u/Suspicious_Mine_2337

Basically, I am 36f, unemployed with a master's degree from abroad that is useless in the 2026 USA job market and I am totally fucked. I can't do my old job anymore that I did before the master's degree. My profile is bad for many reasons. I read daily how bad the economy is, and see the crazy numbers on job postings on LinkedIn. I am so freaked out that I am paralyzed and depressed and not doing all the things I need to do to maybe have a shot at getting a job, ever again. I have never felt this scared about being unemployed. Any advice on escaping this loop?

Let's say you've had a career goal (getting certain types of jobs in the environmental sector) for the last ten years. You took a step to try to get closer to that goal, and it failed spectacularly, and you are currently in a very bad position to get hired for the type of job you want. You're 36 years old and the clock is ticking, and there is no clear way to get back on track other than volunteering. The outlook for this goal in 2026 is the worst it's ever been due to budget cuts and governmental policies. At what point do you give up on this goal? I'd say I've reached a breaking point with 10 years of failure, but it's really, really hard to let go of this because it's the only job I've ever wanted and I have sort of based my identity around it.

Let's say you've had a career goal (getting certain types of jobs in the environmental sector) for the last ten years. You took a step to try to get closer to that goal, and it failed spectacularly, and you are currently in a very bad position to get hired for the type of job you want. You're 36 years old and the clock is ticking, and there is no clear way to get back on track other than volunteering. The outlook for this goal in 2026 is the worst it's ever been due to budget cuts and governmental policies. At what point do you give up on this goal? I'd say I've reached a breaking point with 10 years of failure, but it's really, really hard to let go of this because it's the only job I've ever wanted and I have sort of based my identity around it.

36f did master's degree and is now unemployable, help

So I have a very complicated situation and I am hoping you can help me. I am out of ideas and feel I need professional help. To start off, I have some limitations: I have adhd, a memory problem and dyscalculia (math learning disability). So jobs like data analyst or project manager are out of the question because I am too disorganized and bad at math.

I graduated from school in 2012 with a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Conservation biology. My original goal was to go into research, but I could not pass the required math classes and was told that my goal was impossible if I could not pass the math classes. So I graduated and got into nonprofit communications (social media). It was okay for a while, but I found out after doing it for a while that I was pretty terrible at the type of writing it requires. I am a great writer when it comes to writing factual content, but I am really bad at marketing writing/PR. On top of that, I had some severe health problems that persisted for a number of years. So, then I got into the really bad situation of being fired/laid off repeatedly because I would get sick a lot and was honestly not good at the job. I also didn’t like the job, but I thought that if I kept trying it again and again, I would get somehow better at it or like it more, but it never happened and I kept getting fired.

This went on for a number of years, until I finally got a diagnosis and got stable on meds after being on disability for a year. I had seen jobs online at major nonprofits that seemed really interesting to me, but required a master’s degree. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money to get a master’s degree in the United States, so I discovered that I could get one almost for free in Germany and went there in 2021.

While doing the master’s degree in Germany, I was an idiot and didn’t realize that I needed to get way more job experience than I did to be able to get a job in a new field. I did a few internships but none led to a job. I spent a whole year looking for a job, had some interviews for positions I would have liked better but was rejected from for not having enough experience, and the only one I could find was in nonprofit communications again. I thought maybe this time it would be different and I could do a good job and maybe move into something better later.

Long story short, that job was a horrible experience. I was dealing with housing instability in Berlin, and although I tried very hard, I was honestly not good at the work. I was also experiencing severe work anxiety, as I had been fired so many times before, I was terrified of being fired again and I would have panic attacks. The work place was also very stressful and toxic. I got fired during the probation period and we had some meetings where they told me that I basically did everything wrong possible, from being bad at the actual writing to being bad at project management and forgetting things.

