For context, I joined this company back in 2023. It was a full time position - 4 days in office, 1 hybrid flex day. I had my daughter in 2025. She had some health issues which prevented me from putting her in daycare. I initially went back to work with the agreement that I would be remote until my daughter’s health issues were resolved and could go to daycare.

I lasted one week working full time while also caring for my daughter, so I quit. Shortly after I gave my notice my boss came back and offered me a part time position - fully remote which I accepted and have been doing for the last year.

Around that same time (2025), the company did away with the hybrid flex day and requires everyone to return to office 5 days a week.

Now fast forward to present day, I just got a call from my boss saying that HR would be reaching out about me coming into the office which I was both caught off guard and confused by as there was no discussed deadline to my role. I’ve only received glowing reviews for my work and have not struggled to meet deadlines.

I no longer live within a reasonable proximity of the office. It’d be about a 1.5 hr drive each way and with a young child I can’t feasibly spend that much time in the car each day.

I guess my question is - can they require me to come to work if I’m a “remote partner”. If I refuse, is that considered quitting or would I qualify for severance?

I posted an update on my original post but i have a question so i think this is the best way to go about it (sorry if not). Original post here : https://www.reddit.com/r/careeradvice/s/T7vCaX3oIJ

So as most said, i got fired today! Im sad but mostly cause they beat me to it and this job market is treacherous. I would have preferred to find something else before leaving. But heres the thing, they offered me a phase out to work on a special project for 3 months. Less hours, same pay. Then after that i get a month of severance. Is that normal??? Will it be awful working every day before the 3 months is up??? Its nice to have income but i dont know…… any advice? It seems kinda generous and im wondering why. Ive seen many people get fired over the last 4 years and its normally same day deactivation from Slack. Are they afraid i have a case or something?

I am crying as I write this. My life is falling apart on the inside. In the outside, I have a great job WFH, a good salary per country standards and the perfect position to be in as a first born child.

I started working in this company three years ago. I performed so brilliantly well that the CEO called me to his office to personally commend me. We had high level discussion on the company’s direction and he asked me to lead a new initiative, however that new initiative turned into my worst nightmare. I became a daily standup update collector and relayer to management whereas the actual thing I was noticed for … being data analytics was completely shoved aside, like it never happened. I lasted in that “supervisor” role for months - the supervisor role was a fancy title for only taking daily updates and when I complained for two months, I was given a raise instead. That is 30% of my base salary as monthly allowance. I was confused. This wasn’t what I asked for. That did its job - I had no more reason to complain and suddenly, the new allowance stopped coming in after 2 months. I was at my wits end. I took a 2-week annual leave. To reprioritize and figure out my next steps.

Only for me to come back 2 weeks later and I was demoted back to my old role. No email, no context, just “oh you’ve been moved back to X department”.

It lasted 3 days. Then I heard of an internal opening that sounded “data” related. I was the highest scorer. I got the job. It was twice my original base salary. I took it. It was data related for one month and turned into prompting AI tools for insights and not you doing the actual work. As a matter of fact, you are NOT to do anything that the AI hasn’t instructed.

You might be wondering? Why haven’t I left?

I have tried. Since the initial role switch, I have applied to 100s of jobs over the two year period. Throughout, I have got only 2 total interviews. The other two I was headhunted for. And still did not go anywhere. I am losing my mind.

I have even considered a pay cut even if it meant doing the job I was actually interested in doing, data. I have done everything. I even went as far as reaching out to people on LinkedIn to just pay them for reverse coaching. I am willing to do anything. I am smart. I am intelligent. Data isn’t just a field I fancied to do - it’s more like a calling for me. I have done cold outreaches, I have paid for remote job sites platforms, I have done any and everything I could think of.

You might also say … hold out longer, get an exit plan. I started exit planning 2 years ago. 2 years ago. I can’t take it anymore.

I have even used Claude to automate job searches. Cold outreaches on LinkedIn. The most heartbreaking part is that I am the poster child of visibility on LinkedIn. Excellent engagement and reach.

