So, I was recently let go after pushing carts at Walmart for 5 years (had worked as a cashier part-time four years before that).
I would like to take this opportunity to do something other than carts/retail work for a job. The problem is I have NO idea how to make “Pushed carts for five years” desirable to any company that would hire me.
Can anybody who was in a similar position give some advice?
Any time that I try to sit down and figure out what I want to do with my life, I inevitably end up spiralling because of how impossible it feels to pick something. How the hell am I supposed to confidently declare what I want to spend thousands of dollars and years of education on, then dedicate my entire life to?
I want to pick something because I feel like I'm wasting my life sitting around and doing nothing, but I'll also waste years of my life and a ton of money if I pick incorrectly.
I’d be exploring the whole world
Not trade certificates. Not online tutorials. Rather, means of accumulating alternative credentials outside the mainstream system.
Not simply means & methods of learning, but (creative) ways of demonstrating or signifying merit & knowledge to institutions, employers, audiences, etc..
Edit: especially subjects where expertise would normally be associated with a college degree (history, literature, philology, curation, etc.).
I’m 26 and I’ve spent the last few years self-employed doing content creation/social media stuff. The upside is I gained experience with video editing, short-form content, livestreaming, thumbnails, social media growth, etc. The downside is I became really isolated and disconnected from real life.
Lately I’ve been realizing my current lifestyle isn’t healthy long term. I spend too much time indoors, alone, online, and I feel pretty stuck mentally and financially.
Part of the issue is I currently don’t have a car and I also struggle pretty heavily with anxiety/social isolation after spending years mostly working from home online. So while I know “just go out more” is well-intentioned advice, it’s something I’m trying to work on gradually and not something that feels easy or automatic for me right now.
I’m trying to figure out realistic next steps for:
- work/career direction,
- meeting people organically,
- rebuilding structure/routine,
- and generally reconnecting with life outside of the internet.
I’m not looking for pity. I’m trying to improve things instead of continuing to isolate myself.
If anyone has advice, resources, ideas, local opportunities, or has been through something similar, I’d genuinely appreciate hearing it.
I've always been a little skeptical about the whole "follow your passion" and "do what you really love" advice .Yes some people have made a great life out of their passion especially the creative ones but is it really as great as the movies make it out to be? I know that the money aspect of it solely depends on the individual but is everyone who chooses to make a career out of their passion happy . Also like do they ever get bored of it now that they have to do it for a living rather than just as a hobby that they love ?
That question had been on my mind ever since the results of the second semester began to come, for some context, i am 18F, first year in CS engineering, and i failed my first semester tried even more harder during the second, at first i felt hopeful but my grades speak otherwise. You see i never intended to do CS in the first place. My entire childhood i wanted to be a doctor sure i loved computers, and said during a few years of my highschool that i wanted to go to the national AI top college in our country but for that you have to get like 19/20 on BAC (it's like the SAT's but in our country) i was scientific stream which was way harder to achieve, at the end i got 15 almost 16, and since i got good grades in math and physics, i was given more technical majors, and when i applied i was accepted in aeronautics, my mom went ballistic, and said that i did it on purpose, she wanted me to go into biology, but i switched out behind her back, so when i couldn't go there anymore, she demanded i go into CS, i had no choice but to switch, also she demanded i repeat the BAC, while studied my first year, i stood my ground, and said no(i kinda regret it i should have repeated it, but there was no guarantee i would get a better grade) so i started CS, we got a weird educational system here, at first CS was good then it quickly switched to hard, and i found myself struggling with Algebra and calculus, after failing my first semester everyone kept trying to encourage me to try harder that it was okay, second semester i really did try harder, i gave it all, but it became harder to keep up, and everything was cramped from tests to exams, and when i was done with it i truly felt i did good, but my grades were all failing grades, i mean there is another chance something called (ratrrapage) basically another chance to retake the exams, and try to pass, but the exams where already hard, i doubt they would make these easier, so i am kinda feeling down and gave up, which got me to think maybe cs isn't for me, amd i should just expect that fact, even tho I don't want to fail, and i feel ashamed that i am going too
(I am in a dark time now, mom is telling me to pray to god, no one seems to get it, i feel like i am drowning everyday, especially after i got my heartbroken on top, whenever i try to explain what i am feel i am brushed off as immature, or that i am too young to think that much, or that i am overdoing it, but honestly i just feel like i am fading everyday, and i am sick and tired of people telling me that i got potential because honestly I can't see it anymore)
Planned to study psych with neuroscience at uni when I was 17. Fast forward a few years: I got into my top choice uni to now deeply regret the decisions I have made and am dropping out. I do not want to go into psychology and hate studying it - I am 22 currently and have no idea what to go into next, so am looking out for full time jobs to pay off rent whilst I figure out my life. I know I messed up and made a big mistake, and I am trying to get over feelings of self resentment for being so stupid.
