u/Ok_Camp_56

I'm sitting here feeling like a stressed-out piñata waiting for someone to hit it, and the stick in this scenario is AI. I'm not trying to be dramatic, I swear, I'm genuinely lost.

For context, I studied BBA. Yeah, yeah, I know it's not exactly a degree that opens every door, pls let's not start. But that's not even the terrifying part. My engineering friends are still unemployed. My cousin was working in data analytics at a big company in Canada and just got laid off; an entire department was removed. My sister has an MBBS and keeps getting rejected??? Like almost every day. Pharma people, dentists, coders, biotech people. Literally everyone around me is sitting at home refreshing job portals.

I had a neat little plan in my head. Masters in Business Analytics abroad. Logical. Mature. Look at me making life decisions. Except now AI is clearly coming for that too, which is funny in the worst possible way.

And before anyone says "but human interaction," people are literally using AI for therapy because real therapists are expensive. So the whole human touch argument feels like it died before it even began.

I started looking at every possible field like a maniac.

Data analytics: AI came in and sat in the chair.

Software development: still technically breathing, but everyone in it looks psychologically damaged.

Public policy: seems interesting, but the ROI is depressing and I'm not rich.

Psychology: I love it, but the salary situation is not nice at all.

Nursing: my family would consider it a crime because it's not "respectable" enough.

MBBS: see my sister's situation above; still not reassuring.

Management: AI will automate the report and politely loop everyone in.

Skilled trades: safer for now, but the machines are definitely warming up.

Creative work: AI finished the starter and ordered the main course.

Academia: they'll accept your soul and pay you in prestige and exhaustion.

At this point I want to buy a small farm and disappear. But land is expensive. And someone told me automation will probably take that too someday, so okay, beautiful.

What are we even supposed to do now?? I'm asking seriously. Please, no toxic positivity, I won't be able to handle it.

I've looked into careers around climate, sustainability, and renewable energy, and honestly they don't look bad, but I'm still very confused.

I was at camp for the last 8 days, and when I got back I found 41 missed calls, 24 texts, and 7 voicemails from people at work. I didn't have my phone with me the whole time, and I had literally told them that when I requested time off 4 months ago.

The weird thing is that my manager left me voicemails that were honestly way beyond the limits of any work call. I mean, not just "hey, call us back," but inappropriate and kind of unhinged.

When I finally got my phone back, I texted the big boss to make sure everything was okay. That's when she told me my "time off" had been denied almost at the last minute. Then I found out the reason was that she had also taken time off during the same week, and since 4 of her kids work there too, she realized they wouldn't have enough people to run the place.

Instead of telling me any of this before I left, they put me on the schedule for 11-hour shifts every day while I was gone, which would have been 66 hours over 6 days. And I'm a minor and part-time, so I'm only supposed to be allowed to work up to 18 hours a week.

Then she said I no longer work there because I had done multiple "no call no shows." I have never done that before all this mess. And the reason I didn't know there was even a problem is that she forgot to tell me my days had been denied until 3 days into the trip.

So now I'm going to HR at the end of this week because this is bs. But I'm not sure what to say or what to bring with me, especially since I don't even know if I want to keep working there after what happened. And this also isn't the first time they've done something like this.

So, yeah... Does anyone have advice on what I should do going into this?

I've been seeing this pattern for about 12 years. Companies basically no longer want to train anyone. Anyone they bring in is expected to arrive already knowing the systems, the industry, and the processes, and to be ready to "hit the ground running" from day one.

The job market is very tough right now, but I still see corporate roles that have been open for 6+ weeks every time. I've applied to a few of them myself. Then, a month and a half later, I find the same ad again, the same posting, the same description, and it's still open.

I've talked to people working at several of these places, and the answer is usually some version of: "They're waiting for someone with exactly y years of experience and experience in a very specific platform." Not someone who can learn it. No, someone who already has the exact checklist from the start.

And I'm not saying this as someone who doesn't understand how hiring works. I have recruiting experience, so I understand what happens behind the scenes. I know hiring managers have wish lists. I know teams are under pressure. I know no one wants to make a bad hire.

But companies keep saying they can't find talent, while at the same time ignoring people who are interested, capable, and often trainable, because they don't match the imaginary perfect candidate. Then the role stays empty, the team stays understaffed, and everyone acts like they don't understand what's going on.

The corporate world needs a culture shift. Stop waiting forever for the "perfect" candidate, and hire the good person who can grow into the role. This hiring approach isn't sustainable if every company refuses to take a chance on anyone who isn't 100% ready from the start.