r/Career

I'm curious about the things that just scream 'run away' when you're looking for a new job. We always talk about green flags but what are the instant dealbreakers?

Maybe it was a bizarre interview question. Or the Glassdoor reviews were terrifying. Perhaps the job description felt really off. What made you hit the brakes on a potential career move? And what happened when you saw it?

I'm juggling like fifteen open applications right now and honestly couldn't tell you which ones I sent four days ago versus two weeks ago. Does anyone have a system for this?

I am currently in a Mechanical Engineering program, and I am confident in getting the degree at the very least, and with a decent GPA.

I just wonder, what are chances of getting a job without any work experience. Not exclusively engineering, but any job. How beneficial is a degree really?

(i have experience working, one summer job with wiring and speakers, two summers of pool work, but nothing really valuable.)

Reason I say not exclusively engineering is because I know how applicable an engineering degree is to a bunch of jobs, and since I dont have a direct passion for engineering, Im down for any job that interests me.

So, is a degree alone powerful enough to land me a job?

Hello friends, how are you? If I had to give a brief information, I studied IT for 4 years and graduated this year. I am 22 years old. In 2024, I started paying attention to data science, I went to the course. After studying for a while, I left the course halfway due to financial reasons and so far I have applied for many vacancies and internship programs. But there was no turning back, there were those who turned back, I was rejected from the interview. I don't want to be unemployed, so I have the idea of ​​changing the field. Sometimes I feel bad, I don't know what to do, where to start.

What are some legitimate/good career coaching sites or companies? Maybe ones that don’t break the bank (since we are already pretty broke)?

Trying to help my husband look for a potential career change as he’s been struggling and unsure if a coach can help and how much they typically cost. Neither of us have done this before so we are very lost. We also just bought a house so his current job cutting hours couldn’t come at a worse time. Any assistance or advice is greatly appreciated!

When I say "here", I mean both in work and in life".

I graduated in 2024 with a degree in computer science and got a job in IT support. I kept studying and practicing for the chance a engineering role were to land in my laps, and one eventually did. I took a job as a Cloud Engineer early this year, and in 6 months I've come to realize that I despise engineering, and my brain is constantly telling me to quit.

Money is not everything to me, but it is a major factor in why I chose computer science. I'm 25 making 80k salary living at home, able to save practically each paycheck completely - but its a golden handcuff situation. I'm practically using Claude to do everything, as is most of my company ($10B/year company) and though I understand and make sure what its coding is correct, I cannot stand the day to day anymore. I can't code by hand, and I live in some sort of constant fear that an automation I create will break and I'll be exposed for not remembering how x function works after a month of not looking at it.

Ive fallen into a major depressive spiral because of it. Im fairly certain that I have ADD, but do not have a PCP to go to for a referral to a psychiatrist. My brain is constantly telling me to run and choose another field, but I know that will not fix anything. Im not built for this for the next 40 years though, I know that for sure.

To top things off, I graduated debt free through scholarships. Depending on how you look at it, I have a safe "out" as I have no obligations, but know that for my lifestyle and what I want for the future, I need to stay making $80k a year. The careers that interest me (primarily Healthcare stuff, quicker interactions where I solve a problem or help do so, then can actually leave everything at the hospital. 3 12's sounds nice too) dont pay anywhere near that much. If I pivot too, I become a further burden to my parents by living at home - they say that they dont mind it, but I know this is hurting them too see me like this too.

All my life people have said they didnt like their job but they stuck through it because it paid the bills, but I feel like this is going to continously spike my cortisol and cause my brain to convince itself of something stupid.

Not really sure what to do here. Im trying to glide by ATM. Careers in healthcare, even the military, and speaking to me right now.

I need to quit my part time job and find a full time job with set hours related to my field...

I am 23 year old male with a computer science degree and don't really know what to do with my life but I know I don't want to spend 40+ hours a week in front of a computer screen.

Ever since I was a kid, I really want to learn as much as possible about different professions and try my hand at all of them. That was why I liked coding because it was a way to create novel experience online, but now that I have worked a few years I realized that I don't want to spend the majority of my life in front of a computer screen

But I don't know how I can make a living from doing everything and not really mastering anything (you know how people say that you should be a master of a trade to get pay)

I see YouTuber like Michelle Khare and want to imitate her but don't know how to get started asking people in these vastly different fields that I know nothing about to let me spend a day in their life and recording it on video without having any proof or track record. I heard that she was successful with her channel because she already had a large following from Buzzfeed

If anyone feel the same, maybe we could create a network of people who want to swap life or something

I am 27f and to be married next year in the first four months. I have a BA and MA degree in Korean language and id like to think i have good communication skills , i am presentable. I always wanted to have some kind of business but no support in life from literally anywhere when it comes to initiatives. Like If i have had a job and education even if basic… is because i fought for it and cleared an entrance exam otherwise would have not even gone to college or prolly be married and with kids by now… type shit.

