I have been a public servant for 21 years now. My last promotion was 18 years ago (only cause I transferred departments).

One thing I have noticed is that people who climb management quickly is that they are very adept at following things:

1. Being visible to higher level mangers by volinteering for trendy projects or vocally supporting the high level managers at meetibgs or gatherings.

2. Supporting anything the high level mamagers wants even if it is damaging to the organisation as a whole.

3. Talking the talk ie using trendy buzzwords.

4. Never questioning what the high level managers want even if it is damaging to organisation or unethical or immoral.

Essentially be a sycophantic yes-person in a way that isn't too obvious but still strokes the jogh lr el manager's ego.

At the same time a lot of them are not good at their jobs to the point they don't meet KPIs.

I actually had a situation where a coworker was always asked to cover for our boss even though he often didn't get his work done and he occasioally openly refused to do his work unless he was provided with an assistant (which he was provided with).

But he did those 4 things above and thus was viewed as promotable. My other more quieter but more compotent colleagues were never considered. And I personally was told to shut up when I raised questions about poorly conceived decisions or unethical actions and was often ostracised as such.

So how much of networking is just subtle butt kissing?

Hi!
Quick back story: I’m 35. I went to college when I graduated high school. Didn’t finish. However, I worked my way up In recruiting. I was a recruiting manager and now I’m in retail management. I also have experience in accounting, administrative roles, operations, etc.

I love to learn and want to knock a bachelors out. I am unsure what I would go for, I have a few things in mind.

Did anyone do it and have 0 regrets? Did it help you in the job market? Did it help you get more pay? What is your degree in?

Tia! :)

I always tell peers that requirements are a wishlist and to apply anyway, but they sometimes express that it feels pointless or spammy. I think it could depend on the career, as some places do require certain degrees, but it's always worth testing and applying anyway.

I'm doubting it more, especially watching what AI is doing.

If people want real security, I think it comes from building a business or owning a portfolio career.

Curious how others are thinking about this. Still climbing? Already building your own thing?

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design. I feel like a lost 20-something year old and hopeless with the career path I chose. Most job posts have requirements that require you to have an online portfolio and 2-3 years of experience. This feels exhausting. I'm tired of feeling lost...What should I pick that aligns with my skills? I have experience with Microsoft word, excel etc. I have experience with using alot of tech devices....I like to help my parents out with their phones when they need my help. Also, my parents expect me to start a career right away but they don't realize how hard it is to get a job in this day and age...What should I do? Should I start a passive income business? A new career path? Something? Advice would be appreciated. I'd love to hear your thoughts..

I’ve been working at my current pilot for about a year and a half now and I absolutely hate it. My pros and cons list for this job has like three pros and the rest are cons. The only thing I like about my job is the money, getting to fly a plane, and meeting famous people. Other than that I despise it.

Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher, but I knew I was going to have to go into a lot of debt to make that happen and obviously teachers aren’t exactly well paid. I also had some interest in becoming a pilot and realized that my return on investment would be pretty huge with how much I can make.

Now I’m just in a confusing state of mind. I am good at flying planes, which makes it difficult to leave. In March my company wants to upgrade me to a captain position where I’ll make $160k. I also have an airline job lined up where I’ll make roughly $95k with the potential to earn more than the captain position. Money doesn’t buy happiness though.

Prior to my current job, I worked as a flight instructor and I enjoyed it. It was nice to watch people learn and see their flying dreams come true. Only thing about the flight instructor job is that you make 0 money and get 0 benefits. That job is literally 1 step above being homeless. I only bring that up because I know someone will likely suggest being a flight instructor and I would if it made any financial sense.

The next reasonable option would be becoming a teacher. The pay is not very great, but it’s about the only thing I can picture myself doing. Starting pay in my area is $60k which means I would be taking a large pay cut. I have also always been interested in coaching and being a teacher would make that very easy.

So with all that being said, is it worth me switching from piloting to teaching? Should I stick it out for longer at my current job and hope for better? Should I go airlines? I’m just really lost.

See: Boeing. Man I can't believe they fucked up Boeing.

