FAQ

I took an eight month break aka quit my company, took the break, and then returned to the same company with a promotion. During the break, I was unemployed on paper. On my resume, I didn’t feel like the sabbatical contributed much experience so I didn’t add a line for it and to simplify the dates, I just wrote “Oct/2019 to present” without mentioning the break. I’m now worried that the company will discover the break via a background check and be unhappy with it which may lead to them revoking my offer.

About to be fired from the best job I ever had. Don’t know what to do

Last year I got scooped up by a small company for a position in the Midwest that has my TC well into 6 figures, when before, my best offers I could muster up were like $35-$40 an hour.

I guess they figured out I was faking it til I made it, and I’m starting a PIP in 1 or 2 weeks, so says my own manager. People in this position normally have a slow start to competency, so I guess I had the benefit of the doubt. A few months ago the cracks began to show when I felt 100% confident in my abilities and my coworkers and customer were seemingly happy… just to get utterly blindsided by “The whole time, everyone has been complaining about your poor performance. you haven’t been showing improvement so we are going to start a PIP if you can’t do it yourself.

Months and months of good solid effort from me and all the sudden I’m FUCKED. No one ever even told me I wasn’t doing good work. No coaching, no criticism, just snickering behind my back until it’s time to fire me.

So I’ve been applying like crazy to “maintenance manager” “system manager” “automation manager” and hell, even data analyst. No dice. The guillotine is coming down and I have been prioritizing paying off all my stupid debt over saving.

Late 2023 I finally woke up to my bad decisions with 90k in upside down vehicles and credit card debt. Over the last 13 months I’ve paid it down to $58k (snowball method) partially consolidated with really aggressive minimum payments. $1750 per month, all told, just for my minimum debt payments. Since I was riding so high, I bought a small townhouse too. Buying was cheaper than renting in my area, apples to apples monthly payment. So… I have a mortgage.

I need $5500 per month to literally pay my minimum bills and feed myself. The vehicles are upside down and I can’t sell them. I was prudent enough to put away 6 weeks of expenses in a HYSA, but that’s it. I’m going to be toast soon.

How do I deal with the most crushing failure of my life? How do I get over the feeling that my “imposter syndrome” was right all along and I have to go back to being paid peanuts to work long hours in a warehouse?

Hi all! I just wanted to post in here and see if any of you are in the coding or ux/ui fields? I am currently quite torn between which of these to double down on learning.

I have been teaching myself some entry level front end coding and, thus far, have enjoyed it quite a bit. The issue is I have also been researching ui design and am highly interested in that as well.

I’m unsure of which to choose and continue learning so I would appreciate any advice from anyone if you’ve got it!

At this time, I believe I’d like to do one of these for a living and I am aware that it will take a lot of learning and that the market is not beginner friendly at all right now. But, I am not deterred as of yet by these things and would just like to learn more of both from people who do them so I can decide which is a better fit for me.

I do truly and genuinely appreciate anyone who has some light to shed on either skill set!

Thank you :)

Like the title says. If you have done it before, would you mind talking about it?

Hello !

I'm a 24 year old, living in Portland OR. I work two part time jobs as a medical assistant and a lab assistant. I finished a Bachelor degree in Biology in 2022. My original plan out of high school was to become a doctor. However, early in my undergrad degree, I became aware that medicine wasn't my passion, and becoming a doctor was going to be a long difficult process that took time away, time that could be used working hard on something I loved more. Although, I could be happy as a doctor. I'm really passionate about comedy and writing. I love writing fake comedy sketches, stories, stand up, and even stuff outside comedy. It excites me to come up with art that come else might enjoy. I love it. And I want to spend my time doing it. However, I need to pay the bills, and the jobs that I work now are barely letting me get by. I live with my parents and can barely afford to move out. And to make it worst, I hate one of my current jobs. I dread going.

