r/findapath

I finished a uselsss masters in 2024. I was totally misled on the scope of what I could study so the whole experience was totally miserable. I have applied to well over 1000 jobs at this point and I rarely get interviews. Every time I do, employers either dig up my MS info online or try to push me to apply for MS related jobs instead of interviewing me for what I apply to.

Long story short, i have a food & agriculture background for my BS (2022), but got really sick and had several family members die all in 22', the grad school had great insurance and was ok with where my interests fell, so I agreed to go. I moved there, had a lease, and was then told I was being immature and ny interests in agriculture were due to me being naive. I was stuck doing dev bio work. I hated it so much, but finished anyway. I did not have biomed training, so it was a massive struggle. I felt like I had no idea what was going on most the time.

I took a biomed internship post grad. I was awful and really confused, the company said they didnt think they had to give me training because I had an MS and asked me to quit. I found a new job in another biomed lab, hated it and felt so lost. They also were shocked I needed training and mentorship and fired me 1 month in.

I worked retail for 2 months then the store closed.

I was then unemployed again until June 2025. I found a cannabis supply chain purchasing role but the company was in bankruptcy. It was a mess but a lot more interesting than biomedical or dev bio.i lied about having the MS and when they found out, they laughed and said its smart you lied because we would have never hired you if we knew.

The company was purchased out of bankruptcy and the new owners hated my background. They kept saying how I was inexperienced and meant to do biomedical work despite me saying otherwise. They fired me, my boss, and about 45 others in Jan 2026.

I worked another retail job April 2026 to Sep 2026. They had to cut someone and said they found my masters information online and felt like I didn't fit the vibe and needed to use my education and move on.

I am now working in a kitchen but I have several health problems. I strongly prefer not having to talk to people in the public, but I have been sick several times since starting and have already injured myself multiple times. Its a seasonal kitchen and they warned me my next layoff will be coming soon.

I really strongly dislike retail, even after 7 months, talking to people never got easier. I felt so drained after every shift and my anxiety around the social piece only grew.

I have applied to well over 1000 jobs in the following areas- supply chain, adnin, order entry, sales admin, inside sales, logistics, leasing agent, food safety, food r&d, food compliance, cannabis testing labs, environmental health, accounting, data entry, marketing, cannabis compliance, operations, mortgage loan processing, call centers, inventory, purcbasing, demand planning, admin assistant, project coordinator. And probably lots of others.

Every staffing agency or temp job I apply to has rejected me and says I am too hard to place.

I rarely ever get interviews. When I do, theyre always people asking about my masters and what must be wrong with me if I "graduated from a top school and still dont have a job". Others ask me why did I waste 6 years. Others go the motivational route and try to tell me how I am so inspirational and need to "use my gifts to inspire others" or how they feel like "theyre taking me away from the medical field". I did teach, struggled sooo much when I did have no interest in trying it again. And i never had education or medical career aspirations or training.

I tried ny school career center and they just said "but what about medical things like pharma or devices". Its not in my area and I wouldn't relocate for it. I passed out several times working in the hospital lab I was fired from out of being grossed out.

I am iffy on relocating, if the monry was high and the opoortubity was good maybe, but definitely not for medical or pharna. I live in Metro Detroit.

I feel like I majorly fucked up my life and Im not sure what to even do. Would going back to school help? Idk what even to study. I just want an office job.

Edit- if isnt clear sorry the masters was in Dev Biology. I pray I never have to do anything related to this degree again 🙏

Hi Reddit, this has been on my mind a lot recently and I’d appreciate any advice or stories.

I am in high school in the U.S. and I’m at the point where I need to start looking into colleges but frankly I’m a bit clueless. The only thing that I have as a guarantee is that I want to go into the arts. The last few years, after having drawn and sketched my whole life, I have gotten really big into oil painting and have done exceptionally well in all of the competitions I have participated in the last few years. Now, this year I have begun painting almost non-stop when I’m not doing school work to build up my portfolio. Despite this, I’ve been dealing with an incredible amount of imposter syndrome and so many questions have been circling around in my head.