Uni is not for everyone - if I could go back in time I would have picked medical neuroscience or have done an apprenticeship. Dont study at university unless your career requires you to.
Hello everyone I just graduated high school on the 17th and I know where I’m going to college. I have been really worried lately that I won’t be able to find a steady job with enough money to live off of for the rest of my life. I love biology but I’m bad with certain smells and I’m really nervous to dissect animals and stuff.
My main question is what do I do? I want to have money and be happy with my life, but I don’t know if careers based in biology other than nursing will have jobs in 10-15 years if the world lasts that long.
My main problem is I’m not great at math. I can do geometry and most algebra stuff but I’m not super great at algebra. However I really enjoyed the statistics class I took this past year.
And to be totally honest the main thing I want in life is to live comfortably and be able to buy trinkets whenever I see cool ones.
Some of my main strengths are: I can comfortably talk to people, I’m a great business person(I was a Girl Scout since kindergarten and I stopped because I aged out), I love to read, I enjoy history, I love learning, I love science, I really enjoy writing and creating art, and I love being outside.
I‘m rambling at this point but please tell me if yall have any major ideas for me!
Has anyone graduated with bachelor’s in something else then immediately went back for nursing? I just graduated with bs in criminal justice with the hope of working as victim advocate or even going back to get masters in forensic. I realized I love medical stuff and learning stuff of the sorts. I think I still want to do combination n hopefully do forensic nursing eventually. Not sure where to start any advice is appreciated.
25m, work a one of a kind job that I absolutely adore, but am regrettably quite subpar at. Today my boss finally put on a performance plan, with six weeks to drastically improve otherwise it’s out. I have no real other prospects and a master in political science I dropped out of to pursue current job. I’ll obviously do my best to stay, although I sincerely doubt I’ll manage.
But how do I deal with the fact that it soon may be over and what to do next? I fear I’ll live a life fully regretting my failures at this one chance, and now have to contend with going back to uni and never coming close again to anything nearly as awesome. I have no real experience in any field that’ll hire me and have to go back to min wage to semi finance it.
Luckily very little debt, so maybe just pay it off, and travel? Or will that just postpone the inevitable clusterfuck of life collapse on the opposite end of the travels? Do I restart everything and pursue a new bachelors degree in a completely new field like business or law where I can make money? Do I go back to uni pol sci after a hiatus and try again? What mindset should I work with to maintain hope?
Has anyone out there experienced being fired from their one fantastic job, and how did you deal with it? How does one handle it in a CV? What hope is there in this economy?
So for context I’m turning 20 in 2 weeks and am a first year studying a BSc in Physics. I actually am retaking first year because of personal issues I had in the second semester of last year and I did want to come back but now I’m second guessing my decision and feeling guilty about it. I genuinely do not care about the stuff I’m learning about but I feel like I can’t leave because of the amount of money I’ve wasted these two years with student loans and uni fees etc. My first exam of the spring semester is tomorrow and I am definitely not prepared for it (I can retake this exam this isn’t why I feel like this) but whilst I’ve been revising for it I’ve come to the conclusion that none of the content interests me in the slightest. Ik having a physics degree would be beneficial for getting a good job and that’s part of the reason I came back to it but I’m finding it hard to be motivated to get a degree I don’t like just to get a job that I most likely won’t like either. Idk if I’m just being lazy or whining and I’m sure other people don’t like their degrees but idk what to do. I like science but I don’t know if I actually like physics and this feeling will pass or I just want to like it to prove something or like the idea of it.