I keep thinking about finding a new job or going back go school, so I can get a job that pays higher. Something with a work life balance. But then when I think about going back to school, I can't decide how long, how much debt: do I take 15 months and become Med Lab Scientist or a nurse, or 2 years and become a PA. Or at that point, might as well go to school for 4 years and become a doctor. But all that time, is time away from doing something I enjoy. I don't know if I can make a living in comedy. I'm afraid of becoming old without a career and never have been good enough at comedy to do anything.

So, the guidance I'm looking for is, should I go back to school to get some sort of job that provides more stability. And what would that be. How do people decide that. How long of schooling should I do? What are good options for work life balance?

Anything would be great.

Thank you so much

I (27M) am currently in sales but my job doesn’t provide benefits and I’m a glorified telemarketer who stares at a computer screen all day. I’m considering sales or being pilot, I want to stay in sales as I love the concept but cannot stare at a screen all day making 150+ calls a day for the next 40 years. What sales industries/companies offer great benefits such as retirement plans, potentially traveling for work, unlimited commission, stable industry, quality leads. These to name a few are things I’m looking for in a sales career if possible.

Also considering going to pilot school as I like the lifestyle and the job seems fun. And it seems like it fulfills what I’m looking for in a sales job

Any suggestions or guidance is appreciated!

So basically I got a job, which I talked to the manager at a restaurant Buffet for. He immediately went into pay and asked me to fill out a form to know when I was available to work, and voila, on the spot I got the job. I was a bit flabbergasted because I had never had this happen and also I had no experience whatsoever within the field of the job.

soon after, the manager asked me if I had any questions, and at the time, I forgot to even consider asking about if there were any benefits.

any tips would be helpful in similar situations too! I’m pretty much a rookie. Currently I’m a part-timer as a assis. Manager at the place.

Basically title.

Have been working at the same job for close to 5 years where I’ve been given roughly 10k in raises in that time frame. Boss said he could probably get me another 15k. Job is super chill and requires about 5 hours a day at work. Easy to take off and pretty much 2 days off for every holiday. However there is no progression and not much fulfillment. I also don’t have a family so the time off is often spent gaming and not on being productive.

Wasn’t really looking for jobs but a buddy pushed me into applying and after an interview I was offered a position 12.5k higher than what my current job has promised. This position will however require 8 hours a day but will be challenging and offer progression. I will likely also counter offer for a bit closer to what I asked which is about 8k more.

I am also considering a move sometime in the next year.

I realize money isn’t everything but am torn. The schedule and flexibility of job 1 are unmatched. But the job is easy and boring and slowly wasting my brain away. Job 2 will pay more and offer a new challenge, but require more of the corporate 8-5 work life.

What do I do?

Just turned 50. Plenty of international experience. Great communication and team leadership skills. A couple of languages. JD + MBA. PMP, too. Flexible, no commitments. Need money. Any roles in demand that involve heavy (Up In The Air) travel?

I got my bachelors in Psychology and graduated over a year ago. My current job only pays me $17 an hour. I know in psych you need a masters degree, but the people I work with say it’s not worth it as someone I work with has their masters and is only making $3 more than me and says she’s in a lot of debt. I also realized from this job I do not want to be a counselor. I am $35k in debt from undergraduate, and can’t even start to pay it off as I barely make anything. I’m not sure where to go from here. No jobs will take me. I’ve probably applied to over 1,000 different jobs and still have nothing. I’m thinking of getting a certificate in something or even a masters in something else, but I don’t think I want to spend like 50-100k. Does anyone know any careers I can look into that only require a certificate, or a masters that doesn’t cost a fortune? I’m extremely stressed trying to figure my future out and have no idea what to do.

I currently work in warehousing as a yard jockey bringing home $1,600-$2,000 after Uncle Sam and $500+ in insurance every month. I am the only one working in a household of 5.

I work around 35-40 hours a week and am not able to put in more time due to my wife’s health complications.

I’m currently looking into the fields of sales and service technician, however I’m leery of making such a drastic jump due to unfamiliarity in these fields when it comes to hours and pay. I’ve been with my current employer going on 6 years mainly because my bosses are very understanding and forgiving when it comes to my family circumstances.

