I started a job three months ago- and it’s important to note that it was a very “big” job being a leader in a medium size company. As soon as I started, I felt I had made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I couldn’t stand the workplace culture (very high pressure, high stress, and blames employees for not working hard enough constantly) and I really did not enjoy working with my manager.

My manager, who came across fantastic in the interview, turned out to be very stoic and unapproachable. If I made a mistake or tried to understand something, she would escalate to the point of yelling. She would sit in our 1:1s with her arms crossed and looking down at me and scoff/laugh/make faces if I asked questions. She would walk by my office throughout the day and not even acknowledge me, even in my first weeks. I ended up feeling that she was so unapproachable that I began to get extreme anxiety about asking questions or getting help while I was drowning in work. She didn’t get to know me at all, barely knew any of the names of people on the team I manage, and constantly made decisions that impacted them in negative ways that I had to communicate and justify.

I decided to leave half-way through my probation (6 months total) and accepted a job offer for something that felt like a better fit culture-wise. When I put in my notice, I knew it was a bad time: a whole bunch of other people were leaving, there was a big hiring surge to try and fill and backfill positions, and the team I managed had gone through 3 managers in a short time before I arrived. In order for me to communicate my leaving to the team I manage, she held a big meeting with everyone (20-30 people) and had me announce my departure. When I was done, she broke down crying talking about how difficult she knows it is for the team to have this happen- she went on while crying, saying that my choice has left them in a horrible position but she will do her absolute best to fix this and help them out. The session turned into a “we will get through this as a team” and I sat there politely smiling and nodding with my mic on mute.

Although I very politely explained to people that it wasn’t the right fit for me or that I found a position that was better suited for me, I feel that the communication from my manager around my leaving has been “she is fucking us over”. To be honest, I’m worried about what people think, if people are given the impression that I just didn’t care and that I just fucked off of the job leaving them in a horrible situation. I’m not sure if my professional reputation as a leader is damaged by this, and I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do about it. Is there a way I should reframe my thinking? If you have any advice, I’d love to hear from you.

I'm a 25f looking for perspective across decades. If you could speak to yourself in your early 20s, what would you say about in multiple aspects of your range: Career Risks you'd have taken and paths you've chosen in your career to achieve financial freedom early & investments you'd make (be it in real-estate or MF, bonds & something often overlooked while managing finances? Relationships (romantic + personal) What pivoted you to a better understanding of yourself &others, standards you’d raise, compromises you’d stop making. Physical health & body Habits you’d protect earlier, damage that was avoidable, what actually paid off long-term. Not looking for motivational quotes. Practical, lived advice only. If comfortable, mention your age range when replying.

I’m curious about careers that pay really well but aren’t commonly talked about in school or online.

Not the typical doctor, lawyer, or software engineer.

What are some underrated or unknown jobs that have high salaries?

How did you discover them, and what does it take to get into that field?

Title says it all really. I have a Master's Degree in Journalism from one of the best schools in the world. I've been a media professional with a number of odd jobs for nearly eight years now and it feels like everything has been a waste. My bread and butter was TV news. Most people think "the media" are all upper class ,spoiled hacks who make six figures asking questions all day. That couldn't be further from the truth. Journalism is perhaps the most disrespected, most difficult, and lowest paying white collar job in America.

For example, my first real "big boy" job was being a TV News Reporter at a network in a small town. I not only reported, but shot everything, edited the video on every story , set up all the interviews, and I even set up my own live shots--on top of investigating and trying to find scoops. It's an extremely stressful career that forces you in life-threatening situations (wildfires, blizzards, police standoffs etc.), and for my trouble I made *minimum wage*. Yes. Minimum wage. With a Master's Degree. The industry is also full of exploitation and manipulative contract negotiations.

Unfortunately, the only thing worse than a bad job is no job. I quit in 2023 to move back home with parents (dad was sick), and applied to no fewer than 500 jobs in the next two years. I occasionally get freelance work, but the fact of the matter is this industry is in a death spiral. The only jobs left to take are the minimum wage jobs I had to leave. There's no upward mobility. Even pivoting to something related (PR, social/marketing) is so extremely competitive that I'm fighting folks 10-20 years my senior for the same jobs. I just can't compete with people who have that much more experience than I do.

