Please don’t roast me too hard, I already feel physically sick even typing this out.

I got hired six months ago as an internal operations specialist. Three weeks in, the manager who hired me abruptly quit, teh rest of the team got shuffled into different departments, and I somehow completely slipped through the cracks. For months, nobody assigned me anything. I reached out twice early on asking where I should jump in, got vague "we’re restructuring, just sit tight" replies, and then... silence.

I won't lie, at first it felt like a weird blessing, but after a while the guilt just ate me alive. I basically spent the last four months logging in, moving my mouse, and fixing maybe two broken spreadsheets a week while collecting a solid paycheck.

Well, reality finally caught up. We got a new regional director on Monday, and out of nowhere she put a 45-minute "Q2 workflow and portfolio review" on my calendar for tomorrow afternoon. She explicitly asked me to walk through my "core deliverables and current bottlenecks."

i dont even have a folder to show. Do I just come clean and explain that management completely dropped the ball on onboarding me, or do I frantically invent six months of busywork tonight?

I told my mom I was going to try and volunteer somewhere to boost my resume, but she said it means nothing after you graduate High School. Is she right? Or is it still worth it?

I know I’ll probably get flamed for this because people are struggling to find work right now, but I honestly feel like I’m suffocating.

My manager put in her two weeks out of nowhere last Tuesday. Yesterday afternoon, our VP pulled me into a private room and essentially said the team is mine now. No interview, no real discussion, just "we know you can handle this." Sounds great on paper right? Except the bump is literally 4% more money for what is easily double the workload, plus managing three people who used to be my peers.

the thing is, I actually liked my boring mid-level role. I closed my laptop at 5 PM sharp, went for a run, cooked dinner, and slept like a baby. Watching my manager over teh last year was terrifying—she was on Slack at 11 PM every single night and looked perpetually on the verge of tears. I dont want that life, even if turning it down paints a massive target on my back.

My partner thinks I’d be insane to say no and that it’ll kill any upward momentum here. But is it really career suicide to just want to remain a regular worker bee? My brain is fried and I have to give them an answer by tomorrow morning.

I spent the last three years being the golden child of our operations team. First one in, last one out, cleaned up messy client accounts that other managers gave up on. I documented processes nobody else wanted to touch.

so when our team lead announced she was leaving last month, I assumed the promotion was a done deal. I had the numbers, I trained half the staff, and my annual reviews were flawless.

I sat down with our VP on Tuesday. He smiled, praised my work ethic for ten minutes, and then told me they offered the role to an external hire. When I asked what I lacked, he looked me in the eye and said: "Honestly, you are just too valuable in your current seat. If we move you up, our operational numbers will tank because nobody else can handle your volume."

Let that sink in. I worked myself into being completely TRAPPED. The slacker across from me who does the bare minimum gets to coast, while I got penalized for being efficient. They gave me a tiny three-percent merit bump and expected me to train my new outside boss on the internal software.

Its a sick realization that being irreplaceable just means you are unpromotable. I should of quiet-quit two years ago like everyone else.

Why does modern management constantly punish the exact people keeping their departments alive?

I work in IT and occasionally I get grilled on other people's stuff by the manager.

For example an hour ago I got chewed out because my colleague marked that he received a device from an offboarding. He didn't actually and the offboarded employee still has it and is trying to return it. This isn't something that can be easily confused because there is a note on the task that can not be edited that says on this time and date my peer received this device with this serial number from this person written by my peer. For whatever reason my manager has reached out to me and only me to ask why my colleague marked he received the computer when he hadn't. I said I'll ask him but that may be a question better directed to the individual in question in the future rather than his peer. My one on one was then pulled forward and I was lectured about not taking ownership over the work. Thing is we're peers with the same responsibility and in this case it was literally his responsibility as he claimed he received the device on a day when I was not there.

I have no clue what I'm supposed to do anymore. I'm not a manager and I have brought this up to my skip level and to HR in the past and they just say "well it's not your responsibility to manage your peers". To top this off I was given a verbal warning about this last year when my manager had me coach another peer in a unofficial one on one. But they also do nothing about it and my manager continues to pull this stuff.

What is the appropriate response to a situation like this?

I work in account management at a small logistics company. One of our biggest clients reached out to me privately asking if I'd be interested in an operations role at their company.

The position pays better and is something I'd actually want to do. Problem is, I'm the main person handling their account and my boss put me in charge of their contract renewal next month.

I haven't responded yet because I'm worried it'll somehow get back to my boss. We're a pretty small company and word travels fast.

Would you explore the opportunity quietly or is this one of those situations where you should be upfront from the beginning?

I’m turning 25 soon and looking for career advice.

I completed my bachelor’s and master’s back-to-back in the social sciences/humanities, both funded through scholarships and assistantships, allowing me to do everything debt-free (I'm fine financially).