My question is does anyone know of what direction to point me in to help in raising my income while keeping my hours at 40 a week preferably in the fields I’ve stated or something else? (I’m open to ideas)

I’m 27 and live in the Texas DFW area if this helps.

Any advice or recommendations will help! I feel like we’re drowning here.

Massive vibe shift in my organization. I was blessed with my dream promotion. I've been dealing with a toxic manager who uses her team as minions and then loudly takes all of the credit. She has political ambitions but she has zero leadership skills. She is honestly emotionally abusive to her team. I'm so glad to be out of it.

I saw her today unexpectedly in a meeting and she did not once look my way or acknowledge my existence. I said hi when she walked in, but she just walked past me. So strange and extra.

I don't know what to do with this type of behavior. I will be required to work with her occasionally. But she knows she can't fool me because I am very familiar with how she well she "manages."

How do you deal with emotionally maladjusted coworkers?

hi! . i just got my first ever job after graduating. After a few weeks in training, i’ve been having a hard time keeping up. The jobs im being trained to do (talk to clients, respond to queries, answer calls, etc) makes me anxious. and im having a hard time following and retaining the technical and software stuff they’re teaching me. I’ve messed up a lot already. i keep forgetting my passwords and usernames because theres so much apps and log ins to use for the job. I feel like such a dumb fuck.

i get anxious every time the shift is about to start. it gets too stressful for me i just wanna cry. the people are nice and are willing to help, it’s just that im scared they might run out of patience with me because of how much i screw up even the easiest tasks.

now i don’t know what to do. If i should continue or take a break. i graduated only this year and im wondering if i pressured myself too much to get a job and didnt have enough time to prepare myself. i am so lost idk what to do now.

i dont know if its too early to tell if im going to suck at the job to even think about resigning, or should i take the fact that im having a hard time now as a sign that maybe this job isnt for me?

Been working for a company for about 5 years straight out of college. Management took a chance on me as an intern and I have grown into a senior level contributor but not manager. I am at a position where it is comfortable and I am known as an SME for my department.

Other benefits are that is one day in office but super flexible if I need that day for appointments or any other needs. Get a good amount of sick days and holiday schedules. Finally earned 3 weeks of vacation with my tenure. Current management has been super good to me and heath benefits are really solid.

The cons are that I am slightly underpaid for the role and I have been getting the explanation is that roles are stuck to pay bands and there isn’t really room for me to go into a manager position in the near future but my manager still tells me that is where he sees me and has been including me in management activities. Plus my team and the company is stable.

Then in comes a recruiter for a startup company, and I go through interviews and get a job offer with a 33% pay increase with some bonuses if I grow into a management role (which is the hope with the high growth of the organization for this year). Vacation is a week longer, and unlimited sick leave, with a stronger 401k match. Role is completely remote.

Cons seems to be have a similar work culture but it’s a startup so I am assuming some grinding will take place. Also, health benefits are not as strong with my family on as dependents and plans to grow the family soon.

I am unsure of where to go. Company and my manager have grown the team tremendously over the last few years but feel like the pay raise would do some significant things for myself and my growing family. The risk is the startup is really new and the change may not be what I expect but it is exciting to have this promotion and raise.

30(M) Should I switch to being a real estate agent

Hi, looking for a little insight and guidance. I have a background with mortgages and rn I work in the hospitality industry working with contracts in a client-facing capacity.

I will be getting my notary soon and recently became really interested in the idea of switching to a career being a real estate agent. But I’m not too sure what a day in the life of an agent is like or what they do to get leads etc. I’ve known a few ppl who’ve tried it and quit. Can anyone can shed some light for me? And especially if u have experience or just your opinion would help too. Thanks.

I try to study during my off time, but online courses are difficult due to unreliable internet and the hours I run are usually in the wee hours of the morning. I do want to get out of this field and work in an office or remote work, but my wife basically tells me, “if you haven’t worked in an office by now, you won’t get a job in an office ever”. I’m 42, I mean… am I just relegated to just this career? I look at Bezos and others that changed careers in their 40s. I have an associates degree that’s 10 years old, an Eagle Scout.