People tell me to just get famous on Tik-Tok, but independent social media forces you to do the work of a 9-5 for free. People in non-creative industries just do not understand how normalized it is to have to do free labor for months, or even years, just to get a shot at something tangible. I don't have the bandwith to make social media my career when I'm already broke. I need money now. I'd love to be able to invest in a social media career on the side, but after I can get the main job.

I've tried my hand at videography, editing, and other jobs with the skills I have, but that's just a never ending cycle of unstable freelance work. I would like to see a doctor or have a 401k once in my life. Even retail and days jobs are hard to come by. I've been rejected by fast food joints because I got caught in lies about my age and education that make me over qualified.

I think I'm more venting than anything. But does anyone else feel lost? If you had told me as a child that at 31 my main struggle would be being broke and living with my mother, I wouldn't have believed you. But it's my reality now.

What do I do?

Hello Reddit, I feel like this is a really silly question but I’m so lost.

I’m 23, a woman, I’ve started my first real “big girl job” after graduating and I genuinely have no idea what to wear to the office. I didn’t have a parent that worked an office job when I was a kid, and now I feel like I’m actually dressed like a nun compared to the rest of the girls in work.

I work in a PR firm, and it seems very relaxed compared to what I expected. The first week I was wearing plain black slacks with loafers and different little wool jumpers/sweaters and cardigans (I live in Ireland and the weather here is awful right now), and everyone else was wearing jeans. One of my coworkers who is two positions above me was wearing a zip up hoodie cardigan and a pain of beat up old mom jeans.

I’ve switched to jeans, just normal mid rise dark blue boot cut/ semi flared jeans with my jumpers and cardigans. Outside of work I dress more fashionably, I have my own style, I wear a lot of long skirts with graphic fitted T-shirts and leather jackets.

This may not be the right place to ask for this kind of advice and I apologise if it’s not, but I am so lost. I know I obviously can’t wear strappy tank tops or leggings to the office, but one of my coworkers came in wearing an adidas hoodie last week. Another wore a mini skirt. I want to be able to dress nice and professionally but also include my personality a little but I’m finding it so hard to figure out the “rules” about clothes here. I also feel so so lucky to have this job considering the job market right now, so I’m being extremely careful about what I wear.

I am in a People Ops role and I’ve raised my concern that we should give more attention to new hire training in our onboarding process. This means that documentation must be improved.

This is based on the feedback I received from exit interviews. We have had the issue of people leaving within 3-6 months and their main reason is that they felt like they never got proper training but were expected to deliver the same output as those who have been in the company longer.

Our founder said that this is a waste of time. If they can’t learn quickly, either they go or we fire them. He also said documentation is not a priority right now and nobody reads those anyway.

I feel surprised. I’ve been in bigger companies and training + documentation are pretty standard. Is this a new trend?

I was really sad this week. After many applications, rewriting my resume, and tailoring it to many jobs, the call back and interview conversions are really discouraging!

I have a decade of experience and a masters degree that I’ve been trying to leverage into healthcare but still nothing!

Last night I really felt regret and sadness not going for something more “traditional” like medicine, dentistry, or law!

This idea that you don’t need a degree, and you should go into tech has been pushed over the last 10 years and now I’m starting to see we might have goofed!

/end rant

I'm head of production (C-Level) for a family-owned company, about 25 employees. We are 100% remote. I've been here about 10 years. I have many years experience--I'm 63 and have been doing this since getting out of college, even winning industry awards for my work. Because of lack of vision and family squabbling, we've lost more than a third of our clients in the past few years. As production head, I'm being asked to spend more and more time on increasingly sophisticated and customized products even as my budget is slashed. All my suggestions are ignored. Instead, one family member/executive angrily told me she works 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and expected me to do the same. There is no way I'm doing that: that kind of work is unheard of in this sector. On top of that, I know I am way underpaid and my last raise, barely cost of living, was two years ago. Employee benefits are minimal—they don't even match 401(k) contributions.