I am back in the USA now and I am at a total loss of what to do. The first problem is, after basically ten years of failure, I fear maybe I am not capable of having a professional job at all. The second problem is I have no idea what type of job would fit me, and if there is any job in the environmental field that I could do. It’s also really hard to find any jobs to apply to, as even entry level positions require years of experience which I don’t have, and also, I don’t know how to do anything else. What I need help with is trying to discover a new career path in the environmental field that I could actually be successful at, and then figure out a way to get experience in that new field. Or any type of job. At 36 I feel it may be too late. 

So I have a very complicated situation and I am hoping you can help me. I am out of ideas and feel I need professional help. To start off, I have some limitations: I have adhd, a memory problem and dyscalculia (math learning disability). So jobs like data analyst or project manager are out of the question because I am too disorganized and bad at math.

I graduated from school in 2012 with a degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Conservation biology. My original goal was to go into research, but I could not pass the required math classes and was told that my goal was impossible if I could not pass the math classes. So I graduated and got into nonprofit communications (social media). It was okay for a while, but I found out after doing it for a while that I was pretty terrible at the type of writing it requires. I am a great writer when it comes to writing factual content, but I am really bad at marketing writing/PR. On top of that, I had some severe health problems that persisted for a number of years. So, then I got into the really bad situation of being fired/laid off repeatedly because I would get sick a lot and was honestly not good at the job. I also didn’t like the job, but I thought that if I kept trying it again and again, I would get somehow better at it or like it more, but it never happened and I kept getting fired.

This went on for a number of years, until I finally got a diagnosis and got stable on meds after being on disability for a year. I had seen jobs online at major nonprofits that seemed really interesting to me, but required a master’s degree. Unfortunately, I did not have enough money to get a master’s degree in the United States, so I discovered that I could get one almost for free in Germany and went there in 2021.

While doing the master’s degree in Germany, I was an idiot and didn’t realize that I needed to get way more job experience than I did to be able to get a job in a new field. I did a few internships but none led to a job. I spent a whole year looking for a job, had some interviews for positions I would have liked better but was rejected from for not having enough experience, and the only one I could find was in nonprofit communications again. I thought maybe this time it would be different and I could do a good job and maybe move into something better later.

Long story short, that job was a horrible experience. I was dealing with housing instability in Berlin, and although I tried very hard, I was honestly not good at the work. I was also experiencing severe work anxiety, as I had been fired so many times before, I was terrified of being fired again and I would have panic attacks. The work place was also very stressful and toxic. I got fired during the probation period and we had some meetings where they told me that I basically did everything wrong possible, from being bad at the actual writing to being bad at project management and forgetting things.

I am back in the USA now and I am at a total loss of what to do. The first problem is, after basically ten years of failure, I fear maybe I am not capable of having a professional job at all. The second problem is I have no idea what type of job would fit me, and if there is any job in the environmental field that I could do. It’s also really hard to find any jobs to apply to, as even entry level positions require years of experience which I don’t have, and also, I don’t know how to do anything else. What I need help with is trying to discover a new career path in the environmental field that I could actually be successful at, and then figure out a way to get experience in that new field. Or any type of job. At 36 I feel it may be too late. 

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Seeking recommendations for a career coach who could help an unemployed mid career individual in the environmental/international development field find a way forward after a huge loss. I am based in the US but would ideally like to make it back to Europe which may not be possible. If anyone has a recommendation I would much appreciate it.

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Seeking recommendations for a career coach who could help an unemployed mid career individual in the environmental/international development field find a way forward after a huge loss. I am based in the US but would ideally like to make it back to Europe which may not be possible. If anyone has a recommendation I would much appreciate it.

Seeking recommendations for a career coach who could help an unemployed mid career individual in the environmental/international development field find a way forward after a huge loss. I am based in the US but would ideally like to make it back to Europe which may not be possible. If anyone has a recommendation I would much appreciate it.

Seeking recommendations for a career coach who could help an unemployed mid career individual in the environmental/international development field find a way forward after a huge loss. I am based in the US but would ideally like to make it back to Europe which may not be possible. If anyone has a recommendation I would much appreciate it.