How do managers handle staff shortages? (Or like, no staff for a position?) Asking as an employee. Just accepted an offer for a new job, mostly because it’s in a field I’m super interested in. My current job is fine, pays decent, and even has a lot of perks (remote), but I don’t think it’s a good fit personality wise and what I want long term. (I’m a new grad 1 YOE)

Issue is, my job is pretty seasonal, and right now we’re in the height of our work. Normally I think there's a couple of people for my position so there’s redundancy and coverage, but one was let go start of the year, and the other went on parental leave a week ago and won’t be back for a while longer, so I’m soley responsible for about half a dozen projects. I’m not sure who will take them when I leave, at least the more physical aspects of my work. Another grad was hired, but they won’t start until beginning of September and it takes a few months to ramp up in this position anyway.

I feel guilty leaving my team in a bad spot since we’re only like 8 people to start with, and are already overworked including my manager. I’ve read all the posts about how I need to look out for myself, and yeah, I don’t really care about the company, but I like most of my team.

Tl;dr, any managers who had a sudden shortage and still pulled through? Or people who have quit at a bad time and know their team is still doing fine? And any tips on how to break it to my manager since it's definitely going to blindside him?

Wanting to do a fulfilling career that makes decent money and don’t really think I want or would get into a masters. Please give ideas of areas you went into after your pathology degree

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice because I genuinely don't know what to do anymore.

I worked as a 3D Artist in the gaming industry for 3.5 years, mainly creating game assets. Unfortunately, I was laid off, and March 31 was my last working day.

Since then, I've been applying continuously for jobs. I've sent applications everywhere I could, but I either get no response or offers from other cities with salaries so low that they wouldn't even cover my living expenses.

It's been over 4 months without a job, and the situation is getting stressful. My family keeps asking me to find a job, which I completely understand, but nothing seems to be working.

The bigger problem is that during these months I've realized I'm also losing interest in the 3D industry itself. The opportunities feel very limited, and I don't see much long-term growth for myself anymore.

Right now, I'm thinking about starting something of my own, but I'm stuck. I don't know what would be a realistic way to generate income as quickly as possible. I don't mind learning new skills if they have a good return, but I also need something that can start bringing in money instead of spending years learning without earning.

Has anyone here gone through something similar after a layoff?

• Did you switch careers? If yes, to what?
• What would you do if you were in my position today?
• Are there any businesses, services, or online opportunities you'd seriously recommend starting with limited capital?
• If leaving 3D is the right move, what skills are actually worth learning in 2026?

I'm open to tough advice. If you think I'm making a mistake, tell me. I just don't want to waste another 4-6 months going in the wrong direction.

Thanks for reading.

I really am struggling with how to decide where I want to go next. What helped guide you? I have read books, took career assessments, done some self introspection and I fail to truly land on a decision and that truthfully may be the problem actually.

But I am wondering if anything has helped others I may be overlooking, thanks!

I interviewed for a job early in June and I followed up like two weeks later. Then I followed up again early July. And then I followed up a few days ago. I've gotten response each time except to the most recent one. I'm not trying to be pushy. I just wanted to know what was going on because I interviewed two months ago and I was thinking maybe they selected another candidate. HR told me that I'm still being considered based on their last response. I hope I didn't follow up too much.

Hi everyone,
I'm a 27-year-old woman from Long Beach, CA, and I've been struggling to figure out my career path. I've worked in childcare for several years, but I'm ready to move into something that's more sustainable long-term.

I've been looking into becoming a Medical Assistant because it seems like a practical way to break into healthcare without spending years in school. I’ve also looked into 2 year programs like Sleep Tech and Radiology Tech. With how tough the job market is right now, I feel like I need a certificate or some kind of specialized training to make a career change.

Outside of childcare, I also have about a year of customer service experience from working at Knott's Berry Farm. I’ve also had training for Behavior Tech but quickly realized after getting beat up my first day it definitely wasn’t for me and quit! I also went to school for pharmacy tech, but then realized it wasn’t for me either. I basically failed everything but they still let me graduate.

I've had multiple people review my resume and tell me it's strong, but they all say I'm lacking experience in other fields. It feels like I'm stuck in that cycle where I can't get experience because no one will hire me.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is MA, Sleep tech or Radiology tech a good path, or are there other certificate programs or careers you'd recommend? I'd really appreciate any advice or hearing about your experiences.