Firstly, the arts don’t make a ton of money and with how our economy is looking I doubt commissioned oil paintings would keep me afloat very long. Secondly, the amount of times I’ve heard people say going to art school is a scam is crazy! So far what my parents have been endorsing and what I’ve been considering is going to a good liberal arts school and getting a major in fine arts and a minor in business or something reliable like that.

Thirdly, is I’ve also been considering going into slightly different careers in the arts but for some reason it feels so impossibly challenging to find out details about how to get into a career if not directly from someone who has the career. The thing that I have been considering is being a museum curator, specifically an art museum curator. From my brief research I know I would have to go down more of an art history route in college and build up a ton of credibility and experience but exact details elude me.

My biggest wish is just to set myself up in a position where I can do something creative and fulfilling to me. I know that what I do in my college years will be (maybe) important for whatever career I end up pursuing, and whatever I do now in high school will be important for getting into colleges, so I kinda just want to get everything right the first time around. Or at least as right as one can be when it comes to deciding what to do with the rest of one’s life as a teenager.

I’ll provide a few final details about myself just in case any of it is important. I am a very creative person; I paint a ton, I play a musical instrument for my school and have done very well with that, and I will occasionally do some writing and poetry; though, it’s not my strong suit as my grammar here might suggest (lol). I get pretty great grades and have an above 4.0 weighted gpa. I’m good at all of my core classes and am a few grades ahead in math but I’m not particularly passionate for any of my cores. I am not currently involved in any clubs and I haven’t done much volunteer work during high school due to a busier schedule, then some health issues, and now my painting schedule; however, I was involved in lots of stuff middle school and prior if colleges give a crap about that. I understand getting more involved in my community would likely be a good look for colleges.

Anyway, if anybody has any advice on what my priorities should be for looking appealing to schools, what schools (or experiences) would be the best to attend for the arts, what sort of majors or minors would be best, what a career in museum curation would look like, anything to do with the secret of life, love, and immense wealth, or anything else I may be overlooking.

Thanks in advance Reddit and I apologize if this was at all convoluted. I’m pretty confused.

I’m looking to start over completely in an area I can put 20+ years I to that will give me a 6 figure Income, solid financial security and retirement. What would you recommend?

People keep recommending the trades, but I'm a woman with zero upper body strength so I don't know if I could handle a trade job or any physically intense blue collar job like them. But on the other hand, white collar jobs are being annihilated by AI en masse. I'm tired of making minimum wage as a janitor and I want to learn a skill I can use to make at least $30k per year or more. I just don't know what I should go for. I already wasted my time getting a Computer Science degree that ended up being worthless, so I don't want to waste that much time and effort again.

I've been a firefighter since late 2020, in company mid 2021 and I'm sick of it. I've had one too many bad calls, can't sleep and I'm sure thr stress is giving me blood pressure issues. On top of all of that I absolutely hate my department and I don't think I want to work at another period.

However because this is all I've been doing for half a decade I don't know what else I even can do. Before this I worked a payroll/call center job and stayed mainly in that lane. All of the certs I have are my firefighter I, state EMT-B (let my national lapse like an idiot) and HAZMAT Technician.

I have no clue what I want to do, don't have a passion and don't think I'll find it now, I just know I want out ASAP. Realistically a trade (I've been thinking welding, electrician or both) seems like it's all I can do but I'm open to any ideas.

(23M) I'm someone who has struggled holding down a job and I've come to realize that it's because they were all jobs i didn't see a future in (Factories, Retail, Etc). I want to genuinely start a career in something but I don't know where to begin. I don't know what I'm good at or where I can go for school that won't leave me in heaps of debt. I've tried military, carpentry and IT work as careers. The only one that truly interests me is IT but I doubt my intelligence in that field.

I'm not trying to be dramatic but I feel like I'm only good for jobs that don't require an education and that are soul crushing

31 and made the switch to plumbing one year ago. Plumbing has taught me a lot and given a ton of confidence. Before plumbing, I was an elementary teacher. I thoroughly enjoy the construction side of things and I’m already making money than I was teaching. I just don’t see myself doing this for the next 30 years, unfortunately. I feel like a loser and like I’ve wasted my life. It sucks. Idk what to do. I would love to break into the PM side of construction as I really enjoy being on larger sites, but most of my applications have been denied for entry-level positions like PE/FE.

