r/Careers

I started my first 'real' office job about a year and a half ago. My job is to track invoices and update spreadsheets for the finance team. For the first 3 months, things were great. I was busy from 9 until lunch and then until 6 PM. I really felt like I was learning and contributing. But after those first 4 months, things completely dropped off.

Now, I'm lucky if I have 3 hours of real work on a busy day. I've asked for more responsibilities, but there's just nothing extra to do. I spend most of the day on my phone scrolling through Reddit or reading ebooks just to pass the time. A few weeks ago, my manager pulled me aside about this. She asked me what I was doing, and I told her I was just reading. She told me I shouldn't be on my phone and suggested I read technical papers related to our field instead because it's 'related to what I studied in college'.

The problem is that after 8 months in this job, I discovered I no longer have any passion for my field of study at all. The boredom has become killer and has made me question my entire career path. I feel like my brain has melted. I'm just trying to endure it to complete the 3 years of experience for my CV.

What do people do when they finish their work? It's so mentally exhausting to finish everything by 11 AM and then just stare at the screen, hoping for an email that will take you 10 minutes to handle. I have 14 more months left to reach the 3-year mark, and after that, I plan to leave. There's no chance for a raise or promotion here.

My manager knows I have all this free time but doesn't offer me more work or more money to do new things. I'm so bored and feel mentally drained from the lack of work. Is this really what office life is? Or should I just quit now?

Hello everybody - I’m a 27 year old with a finance degree who does not currently remember anything about finance.

I’ve been working sales jobs since I graduated and make around ~100k with base and guaranteed bonuses.

My current role is outside sales and support for very technical product. It’s a great job but It’s pretty much a job for an engineer and I’m not that interested in engineering.

My question is what do you do? What does an entry level job in your field look like? Do you enjoy what you do?

Kind of like software development before 2022, is there any career currently like that where you can just make a lot of money that is not that hard to get into? I'd appreciate it if you could give me some ideas.

I am currently a case manager in a red state for the past three years, and am one year into my MSW program. Daily I witness the lack of support. From treatment court only releasing incarcerated clients who can afford legal representatives. To spending an hour of my day over the phone explaining why our outpatient treatment services 99% of the time can not be covered by medicaid or medicare.

I knew my state had very few resources. We are in a drought of social workers, and things are only getting worse. My program is only graduating around 15 MSWs, and this is the only MSW program I know of in the state. We have always been in the top 5 for suicides.

Im still young (27) and my state has no lgbt, abortion, social safety net etc protections and we are slipping further right as the years go on. If I stay, I am guarenteed a job with 5-year-student loan repayment options. Im stressed at work, don't feels safe in my rural community. I have few ties here, and for similar reasons, once I have my degree, and some experience in the field, I want to flee even if I will barely be able to afford life.

Do y'all have any reccomendations for states that work to protect social welfare programs beyond the obvious (Cali, Minnisota, Washington, Oregon). I'm making a list to hive myself hope, so any opinion is accepted!

I am currently working in addictions and hevaily interact with local courts, but in future want to work hospital/inpatient for mental health.

Thank you all so much for your time.

Sales is not my thing. I’ve made it this far but have clarity that the role I’m currently in (Financial Advisor) is not sustainable for me long term as I’m slowly killing my soul each day. I’m not bad on the advice side, I just don’t get into the schmoozing, and I feel the industry just doesn’t align with my ethical and moral lanes anymore.

AND

My interests are already elsewhere. I have a real hard time with hypothetical ideas, and am much more comfortable putting hands on my work. 10+ years ago, prior to my current role, I remodeled homes and loved it. I do regret not sticking with that. Now I have developed some design skills, welding, carpentry, etc… as a hobby, and I want some way to translate this breadth of knowledge into something more fulfilling.

Any positions come to mind? My first thought is back to real estate, which I could do myself, but I want to work for someone else for a while and hone in on what/if I want to start that business again.

I like looking at physical systems and finding ways to make them better.

My plan is to slowly explore options in my free time and on weekends, gain certs if that’s part of it, etc… then transition over the course of a year so I can handoff my book in a reasonable way.

Ideas? I need to make at least $70k but have a few years of runway if needed to get there.

I'm in the USA. I'll be 30 soon. I have a bit of community college, and I'd really love to have the time & resources to go back. I work gigs when I can but don't really have any special skills. I'm good with people and that's about it.

But my housing situation is great, and it's changing soon. But it got me thinking that I'm not really going anywhere in my life. I've heard about job corps, Coastguard, peace corps and a few others.

