a FAANG company, something I had never imagined myself achieving. I learned a lot, enjoyed my work, and genuinely felt like I was finally moving in the right direction. I was so invested in what I was doing that I often worked long hours, even on weekends, simply because I enjoyed it.

Almost everyone around me thought I'd get a full-time offer, and I believed it too.

I had a dream of pursuing my master's in computer science in the United States someday. It might sound childish to some people, but it's something I've wanted for a long time. I imagined working for a few years, gaining experience, and eventually moving closer to that dream. For the first time, that future felt achievable.

But things didn't go as planned. I didn't get a full-time offer.

It hurt more than I can explain. I cried, asked for feedback, and struggled to understand what had gone wrong. Eventually, I picked myself up and told myself I'd find another job. I still had my degree, the experience I'd gained, and my entire career ahead of me.

But it's been four months since my internship ended, and I still don't have a job.

I'm applying and preparing, but interview opportunities have been incredibly rare. When I do get an interview, things haven't worked out so far.

The worst part is that I haven't been able to make as much progress as I wanted to over these past few months. I try to study and improve my skills, but my mind is constantly occupied with thoughts about my career and my future. I feel anxious about falling behind, yet that same anxiety makes it difficult to concentrate and actually make progress.

It's become a vicious cycle. I want to move forward, but I can't seem to get myself out of this mental state.

Being at home all the time has also started affecting me. I love my family, but lately, I've become withdrawn and irritable. I barely talk to my parents or brothers, and sometimes I find myself getting angry at them over things that wouldn't normally bother me. They aren't responsible for my situation, and I don't understand why I'm behaving this way.

I just want to find a job, become independent, and have a life of my own. Staying at home every day without a clear direction is getting to me.

Meanwhile, I see my friends moving forward. They're working at good companies, earning money, travelling abroad, and experiencing new things. I'm genuinely happy for them, but comparing my life to theirs makes me feel worse about my own situation.

I know everyone has their own timeline, but it's difficult to believe that when you feel like you're standing still while everyone else is moving forward.

What hurts the most is that this isn't just about not having a job. It's about the future I had started imagining for myself.

I thought I was finally on my way somewhere. Now, I find myself questioning whether I'll ever get there. Will I be able to pursue my master's? Will I ever get the opportunities I've been working towards? Will I be able to move abroad and experience the life I've always wanted?

I know that not getting a full-time offer isn't the end of my career, and four months of unemployment doesn't determine the rest of my life. But knowing these things intellectually and actually believing them when you're going through it are two very different things.

I feel stuck, anxious, and increasingly disconnected from the person I used to be. I miss the person who was excited about work, had goals, and genuinely looked forward to the future.

I don't know what I'm expecting from this post. Maybe I just needed to get these thoughts out somewhere because I've been keeping a lot of them to myself.

If you've been through something similar, especially after graduating or losing an opportunity you thought was almost guaranteed, how did you deal with it? How did you get yourself out of that mental state and start moving forward again?

I don't need someone to tell me that everything will magically work out. I'd just like to hear from people who've genuinely been in a similar position and found a way through it.

Because right now, I feel like I've lost my direction, and I don't know how to find it again.

I'm a college student and am looking for a job to have while I finish up school. I am a business major, and am thinking about getting a job that could help me build some basic experience while taking classes. I have retail experience currently and would be open to pretty much any field related to my major to try it out. I just struggle finding any entry level job that isn't just basic minimum wage work like being a cashier. I want something that can at least give me some experience for a more advanced or higher paying job in the future.

Emphasis on energy. I have AuDHD and I want to explore career options that let me set aside energy to focus on ceramics, painting, and film. I have a BA in psychology and a certificate in data analytics. However, I have found that my 9-5 office job gives me little energy to focus on my art which is more important to me now. I find focusing on analyzing data and sitting still at work in an office setting for many hours drains me. I would love to explore careers that have worked for neurodivergent people who need to pay their rent, but who can still set aside time and energy for their hobbies.