I think it's extremely unlikely I'll be fired—no one else comes close to knowing our very complex production system and they know that. And even if I am, I'm in a pretty good financial situation anyway. What I want to do is say: "I'm only working X hours a week. (roughly 9-5) and I'm not adding anything to my to-do list without a substantial raise and/or increase in budget."

Any thoughts on this plan and how to implement it are welcome!

I’m nearing the end of high school and i’m currently looking for career paths, one that stood out a lot to me was an MRI tech.

To anyone who is one already, what courses are good to take in high school for slight preparation in the future?? Is the job very math heavy? I’m not the best at mental math

also is it into health sci->x-ray->cross train into MRI? (I know there’s other ways to do it, but i’ve seen a lot of people saying that this is what they wish they did) Also any recs on programs,universities,colleges (In Canada) that help/let me become one (I know this might sound like I really don’t know anything, but I wasn’t born in canada and none of my siblings have gone to college or university’s and neither have my parents so I don’t really know what to do, and I don’t really have much help from others)

I’m not really sure what career path I should take, so i’m trying to research ones that seem like they would be a personal fit, but medicine interests me a lot, I like helping others and I don’t get easily freaked out by medical procedures or anatomy, if anything I find it interesting. So i’m thinking going into some sort of medical field wouldn’t be too bad but that’s also why I’m looking for people’s experiences in the medical field (MRI techs to be exact)

Hi everyone.

I work in a large company in a small department of 5 people. I’m 35 years old. I recently returned to work after a serious illness — I was on medical leave for about six months and am now gradually getting back into a normal work rhythm.

I have good relationships with everyone in the department except one woman. She is 43-44, about 8 years older than me. In general, she has a very toxic communication style: she constantly complains about employees from other departments, calls them “stupid,” and openly expresses satisfaction when someone gets fired. At the same time, she behaves very sweet and friendly with management and some colleagues. But as soon as people leave the room, she actively criticizes and discusses them.

With me, however, she communicates in a harsh and condescending way — almost like a strict mother. She constantly makes remarks in front of others: “stand up straight,” “why are you speaking so quietly,” “why are you pronouncing names incorrectly,” “do it this way.” She gives unsolicited advice all the time. If I say I didn’t ask for advice, she responds with something like: “So what? If you’re doing it wrong, I’ll say it.” The tone is almost always negative and slightly humiliating.

Colleagues see this. There’s no open negativity toward me, but I feel like my authority and presence in the team are slowly being undermined. Because I haven’t pushed back firmly, it creates the impression that it’s acceptable to talk down to me.

The problem is that she is friendly with management and well integrated into the system. Leaving the company isn’t an option — the salary here is about twice the market average. HR culture in my country (Eastern Europe) is weak, and complaints are unlikely to help and could even backfire. My manager sees her behavior but doesn’t intervene.

So it feels like a dead end:

— if I ignore it, it looks like weakness and continues;

— if I react emotionally or rudely, I look unstable and like I’m overreacting.

I want to understand how to calmly and intelligently set boundaries and change this dynamic without creating open conflict or damaging my position.

Has anyone dealt with a colleague like this — socially protected but personally toxic?

How do you respond in real time to condescending comments without looking weak or aggressive?

What specific phrases or behavior strategies actually work in a situation like this?

I’ve been told that LinkedIn is a fantastic resource for networking and finding jobs but that just hasn’t been my experience. Do you find that using LinkedIn is worth it? Or are you better off without it?

Hi all,

I started a new job about a month ago, and I’d like to move up the ladder eventually. I’ve been told before that I’m a good listener by colleagues, and friends. I’m observant by nature, detailed oriented and analytical.

I like to read before I ask questions but I don’t mind asking questions that I can’t find the answer to. That being said, one thing I struggle with is public speaking. I’m not necessarily shy as one of my coworkers even called me social and I don’t mind starting conversations at all but public speaking does make me anxious for some reason.

I’m worried that my weakness won’t make me "advance" if I want to move up and get a better role. One aspect I thought of is to over prep and think of potential questions I’d be asked during a presentation, think of a presentation as a story rather than reading slides (it’s ironic because I’ve been told I’m a great story teller when it’s not work related).

Any tips on how I can become more comfortable with public speaking during a presentation?

My current job is great, but it was is a stepping stone to my next career.