So, i worked as a interpreter/translator for 6 months then switched to bpo… although it was related to my language but very passively and where i lost all my skills ( mostly conversational) in the said language. I worked there for around 3.5 years then left last month. While you can earn decent (70-80k or 1 lac per month, i used to earn around 50k) , am not very fond of this career and also find it limiting. I am interested in makeup but that field is also overcrowded and unpredictable.

I want to earn decent because I don’t wanna be fully dependent on my fiance because he is kinda the only one who earns well at his home (his father retired, his brother earn around 60-70k maybe but he keeps asking my fiance for money now n then, his wife and their mother are housewives) and he is kinda defensive about his family, also they live in a 3bhk in gurgaon and it is or will become over crowded if i come along, no space for guests or “me time”. He is also financing the marriage all by himself ( intercaste marriage btw). I already know i am not going to be welcomed with smiles and flowers. But if i sit at home, i will go crazy!

I have always wanted a house of my own in dehradun, my fiance too but he said we will have to wait about 10 years minimum and I don’t think even that will be possible with all the additional members of this family but i am hoping if I contribute a little my fiance will also be motivated to do so sooner. So, i am thinking about appearing for cat this year but mind you i am f\\\*\\\*ing dumb at maths…like i missed two classes and suddenly stopped taking maths seriously as soon at i saw trigonometry. I need career advice what can i do to earn decent around 1/1.5 lacs per month? What skills on top of the existing or new ones? CAT prep? Anything constructive… help your girl out. I don’t ’not want to work’ … i just don’t know how and where?

I'm thinking about skills that aren't on job descriptions. Things you might not even realize are important until you use them.

Like maybe you got really good at remembering names. Or you're a master at defusing awkward situations. What's a soft skill you have that has genuinely helped you get ahead or made your work life much easier?

How did you even realize it was valuable and how do you use it?

I spent most of my twenties dealing with very severe depression. I don't have a college degree. I had my daughter when I was 30. The only things on my resume are that I worked as a waitress, hostess, and bartender. My husband makes enough for me to stay home with our daughter right now, but there's basically no money left over and we don't have financial security. I want to work and have a stable job with decent pay by the time she starts school. And I absolutely don't want to go back to working in restaurants or behind a bar.

What certifications or training programs could I finish in about 18 to 30 months that could realistically lead to a good job, like $60 or more? I'm looking for ideas because, honestly, I don't even know what options are out there.

INFO: I live in Mississippi, USA.

To clarify, I've always been good at school. I graduated high school in roughly the top 8 of my class. College is where things fell apart after some difficult and traumatic things happened to me, and that set me back for a long time. But I know I'm capable. I'm good at math, and in almost every job I've had, people told me I learn quickly.

My interests are baking/cooking, hiking, being outdoors in nature, secondhand shopping, working out, doing nails, and flipping things online when I find a good deal. But I'm not trying to choose a career based only on hobbies. I'm open to practical suggestions, even things I haven't thought of before.

To cut a long story short, I’m a Brit who met an Aussie girl while backpacking around Europe. We ended up getting quite close, travelled around Europe together for a few months, and eventually lived together in Australia for three months. I decided to get my Working Holiday Visa and come back out here to give things a proper shot. If everything works out, the plan is that we could eventually apply for a partner visa.

Back in the UK, I worked in the TV industry for about a decade, mainly as a cameraman. But the industry has been shrinking, partly because of the rise of social media, and I’d already started thinking that it wasn’t necessarily the most stable career for the future. I figured that if there was ever a good time to change direction, this was it. Coming to Australia seemed like a good opportunity to try something completely different and find a more stable line of work.

The problem is that now I’m actually here, I feel completely paralysed by the choice.

1. I have no idea what I’m qualified for.
TV is such a niche industry that I feel like I have very few genuinely transferable skills beyond the usual things everyone puts on a CV: teamwork, working to deadlines, problem-solving, critical thinking, etc. I know I must have developed useful skills over ten years, but I’m struggling to translate them into jobs outside of TV.