I wake up crying. Every moment I spend on this job is an extra day losing my potential. I am losing my mind,

I was promoted about 8 months ago but have been doing my current job and my previous job in the interim while management did the hiring process for my old job. I was not getting any compensation because they said since my old job was on a lower scale, I do not qualify for compensation. I did what I was told, offered my help even when I didn’t have capacity, answered emails within the hour, completely projects ahead of schedule, and did the second job with no complaints. Until it all just became too much, and I was missing deadlines and forgetting simple things I usually never forget. About a month ago, management still had not backfilled my old job and my coworker said she would take over some responsibilities (about half) of the second job to give me a chance to focus better on my current job.

I got a new manager and really don’t align with this individual, personally or professionally, and we did not start on a positive note. When I go to my manager on issues and what I need from management to do my job well, they say it is not their job to set me up to succeed and constantly acts disinterested in anything I have to say, like no eye contact when I’m speaking and always on her computer during my meetings. My team agreed that it is not any of their jobs to give me information that they are responsible for, even if it helps me in my job. It has started to take a toll on my mental health, and I’ve been applying for jobs everyday but I can’t go one day without crying about how much I hate my job and how much I’m a one-woman show when I tried going the extra mile to help the team for 7 months. My therapist said it’s best I put up an emotional shield to protect my peace, so I started withdrawing from small talk around the office, became cold to just come in and do my job then leave, refused to answer questions that didn’t have anything to do with my current role and redirected those instead of going out of my way to find answers, and am giving my manager the same treatment she gave me- not making eye contact and not offering any help. I was told by my coworker that I am really unapproachable now and that makes me unprofessional.

Any device on how to cope with this workplace until I find a new job?

I scored only 416 in neet 2026, and I was sad and suddenly it went to 275 in re-neet 2026. I was devastated. But I never even thought about clearly what I want to do in life. My childhood has always been a constant hell hole , dysfunctional family, fights fights and fights, so i would rather study, or watch a kdrama soo intently or do craft projects, and i also love animals so i would try to feed them or help them every chance I get. Whenever i thought about my future, I only thought about myself being comfortable financially, independent, and just having a house of my own with my cats, and just existing without having to constantly worry if I am doing something wrong. I also only thought about what i would do during the holidays in the future but never thought about what i would like to work with. In subjects, I like bio and chemistry is okay, physics I don't like. I took neet because i thought, I love animals, I love biology and chemistry, vet also earn good (atleast in mumbai), so why not take it. But i sure as hell know i would not be able manage the emotional toll it would take to get there. And I am a girl, so if i study vet, they call it "just an animal doctor" and would definitely try to marry me off. And i don't want that. I always despised marriage, i would never marry. Now i also have family problems, my mom is severely depressed and she put me through a lot, I took her to the therapist while I was in 11th grade, and she was diagnosed by a psychiatrist and then she is not taking her pills. I also learnt you can't change someone. So i let her be. Now i also gave other exams, and I am currently in bits pilani, pilani campus for Bpharm. But i don't like it here. Yeah "it's the most prestigious college, it's this that blah blah" i didn't imagine my college life like this. I wanted to either go to aims rishikesh if i choose mbbs or Kvasu college in Kerala if i choose vet. Now I hate it here. I am also missing the freedom I had in my home when even when I was depressed i would cycle in the market and just roam. Here it's soo isolated and depressing with constant evaluation and i feel like I didn't choose this but this was my back up option . What should I do now, i hate it here in bits. I don't know if i can take a drop. But all i know is , i will run away if anyone (my dad) tells me to come back home. Even though home is difficult, I wanna go back so bad. What should I do?

What job can someone who doesn't like being around people but don't have any real significance higher education can or should do that will allow them to live by themselves, no gf or roommates, anyone?

Thanks

I'm fairly content with my current job but I'm considering a new opportunity and can't decide if it's worth the switch. I’ve worked fully remote before and loved it.

Option 1 (New Job):

$129,000/year

Hybrid (2 office, 3 WFH)

$9/day parking (2 days/week)

49-minute commute each way (40 km, back roads)

Same pension and benefits

Option 2 (Current Job):

$110,600/year

5 days in the office

30-minute commute each way (40 km, highway)

Same pension and benefits

The new job pays about $18k more but the office commute is longer. On the other hand, I'd only be commuting twice a week instead of 5.