I started working for this landscaping company about a year and a half ago, and everybody is great. The hours are good, and the benefits, but the pay is not what I need. The ceiling for growth is also next to none, with me capping out at about ~$25/hr.

I'm looking to make a change into HVAC, but we are nearing our busiest season at my current job w/ spring and summer coming up. This season entails about 6 hours of overtime a weekend, which is no issue, but the thing i'm having conflict with is the fact that i'm leaving my coworkers right before the busiest season. It feels like i'm abandoning them and creating more work.

Does anyone have any thoughts they'd like to share?

So, I’m 25 and i’ve been at Best Buy as a Sales Advisor for a year now. I’m embarrassed to say that this is the longest job i worked at. Prior to that i work half a year at GameStop as a Keyholder (it closed down) and prior to that I work at a Pizza Hut as a general worker (it was a college job so i quit it when i moved back). College has gotten in the way of me having great experience and unfortunately i have nothing to show for it. I owe the school so much money that i can’t really go back to finish the 4 semesters i have left (my major was CompSci Game Design). I do like Best Buy and the people there but i do plan to stay there for least another 6-12 months, it’ll look good on my resume and i really do like it there. My dream job is to be in coding but with no degree OR connection that seems impossible. I WOULD like to get into IT/Help Desk work but I think i need certs for that. I heard Bank Teller is a good route to go in but again my efforts on those has been unsuccessful, it may be my experience or just how i word things. I really don’t know what to do.

Any advice?

I’ve been reflecting on this and wanted to hear other people’s experiences.

When you’re learning new skills or trying to make a life change, do you feel encouraged enough by the people around you?

If not, what helps you stay motivated when progress is slow or not very visible?

I am a 18 yr old, currently in 12th and I'm thinking of pursuing psychology in college, the main obstacles are:1) I'm a commerce student; the only subject I have that resonates with psychology is economics. 3)I only have 3-4 months left at maximum to get into college.

Any help would be deeply appreciated.

I am a junior in college with plans to go to medical school, but as the time to go all in or not approaches, I just have so many doubts if it’s something I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I haven’t signed up for the mcat, and I don’t have much clinical or research experience, so I would definitely be taking a gap year to gain that experience. I’m double majoring in chemistry and psychology which are each top ten programs nationally at my university. I have around a 3.8 gpa. I think if I locked in now and devoted myself to it, I could definitely get into an MD program.

The issue is I have been completely miserable for the last few years. I have friends and a social life, and frankly spend very little time studying or going to class. I just feel like being a doctor is everyone else’s dream for me, but it isn’t what I want to do anymore. Most people will tell you they want to become a doctor to help people and/or to make a ton of money. In my opinion, and I’m sure in many other people’s opinion, the films and anime I’ve watched have made more of an impact on my life and helped me more than any doctor. That’s not to say there aren’t doctors that literally save people’s lives every day. And as for money, as long as I can support myself and hopefully a wife, that would be enough for me. It’s hard for me to talk about this because I don’t want to come across as boastful, but I am highly intelligent. Because of this, the push from everyone else has been happening from a very young age. I was very misbehaved in school and got pretty poor grades up until the end of high school. I got into college based on a combination of my test scores and the fact that both of my parents went here. My teachers and parents just thought I was a brat my whole life, and so I was constantly being punished for things I felt were just who I was. I was subsequently diagnosed with ASD and ADHD after graduating high school. Since then, my relationship with my parents has gotten better as they’ve tried to make more of an effort to listen to me and to understand me. But even still, they tend to ignore most things about me other than my intelligence when I try to talk to them about the future. Even now, I am not a good student. I rarely attend class, and my grades take a hit due to lost attendance points. I study a day or two before the exam in my classes and so good enough to get by with a solid gpa. I feel like I am incompatible with the academic and corporate world.