If it helps, I find that tactile tasks where I can give my mind a break seem to not drain me as much as sitting still at a desk and concentrating intensely. I feel like my AuDHD has gotten worse over the years even with therapy and medication, and I want to find a new path to prevent more burnout so I can have energy for art when my job is done for the day.

A raise is usually the obvious pick, but some benefits are hard to walk away from. Good insurance, remote work, a flexible schedule, solid PTO.

Curious what would actually be worth more than the extra money for people.

Hi! I m 34m , married, have 2 kids, my wife has been diagnosticated with breast cancer and now i need to care for her and the kids so i need to work from home /remote, I think i could manage almost any job that requires working at home from a pc, at least at an entry level until i prove myself. I am familiar with business consulting, basic programming using AI, marketing, customer service, mostly anything, maybe even trying the Overemployed route and take 2 jobs if there is a chance..cause i don t know what else to do, the bills are overwhelming, and honestly i try to be positive and be a rock for my family but life just slaps you so hard that you almost lose yourself.. Any help , suggestion, advice is very welcome. Thank you!

Hey everyone! I’m 28 live in Los Angeles
Area and looking for advice on choosing a career path. I’ve worked in retail for about 10 years, including around 8 years in management, but I’m looking for better pay and long-term growth.
I took college classes after high school, so most of my general education requirements are already completed. Ideally, I’d like to earn an associate degree without spending another 4–6 years in school, but I want to choose a field where I can realistically find a job after graduating.
I’m considering Computer and Networking Technology and getting into IT. I’m interested in the field, but I’ve seen a lot of discouraging information about how difficult it can be to break in. Ideally, I’d like to find an entry-level IT job while attending school so I can gain experience before graduating.
I also considered radiology, but the programs near me are impacted and aren’t currently accepting applications.
My goal is to find a career with good pay and room for growth without needing years of schooling just to get started. School has always been difficult for me, but I really want to go back and pursue a career. I’m open to other options as well.
Would not pursuing a bachelor’s degree hold me back, or would an associate degree be a reasonable place to start? I feel an associate degree would be more manageable for me right now. For those who have changed careers or work in IT or similar fields, would you recommend IT, or is there another associate degree or career path I should consider?
Any advice is appreciated!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some genuine career advice because I’m feeling confused about my career and would really appreciate guidance from people who have experience in the IT industry.

I’m currently working as a Talent Acquisition Specialist and have around 7 months of experience in this role. Before this, I worked for 5 months as a non-IT Data Labeler. I have also worked in a few HR roles for short periods, but I left those jobs because of heavy targets and work pressure.

Now, I want to move from HR into IT. However, I’m struggling to decide which career path to choose. I keep exploring different courses, but I’m worried that I’m spending time learning different things without making real progress toward a career.

I also have a significant health issue, so I’m looking for a career that could offer remote or work-from-home opportunities and a manageable work environment, if possible.

I’m particularly interested in low-code and no-code technologies. These are the options I’m currently considering:

1. ServiceNow ITSM – ITSM, administration, workflows and low-code development.
2. Digital Marketing – SEO, Google Ads, social media marketing and analytics.
3. Workday HCM – HR technology and HR systems.
4. SQL / Database-related roles – Working with SQL, data and databases.
5. IT Support – Starting with an entry-level IT role and growing from there.

I’m not sure which option would be the most practical for someone with my background.

I would really appreciate your advice on a few questions:

• Is it realistic to transition from HR and non-IT experience into IT at this stage of my career?
• Which of these five options would you recommend for someone interested in low-code/no-code and remote work?
• Would my Talent Acquisition experience be useful if I chose Workday HCM or ServiceNow?
• Which path would allow me to build practical skills and become job-ready without spending years jumping between courses?
• Are there genuine entry-level or remote opportunities for career switchers, or would I need to start with an on-site role?

I’m willing to learn and put in the effort, but I want to choose one path, follow a clear roadmap, and build practical projects instead of constantly switching between courses.

