u/Ok-Guidance9730

I dunno what to do I feel stuck I already graduated at 26 now I'm 27 with no job no experience I feel like applying to jobs has become a humiliation ritual at this point I don't even get an interview my cv is good everyone keeps telling me i know its solid I had a really good internships one of them in a big Telc company I graduated with highest honors I keep improving( courses project) and kept applying and applying.

I see some of my classmates get offers through nepotism and it kills me I know I shouldn't be comparing but I feel stupid and useless like I live with my parents at this age.

I dunno what to do if maybe I should just do something else completely I mean I cannot bare the thought that I could still be unemployed for onther year.i cannot socialize anyone I dread the questions I feel lost I mean at what point someone must stop and look for onther path I m too scared to go in any other path and my heart is telling maybe I should keep at it since this is my dream. What do I do?

I dunno what to do I feel stuck I already graduated at 26 now I'm 27 with no job no experience I feel like applying to jobs has become a humiliation ritual at this point I don't even get an interview my cv is good everyone keeps telling me i know its solid I had a really good internships one of them in a big Telc company I graduated with highest honors I keep improving( courses project) and kept applying and applying.

I see some of my classmates get offers through nepotism and it kills me I know I shouldn't be comparing but I feel stupid and useless like I live with my parents at this age.

I dunno what to do if maybe I should just do something else completely I mean I cannot bare the thought that I could still be unemployed for onther year.i cannot socialize anyone I dread the questions I feel lost I mean at what point someone must stop and look for onther path I m too scared to go in any other path and my heart is telling maybe I should keep at it since this is my dream. What do I do?

Throwing this out here because I'm going in circles in my own head and I need it out of there.

Context I'm a software engineer, mostly full-stack + some AI/ML stuff (built real-time audio pipelines, churn models, the usual DevOps/CI-CD toolkit). I graduated a year ago and it's been a full year of unemployment since. The market in 2026 is just... brutal. Applications into a void, a handful of interviews that go nowhere, the occasional "we went with someone with more experience" for a junior role. I know I'm not alone in this but it doesn't make it less exhausting.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I landed a PhD offer. On paper it's a good opportunity. In reality? I'm not excited about it at all. I think I'd be doing it because it's there, not because I actually want it, and I know that's not a good enough reason to commit years of my life to something.

So now I'm eyeing a different escape hatch: an M2 (master's) in audit at a solid school. Different world entirely, more stable hiring pipeline, a real credential, a reset button on this whole job search nightmare.

Except here's the annoying part: I can't let go of the "I'm a software engineer" identity. I've built things I'm proud of. I like the work. Some small stubborn part of me feels like switching to audit would mean giving up on something I actually wanted, just because the timing and the market screwed me over.

So I'm stuck between three options that all feel wrong in a different way:

• Keep grinding the SE job search and hope it turns around
• Take the PhD offer despite not being into it, because it's "something"
• Pivot to audit M2 and try to make peace with leaving SE behind

Anyone else been in this exact kind of limbo job market forcing your hand into a path you didn't actually choose? How did you figure out what to do? Did the pivot end up feeling right, or did you regret not sticking it out?

Not really looking for "just keep applying, it'll work out" I've heard that a lot and at some point it stops being useful advice. Looking more for how people actually made this kind of decision when none of the options felt exciting.

Throwing this out here because I'm going in circles in my own head and I need it out of there.

Context I'm a software engineer, mostly full-stack + some AI/ML stuff (built real-time audio pipelines, churn models, the usual DevOps/CI-CD toolkit). I graduated a year ago and it's been a full year of unemployment since. The market in 2026 is just... brutal. Applications into a void, a handful of interviews that go nowhere, the occasional "we went with someone with more experience" for a junior role. I know I'm not alone in this but it doesn't make it less exhausting.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I landed a PhD offer. On paper it's a good opportunity. In reality? I'm not excited about it at all. I think I'd be doing it because it's there, not because I actually want it, and I know that's not a good enough reason to commit years of my life to something.

So now I'm eyeing a different escape hatch: an M2 (master's) in audit at a solid school. Different world entirely, more stable hiring pipeline, a real credential, a reset button on this whole job search nightmare.

Except here's the annoying part: I can't let go of the "I'm a software engineer" identity. I've built things I'm proud of. I like the work. Some small stubborn part of me feels like switching to audit would mean giving up on something I actually wanted, just because the timing and the market screwed me over.

So I'm stuck between three options that all feel wrong in a different way:

• Keep grinding the SE job search and hope it turns around
• Take the PhD offer despite not being into it, because it's "something"
• Pivot to audit M2 and try to make peace with leaving SE behind

Anyone else been in this exact kind of limbo job market forcing your hand into a path you didn't actually choose? How did you figure out what to do? Did the pivot end up feeling right, or did you regret not sticking it out?

Not really looking for "just keep applying, it'll work out" I've heard that a lot and at some point it stops being useful advice. Looking more for how people actually made this kind of decision when none of the options felt exciting.

Throwing this out here because I'm going in circles in my own head and I need it out of there.

Context I'm a software engineer, mostly full-stack + some AI/ML stuff (built real-time audio pipelines, churn models, the usual DevOps/CI-CD toolkit). I graduated a year ago and it's been a full year of unemployment since. The market in 2026 is just... brutal. Applications into a void, a handful of interviews that go nowhere, the occasional "we went with someone with more experience" for a junior role. I know I'm not alone in this but it doesn't make it less exhausting.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, I landed a PhD offer. On paper it's a good opportunity. In reality? I'm not excited about it at all. I think I'd be doing it because it's there, not because I actually want it, and I know that's not a good enough reason to commit years of my life to something.