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I am stuck in a deep depression. I did a whole master's degree in Natural Resources Management and Development in Germany, during the degree interviewed for two UN internship positions, was rejected from both. One of them told me they would have accepted me had I not stupidly asked if it could have been part time (I didn't know the internships had to be full time). I interviewed for a job at United Nations University and was rejected.

I am now 36 and jobless at my parent's house in the USA with no prospects after getting fired from a job in my old field that I was trying to escape.

I think about these mistakes every day. At this point I have fucked up the thing I waited for so many years to accomplish (was recovering from cancer for 5 years which put my career on hold), which was to do a master's degree and finally get out of a job I hated and was bad at (nonprofit communications) into something I could love (international development and environmental policy).

I fucked it all up and I feel sick every time I see any mention of the UN or meet people in the career I tried and failed at.

Does anyone have any words of advice for me? I am trying to find a therapist but I am so depressed, every day I wake up in a panic and at night I think about every mistake I ever made.

I am stuck in a deep depression. I did a whole master's degree in Natural Resources Management and Development, during the degree interviewed for two UN internship positions, was rejected from both. One of them told me they would have accepted me had I not stupidly asked if it could have been part time (I didn't know the internships had to be full time). I interviewed for a job at UNU and was rejected.

I am now 36 and jobless at my parent's house with no prospects after getting fired from a job in my old field that I was trying to escape.

I think about these mistakes every day. At this point I have fucked up the thing I waited for so many years to accomplish (was recovering from cancer for 5 years which put my career on hold), which was to do a master's degree and finally get out of a job I hated into something I could love.

I fucked it all up and I feel sick every time I see any mention of the UN or meet people in the career I tried and failed at.

Does anyone have any words of advice for me? I am trying to find a therapist but I am so depressed, every day I wake up in a panic and at night I think about every mistake I ever made.

.

I am 36f and have made multiple posts on reddit asking about my situation, and it's clear. I fucked up too badly. The only thing I ever wanted in life was an environmental policy job and it's over for me. I'm too old and a second master's won't fix it. How do I move forward with my life?

I have been frantically posting to reddit asking for advice and the overwhelming opinion is that it is over for me.

How can I find a reason to live again? All that awaits me is being a wage slave with no time off or sick pay. I am so distressed since I got fired that I haven't been eating and have lost 10 lbs.

My life honestly feels like it is over, I see no way out of my situation. Please help me come to terms with this. It's all I cared about and I can't have it because I fucked up too badly.

​

I am 36f and have made multiple posts on reddit asking about my situation, and it's clear. I fucked up too badly. The only thing I ever wanted in life was an environmental policy job and it's over for me. I'm too old and a second master's won't fix it. How do I move forward with my life?

I have been frantically posting to reddit asking for advice and the overwhelming opinion is that it is over for me.

How can I find a reason to live again? All that awaits me is being a wage slave with no time off or sick pay. I am so distressed since I got fired that I haven't been eating and have lost 10 lbs.

My life honestly feels like it is over, I see no way out of my situation. Please help me come to terms with this. It's all I cared about and I can't have it because I fucked up too badly.

I am 36f and have made multiple posts on reddit asking about my situation, and it's clear. I fucked up too badly. The only thing I ever wanted in life was an environmental policy job and it's over for me. I'm too old and a second master's won't fix it. How do I move forward with my life?

I have been frantically posting to reddit asking for advice and the overwhelming opinion is that it is over for me.

How can I find a reason to live again? All that awaits me is being a wage slave with no time off or sick pay. I am so distressed since I got fired that I haven't been eating and have lost 10 lbs.

My life honestly feels like it is over, I see no way out of my situation. Please help me come to terms with this. It's all I cared about and I can't have it because I fucked up too badly.

I am 36f and have made multiple posts on reddit asking about my situation, and it's clear. I fucked up too badly. The only thing I ever wanted in life was an environmental policy job and it's over for me. I'm too old and a second master's won't fix it. How do I move forward with my life?

I have been frantically posting to reddit asking for advice and the overwhelming opinion is that it is over for me.

How can I find a reason to live again? All that awaits me is being a wage slave with no time off or sick pay. I am so distressed since I got fired that I haven't been eating and have lost 10 lbs.