If you have personally made a similar career transition, or if you work in any of these fields, I would be grateful to hear about your experience and honest suggestions.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

I started this job at the beginning of the year. The interview was great and the job sounded like a really inclusive place to work. Good rota (2 weeks off in 7) and it's close to home.

Now, I feel like it's such a backwards step in my career as I, previously and electrical engineer am now a technician who basically runs around wiping people's asses due to incompetence and understaffing issues.

I've been rostered on with a complete jerk. He badmouths everyone, covers his mistakes and takes credit from everyone else's good work.

He's 55 and touched a ~20 something girl with a tool inappropriately.

I've reported him to HR but, it feels like the reaction is a bit sketchy. We're understaffed as it is and they have mentioned having mediation for me and this guy. There is some nepotism there, this jerk always gets his own way and feel like the narrative is "why didn't I challenge him at the time?"

A lot of our departmental issues come down to this guys toxicity and I'm trying to do the right thing. Is it worth me sticking it out here or have I completely soured the dynamic?

Title.

It’s such a stupid amount of money that I’m prepared to move, but I love product marketing. My general company right now isn’t the best in terms of responsibilities and org structure and practices, so I would have to put in a few years before I could become a product marketing manager somewhere else. All the while I doubt I’d even touch 70-75K.

My old boss offered me this job and I’m down to take it and pivot to comms for a few years but I’m scared. Will I ruin my product marketing streak and not be able to come back or become a PMM? I’m sure it’ll be more difficult to come back compared to if I was just a product marketing specialist, but again, the money is CRAZY.

Please help, I’m literally panicking over what is the right choice!

My major is in Integrated Marketing Communications. This prepares one for roles in fields such as copywriting, marketing, advertising, and public relations. I've realized (too late) that most of these jobs don't necessarily require a degree and the ceiling on earnings often isn't too high.

I'm studying for the LSAT to see if I could get into law school, but from what I hear, a lot if lawyers outside of big law barely make six figures. I'm set to graduate with a 3.0 GPA, so even if I have an excellent LSAT, it'd be hard to get into a law school with a big law pipeline.

If I could do it over, I'd major in something STEM related. I've thought about maybe trying to do a masters in engineering or even going to Physican's Assistant school. The thing is, both of those would require me to take a year's worth of math and science courses at a community college because my degree only required very basic math and science courses.

I know many people will tell me to pick a path that I enjoy. I get that this is important, but part of me feels like work is work, no job is ever going to be "fun" all the time. I really just want to make as much money as I can.

I feel even more uneasy about all this considering I am a few years older than most are when they receive their undergrad degree. I know 25 is still young, but I still feel so behind.

So should I go to law school or make the pivot to healthcare or STEM?

Skip to "current Dilemma" if u don't want background info.

Current schooling and how I feel:

Currently in 1/4 of the semesters in nursing school. Not really struggling academically but motivationally I'm burnt. Started clinicals at the beginning of the semester and realized I don't want to take care of people when their in a rough state and I don't wanna be responsible for their health. I feel burdened that the knowledge I have is gonna affect them severely. Currently, the clinical aspect isn't bad and ik what im supposed to do and what not to do but again im only going to get more indepedent throughout the program.

Why'd I do nursing?

Originally wanted to pursue compsci, but my dad is sr IT engineer and he said lay offs are rampant and that I should do healthcare. I've done CAD before in highschool and java so I know some stuff, but I'm not as good at math compared to science (aced my science classes in college with little study). Decided to do nursing bc I dont wanna become a doctor and i'll stick with it until im a NP so I make decent money. I do love health care tho. Anatomy and physiology is my favorite subject besides cad. It's js the theory aspect of nursing is so much different compared to the

Thoughts on maybe continuing nursing:

Honestly, I was thinking of sticking with nursing but the wfh possibilities for it are more clinical related and again I don't want to be in charge of someone's health if possible (maybe i might feel less averse to this as i finish the semester). Also, majority of job postings I've seen show that they require 1-3 years clinical experience before applying for a wfh nursing role.clinical part.