Any advice?

Hi all,

Received a job offer for a solid company this morning.

The role is about two levels higher than my current role (title wise) but the pay is about $8000 lower. I initially thought it was completely remote but they mentioned they'd like me to occasionally come in as needed since the headquarters is in my city. Overall, its a very solid offer/role but I'm hesitant on jumping at it since overall, it seems as if theres a larger chunk of work then my current role at a LOWER pay and its work that is much different then what I do now.

My current situation: Im currently in a toxic situation with my current company since rather than layoffs, we got acquired by a separate company which meant I won't be eligible for promotion for two more years due to company policies. I enjoyed the original company/team and overall not that much work, Im also fairly respected (dont get along the best with a senior or two though) but I do want to eventually be a leader but there is absolutely no room for growth here. Im stuck where im at until at least end of 2025.

Why im so hesitant: I interviewed with another company and they mentioned they will have their final decision next week. I know one of the hiring managers and I made it to the final round fairly fast (they are still interviewing) so I feel like I have a great chance. This company is known for being an overall amazing company and the role itself is much more in line with how I want to move in my career (business systems rather than core corporate finance). This role has potential to pay 5000-10000 more than what I make currently.

Shortened: I do want to leave my current role for sure but I would hate to jump into the other role (that pays less) when Im in a comfortable setting now when I really want the other role.

What should I do? I could accept then back out but that would blacklist from ever applying at the company that offered me. From what I can find online, they are solid as well but the work itself (and pay) is what is making me so hesitant.

I've applied for the role of contracts manager, focusing on building facilities. I genuinely think this role would suit me to a T.

My background: I'm an engineering technician in a pharmaceutical factory, time-served for six years. I find the red tape overwhelming and want to get off shift work, so have been looking for a change.

The new contracts manager role was announced at a team engineering brief and it's the only role I've seen in years that's genuinely excited me, it's away from the production environment but working for the same pharma company, so my share schemes won't be impacted - ideal!

So - all of my experience is machine based. I have some building services experience from my apprenticeship, and I have a good grasp of how buildings are looked after. My husband is a BMS service engineer which gives me ideal insight. The part I'm not great with is the legal/business acumen. Do any of you guys have any tips on how I can scrub up quickly before my interview and hopefully, the start of my new job?

Also, to any contracts managers: how do you find it?

TIA!

30+ year old. I’ve been in IT about 9 years. 3 years doing switch route work. I have a BS in network and recently got my MS in cybersecurity. The work is ok and stress free, salary is decent according to pay scale I’m over the 50% of what salary should be. Recently I thought about doing a side gig like consulting and putting what I know to work to help small businesses or any one really. My concern is that I’m scared of failing, I have imposter syndrome, like I forgot what I learned in my MS or how to navigate this. I’m afraid I may appear incompetent if someone hires me for a consulting job/project.

Good evening.

I need some advice! I have no clue where to start or how to negotiate. Recently, I was promoted to a salaried position. All of my previous jobs have been hourly. I was sort of forced (coerced) into my new position. To be Frank, I did not want this job or the headache associated with it.

I currently work in an industry where my director has know say so when their higher ups (elders) ask them to do something. I was told to apply for the position even though I honestly did not want the job. After, I told my director I did not want the job his superiors put so much pressure on him that he honestly told me he couldn't take no for an answer (in a polite yet firm type of way) he just needed me to apply to appease them and once I did the interview I could tell them personally I did not want the job and the reasons why. In turn, it would take the pressure off of him.

Fast forward to the interview process. After, talking to my wife, dad, and baby brother who have all worked and still work in executive position jobs I was advised that when a company chooses to promote you its best to take the offer. I was told that the company is choosing to invest in me, and for the company (culture) that I work for it would be considered an insult to decline the job and It would more than likely lead to me being looked over in the future for promotions or job advancements. So, I decided what the H***, there are eight other candidates my odds are good they will select someone else.