2. I have no idea what kind of work would actually suit me.
Would I enjoy sitting in a cosy office, or would I go completely stir-crazy after spending years running around with a camera? Would I actually enjoy construction or labouring, or would I realise very quickly that I can’t hack heavy physical work all day? I don't really know what I want because I’ve never had the chance to try many of these things.

3. I’m terrified of making the wrong choice.
I can imagine getting an office job, sitting in a cubicle for a few weeks and feeling the walls closing in. Then I’d feel ashamed for wanting to quit — or actually quitting — after such a short time. I’d feel like I’d failed, and then I’d have to face my girlfriend and everyone else and explain why I’d given up.

So I think that’s where I’m stuck. I came here wanting to use this as an opportunity to start a new chapter and build a more stable future, but instead I’m overwhelmed by the feeling that I have to somehow pick the right career without having any idea what the right career actually is. The idea of being in the 9-5 rat race, after a decade of doing a job which didn't feel like that terrifies me also.

So I'm a single mother in my 30s. All I've got is a high school diploma but I'm finally at a point where I'm able to further my studies.

What career can I pursue that is a full time job, financially secure but can be occasionally remote on the occasion I have to home with my kids?

My dream was studying something in health science but there is no possibility of remote working there so that's out the window. Accounting? Finance? Advice please

Just wondering how anyone chooses their future? I for the life of me cannot determine what I want to be when I grow up. Money is sweet, but so is having a comfortable life that isn't torture?
I want to know what people do for work, please elaborate on your career employed adults!

Honestly, I’m a good learner and student so far. And for job careers I never really put much thought into it—I personally have never wanted to make my passion into a job.
I think since I truly love something, making it into a full time job is just going to make me detest it.

I’m great at English literature and I’m good at drawing. But never once did I consider majoring in these fields.
On the other hand, I’m alright at math, and also quite good at science.
So when someone asks me what I want to be when I grow up I say something along the lines of “dentist.”

Is it bad that I don’t want to follow my passions into work?
Honestly, I had no problem with science and parts of math and science based readings taking up my life for college and highschool.
I have some left over free time that I spend on the things I love no matter what.

Of course no hate and no arguments about this topic because I frankly don’t have time to care. But I definitely will discuss the topic and explore everyone’s ideas! I admire people’s abilities to follow their dreams since I’m not too aspirational like most. I just want a comfortable living and to enjoy my passions outside of work that won’t consume me. (Which is hard in this world, but I guess that’s what my aspiration is)

Got my masters in nursing (FNP) last year and got hired at a specialty. No joke it’s hard work as a new grad.
I wanted to quit. But every time I feel that way, I think about the many new grads who are struggling to even get an interview.
I feel very lucky. My job is a 10 min drive. Starting salary is 180k. M-F. 14 pts/day plus follow-ups. No admin time. Great benefits.

I definitely need to suck it up.

I’ve been interviewing for an HR/Total Rewards role and just got rejected after a process that felt very positive, so I’m curious how others would interpret this.

The recruiter initially reached out to me, and after my first interview with the hiring manager, I was told she really liked me. There was then some waiting while they figured out next steps, but the recruiter continued telling me the feedback was positive. Eventually, I was brought in for an in-person interview with the hiring manager and another leader.

I was transparent throughout the process that there were a few areas where I didn’t have as much direct experience, but I explained my transferable experience and how I would approach those responsibilities. Other areas, I was a master in. During the interview, the hiring manager seemed very receptive and all smiles. She agreed with several of my approaches, added her own ideas, and the conversation felt collaborative — we were discussing how things could work if I joined. Never an awk silence or her having to fill in the gaps for me. interview actually went over by about 10 minutes.

Today, the recruiter told me they decided not to move forward because they felt I would need too much guidance in some areas and they wanted someone with more direct experience.

We literally discussed my background during the first interview via teams. Very thoroughly. Why have me drive ALL the way up there, put on a show, just tell me what they already knew from the first interview???

That genuinely surprised me because I never represented myself as needing hand-holding, and nothing about the interview made me think those gaps had suddenly become dealbreakers.

I asked the recruiter whether they chose another candidate or were continuing the search and explained why I was surprised. His response was: “We were all expecting a different outcome.” He also said he wants to call me tomorrow to give me more of his thoughts.

For recruiters/hiring managers: What do you think may have happened here? Is this sometimes a case of the hiring manager reconsidering after the interview, another candidate emerging, or leadership deciding they want a different profile? The recruiter saying they were all expecting a different outcome is what really has me wondering.

Hey guys is there a very good career consultant that u ever talked w? Someone that actually gave you a good advice about ur career university ( both preferably) etc someone who i can talk on call or online :)