My life honestly feels like it is over, I see no way out of my situation. Please help me come to terms with this. It's all I cared about and I can't have it because I fucked up too badly.

So basically I am feeling terrified about the future. The problem is that I am 36, and I did a master's to transition out of a career I was bad at (nonprofit communications) into environmental policy. The reason why it took me so long to do the master's to transition was that I was dealing with some very serious health problems. In the master's degree I was an idiot and didn't realize I needed to be basically constantly working part time or doing internships, and I only did two internships which didn't lead to a job. So then the problem I had when I graduated was I didn't have enough job experience to get anything except for nonprofit communications again, and then I was fired for being bad at the job. So I think it's safe to say I can't go for another comms job again, but I have no idea what to do because I no longer qualify for working student jobs or internships due to not being a student anymore.

I have 2.5k euros coming in each year, forever, from an inheritance but it isn't enough to live off of in the SF Bay Area because it's so expensive. So basically, my current plan is to look for a job for a year in the USA, maybe there is a slim possibility I could get something, but if that doesn't work I am probably only qualified at this point to get something off of craigslist with 0 vacation days and 0 sick days.

The idea I had was that, if my one year of looking for a job in the US didn't work, I could get married to my German boyfriend (he has offered this) and spend a year learning German, then apply to another master's and solely use it as a vehicle for networking and doing internships in hope that after that I would get a job.

The problem is I don't think I can afford to do another master's in the USA, I only have about 100k to my name and I don't know if taking out a huge loan is advisable

I have seen some people on LinkedIn do two masters and then get a job so I know it works sometimes, I am just worried because of my age..I could lie on my CV and take off graduation dates of undergrad/eliminate old work history to look younger.

So yeah, basically I am stuck because what I need is more experience to get entry level positions, but I am not an enrolled student to get internships anymore and ive been graduated too long to qualify as a recent grad so I have no idea what to do and I am really terrified because being a menial job worker in the USA is a pretty bad life, but I think I would also be really depressed as an unemployed housewife in Germany

The last thing I thought about was trying to volunteer but I don't know if that would be a waste of time and not lead anywhere

So yeah, I guess, my question is, if my one year of US job searching doesnt lead anywhere, would you recommend a second masters? Or do you have any ideas about how I could volunteer in a way that could actually lead to a job? The only volunteer opportunities I have been able to find are with super local orgs.

My biggest passion is traveling and the idea of being a barista for the rest of my life with no vacation days is terrifying, not to mention my boyfriend would break up with me because I would never get to see him. I am living with my parents right now in SF.

Master's didn't work, 36f, help

So basically I am feeling terrified about the future. The problem is that I am 36, and I did a master's to transition out of a career I was bad at (nonprofit communications) into environmental policy. The reason why it took me so long to do the master's to transition was that I was dealing with some very serious health problems. In the master's degree I was an idiot and didn't realize I needed to be basically constantly working part time or doing internships, and I only did two internships which didn't lead to a job. So then the problem I had when I graduated was I didn't have enough job experience to get anything except for nonprofit communications again, and then I was fired for being bad at the job. So I think it's safe to say I can't go for another comms job again, but I have no idea what to do because I no longer qualify for working student jobs or internships due to not being a student anymore.

I have 2.5k euros coming in each year, forever, from an inheritance but it isn't enough to live off of in the SF Bay Area because it's so expensive. So basically, my current plan is to look for a job for a year in the USA, maybe there is a slim possibility I could get something, but if that doesn't work I am probably only qualified at this point to get something off of craigslist with 0 vacation days and 0 sick days.

The idea I had was that, if my one year of looking for a job in the US didn't work, I could get married to my German boyfriend (he has offered this) and spend a year learning German, then apply to another master's and solely use it as a vehicle for networking and doing internships in hope that after that I would get a job.

The problem is I don't think I can afford to do another master's in the USA, I only have about 100k to my name and I don't know if taking out a huge loan is advisable

I have seen some people on LinkedIn do two masters and then get a job so I know it works sometimes, I am just worried because of my age..I could lie on my CV and take off graduation dates of undergrad/eliminate old work history to look younger.