I feel like all of my friends are happy with where they are and what they’re doing and I just don’t feel like that. I don’t want to be left behind. I have accommodation for next year which I’m really excited about as I’m currently living at home and commuting to uni which isn’t ideal but the thought of studying the same stuff next year is not nice lol. I just want to study something I’m passionate about and be happy doing it but that’s seeming less and less likely nowadays so idk what to do.
Anyway sorry for the rant I just need some unbiased from people who aren’t my parents. Thank youuuu
I’m currently in my second year at a community college nearing towards the end of finishing up my general education. For context, I went back to college because my parents especially my mom wanted me to. I’ve been in and out of college for years. I first attended straight out of high school but I didn’t last long because at the time I was doing very poorly and I had no idea what I wanted to do. The second time it was the same, I felt lost and I wasn’t doing so great so I left. Some time went by and I didn’t go back till now. The issue is that I still don’t know what I want to do. I’ve gone back and forth with different ideas but I haven’t been able to stick with anything. Also mentally I haven’t doing so well. It’s been really hard for me to feel motivated and do my work especially this semester. I’m currently struggling with one of my classes and I’m worried that I’m going to fail. I was doing well up until now, this class has just been hard for me. I feel bad because I’m 24 and I still have no clue what I want to do with my life. I question if going back to college a third time was even the right thing to do.
I currently have business administration down as my choice as I didn’t know what else to choose but now I don’t know how I feel about it. I did look through the rest of the degrees and certificates offered and I found a couple of certs related to logistics. I did find one that seems kind of interesting to me and it’s not very long either though considering that I’ve already been in college for two years and that I’m pretty much done with my general ed I don’t know if it’s even worth switching from my original plan to go for a certificate instead. I just feel like at this point I have no choice but to stick with my plan to transfer and get my bachelors since I’m already this far. Plus I feel like backing out to go for a certificate would disappoint my parents. My parents aren’t paying for my schooling but they have always wanted me to go and graduate. I just feel like a failure and it’s been making me feel horrible. I don’t know if I should just suck it up finish what I have left at CC and transfer to get the bachelors or stop to get a certificate and leave. There have been moments where I asked myself if college is even for me or if perhaps I just need more help and motivation to keep going. Has anyone here felt this way? If so what advice would you give?
I turned 29 a few days ago and im not proud of myself. I turned 29 a few days ago and im not proud of myself.
Ive not proud of who ive become. Im not happy about who I've become. I feel deep sadness inside my soul. Deep yearning and pain. Deep solace and instability.
When I stare into an empty space. The pain vibrates into the open air. A stare full of emptiness and pungent stinging hollow ache in my soul that words or expression cant shake or utter. At 29 I really thought I'd be in a different place. All that has happened is shame oozes out my being. I have no words to describe the state I am in. All it took was 5 years of addictive compulsion to completely obscure blind and shatter my mental state.
I cant imagine what utter state ill be in when it reaches may 2027 my so called 30th birthday. I really don't have anything else to say. Just had to get my thoughts out on to text before it implodes inside my sub conscience.
I’m 22F and live in London, Ontario. I honestly feel completely defeated with where my life has ended up.
A combination of mental health struggles and bad decisions with school left me at 22 without a degree. I currently work full time at a bank. The pay isn’t amazing, but in this economy I know having a stable full-time job is still something to be grateful for. I’m trying to save money and rebuild.
What makes this harder is that I used to be a very high-achieving student. I had honours throughout high school and first year university, so watching myself fall behind has been brutal mentally. I feel embarrassed and honestly ashamed of how much time I’ve lost.
I don’t want to stay in London long term, but financially I probably have no choice for now. My current plan is to apply for engineering and stay in my hometown to save money while finishing school, assuming I even get accepted.
I think what’s really getting to me is comparing myself to people my age. I see others travelling, graduating, getting good jobs, moving to bigger cities, dating, building lives for themselves, while I feel like I’ve spent the last 5 years stuck and accomplishing nothing.
emotionally it feels like I permanently ruined my future and wasted my early 20s. I constantly wish I could go back and redo everything differently.
For anyone who’s been in a similar situation:
- How did you stop feeling overwhelmed by regret?