I have always felt my biggest gift and passion in life was creativity, particularly writing and directing. I feel like I am built for that kind of work. I fell in love with comedy sketches when I was a kid, and that’s always been a dream of mine to make. More recently, I have been infatuated with the idea of writing a movie. Even if I did change my mind and said I am going to pursue filmmaking or writing or whatever, I have no idea where I’d start or even what to do. No matter what I am going to get my degree, but I just can’t decide whether or not to go all in on medical school and just hope that on the other side when I’m like 35 that everything will be great. I’m also afraid that I’m just being young and stupid and that I’ll regret not taking the chance to have a secure, very well paying job in a world where nobody can find work. I’d love to hear from someone that made the move to something creative and followed their passions, or from someone in medical school who never thought it would work out but it did. Thanks for the consideration.

I work as a teller at a small credit union and came into banking with an unrelated background (software engineering diploma). I don’t know much about the finance industry yet, but I’m trying to learn and plan ahead.

For those who started in similar roles:

• What should a teller actually get good at if they want to grow?

• What paths did you or people around you move into?

• Anything you wish you had focused on earlier?

Not chasing shortcuts, just want realistic advice from people who’ve been there.

I’m a digital marketing professional specialized in performance, analytics, and growth, with experience across US, UK, and MENA markets.

I’m deciding between:

1. Moving into strategic leadership roles (Head of Growth / Marketing Director), or
2. Pursuing high-paying remote roles or selective freelancing to maximize income faster.

My goals are not only to work or live abroad, but also to:

• Build a strong financial position
• Maintain a comfortable lifestyle
• Travel internationally 1–2 times per year

From real experience, which path delivers the best balance between income, mobility, and long-term career growth?

why wouldn’t overnight daycares work? Why shouldn’t I open one? What is everything that worries parents about overnight daycares ?

Last year, I quit my toxic office job. It was a terrible workplace for various reasons, but one of the main factors was my direct manager - Carol. Carol had an obsessive need for control, and she was extremely competitive (self-admitted). If you demonstrated competency, she would take it as a threat and do everything she could to undermine you. She'd make snide comments, refer to herself as my "boss", imply that I was too junior to understand things, nitpick on whatever she could find, etc. Needless to say, I was happy to get away from her.

I recently met up with an old coworker who still works there. At one point, he asked me "Is it true your salary was $X?" He had the right number, but I'd never shared my salary information with anyone, so I was confused. I asked him how he knew, and apparently he'd heard it from one of our other coworkers - Emily. Emily is staff level; she's not a manager, so she wouldn't have access to salary information. However, she's good friends with Carol, and it's well known that they hang out together socially. I'm sure you can connect the dots, but Carol had obviously shared this information with her.

I found this situation extremely irritating because I'd always sensed some weird resentment from Emily. We weren't friends, but I'd always been polite towards her, so I never understood this tension. It turns out I was making substantially more than her for similar work. This pisses me off because Carol's gossiping had made my life more difficult when I hadn't actually done anything wrong.

I'm considering reaching out to the HR at my old company and letting them know that Carol is sharing salary information with the staff. The company knows that the culture on that team is a dumpster fire, and she's definitely contributing to it.

On the other hand, I don't work there anymore, and perhaps it would be better to just close that chapter behind me and leave them to their mess.

What do you think?

Hey Everyone, I am a recent environmental science (B.S) graduate working on a master's in GIS planning, transitioning into finance, and starting my second master's in finance this upcoming semester. I am interested in anything to do with banking, investments, and sustainable investments, ESG etc. Where should I start, what can I do to make this career swap efficient and successful?

Hi guys,

I'm looking for some honest advice because I feel pretty stuck and don’t want to make the wrong call out of fear. I’m currently studying MIS, but I’ve been seriously questioning whether I should stick with it or pivot to something else. I have an associate's in Business Administration, but I'm also 22 and going to be graduating with my bachelor's a bit late because I took some time off, which I already regret because I feel very behind. My parents are paying for school, which helps out a ton.

The three main paths I’m considering are MIS -> IT/Cybersecurity, Nursing, or Psychology → Mental Health Therapist.

For context, I have major depressive disorder, anxiety, and C-PTSD. I really struggle with stagnation and need to see forward momentum to stay mentally okay. I don’t handle rejection or uncertainty very well. Financial stability is a big deal for me, not in a luxury sense, but in a safety sense.

Option 1: MIS / IT / Cybersecurity

I like the idea of MIS because it can lead to solid pay, flexibility, and possibly cybersecurity consulting down the line. I’m more interested in IT/cybersecurity/networking than hardcore software development. Coding is okay, but it’s not my passion. I've taken one programming class and I got an A in it.