Do I pivot back to teaching..? Try and go back for a master’s in something completely unrelated? I just don’t know what to do. I don’t need to love my job but being able to bear it would be nice.

I was interested in becoming a radiologic tech or sonographer, but I worry that AI could significantly affect demand for these careers in the mid to long term, especially since it is already being used to read and diagnose images and scans. Physical therapy assistant and surgical tech are also careers I’ve considered, but looking at job postings on Indeed in my current city and other areas where I might want to live in the future show few job openings in these fields.

Dental hygiene is another career that interests me, but many colleges in my area have extremely long and competitive waitlists. I’ve also heard that the program can be just as difficult as nursing. Although I know I want to work in healthcare, I’m struggling to choose a path that offers demand not only now but into the future, is less likely to be affected by AI, is not as academically demanding as nursing, and has a reasonable wait time for a program admission.

I used to live in a large city and was genuinely happy there for a few years. Then I got into a 7-year relationship, and my partner always wanted to stay in the city. I suggested several places we could potentially move, but I was always met with a “no.”
When the relationship ended, I stayed in the city and lived alone. I had friends and objectively had a great life, but I was also really sad and started questioning whether I actually wanted to live in a big city so far away from my family. I constantly felt like something was missing or like there was a hole in my life, even though there were plenty of good things about my life.
I spent a lot of time thinking about where I wanted to go next. I considered so many different cities and options that I eventually became completely overwhelmed. Two weeks ago, I decided it would be easier to just move home for a while.
And honestly, it has been easier.
I’m living with my family, spending a lot more time with them, saving money, and realizing how much I like not living alone. I’ve also noticed how different I feel when there are other people around to spontaneously come up with ideas, make plans, and do things with.
Obviously, this can only be temporary. Eventually, I need to figure out where I want to live and what I want my life to look like long-term. The problem is that when I think about my future, nothing really comes to mind that excites me.
I have no idea what I want.
I have a high-paying job, but I’m pretty burnt out and would love to leave. I have shares tied to the company, though, so realistically I don’t think I can walk away quite yet.
Outside of work, I meditate, journal, do yoga, take walks, go to therapy, spend time with family and friends, etc. I’m doing a lot of the things people recommend when they’re trying to “find themselves,” but I still feel like I’m just existing rather than working toward something I’m passionate about.
Is this normal at 31? Has anyone else gone through a period where they genuinely had no idea what they wanted their life to look like?
What actually helped you get clarity about what you wanted?

I’m 27F and I left my first marketing job (4 years, a toxic startup) in March. I have a BSc in Food, Nutrition & Health because I thought I'd go into public health, but I learned quickly that I don't like policy or anything related to public health anymore. I recently got a contract role in events at a large nonprofit through my fundraising experience. I took it on a whim because I'm lost and don't really know what skills I have. I'm good at it, and I like the structure and focus, but I know I don't want to stay long term.

Marketing alsonnever felt interesting or fulfilling to me, but people keep placing me in those roles and I keep ending up back there. I don't want to manage people, and every promotion path I see leads to a manager role in a corporate setting.
I've thought about being an RMT or doing occupational therapy because I like helping people one-on-one, but the thought of touching strangers makes me uneasy. I've also thought about freelancing or working for myself, but I don't know what I'd pitch. I don't feel like I have special or well-developed skills, and my degree barely relates to either of my past jobs.

Here's what I've noticed about myself recently, mostly from conversations with friends:

1. I get really excited when friends pitch business ideas. I love helping them build a plan, even if it never happens. I helped a friend start her sticker business and gave her advice. She’s doing very well now and am lowkey jealous she’s so happy and fulfilled.

2. Corporate life drains me. My friends describe me as whimsical, playful, and imaginative, but at work I'm quiet and logical. I feel like I'm pretending, and I can't picture myself in suits in big meetings or being a “girl boss”

3. My uncle once told me I have great ideas but I quit everything. It stuck with me. To me, it doesn't make sense to keep going if I don't see it leading anywhere. I also realized that I don’t finish a lot of projects :/

4. I've been called a jack of all trades multiple times. I can do a lot of things, but I don't have a niche, and that bothers me.