- How did you mentally push through the years it took to rebuild your life?
- And did things actually get better later, or did you always feel “behind”?
I could really use some perspective right now.
Hello,
I am 25, and honestly I have no clue on what to do for the rest of 2026. Or in my life for that fact.
I wrote a couple weeks ago because I failed my algorithms and data structure course from my computer bachelor. Finally, I did pass that course. (I didnt pass because one of my projects was not corrected by my teacher. After re-submitting again I passed).
The struggle I had while I believed I did not has left me with a lot of questions though, and I dont know how to continue.
I had a lot of personal/family/emotional struggles during the last years. I didn't live up to my potential, and because of continuing studies I prioritized dead end jobs and pushed away my independence. Also, the studies I took mostly drained me and I dont see the point anymore. Im in computer science and with the raise of AI, its hard to continue, specially that I dont love this enough to put as much effort.
There was also many things I didnt understand, like how university and education on specialized paths push you to be an employee, a cog in the system. Also, that CS is so business-related, as many other jobs. when I started this path I was a fool ahaha. I thought someone was considered as an person, but in reality you just become a ressource to be used and required to such in order to make a living.
Today I am not employable on my field, I feel I need more practice, which should be fine if I give myself a couple of months. I do see myself becoming a support tech or other tech level jobs.
I dont know if I should try for another path though. Or if I should complete a bachelor just for the sake of it. Ive been looking for other options tech-related to save up as much credits as possible, but most options would required a 1.5 additional years to complete. My current bachelor requires 1 year, which isnt that much difference looking from afar.
Still, I dont know if its worth. Should I stick to what I learned, to this path or try something totally different?
Its because I feel like I could let go of tech, I could go and never look back, and I wouldnt regret it.
Yet I dont have an answer to where, what would I do afterwards.
Contradiction ensues: Medicine has been on my mind lately (nursing and tech roles), but one of my goals in life is to do art as my part-time job, so I require a job with work-balance. Other heavy roles like the army were options to me. Art and media, as well.
I noticed I like to work with my hands, with people even tho I struggle to speak at times. Im good at maths which pushed me into CS. Got skills on media and visual design. I can learn and follow directives, not really into leadership but I think I can if I had to.
But I dont want to navigate programs or study paths, time and money are limited. I dont want to lose my time and effort on something that will not return me much.
Any advice is welcomed, thanks.
I’m 26. I have no friends, no boyfriend. I’ve been this way since I was 18 or 19. All I do is go to work, study and sleep. I have no life. I’m a complete loser. I’m struggling to get through every day.
I can’t make friends. No idea what’s wrong with me. I can get along with people just fine, but I’ve never made a friend. I’ve met so many people, became close to them, got along with them, yet, at the end of the day, I’m still alone. Everyone else has friends or partners, I don’t. My friends in the past used me, betrayed me in some way, or found a boyfriend/ new friends and just left me to rot. People just don’t want me around. No one wants to be my friend.
Like i said, I’ve been friendless for nearly 10 years. That is not changing anytime soon. I’ve met people at work, uni, mutuals and other places but not once have I actually made a friend. Someone to hang out with. Someone to travel with. Someone to send stupid memes to. Literally not one.
I just don’t really see the point anymore. My family doesn’t care about me either. No one wants me around. No one wants to be my friend or associate with me so I just isolate and don’t even bother speaking to people anymore.
My life is essentially over. It’s like I have a sign on my forehead that says “don’t befriend me” which makes people only tolerate me. It’s so embarrassing having no friends. It really is. I’m 26, sit at home all day unless I’m at work. Everyone knows. I have no life, nothing to look forward to. No one will notice if I’m gone. No one will care either.
It sounds ridiculous but please hear me out...
I (24M) have been doing graphic design as a hobby since I was 14-15 starting off in high school. But in the last two years, I've been doing it professionally working with individual clients, and a year ago I was employed full-time to work at a small retail company. Designing branding, posters, flyers, brochures, and even full catalogues.
It was a really good job and I felt very welcome and valued for the work I did. I even worked on a book for the company's CEO. Designing the book's cover, laying out pages and even restoring various photos he had. And it was all around, very rewarding and fulfilling work that to this day, I'm proud to have worked on...