Day of the interview, the president and HR disqualify five of the eight applicants right off the back. I do my interview and within an hour I get an email stating that two of us have been selected to do a presentation interview. Mind you, I DID NOT WANT THIS JOB. I do my presentation a couple days later and within three days I am invited to a dinner with the president who informs me "Congratulation I chose you for the job." SMDH...

Anyways, the point of this post is I need some advice.

I was told, that since the job is salaried that I will stay at my hourly rate for three months. It will be considered my probationary period. After, the probationary period is over the president will decide on my salary (since HR will have to convert my hourly pay with overtime to salary) or he may decide to demote me back to my original position or I can quit. This is what I was told are my choices.

Since, I never been in this position before what do i need to do to protect myself? Also, are there any questions I need to ask HR specifically concerning the position? I was told to get things in writing by my friends and family, but I am struggling on how to go about that as well?

Thanks...

TLDR... need advice on how to cover my a** after being promoted to a salaried position?

For the bulk of my career I have been in some type of accounting management/controller position and I have always worked some serious overtime.

I’m tempted to walk away from my current position, I make good money but I work OT every day, I don’t get support from management other than “things are only going to get harder”, and I commute an hour each way. So home life has become crazy, and I’m missing out on school events and doctor’s appointments for my kids. I’m also just so burnt out by the time I get home. I have an employee that I work with that’s has been doing an amazing job and working a ton of OT too, but it feels like we can’t get ahead or are being told it’s not enough.

I have another job prospect, again offering good money but even more OT plus weekends.

I’m just wondering if there’s any industries out there that don’t require 10 hour days, or if I should consider going backwards and leave management (I really like the coaching side)?

Automated, of course. And I'm sorry to make another one of these posts but , my god , it is brutal out here.

I have a degree in information science and experience as a business intelligence developer. That is the fastest growing field in tech but I cannot even get an interview for positions where I would be making 2/3rds of my previous salary

My last position was as Data Manager for a startup and I was there for two years until the company folded .

Is this just how things are going to be from now on?

I have no idea why I went through all this expense and trouble just to be in a worst position than I started out in.

I'm sorry to vent. It's just hard. I'm starting to panic because if I don't get work soon I will lose everything.

I'm just not sure if I have a place in this world and that really scares me.

Today was my last day unexpectedly after putting in my 2 weeks notice yesterday. I was asked to sign a letter stating I resigned but that my employer decided to have my last day be today instead of my proposed end date in a couple weeks. I said I didn't wanna sign anything so they emailed HR explaining this and then I packed up my stuff. HR representative later told me that I actually did not have to sign anything or meet with HR unless I wanted to.

Does this mean I can apply for unemployment and how long will that last, is it until I am able to find a new job or until my original end date which is two weeks from now? Is this somehow at all alluding to being fired?

Some extra context l'm nervous about/questioning: -I brought up issues of them staffing their nonprofit employees at their for profit bakery the directors had also owned and was right next door to our organization. There was just a lot of suspicious stuff going on recently, including having to work hours every week at a totally different business (bakery that my bosses also owned), an employee went a whole year waiting for accommodations that they requested for a disability, so many things that lve not been comfortable with, and so didn't feel comfortable being pressured to sign something so quickly and suddenly today when something felt not right and I was asked to leave so abruptly a minute before. -Could this also be somehow sketchy pushing me out quickly because l've recently (couple months ago) had an issue with them paying me my backpay from my new promotion. It took them a long time to meet with me for negotiating my new salary, I had already started performing the responsibilities in the new role. When we met and agreed to give me backpay from when I started the job, I have emails that state the day I started performing in the new role, and that we both agreed to give me backpay from the start of my new role. However, when they paid me the backpay amount, it was missing a week of pay but they claimed "we said it would start in August" even though I have emails stating my start date was july 22nd.

I’m a cosmetology student with a few months left of school, going part time. I interviewed for and was offered a full time hair assistant job at a salon with benefits. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be offered the role because I have so much school left, and they said they don’t really like to hire anyone this far out from graduating.

I know that this should be a no brainer, take the job because it is in my dream career field, but I am so deeply attached to my coworkers and my current job at a local cafe. It genuinely makes me so sad to have to leave, and the pay is actually really good.