Current Dilemma:

What do I do. I wanna switch to something that atleast has a ceiling of 110k thats reachable within 5 years of experience (post bachelors) , wfh easy potential, and if possible minimal math. Please gimme any advice on what career paths fit my criteria.

Job/research/experiences:

2 years tutor, 1/2 year lab tech, 1 year microbio research, dental internship (one month), and BLS

No careers interest me at all. the one hobby I can think of that I do semi like is art, but I'm not sure how to make that into a decent career. I'm not great at it, and I know it's probably competitive, and now with AI idek if there will be a future with art. I know everyone says architecture but I hate math so that's not an option.

I'm 28F. I work in a creative tech role and I was laid off yesterday for the 4th time only after working there for 8 months due restructuring. I had 3 other roles in the past.

First role- 1.5 years- Laid off due to restructure
Second role - 6 months - Laid off due to major restructure
Third role - 1 year - Left role due to bad decision I made. I should never have taken the role in the first place.

I have somewhere to fall back since I live with family, but that also means dating prospects are down the toilet and I don't have a lot of friends. I'm focusing on reevaluating my path right now. But I wanted to make this post to just get it out of my system and ask for honest advice. What should I do?

Got any advice?

4 person team. Everyone but me was in some sort of meeting.

For context, I was recently reorged to this new position. There's an okay bit of training but not much guidance. Everyone's got a heavy workload.

I've very clearly stressed, overwhelmed, and struggling to pick things up.

What can I do? I really want to quit because I feel incompetent and am not getting the support I need. I also think that's better than getting fired.

​

I’m 21, currently unemployed, and recently had a massive wake-up call about how important financial stability is. My problem is that I am completely stuck on what path to take, and I lack the discipline to see things through.

I’ve tried a few different things to make money recently—video editing, starting a faceless YouTube channel, and trading. But every time I hit a wall or find it too difficult, I lose motivation and completely drop it after a few days.

The only thing I am naturally decent at and enjoy is messing around with computers, but I don't know how to turn that into a reliable path without getting overwhelmed and quitting again.

For those who have overcome this confused, unmotivated state:

What exact steps should I take before choosing a career or skill to ensure I actually stick with it?

How do you push through the phase where a new skill gets difficult and you want to quit?

Given that I like computers but struggle with motivation, what is a simple, realistic starting point or framework I should look into?

I'm open to any brutal honesty, simple methods, or psychological tricks to fix this. Thanks in advance.

Greetings all,

After a layoff this month I am in the position of job searching again after 11 years. After finding a position that would be a great fit with a company I would love to work for, I applied to the position and messaged the attached recruiter, referencing my friend who works for the same company (they are a manager in a completely different department). While the recruiter never responded to my message, my friend did say they talked to the recruiter and that they would be pulling my resume to send along to the hiring manager.

Since it has been about a week since I applied and I have not received any messages from the recruiter, I was wondering if there would be any benefit to sending the recruiter a follow up message? The job is still actively being recruited for and this is a busy time of year for the department so my friend did say that the hiring process may be slow. I also noticed that the recruiter did take their name off the position so it may be sign that they don't want people reaching out.

Not quite sure if it's the right group...But yeah could anymore give me some suggestions on how to find a part time in 🇨🇭to survive? My family cut off the financial support and I have to earn some money by myself right now! I tried walking in to apply for jobs in the restaurants, hotels, gift shops and other retail stores, people are very friendly and helpful, but most of the times I was still told to apply online. Without speaking German and French, also not have many years in the hospitality industry, actually I was quite confused, if the result of walk in is still apply online, I'm wondering how can I stand out among heaps of resumes? I haven't got a yes till the moment. Should I keep walking in? Or it takes several months to get a part time? Is there another way to find a part time? If it's not possible to find a part time in a month or two, I'm thinking maybe I should go back my home country before totally broke...Again, I'm kind of confused right now, could anyone give me some suggestions perhaps? Or do you know any kind of part time opportunities I could try? Thank you in advance for taking the time to read.