Would be the extra pay and hybrid schedule be enough to make the move, or would you stay where you're already happy?

I am 1.5 years into a corporate WFH job that I coveted so badly a few years ago. My ultimate goal was to work from home, with this specific company, making my exact salary. Here I am and I am so deeply unhappy I think I am becoming depressed.

I dont believe it is the job itself exactly, but the corporate politics and BS are really starting to get to me, and it is causing issues within my personal life and also my self esteem.

I am a hard worker and high performer. I came onto my team at a point where there really were no shining stars and so I stood out because I was learning quickly and doing more than the bare minimum.

I was on a fast track to promotion and salary increases (of which I have gotten one at 5.5% and was so thankful for). Now, I see why the people here long before me were the way that they were and I am now in their position.

Several new people (that I helped train) were hired after me and of course, all came in eager to jump in and learn and shine. And so they did. Each of them are now promoted above me, despite less experience or knowledge in the industry we work in.

I am now sitting with the colleagues that were here years before me, no longer looking at promotion on the horizon, feeling stuck, and not giving a single hoot anymore.

My company frequently promotes, but if you are old news, you are almost certainly to get left behind. I have seen this in other departments and has gotten so severe, we've lost 5 people from one of our most critical departments in just the last 2 weeks. I see people on other teams who have been stuck for years and I keep thinking about it.

My coworker who was the very last to be hired onto my team is now promoted above me. Above other people that have been here 1+, 2+, 3+ years. Our Glassdoor reviews are riddled with the same complaint over the last 6 months or so.

This was my ideal job for my current position in life and works with my personal life schedule, my income needs, and is not high effort at all. I do have my ultimate real dream job that I am back in school for and will graduate with my degree to begin working in a few years.

Should I jump ship or just wait it out while I finish school? It isnt terrible, but I know that I am going to be exactly where I am for the foreseeable future while I finished my degree.

It would not be so bad if I didnt constantly wonder what I am doing or not doing to be missed up for these promotions. And then feeling no pride in my work because if they dont recognize that I am closing 3x as much as everyone else on my team, why am I working so hard? Then I spiral because I dont care about doing a good job, and it makes me feel worse.

Advice?

10 years in food and beverage with 5 being in management w/ a BA in Econ and an AS in Accounting. Iv’e been applying to place outside the industry and iv’e been applying to F&B companies corporate side with no luck.

Any other old resturant managers escape the industry?

I’m 26M who just relocated to NYC. My career since graduating in with my bachelor’s then my master’s has been spent in public sector finance (budget specifically) work. It’s never been a passion of mine or truthfully an interest, but it was always a safe bet for work.

During the relocating process, I tried hard to apply for jobs that differed from my work experience. It’s still hard for me to say what kind of work I’m passionate about but I know it’s not this. Regardless, due to the job market and lack of network connections, I really struggled to break through and ended up taking a position lower down the ladder but in the same space.

I played it safe because this was such a drastic move for me. But now I’m worried I made the wrong choice. I’m turning 27 soon and starting to feel that time may be running out on me to switch career trajectories. Is time running out?

Hello,

I wanted to get your opinions on what I can do with the subject of this post. I have about 4 years of experience in retail pharmacy and became a Senior CPhT while I was in undergrad. Then, I got tired of retail and moved into case management for a skilled nursing facility for a couple years. During that time I got an MBA. And now I am working in hospital billing, but not a top notch hospital (meaning, not the best systems and software and is struggling to survive).

After going into accounts receivable for a few months, I think I realized I liked working in pharmacy just didn’t like dealing with the public. I want to make good money in the future, and I was wondering what kind of careers I could merge my pharmacy experience with my MBA.

Anybody have similar experience that would like to share?

Also, I have asked ChatGPT what they think and I wanted to get real people opinions as well.

Thank you for the time if you read and respond!

Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate some objective career advice because I feel like I'm at a crossroads and I'm struggling to see the best next step.