But what are some career/job options where they'd take care of me, I might get to travel, it would set me up or at least allow me to afford an apartment on my own. I'd prefer to not go away for too long, but I understand if it's at least a year or two upfront. I was thinking about joining the Army, but I don't want to go away for 4 years, and I don't want the possibility of having to die for the government.

Hey!

M,27 (India) genuinely at crossroads wrt where my career is heading. I've been freelancing for the last 7 months making about $44,000 (₹ 42,00,000) with another $30,000 of work in my pipeline in the next couple of months.

I previously worked at 2 Tier-3 company with my CTC reaching $20000(₹18,60,000) yearly by the time I quit the Power Platform Technical consultant role. I hate how roles are defined based on YOE rather than domain knowledge or technical skill in India, hence working with clients abroad independently has always been the ideal scenario for me.

The problem comes now that I'm having a hard time finding new clients, and the dark cloud of not having a consistent cash flow is scary. I've been trying to break into Tier 1 companies for solution architect/consultant roles for about 2 months with no luck. Another issue is most companies not being able to even remotely match the money I'd make freelancing. I'm financially sound atm but a stable, secure job would be the next step for me.

I'd love to hear your opinion what are the right steps and if there are paths I've not considered. I would also appreciate any leads on genuine clients, advice on breaking into tier-1 consulting firms or Power Platform Architect roles.

I’m 28 and work in my family’s construction/development business. There are definitely positives to it — flexibility, decent money potential, freedom with schedule, vacations when projects allow, and I’ve learned more than most people my age about construction, permitting, clients, city processes, etc.

But the downside is the emotional side of family business feels impossible to escape.

Today kind of pushed me over the edge mentally. I caught my mom manipulating emails related to a WASD issue on one of our projects. Nothing criminal or insane, but enough where it made me uncomfortable because it felt dishonest and strategic in a way that reminded me how blurred the lines become when family, business, pressure, money, and reputation all mix together.

And now I’m sitting here wondering:
“How much of this environment has normalized stress, manipulation, and unhealthy behavior without me realizing it?”

That’s the part nobody talks about with family businesses. You’re not just dealing with coworkers or bosses — these are your parents/family, so confronting things becomes emotionally loaded immediately.

One second it’s business.
The next second it’s guilt.
Then loyalty.
Then pressure.
Then “family comes first.”

I feel stuck between:
appreciating the opportunities I’ve been given wanting my own identity, wanting peace mentally, and feeling guilty for even thinking about leaving

What’s crazy is I’ve gotten so mentally drained lately that I’ve literally thought:
“What if I just leave everything and join the Coast Guard or do something completely different?”
Not even because it pays more — just because structure, independence, and clear boundaries sound peaceful compared to constantly living inside emotional gray areas.

Has anyone here experienced this with a family business?
How do you know when it’s normal family dysfunction vs. a sign you genuinely need to leave?

Row 1: Full of hope
Row 47: “Applied?? I think?? Check email”
Row 89: Orange cells that I no longer understand what they mean
Row 127: Company names abbreviated so badly I don’t know what they are
Row 214: Last entry… 3 weeks ago

And yes, I’ve applied to another 30+ places since then. All lost in the Gmail void.

I’m not even mad anymore. I’m just tired.

Anyone else’s tracking system in complete collapse mode right now? What’s the most ridiculous state yours has reached?

Hey everyone,

I’m a fresher in digital marketing with around 4.5 months of internship experience. I’ve worked on basics like SEO, social media, content, and some marketing tools.

Right now I’m confused about whether I should:

- join a startup to learn faster and get hands-on experience in multiple areas, or

- join a company/agency for learning, better processes, and stability.

My main goal is to grow fast, build strong skills, and avoid wasting the first few years of my career in the wrong environment.

For someone starting in digital marketing, which option would you recommend and why?

Also, what type of companies should a fresher target in 2026. For startups, agencies, product companies, or something else?

Would appreciate honest advice from people already working in the industry.

Thanks!

I am a public health major (22F, finishing up my third year at UCLA) and I am completely lost in terms of what I do with my career - specifically I am torn between going down the corporate route (health/pharma data analytics) and committing to clinical role such as PA (office-based like endocrinology, immunology, psychiatry, etc.).

I am not particulate passionate about medicine but becoming an immigrant made me look on life through different lens and mainly care about the paycheck in order to help my folks/have a good life-work balance. I love statistics, but I know the market is insanely oversaturated right now (+AI exposure risk) and it's rare to get hired and/or offered a good salary as a new grad with little to no experience.

Can anyone walk me through either of these choices? How bearable is a PA school/rotations? How difficult is it to get admitted into one without doing hardcore PCE like EMT and CNA to start with? Is debt worth it? Does work start to feel monotonous and is there room to grow and take up the leadership role over time?