But soon, my boss and the rest of the people I worked with. Without much warning, decided to start using AI across the whole company. And beforelong, despite the moral, ethical and legal risks of using AI in our marketing. Especially when it came to concerns I raised about potentially deceiving/misleading customers. Given that I was one of the youngest people there, my issues were largely ignored, mocked/laughed at, or even dismissed. And soon, it got to a point where pressure began to mount on me to use AI, when I didn't believe it was right.
The company didn't have much of a HR department either, and so with it being a small company and really nobody to reach out to, I felt trapped. It took an immense toll on my physical, emotional and mental health, and the prospect of reaching out to FairWork (I live in Australia) just felt futile. ("Well, it's the company's decision to use AI" kept looping in my head as a likely response to my concerns.)
My family had little-to-no empathy towards my circumstances either, believing I was being irrational, immature and impulsive. With it all becoming too much, I ended up quitting my job for health reasons. I tried multiple times to communicate my concerns to my boss, but it was not up-for-debate. And so, I handed in my resignation letter shortly thereafter.
It's been a few months now since having to quit my job and I feel so isolated. My 20s has had me confront a lot about myself and the people I know in my life. At 20, I learned of my Autism diagnosis that was kept from me since I was a toddler by everyone I knew (friends, family, relatives, even teachers...) And even with learning about it, I've had little-to-no support or even sympathy from family
To this day, my family largely disregard every life decision and choice I make, when I'm just trying to do what's best for myself. Leaving me feeling stupid and/or naive, but also making me start to feel like no matter what decisions I make for myself, I'll never make my family at the very least happy...
Starting gym to look out for my physical health?
"You don't need gym, you're eating just fine." (in spite of years being mocked/shamed by my own family for how skinny I was.)
Getting my wisdom teeth removed and paying for my own surgery?
"It's a waste of money to get them removed, I didn't get mine removed despite doctors telling me I should." (Surgery went far better than expected and I recovered quickly with a vast improvement in my dental health. Working towards braces now.)
Going on my first solo trip to another state after months of saving?
"Don't go on this trip, you could get hurt or killed! Think about how I'll feel if something happens to you."
It's really confusing... I'm at a point now where I'm trying to move forward with my life, discover who I am and explore after years of feeling lost & confused about who I am. Yet my family has treated me like I don't know any better regardless. And without them, I'm a lost cause.
It bothers me so much because I don't like being bitter towards people, especially towards my family. But it's conflicting given that they covered up the very thing I've spent almost my whole life struggling with. Alone and unsupported. And when I learned the truth, The reasons would regularly switch between "We thought you already knew" to "we didn't want you to lose your self-esteem and self-confidence" to "well, we just thought it wasn't a big deal"... Again, it's a confusing situation. Especially now with how to go forward in my life.
I have a close circle of friends, both here in Australia and many living overseas. And while they've been there for me through thick and thin, and I know I'm loved and valued by them as I love and value them too. The distance is hard, even with my friends here that live a few hours away from me...
It all hits particularly hard when creativity means so much to me, especially with what I love and what I want to do with my life going forward. Yet when I see people try to shut that down or take that away. It's gut-wrenching, regardless of whether it's happening to me or to somebody else. And right now, it just all feels like long-term, I may never have the opportunity to achieve what I want to, in order to have a fulfilling life.
Professional help from psychologists has only done so much, my main thing now is finding ways I can go forward given everything. Because what I'm seeking now is ways to find a job, save as much money as I can, and move away to finally start the next chapter in my life. I avoided reaching out to others online for advice for so long, but now it feels like there's not much choice left. So any and all advice would mean so much.
Sorry for the long spiel, but I very much appreciate and thank you for your time and understanding...
I'm a 24yo and I've finished my B.com 3years ago. I need help with ideas for a career. I tried working in a US based BPO but after sometime felt that it wasn't for me. I want something as a career that is interesting and not a regular 9 to 5 job.
I’m very good with communications and open to learn a skill which can allow me to freelance or work remotely from anywhere.
So can y'all please suggest me ideas as in what i can learn in order to end up with a high potential work/job ?
(I’m open to internship opportunities as well)
Everything I like has bad job prospects, how do I fix that?