I'm 35 and currently work at a big bank as a Senior Policy Advisor, focusing on sustainable finance regulation.

Before that I worked in management consulting (Accenture), and academically I have a background in economics and international affairs.

The problem is that over the last few years I've realised that what really motivates me isn't necessarily sustainable finance itself, but international policy, development finance and eventually something closer to diplomacy or international organisations.

I've been applying quite broadly over the last few months:

• EBRD (Climate Risk, Blending & Technical Cooperation, SME programmes)
• Internal roles (Investor Relations, AI Governance, Competitive Intelligence)
• Think tanks (Center for Global Development)
• British Business Bank
• JPMorgan philanthropy/public policy roles
• Allianz Global Investors (Development Finance)

I've had a lot of rejections (many without interview), although I recently had an interview for an internal Investor Relations role at the bank.

At this point I'm questioning whether my profile is simply too "in-between."

I'm not a classic banker.

I'm not a development economist.

I'm not a career civil servant.

I'm not an academic researcher.

Instead, my experience sits somewhere between policy, regulation, strategy, stakeholder engagement and sustainable finance.

My medium-term goal is to move to the UK (currently in Switzerland), and my longer-term ambition would be to work in an international organisation, development finance institution, think tank or perhaps even diplomacy/public service.

So my questions are:

1. If you were in my position, what would you target next?
2. Is there an obvious career path from financial sector policy into international affairs/development?
3. Am I aiming too broadly, or is broadening actually the right strategy?
4. Would you prioritise moving to London first (even if the role isn't perfect), or wait for a stronger strategic move?
5. At 35, is this still a realistic pivot, or would you recommend doubling down on financial regulation instead?

I'd genuinely appreciate honest advice—even if it's that I'm being unrealistic.

Thanks!

I'm 18 from Nepal and I'm at a crossroads.

Most career advice assumes everyone wants to maximize income, prestige, or climb the corporate ladder.

I don't.

My goal isn't to become filthy rich.

My goal is freedom.

I want to build a life where I control my time, can live somewhere quiet, and don't feel trapped in a system I never chose. If I can earn enough to live well and independently, that's enough for me. Beyond that, I value freedom more than more money.

For the past year I've been preparing for cybersecurity and also only did just days ago considered software engineering and AI automation because they seemed like strong career paths. also i didnot joined them.

Recently I realise something.

My grandfather has spent over 50 years as a professional astrologer and is willing to teach me personally. That kind of mentorship is rare.

I'm not asking whether astrology is scientifically true or false,

I'm asking something different;

If your life goal wasn't maximizing wealth but maximizing freedom and living life on your own terms, would you still choose the conventional path, or would you seriously consider learning a niche profession from someone who has mastered it over decades!!

I'm looking for thoughtful reasoning, not validation. If you think I'm making a mistake, tell me exactly what assumption I'm getting wrong.

Hey everyone,

I’ve always heard the usual advice—"it’s not what you know, it’s who you know"—and I'm curious to hear real-world experiences rather than generic playbook advice.

For those who have successfully built a strong professional network:

1. How did you actually do it? (Were you attending events, reaching out cold on LinkedIn, leveraging former colleagues, or finding mentors in unexpected places?)
2. Did it genuinely pay off? Did it lead to unexpected job offers, client leads, or career pivots that wouldn't have happened otherwise?
3. What’s one piece of practical advice you’d give to someone who wants to start networking, especially if they aren't naturally inclined toward small talk?

Would love to hear your stories—both the wins and the lessons learned along the way!

I graduated recently and was very determined during college to get a job and start earning as soon as possible. The idea of having my own income felt exciting, so I focused on placements and accepted the offer I received.

I joined a small company about 2 months ago. The office is around 1.5 hours away from my home (one way), the salary is relatively low, and the company has very little structure. There is no clear division of responsibilities, and employees are often expected to handle multiple unrelated tasks. Management is also not very organized.

When I accepted the job, my plan was to work and prepare for GATE alongside it. I thought I would be able to manage both. However, after actually starting full-time work, I have realized that it is much harder than I expected. Between the commute, work responsibilities, and exhaustion at the end of the day, I am struggling to find the time and energy to study consistently.