So yeah, basically I am stuck because what I need is more experience to get entry level positions, but I am not an enrolled student to get internships anymore and ive been graduated too long to qualify as a recent grad so I have no idea what to do and I am really terrified because being a menial job worker in the USA is a pretty bad life, but I think I would also be really depressed as an unemployed housewife in Germany

The last thing I thought about was trying to volunteer but I don't know if that would be a waste of time and not lead anywhere

So yeah, I guess, my question is, if my one year of US job searching doesnt lead anywhere, would you recommend a second masters? Or do you have any ideas about how I could volunteer in a way that could actually lead to a job? The only volunteer opportunities I have been able to find are with super local orgs.

My biggest passion is traveling and the idea of being a barista for the rest of my life with no vacation days is terrifying, not to mention my boyfriend would break up with me because I would never get to see him. I am living with my parents right now in SF.

So basically I am feeling terrified about the future. The problem is that I am 36, and I did a master's to transition out of a career I was bad at (nonprofit communications) into environmental policy. The reason why it took me so long to do the master's to transition was that I was dealing with some very serious health problems. In the master's degree I was an idiot and didn't realize I needed to be basically constantly working part time or doing internships, and I only did two internships which didn't lead to a job. So then the problem I had when I graduated was I didn't have enough job experience to get anything except for nonprofit communications again, and then I was fired for being bad at the job. So I think it's safe to say I can't go for another comms job again, but I have no idea what to do because I no longer qualify for working student jobs or internships due to not being a student anymore.

I have 2.5k euros coming in each year, forever, from an inheritance but it isn't enough to live off of in the SF Bay Area because it's so expensive. So basically, my current plan is to look for a job for a year in the USA, maybe there is a slim possibility I could get something, but if that doesn't work I am probably only qualified at this point to get something off of craigslist with 0 vacation days and 0 sick days.

The idea I had was that, if my one year of looking for a job in the US didn't work, I could get married to my German boyfriend (he has offered this) and spend a year learning German, then apply to another master's and solely use it as a vehicle for networking and doing internships in hope that after that I would get a job.

The problem is I don't think I can afford to do another master's in the USA, I only have about 100k to my name and I don't know if taking out a huge loan is advisable

I have seen some people on LinkedIn do two masters and then get a job so I know it works sometimes, I am just worried because of my age..I could lie on my CV and take off graduation dates of undergrad/eliminate old work history to look younger.

So yeah, basically I am stuck because what I need is more experience to get entry level positions, but I am not an enrolled student to get internships anymore and ive been graduated too long to qualify as a recent grad so I have no idea what to do and I am really terrified because being a menial job worker in the USA is a pretty bad life, but I think I would also be really depressed as an unemployed housewife in Germany

The last thing I thought about was trying to volunteer but I don't know if that would be a waste of time and not lead anywhere

So yeah, I guess, my question is, if my one year of US job searching doesnt lead anywhere, would you recommend a second masters? Or do you have any ideas about how I could volunteer in a way that could actually lead to a job? The only volunteer opportunities I have been able to find are with super local orgs.

My biggest passion is traveling and the idea of being a barista for the rest of my life with no vacation days is terrifying, not to mention my boyfriend would break up with me because I would never get to see him. I am living with my parents right now in SF.

Long story short: I am 36 from the US and did a master's degree in Germany to change fields into environmental policy. I was not successful and am now unemployed with no job prospects beyond menial labor.

Would it be avisable to do a second master's to regain entry into working student jobs or internships to hopefully then network into a new position, or have I totally screwed things up and need to give up on this career path completely?

Should I do a second masters?

Long story short: I am 36 from the US and did a master's degree in Germany to change fields into environmental policy. I was not successful and am now unemployed with no job prospects beyond menial labor.

Would it be avisable to do a second master's to regain entry into working student jobs or internships to hopefully then network into a new position, or have I totally screwed things up and need to give up on this career path completely?