5. I'm comfortable financially, but I can't take another big leap like quitting my job. The next move has to make sense, whether that's going back to school or starting something.

6. I research a lot but struggle to act on it. I've been trying to be more actionable, but it often ends in frustration.

What career do you think might work well for me? Or what should I do to go into a road of self discovery?

TL;DR: I'm 27 and I don't want to climb the corporate ladder, manage people, or stay in marketing or events. I like helping people on a more personal level and helping friends turn ideas into plans. What careers or paths fit that?

Ok guys so basically I’m stuck figuring out what I want to do. I graduated with a bachelors in psych about 4 years ago, but never ended up doing anything with it. I have no actual work experience that will get me hired or technical skills I’ve mostly been working warehouse at Amazon and now it’s starting to catch up as I’m 27 and still don’t know what I can use my degree. I do know degrees these days don’t mean much and you can pivot into any field, I’ve been looking at project management certificates or even learning excel as a way to maybe get luckier getting called for an interview, but for the most is their any other advice on what I could do with my psych degree, in the past hr seemed like a good option, but also with AI just seems harder.

I’m a 23-year-old guy living in Mumbai, and I really need some advice because I feel completely lost right now.
My family owns three salons in Mumbai, and I’ve recently started working there. I’m learning the business and trying to build my own clientele. Since I’m relatively new, I’m taking things slowly because I don’t want to mess up my clients’ hair or lose their trust. In the last two months, I’ve managed to build a client base of around 30 people, which I thought was a decent start.
However, it’s not enough yet. For the past two days, none of my personal clients have come in. The salon itself is doing fine, but I still feel discouraged because I’m trying to establish myself.
Today was already going badly when a regular customer, an older gentleman, walked into the salon and saw me sitting free. He asked, “What are you doing? You look pretty free today. Is it because it’s Saturday?”
I told him I had left my previous job and was now trying to work full-time at the salon while preparing for MPSC.
That’s when he gave me a reality check.
He said that instead of preparing for civil services, I should focus on the salon business because it has a lot of potential. He also said that I was already 23 and should have figured out what I wanted to do with my life by now. According to him, people my age should be working so hard that they barely have time to rest. He said it was disappointing to see young people wasting their precious years.
Honestly, his words hurt because a part of me feels the same way. I also feel like I’m falling behind in life. But there’s a lot more to my story than what he sees.
After completing my 12th, I told my father that I had cleared an interview and been selected for an operations executive position. He refused to let me take the job, saying I didn’t need to earn money yet.
I eventually completed my B.Com in 2023. After graduation, my father himself encouraged me to join a Chinese LED manufacturing company as a salesperson. I worked there for approximately 2.5 years. I handed over almost my entire salary to my mother and was allowed to keep only ₹2,000 a month for my personal expenses. I don’t regret contributing to my family, but I often felt like I had very little control over my own life.
Later, my father paid a substantial amount of money to someone who claimed he could arrange a permanent government job for me. I wasn’t even consulted properly about this decision. I ended up working as a contract-based administrative operator at the Directorate General of Shipping, Government of India, earning around ₹16,000 a month. Eventually, I learned that getting a permanent position would require the proper recruitment process and that the promises made to us weren’t going to materialise. We never recovered the money.
I left that job feeling disappointed and uncertain about what to do next.
After that, my father told me to learn salon work. I spent eight months in Delhi learning the skills, and now I’m back in Mumbai, working at our salons.
I’m actually doing reasonably well with men’s haircuts, considering that I’ve only recently started building my clientele. My father is a professional in this field, and he’ll be teaching me women’s hairstyling and hairdressing as well. I understand that the salon industry can offer good opportunities, and I’m willing to learn and work hard.
But here’s where I’m struggling.
I’m tired of feeling like my life is being decided for me.
I don’t know whether I should continue preparing for MPSC, give the salon business my full attention, or look for a part-time job so I can earn something independently. Sometimes I even think about leaving everything behind and moving abroad to start over somewhere else.
I know I’m only 23, almost 24, and that’s still young. But when I look back, I feel like I’ve spent years moving from one direction to another without really choosing my own path.
I don’t have much of a social life. I don’t have close friends or even a female friend I can comfortably open up to about these things. I don’t have a relationship either. Most days, I just keep everything to myself.
Another thing that bothers me is that I’ve never really been in a position to buy gifts for my parents or siblings with money I’ve earned and saved for myself. It might sound like a small thing, but I wish I could do something for them without worrying about my financial situation.
I’m not saying my father has done nothing for me. I know he’s trying to build something for the family, and I understand that he believes the salon business is a good opportunity. But I also wish I had been given more freedom to explore my own interests and make my own career decisions.
Right now, I feel exhausted. Some days, I want to work hard, build the salon business, become financially independent, and make my family proud. Other days, I feel so overwhelmed that I want to quit everything and disappear from this routine.
I don’t want to spend the next five years feeling the same way.
So, to people who have been in a similar situation, especially those who had to choose between a family business and their own career goals: what would you do in my position?
Should I commit fully to the salon business and stop preparing for government exams? Should I continue preparing for MPSC while learning the salon trade? Or should I find a job, become financially independent, and figure things out from there?
I’m not looking for sympathy or someone to tell me that everything will magically work out. I genuinely want honest advice from people who have experienced something similar.
I just want to feel like I’m finally moving forward in my own life instead of constantly being pushed from one direction to another.