How difficult is it to break into corporate world rn, what is the realistic entry-level compensation?

I know I sound annoying with all these questions but I am just so tired of thinking about all of this - success and financial independence really matters to me. Be brutally honest and realistic, please.

I am an engineering apprentice in Italy managing software for multi-million trench machinery. My boss spent months manipulating me, claiming he was "fighting HR" for my raise. After a huge argument where he told me to "ignore HR," HR texted me out of the blue to talk. I spilled everything, exposed his lies, and now the company is in panic/damage-control mode.

I’m on a 3-year apprenticeship contract (which legally mandates structured training) at a 3,000+ employee multinational. Instead of training:

\- Zero Training: I was left completely alone from day one to independently manage software for excavation machinery worth $20M–$30M each. • - The Travel Fight: Months ago, my boss tried to force me to use my own car and money for a business trip. I fought back, demanded a company car, and took the trip. Plot twist: My boss never filed the official transfer paperwork. Only he knew I was away, making the whole trip legally "invisible."

For months, my boss constantly repeated that he was "fighting hard" behind the scenes against HR to get me an immediate permanent contract and a raise. Recently, he tried to force me to personally pay for a passport and credit card to go on a trip outside the EU (despite being told at hiring I'd stay in Europe). When I refused, he flipped and said: "HR is the enemy blocking your raise. Ignore HR and do what I say”

I called him out. I asked him: "You say this is for training, but where has the training been this whole time?" He went dead silent. He then tried to flatter me, saying I was supervising two other guys on AI projects. I snapped back: "Supervising and teaching others is also training, right?" Silent again. He also openly snubbed me in meetings because I refuse to work unpaid 18-hour days (our overtime is paid a pathetic $3/hour).

A week later, HR texted me out of nowhere to talk. I strongly suspect my boss sent her to give me a disciplinary dressing-down, but I took the opportunity to spill everything: the car issues, the passport pressure, the unpaid overtime, and his months of lies about "fighting HR" for my contract. Surprise (maybe..) HR knew absolutely nothing. He had never requested a contract change or a raise for me.

HR went into instant damage control. She threw a verbal offer at me for an immediate permanent contract and a raise. I told her: "I'm fine with being trained, but not being a drain on costs. You decide." Two weeks later, the Tech Lead also approached me with weirdly specific questions: "Wouldn't you prefer a more serious contract? With a raise? That would be satisfying, right?" I shut it down by saying it wasn't my decision.

Since then, total radio silence. No written proposal.
HR told me she wanted to talk to me because the company's financial forecast for next year is bad, they know things aren't working, and they wanted to figure out what was wrong with the company. She said, "Don't worry, we'll confirm you, you're valuable." I don't believe a word.
My boss has backed off and reduced my workload from five things to one, but I still have total, independent responsibility over it.

My apprenticeship expires in X months. In Italy, the company can choose to let me go at the end of the apprenticeship without giving any legal reason. I am already updating my CV to build a safety net.

What is HR's actual angle here and How should I navigate this?

Thanks a lot for reading

Hi everyone, I’m a student in the UK, I’ve decided to go through my future career in computer science I choose my main career is Software Engineer. I started to make it dream with projects, learning, etc.

Recently, I started doubting mostly because of the layoffs, AI ‘replacing us’, etc. I also started using AI in my projects, it’s inescapable and just feels like someone doing 100% of the work than an helping tool.

Im currently in the middle to still go through computer science or something else. I’ve considered Security Engineer as a backup (from sources saying it’s a stable job).

If anyone can give me advice, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

I’ve been working in corporate jobs since 2018 and been with my current employer 4 years now - they are the first place I’ve worked that doesn’t allow any “unpaid” time off.

Is this the norm now?

Because it fucking sucks having to use VACATION time for doctor’s appointments and random errands (renewing drivers license, haircuts, etc) that HAVE to be done during business hours.

It would be so nice to get to save your PTO for actual relaxation, whether it’s a vacation or just a day to veg on the couch.

Rant over lol.

I'm sure this varies between industries and companies but I have made it through a fairly lengthy hiring process and had my final interview a couple of weeks ago. They have been pretty communicative in the last two weeks just keeping me updated on when I should hear back. They reached out for references today and then an offer will follow that if all goes well. This is for a pretty well established fintech company. Am I right to think that I've basically got the job assuming my references don't say anything negative?

Hi ladies, for those of you who work in corporate or own your own business, curious to know what's the worst thing that's been said to you?

My mum was once asked in a board meeting "if you're here, who's with your children?"