So now I'm eyeing a different escape hatch: an M2 (master's) in audit at a solid school. Different world entirely, more stable hiring pipeline, a real credential, a reset button on this whole job search nightmare.

Except here's the annoying part: I can't let go of the "I'm a software engineer" identity. I've built things I'm proud of. I like the work. Some small stubborn part of me feels like switching to audit would mean giving up on something I actually wanted, just because the timing and the market screwed me over.

So I'm stuck between three options that all feel wrong in a different way:

• Keep grinding the SE job search and hope it turns around
• Take the PhD offer despite not being into it, because it's "something"
• Pivot to audit M2 and try to make peace with leaving SE behind

Anyone else been in this exact kind of limbo job market forcing your hand into a path you didn't actually choose? How did you figure out what to do? Did the pivot end up feeling right, or did you regret not sticking it out?

Not really looking for "just keep applying, it'll work out" I've heard that a lot and at some point it stops being useful advice. Looking more for how people actually made this kind of decision when none of the options felt exciting.

Hello I got an interview with this startup and a rescheduled for the next day because of a family emergency with calandy and sent an email but today she was a no show. Can someone tell me if this is normal.

So this more of a confession since I want to get this out of my chest. So been unemployed for 10 months now no jobs not even an interview the job market is so brutal for software engineers. 5 years to get a degree internship money invested time, stress and all for what. No entry level jobs bo way to get your foot in and everyone keeps telling me that I have a great cv I graduated with highest honors but I feel like my confidence is deteriorating dramatically.

I moved back home so no social life didn't see my friends for over a 6 months now I feel isolated and I'm turning 27 in 2 weeks like I feel like I should pivot to any other market.

Life at home is hell I love my parents but they with a schizophrenic brother and emotionally dependant mother and a father that keeps making me feel like a failure in life even thought he would never say it (They love me i m the isuse Because i refuse to pivot to any other field that isn't the vision i have).

You start to see the disrespect in people's eyes like it's your fault your unemployed and I maybe it is.

I feel like my life is in chambels.

For any one how was unemployed for this long how do you cope ?

I'm joining ooredoo and I'm hearing only bad things just wanted to ask someone who works there ,or used to , how is the culture the salaries range ect..

Just wanted to ask how do I look for jobs in France or Germany do I already have a software engineering degree a strong cv a b2 in french and a c1 in english but I'm a junior. And I want to migration should I move to France and look there ? And what is the process like.

I'm a software engineer with a background in AI systems, DevOps, Spring Boot, Angular the full stack kind of profile. I graduated and have been job hunting for 7 months with no luck. The market is brutal right now.

I've been offered a PhD thesis that genuinely looks interesting it's on XAI (explainable AI) for medical imaging, multimodal systems, the kind of work that actually feels meaningful.

But here's the problem: it's unpaid. In my country, PhD students don't get stipends. And I'm already 26, already feeling the pressure of not having started a career yet. Part of me feels like I'm too old for this. Another part says that's complete nonsense.

Well I get a license to teach in college meanwhile with decent to average salary.

The rational side of me says: no income + no guaranteed job after = bad move. The other side says: you've been applying for 7 months anyway, you'd be building real expertise, and AI/XAI skills are genuinely rare.

Has anyone been in this situation? Did you take the PhD and regret it, or did it open doors the job market never would have? Is 26 actually "too old" or am I just catastrophizing?

Genuinely torn and would love some perspective.

I'm an entry level software engineer with a background in AI systems, DevOps, Spring Boot, Angular the full stack kind of profile. I graduated and have been job hunting for 7 months with no luck. The market is brutal right now.

Out of nowhere, I've been offered a PhD thesis that genuinely looks interesting — it's on XAI (explainable AI) for medical imaging, multimodal systems, the kind of work that actually feels meaningful.

But here's the problem: it's unpaid. And I'm already 26, already feeling the pressure of not having started a career yet. Part of me feels like I'm too old for this. Another part says that's complete nonsense.

The rational side of me says: no income + no guaranteed job after = bad move. The other side says: you've been applying for 7 months anyway, you'd be building real expertise, and AI/XAI skills are genuinely rare.

Has anyone been in this situation? Did you take the PhD and regret it, or did it open doors the job market never would have? Is 26 actually "too old" or am I just catastrophizing?

Genuinely torn and would love some perspective.

I'm a software engineer with a background in AI systems, DevOps, Spring Boot, Angular the full stack kind of profile. I graduated and have been job hunting for 7 months with no luck. The market is brutal right now.

Out of nowhere, I've been offered a PhD thesis that genuinely looks interesting it's on XAI (explainable AI) for medical imaging, multimodal systems, the kind of work that actually feels meaningful.

But here's the problem: it's unpaid. In my country, PhD students don't get stipends. And I'm already 26, already feeling the pressure of not having started a career yet. Part of me feels like I'm too old for this. Another part says that's complete nonsense.

The rational side of me says: no income + no guaranteed job after = bad move. The other side says: you've been applying for 7 months anyway, you'd be building real expertise, and AI/XAI skills are genuinely rare.

Has anyone been in this situation? Did you take the PhD and regret it, or did it open doors the job market never would have? Is 26 actually "too old" or am I just catastrophizing?

Genuinely torn and would love some perspective.