I’m a 23 year old male, just been working since hs but I’m currently in my 2nd year apprenticeship as a plumber. Plumbing has helped me a lot financially it has allowed me to move out, etc. but overall I don’t really think it’s my thing. I like doing physical things and feeling exhausted after a good days work but I don’t necessarily like building things and I’m not really a quick problem solver when the initial plan doesn’t go right. My question is what fields are you currently in, do you enjoy it, is it just to get a check, are you thriving in it or just coasting? In my area I notice a lot of guys of my race are in the transportation side of things such as cdl driving (buses, dumpster trucks, picking up loads, etc.) and I’ve thought about getting my cdl but driving to me is boring. I’ve been told I’m good at it but I tend to get sleepy when doing it. And I worry if AI will replace it soon. Or just let me know if I should stick it out, I’m open to all options.

I’m 28 and live in southeastern North Carolina. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology in 2021 and have been teaching high school science for almost five years.

I don’t hate teaching, but I’m struggling with the idea of doing it for another 30 years. I make around $50–55k annually, and between bills and everyday expenses, I feel like I’m barely getting ahead financially.

I have a lot of interests, including marine science, wildlife, technology, music, business, and working with my hands. I’m currently taking a GIS course through NC State to explore potential opportunities in that field.

I’ve also considered environmental consulting, marine surveying, healthcare, skilled trades, and entrepreneurship, but I struggle to commit to one direction.

I’m realizing that I don’t necessarily need to love my job. I want a career that allows me to enjoy my life outside of work.

My goals are financial security, a realistic path to earning $100k+, the ability to invest and eventually own a home, and enough freedom to travel and enjoy my hobbies.

I’m willing to change careers, earn certifications, or go back to school if the return on investment makes sense. However, I can’t afford to stop working entirely.

I’m also considering staying in teaching for the benefits and retirement while building a business or additional income streams.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What career paths would you recommend for someone with my background?

I feel like I’ve spent too much time researching possibilities instead of committing to something. I just don’t want to reach 40 and regret not making a change sooner.

Hi!

Any fellow claims adjuster make a change? I've been in this field close to five years and I want out of insurance entirely. The stress is affecting my physical and mental health I can feel it. I don't enjoy my life much outside of work anymore because I worry about what I'm coming back to.

I've been told there's underwriting, risk management etc but to be honest I'm wanting out of insurance in general.

Any advice or any success stories?

I'm a Junior in finance. I did dual enrollment and started off as a sophmore last school year at a regional campus. It was basically a huge waste of time, the only thing I got from it was being the founder and president of the first business club on that campus. I'm now at the main campus for my university, I feel like I have to play catch up with joining all the clubs and networking. It's too late for me to join any of the programs since I'm graduating in 2028 and would've had to join them while I was at the regional campus which was literally impossible while there.