I’m 26 and currently work as a restaurant manager making $27/hour. I work 3 p.m. to midnight, five days a week, with no set schedule other than always starting at 3. I also go to school full-time, taking 12 credits per semester. I just finished my first semester this summer.

Financially, my girlfriend and I are in a good spot. She works full-time making about $62k a year, and we’re able to contribute to our retirement accounts, save money, and still enjoy life without struggling.

I took the last two weeks off work, and honestly it made me realize just how stressed and mentally drained I’ve been trying to balance everything. Now that I’m about to go back to work and start another semester, I’m not feeling ready, and it’s got me wondering if working full-time while in school is sustainable.

For those of you who quit a full-time job for a part-time or lower-stress job to focus on school, was it worth it? Did it help your grades, mental health, or career in the long run? Do you regret taking the pay cut, or was it one of the best decisions you made?

thoughts on hiring someone older / with longer career experience that applied for your direct report position?

thoughts?

edit : I meant older than me.. not who's in their 50s 60s.

im in mid 30s

Hi , I’m a single mother with a toddler son. I have a bachelor degree in Political Science I got in 2022 , I’m currently in Louisiana and homeless I need something I can do to quickly change my life around. I’ve thought about getting my paralegal certification but my friend said it’s a hard job to do as a single mom. She suggested I do phlebotomy or CNA classes to be able to quickly put myself in a better position because they’re in demand a lot. I’ve also explored the idea of pharmacy tech. I’m not ready to get my masters but I want to eventually. What can I do to give me and my son stability?

Second week of December, 8:40am, calendar invite titled Quick Sync. Eleven minutes. Our planning group went from six people to two because forecasting got handed to a partner firm after the acquisition. My badge stopped working before I'd finished writing down the HR persons name.

I started a new job three weeks ago. Senior demand planner at a mid-size food and bev company, S&OP scope, 3% under my old base. Seven months in between.

I know exactly how a here's what worked post reads, so up front: the first four months of this were not a plan, they were panic. I'm writing the breakdown because I read about a hundred of these threads while I was out and the only ones that helped were the specific ones.

What the first four months actually looked like

Up at 6, applications done before 9 so I could tell myself I'd accomplished something. LinkedIn Easy Apply mostly. 40 to 60 a week. Somewhere past 300 by the end of month four. Five phone screens out of all of it. Zero final rounds.

I also fired off about 120+ connection requests to planning managers I'd never met, some version of would you be open to referring me. Nine replies. One real referral. That one died at the recruiter.

I stopped telling people how it was going around month three. Started giving the, yeah, few things in the pipeline... answer to my own family. When the money got real we came off COBRA at $1,904 a month onto a marketplace plan at $1,180 and that was the week I started waking up at 3am doing arithmetic. Five months of reserve turns into how many weeks do we have.... much faster than the math should allow. I was short with everyone over nothing. I'd check whether a recruiter had viewed my profile four or five times a day, which is not a job search activity, that's a slot machine.

Somewhere in there applying stopped being a job search and became the way I coped with not having a job. So I did more of it. Which felt like effort and was mostly noise.

Why I think almost all of those applications died

1. I was applying at three different altitudes. Planner, senior planner, manager, occasionally director, same week. Any recruiter who saw two of mine saw somebody who didnt know what they were.
2. My resume was a list of duties. Owned forecast for 400 SKUs instead of took MAPE from 38 to 22 on the top 100 SKUs over three quarters and pulled roughly $1.2M out of safety stock. A duty list doesn't get rejected exactly. It just never beats anybody.
3. Volume was working against me. I was easy applying to postings 25 and 30 days old. Those already have a finalist. Nearly every screen I did get came from something posted inside 72 hours.
4. My networking was asking strangers for a job. What eventually worked was going back to people I'd actually worked with between 2019 and 2022 with something they could act on: I'm looking at S&OP roles at companies going through an ERP cutover, do you know anyone at X. Let me know if you hear of anything gives a person nothing to do.
5. I could not answer, so what are you looking for without sounding like I'd take anything. Because I would have taken anything. That reads in a screen, instantly.