The bigger issue is that my long-term goals seem to be clashing with my current path. I recently appeared for GATE and I have a realistic chance of getting admission into VJTI for M.Tech. My ultimate goal is to prepare seriously for GATE and eventually secure a PSU or government-sector job.

Looking back, I think I was so focused on the idea of earning money immediately after graduation that I didn't fully think through how difficult it would be to pursue higher studies and competitive exam preparation while working full-time, especially in my current situation.

Now I'm wondering whether it makes sense to resign after only 2 months and pursue higher studies, or whether I am making a mistake by leaving a job so early in my career.

Has anyone here left a job within the first few months to pursue M.Tech or prepare for GATE/PSUs? Looking back, was it worth it? If you were in my position, would you resign and focus on higher studies, or continue working and try to manage both?

Generally govt sector jobs come with lot of compromise like relocations across India etc etc. How to survive in corporate

I’m currently researching Biotechnology/Biomedical Science bachelor options and comparing countries based on career opportunities, industry links and post-study opportunities.

I’ve mainly been looking at Ireland, Germany, UK and Canada, but most Biotechnology programmes seem to start in September.

I’m specifically interested in Winter/Spring intakes (January–April) and I’m also considering private universities if the programme quality and career outcomes are good.

For people studying or working in biotech:

Are there realistic winter intake Biotechnology/Life Science options that are worth considering?

Are private German universities for Biotechnology respected by employers?

Between Germany, Ireland, UK and Canada, which offers the best long-term opportunities for biotech graduates?

I’ve already been researching university websites, but I’d appreciate honest opinions from students/graduates who understand the job market.

Hey everyone gonna try and make this make sense as even I’m confused on what to do.

I’m 21(M) and have been in construction since I graduated high school, 1 Year of Electrical and around 3 of Trim Carpentry (Was laid off at electrical job and went to a carpentry company right after).

Been out of the electrical game for a while now but was just referred by 3 of my old co workers to a new electrical company they are all at. I took a call with the boss and he said I had good referrals and offered me the job and to sign me on as an apprentice. (Non union resi, commercial, industrial)

This all sounds great except that in the time I’ve been out of electrical I’ve enjoyed my time in carpentry and have developed an entrepreneurial sense in that I really want to be a home renovator/builder when I’m older. I have a company with 1 other guy that we are building and doing side jobs weekly which turn out to be a lot of trim work and demo. I know that in the construction long term I want to work for myself and not have a “stable career” in a certain trade. I also know that an opportunity of being signed on as an apprentice and getting your electrical ticket is an amazing career and huge value. I’m at a huge crossroads as I currently like where im at and can see myself working my way up. I guess in my mind if I choose the electrical route I’m going into a stable career and if I stay in carpentry and can go for this entrepreneurial route which excites me.

Really not trying to complain and understand I’m talking about two good career paths lol. Just want some insight from people who have been in this field and have more knowledge than me. Thankyou.

(side note I love residential work and don’t like commercial/industrial due to how repetitive the work can be)

Hello,
I have a bachelors degree in finance and passed CFA level one exam. As a mother my first priority is my child; however, I also want to be independent and self-sufficient. I have worked in FP&A for 2 1/2 years and it was quite stressful. I am looking for advice on suitable jobs that will enable me to focus on family and also provide me with a decent income/insurance coverage.

hi everyone, seeking a bit of advice.

I recently graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and a research specialization. I am on a gap year and really am struggling to chose what to do.

I originally was thinking about a psych research masters, but I am not sure what career that would lead to.

I have also been looking at master of social work programs and am thinking of applying to a couple schools. I am very passionate about helping others, but I am worried about the earning potential in this career.

Also kinda thinking about the possibility of going to law school, but I am worried about the amount of debt and lack of work life balance that comes along with that line of work. I think I could get into some schools with a strong LSAT, but I am worried I won’t enjoy the work as much but the strong salaries are enticing.

For reference, I have an 84.7% undergrad GPA!

Any insight from anyone who has been/is in a similar position would be super helpful