I'm interested in Tech and always have been. I'm interested in cybersecurity. I kinda feel like I chose the wrong major. I love finance, but I think it's mainly personal finance that I love. I haven't taken any finance classes yet though, so we'll see. I haven't had an internship yet, but I'm currently working 3 student jobs, 2 of them being IT related jobs, and one being a simple paid to study job. I haven't done anything with my major so far, and I'm just now getting into the classes for my major, which is all I have left to complete now. Idk I feel like I should've gone into Computer Information Sciences or something, but the only thing I'm interested in is hardware, scripting, and just cyber stuff yk all the other stuff the major needs turns me off from it ngl, but it's too late for me to add it as a second major because my school doesn't allow that. I know I can break into cyber, but I just feel like it'll be hard since I'm a finance major.

I'm debating switching to information systems because I couldn't care less about corporate finance or anything along those lines. I'm also working the IT jobs because none of the campus business jobs would accept me. I also have more tech projects under my belt than business/finance stuff. The only real experience I have with anything major related is when I sold life insurance as an independent agent. It made me interested in being an entrepreneur ngl since that's what I was doing, but like I feel like if I'm going to do anything entrepreneurial, I want to have stable income first yk or like knowledge that's been put into practice more idk.

I just wanna have a job too. I also like learning foreign languages and I kinda want a job that'll let me use those too, but I mainly want a job along the lines of my major or something tech related. I'm still 18 so it feels crazy to have to make a decision on these things so soon, but like that's just the way it is ig. So yeah any advise guys. Sorry this post is kinda all over the place.

I’m 26, and after I’ve had time to gain some real life experience, I realize I want more out of life in regards to work. My original plans after high school were to enlist, I scored a 91 on my ASVAB and then as I went to sign the papers to be a Navy Nuke I realized I didn’t want to lie about my ADHD and past MH struggles and risk DQ’ing so I stepped back.

I could’ve went back to college which I started in HS but I didn’t want to waste taxpayer money paying for my school if I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted (FAFSA likely would’ve paid, as well as grants for coming from a single parent household and being an Eagle Scout).

Thing is, I still don’t know what I want. I’ve worked landscaping, restaurants and now retail (just got a promotion to a supervisory position) but I’m realizing that I do not mesh well with large corporations, and I eventually want out into something more fulfilling.

I have about 80k saved currently, so I’m unsure of how much that will affect the OoP costs of tuition, and I’m not sure if I should invest it into education with the current risks in the markets. I come from a lower class background in northern Appalachia so these conversations aren’t really safe with my family imo.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, except pushing trades. Substance Abuse Disorder runs in the family and seeing my blue collar family suffer from addictions to cope has left an impact and how I personally view the work.

I’m a 27 year old female civil litigation attorney in the US. I love what I do for a job in terms of developing strategy, problem-solving, research, and writing. Though the public speaking aspects make me nervous occasionally, I’m okay with practice and have gotten positive feedback in that area. My superiors at work generally seem to believe that I have a bright future as a lawyer.

What I’m not sure I can handle is the stress and overwhelming anxiety. It’s gotten to the point where I’m not taking care of my physical or mental health because I feel so exhausted and burnt out 24/7. I was trying to be the “best and brightest” associate at the firm for a while, but right now I feel like I’m just trying to get by. I had a sleep study done earlier this year and it showed that I’m asleep for less than 4 hours with very little REM each night. I feel very depressed and have little social life.

I contemplated changing careers to work with my one big passion, horses, but I don’t know if it would be possible to get certified in a horse-related field and start my own business while working my current job. I also have wondered if it’s smart to try to turn my relaxing passion into a new career.

Other relevant background:

• have Bachelor’s degree in a sociology-esque major
• love reading fiction, considered trying to go into editing but learned that’s a difficult field to break into
• have ADHD and take medication
• love horses, cats, and all animals
• wanted to be a veterinarian growing up but I chose not to because I am not good at math
• love arts and crafts / being creative, including painting and candle making

What careers do you think I’d be suited for?

What could be some good career paths for me to pivot to? I'm currently working as an accountant and it is draining the soul out of me.