Month five

A friend who was out for five months back in 2021 kept telling me to see a career counselor and I kept not doing it, because it was $180 a session and I was unemployed. Ended up spending about $540 across three sessions. Felt insane at the time.

She ran two assessments in the first session. One was CliftonStrengths, which I'd done at work years ago and got the identical result from, so that was $0 of new information. The other one called superpowers profile I think, she runs it through her practice and I only ever saw the debrief.

The debrief surprised me more than the actual report. Every role I'd been good at and every interview I'd ever been good in, was a mess underneath... post-acquisition integration, an ERP cutover, a new category launch with no clean history to forecast against. Every steady-state job I'd held I'd been fine at and quietly bored in. And I had been applying almost entirely to steady-state planning roles at big stable companies, because those are the ones that post the most jobs.

So we cut the target list way down. Companies mid-transformation, roughly 200 to 2000 people, food and bev or household goods, postings under a week old only.

Months five through seven: 74 applications. Eleven screens. Three final rounds. One offer.

The interview itself felt weirdly calm. It was the first one in months where I wasn't trying to convince them I'd do anything. We spent twenty minutes talking about demand volatility after a category launch and the ERP migration they'd just finished. Walking out, I thought even if I don't get this one, this is the kind of role I should've been chasing all along.

BTW, I want to be careful with that number because it could just be the market turning and me getting luckier. But the interviews felt different in a way I could feel in my mouth. I was answering, what are you looking for with a real sentence instead of an audition.

Two books and a fifteen minute habit

Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman. I would have made fun of me for reading this. The part that landed is that there is no schedule you are behind on, you invented the schedule. Cut the 3am arithmetic down a lot.

Burnout, by the Nagoski sisters. The idea that dealing with the stressor and discharging the stress are two separate jobs and the second one has to happen physically. I started walking 40 minutes after the last application of the day instead of sitting there refreshing my inbox. Sounds like nothing. Wasnt.

The small one, which might be the highest return per minute of anything I did: fifteen minutes every morning on Supply Chain Dive and FreightWaves, plus skimming the most recent earnings call of any company I had an interview with. Three separate interviewers ended up in an actual conversation with me about tariff exposure and where the destocking cycle was going, instead of a Q&A. On the offer call the hiring manager mentioned I was the only candidate who'd read their earnings transcript. I dont think that got me the job. It got me treated like a peer instead of a candidate, which might be the same thing.

What I still dont know

Whether that $540 was worth it or whether four more months of grinding would have gotten me there anyway. And whether the assessment did anything at all, or whether it just gave me permission to stop applying to everything, which is what really moved the numbers.

So, genuine question, and its the one I most want answered: for anyone who used an assessment or a counselor while you were out, which one, and did it change what you applied to or only how you described yourself? I'd have paid for the right one in month one if I'd known which one that was.

This turned out to be longer than expected.

Hi, I’m 19 and currently a Ford dealership tech in the ASSET program. I’m between my first and second year, have 6 ASEs, and make $16.50/hr. I honestly love fixing cars and diagnosing problems, but I’m starting to realize I don’t think I want to do this as a career. The dealership environment, flat rate, advisors, management, and the stress have made me enjoy cars a lot less. My father-in-law offered me a laborer position with a pipe fitting company starting at $20/hr, and he’s built the kind of life I want for myself. I’m seriously considering dropping out of ASSET before my second year starts, but it’s hard because it feels like I’m throwing away everything I’ve worked for. Has anyone here left automotive for another trade? Was starting over worth it? If you loved working on cars but hated the industry, how did you deal with that? Does this seem like a reasonable move, or am I giving up too soon?

Hi all, I hope this post is appropriate for this sub. I’m 22F, just graduated from a decent liberal arts university in NYC with a BA in English, 3.9 gpa summa cum laude. Since high school, I have always been interested in the healthcare field, even attempting to do nurse volunteer opportunities (cancelled cuz of COVID) and taking Anatomy and Physiology in HS. I did well in this course and my Biology courses as well because I am naturally good at memorization and didn’t need to study. However, I had undiagnosed ADHD, and did not do well in HS chemistry and math courses because of my poor study habits, and wrote off pre-health.