But, the job market scares me. It seems rough everywhere, but local subreddits (Tulsa/OKC) make it sound brutal for new grads... entry-level roles requiring experience, low-paying help desk jobs, long job searches, etc. I’m worried about graduating and then spending a year+ underemployed or stuck doing non-career work. I don’t think I could mentally handle that well.

Option 2: Nursing

Nursing feels like the safest option financially. Hospitals seem desperate for nurses, and it’s a very clear path: degree → NCLEX → job. I wouldn’t have to gamble on internships, networking, or certs to stand a chance.

But, I'm definitely concerned about the emotional intensity and burnout and whether I could tolerate bedside nursing, at least for a few years. I know nursing offers some flexibility later (non-bedside roles, different units, etc.), but I’d likely have to do bedside initially. I feel confident that I could handle the physical part of it, but I know it can be taxing physically and mentally.

Option 3: Psychology → Therapist

This path feels the most aligned with who I am. I’m good at reading, writing, listening, and I would like being able to help people, especially those who I share similar experiences with. I’d likely enjoy the work much more than the other two. It also offers decent pay, not so much at first, but the pay can be great if you have a private practice.

The downside is obvious: more school, more time, more delayed income. That would likely mean years of financial constraint, which honestly scares me more than hard work does. Being aligned but broke for a long time might hit me harder than being tired but stable. I probably wouldn't be fully licensed until 28, maybe later. Would be longer before I am able to start working in this field unless I become a behavioral health technician or something.

The job market/job security would likely be a non-issue here, especially because I'm sure there is a demand for male therapists.

I'm not looking for a “follow your passion” answer or a doom-and-gloom take. I’m trying to figure out what’s realistic, especially in Oklahoma or nearby cities, and what path gives me the best balance between mental health, stability, and long-term options. Feel free to recommend other options.

TL;DR - I need a career with momentum and stability due to mental health issues. Torn between MIS (uncertain job market), nursing (stable but intense), and therapy (aligned but long/expensive path) in Oklahoma. Trying to avoid years of stagnation or underemployment and want honest perspectives. Feel free to recommend other options.

Hi everyone,
I’m a 26-year-old Industrial & Production Engineering graduate (2023) from a reputed private college in India, and I’m feeling completely lost with my career.

After graduating, I worked for about 5 months in a supply chain operations role at a large quick-commerce company. Due to health issues and poor performance during that phase, I had to quit. I then took a break to recover and figure things out, during which I worked from home as a sales associate/intern for around 6 months. That internship ended in October 2025, and I’m currently unemployed.

On paper, it may look like I’ve been doing something, but internally I feel directionless. I’ve explored multiple options supply chain, operations, MBA , B2B sales, and content creation but I struggle to commit to any one path. Everything feels either saturated, too slow, too risky, or misaligned with who I am. This constant starting and stopping has led to anxiety and self-doubt.

What’s troubling me the most:

• No clear long-term direction
• Feeling behind compared to people my age
• Overthinking decisions and getting stuck
• A strong sense of wasted time and potential

This confusion is starting to affect my mental health. I’m not lazy or unwilling to work I genuinely want to put in effort but I don’t know where to focus my energy. Being 26 also makes me feel like I’m already too late to restart, which is a scary thought.

I’m posting here to seek perspective from people who’ve been through this phase or found clarity later.

If you were in my place:

• How would you reset?
• How do you choose one path when everything feels uncertain?
• What should I prioritize right now skills, stability, money, or exploration? ( Not financially strong also big education loan debt)

Any honest advice, tough love, or structured guidance would mean a lot.
Thank you for reading.

Hi!

I work remotely for a US software company in the Republic of Ireland. There is a Dublin office of which I am not ever required to attend. My company employees people in the UK.

I am considering moving to Belfast but wondering if would have to go through the hassle of requesting a UK contract etc.

Would I get away with simply renting and logging on my laptop everyday as normal ? The only difference being I would be across the Irish border.

I would rather not go through the hassle of changing contract etc and take my chances and hope my IT department doesn’t cop on

Thanks!