What should I do? How do I decide - emotional or logical?

Right now im working as a wind travel technician, I’m entry level I get paid $26/hr and overtime is nice plus $140 but I don’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life, don’t get me wrong I like the job, it’s very interesting you make good friends, and make good money too

Before coming to the USA in 2021 I was able to get my commercial pilot license in my country, but due to crisis there, covid, government and immigration i wasn’t able to continue with a career

Now I’ve been doing some research with some aviation schools and the flight time I had back home counts towards my license here which is a good things as I don’t have to start from zero or paying crazy money amounts to get my faa license

The reason I’ve been doing research is cause I feel I should go back, that’s my passion since I was a child, and I think I have the opportunity since this job as a wind tech has allowed me to save money for training and certification, but I don’t know, I’m scared of investing that money in my passion for nothing

Some friends tell me to follow money as a wind tech instead of passion, some tell me to follow what i like the most

Im 25 if that matters

Advice Needed

Hi everyone! I recently completed my Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, and I’m planning to pursue my Master’s from the USA or Euorpe. I’m looking for some career advice on which specific field would be most beneficial and in-demand. Here are a few options I’m considering:

1. MBA - Would this be a good route to gain broader business skills and open up leadership/management roles?
2. MSc in Accounting & Finance - This seems like a more specialized path that could deepen my knowledge in my current field, but I’m wondering if it limits career flexibility.
3. Or any other good field Any one of you can recommend.

I’m also curious about what jobs are in high demand for someone with an accounting background. I’m interested in roles that balance growth potential with strong earning prospects.

Any advice from people who’ve taken similar paths or know the industry would be super helpful. Thanks!

applying to graduate programs has been the worst part of college so far. it’s not that the applications are too difficult themselves, it’s the torture of constantly second-guessing myself. i know i’ve worked hard and i’ve done as much as i could’ve over the past few years, i’ve stayed on a clear consistent path and put in as much effort in the opportunities that i have had, but it seems like nothing is good enough to get in. honestly i’m tired, bitter, and second-guessing my career path because of it. having to wait until april to hear back from programs when i will graduate in may is torture. this career path is all i’ve envisioned myself doing and what i’ve been working toward, and i have no idea if i can even get in. i know it’s not likely to get into PsyD or PhD programs straight out of undergrad, but realistically what should i do? i’m applying to MSW programs as well, but it’s not what i want, so is it worth the money investment? i can’t move back home, and i’m struggling to find potential jobs with my background without further education. i’m also looking and applying to jobs out of the field, but i have no confidence in them because my resume is so tailored to psychology and public health efforts. if anyone has ideas, please share! -2 years undergrad research assistant -2 years part-time behavior technician -400 hours psychiatric unit internship -120 hours community psychology clinic internship -675 hours as a public health AmeriCorps fellow -youth crisis counseling volunteer -psychology major, public health minor

I just applied for a job with a company that has a position opened in 3 states. I specifically filtered the open positions on their to my state and selected that position. While filling out the application it noted the state I wanted to apply to on the top right corner.

When I received the email confirmation of my application, the email body notes I applied for the position that is in a different state! Do I find a way to contact the company letting them know there is some script issue with the application process? I don't want them to think I applied for the state I don't live in.

Hi. I (20F) currently work as a night auditor for hotels, and could go down that road and later become an accountant. (That would involve going back to college) Or I could become an electrician, which I much prefer the idea of. It seems like a pretty cut and dry choice, but in a decade or so I’d like to be able to move into the woods of maine (I’m already moving to Portland, ME this summer). Would becoming an accountant within 10 years be possible and allow me to work remotely while living off-grid? Would that be a better choice than doing what I’d prefer and becoming an electrician? I do NOT enjoy hospitality in the slightest. Let me know what you think because I’m young and scared of making big decisions like this without guidance.

TLDR: Hospitality -> Accountant or Electrician if I want to live in the woods within 15 years?

Says it in the title but what career is high paying and nearly impossible to lack a job in this field, if you could do it again?