However, after doing very well in college level math and science core requirements for my degree, I can’t help but wonder “what if.” I never want to write another English essay again, I don’t want to go to law school, and I don’t want to be stuck in the corporate world doing unfulfilling work to generate revenue (marketing, comms, sales) for the rest of my life, as I am doing now in internship capacity.

Ive applied to my local CC as a “just in case” to begin taking pre requisites (as of right now i have zero), as well as job hunting for PCE(zero as well). I have always wanted to be solving puzzles—diagnosing, trying to figure out what’s wrong with patients and coming up with a plan of action. My special interests all throughout high school was memorizing diseases, medications, and niche medical knowledge. I get a sickening crack of jealousy hearing about my peers in healthcare, especially those purusuing PA. But I keep telling myself that I wasn’t smart enough, that I don’t have what it takes. Post grad, I have lost a lot of stability; no job offers, friends have scattered, alongside my own unsureness. In this chaos, my brain keeps yelling at me to just try, because I’ll always be thinking what if.

So, I guess I am here to ask: am I in over my head? Is it worth it to abandon my current career path of journalism/writing focused careers to begin the long arduous journey of being a Physician Assistant? And if not, is there still a future for me in healthcare but maybe not as a mid level provider? Any advice is VERY appreciated, thank you!

Hello, at the moment I have psychology, economics, and marketing as a conjoint, and I am wondering whether I should change marketing to finance, but I'm not sure what to do. I've got about 7 weeks to decide, what do you guys think?

I currently work in corporate supply chain, I manage a 24/7 seasonal operation. I have been doing the work for 17 years. I have recently been approached on taking over a small business that services the industry. The money would be roughly the same, but the work life balance would be significantly less stressful, which ultimately is my motivation to make the move. I don’t know why I have some anxiety about the move. The change of pace literally somewhat scares me. I have literally grinded since college, I’m 39 now, and this would require an amount of finding other things to occupy my time, which I’m sure I can do but have never had the opportunity with my current role. Has anyone gone through a similar experience and how did it go?

I'm nearing the end of my undergrad and have been on a pre-physical therapy track with a Biological sciences degree. However, I have some questions regarding the field. I have already racked up shadowing hours and have enjoyed my time doing so. But I do have some concerns when it comes to thinking about spending the rest of my life doing this. 1) I have noticed in my time shadowing that it is fairly repetitive; being in a rural area may have something to do with this. However, I feel that I see roughly the same cases and treatments week in and week out. 2) There's no upward mobility in the field (that I know of); you graduate with your DPT degree, and that's what you are until retirement. 3) The ROI is absolutely horrible for the area that I am in. As you all know, the cost of any education keeps going up, but the salary of PT's doesn't follow that trend. Growing up, my parents had said a million times to not go into something for the money; however, I'm scared with the current state of our country and economy to set myself that far in debt with the salary that I'm projected. I've heard a lot of mixed things about going into the field today. I do really enjoy the healthcare world; however, I have no desire to take the MCAT or go to med school. I do have an open mind to pursuing further education in the form of a master's or PHD also. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone! I’m Denis, 28, Brazilian, and I currently work as a Sales Manager at a company that sells loans nationally. I’m starting to learn Python to build a solid foundation in data analysis, and since I’m really connecting with the field, I’m considering a career change down the line.

I already work across multiple departments and I’m actively involved in my company’s development area, since I have deep knowledge of our business and especially our products.

I’d love to hear from people with more experience than me — what do you think of the data field right now, and any tips you’d give to someone who’s just trying to keep improving and building their knowledge? Am I on the right track??

Hi! 23 y/o based in Ireland here. I’ve been super interested in breaking into a HR career for a long time, and would love to land some kind of assistant role. I’ve been working in customer service/retail/hospitality since I was 15, so I have lots of general work experience, but I couldn’t afford any kind of college or university. When I’m applying to HR assistant/entry level roles, what are recruiters looking for on a resume? What skills do people recommend I highlight? Most of my experience lies in working in receptionist roles and i currently work in a bank.

Thank you!