I’ve had some great academic and professional opportunities, but most of my experience has been short-term. My concern is that, especially in today’s job market, employers value years of consistent work experience, demonstrated skills, and a track record of doing the same job well more than anything else.

I worry that there’s a window early in your career to get your foot in the door, build a few years of experience, and then use that foundation to advance, earn more, or pivot into other fields. The longer you delay that process, the harder it might become to break into entry-level positions.

My situation is that I have a competitive, prestigious 10-week internship lined up for the spring. It could open doors, but it doesn’t directly lead to a job, and there are no guarantees afterward. Taking it means delaying my search for something stable even further.

So far, my resume has consisted of various opportunities lasting several months to a year or two, with some common threads throughout. I’ve had a lot of success, and my resume might look impressive to the right person, but I worry that eventually, the lack of consistent, relevant work experience becomes a liability. I could be 25, with impressive academic and extracurricular accomplishments, still trying to break into a conventional entry-level job.

Am I overthinking this, or does delaying the start of a "career" genuinely make it harder to establish yourself later? At what point does exploring opportunities become a liability rather than an advantage?

I'm writing this post because I have been unemployed for the last 2 years, and it's continuing. Honestly, it's been one of the most difficult phases of my life.

Initially, I thought it would take a few months to find a job, but as time passed, the self-doubt, overthinking and frustration kept increasing. I constantly question myself, my skills, my decisions and my future. Some days I feel motivated to try again, while on other days, I struggle to find the energy to do anything.

The financial pressure makes everything even harder, especially when your savings are running out and you still haven't found a way to get back on your feet.

I also wonder how other people in the same situation are dealing with everything. What is your family situation like? Are your parents supportive or do you face pressure and criticism from them? What do your relatives, friends, and society say when they find out you are unemployed for so long?

Sometimes, it's not just about finding a job anymore. It's also about dealing with mental pressure, comparing yourself to others, losing confidence and wondering whether things will ever get better.

I'm not posting this to complain or seek sympathy. I just want to connect with people who understand what this feels like, share our experiences and motivate each other.

My unemployment has been going on for 2 years and I'm still struggling with self-doubt and overthinking.

It would genuinely help to hear your stories, especially from people who have been through something similar and managed to turn things around.

Let's talk openly without judging each other. Sometimes, knowing that we're not alone in this situation can make a difference.

How long have you been unemployed, and how are you holding up?

I'm 27k in student loan debt, with no job, no savings, two swe internships on my resume, projects, and a useless cs bachelor's degree from 2025.

I got absolutely no call backs for anything my senior year or for the year post graduation. My "new grad" status expired a long time ago.

To pursue another career I'd need to go back to school for another bachelor's or masters degree, which I do not have the ability to do. The only work experience I have is in this field, I have absolutely no substantial skillset or work experience outside tech.

Going to food service, warehouse, retail, and other minimum wage types of jobs won't help long term. I don't see how going for another degree/field will really change anything. I put in the best effort I could have for this one. The job market will change again, I once again will be shamed for "not having enough experience", I again will be buried in more student debt.

What should I do after having burned and destroyed my career, my future, my life?

HI I accepted a role of PT genius at Apple (I’m a rehire as I was a genius for 4 years until 2019) and I’m supposed to start Friday. This is only guaranteed 20 hours a week, with ability to pick up hours.

I was also interviewed at another retailer (lululemon for an assistant manager position) that’s full time with a little bit more an hour.

I’m struggling to choose since I have somewhat of an experience and expectation with Apple but I’m curious as to what doors having assistant manager on my resume could help open.

I know that if I go the other route, I will most likely be blacklisted from ever reapplying at an Apple Store or at least getting hired. But I know lululemon has been in a bit of a financial decline so I’m worried about longevity and stability. Can anyone give me any advice?

Thanks

I've been thinking about how different generations work together, and I'm curious about people's actual experiences.

I've worked in teams with Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers, and recently started thinking more about how age, experience, and workplace dynamics might influence the way people collaborate.

I'm curious whether generational differences are something people actually notice in their day-to-day work, or whether factors like personality, seniority, company culture, and management styles play a bigger role.

A few things I've been wondering about:

• Do you prefer working with people around your own age, or does age not really matter to you?
• If you've worked in a team with a wide age range, have you noticed differences in communication, collaboration, or expectations?
• Do younger and older employees tend to work together as peers in your workplace, or are those interactions more often between employees and managers?
• Have you experienced any misunderstandings that you think were related to generational differences? Or have you seen situations where having different generations was an advantage?
• Has your perspective on working with different age groups changed as you've progressed through your career?

I'd be really interested in hearing about specific experiences, whether positive, negative, or completely uneventful.

I'm especially curious whether generational differences are as significant in practice as they're often made out to be, or if we tend to attribute normal workplace differences to age.

Blue collar superintendent in my mid 30’s. I recently had a child and it has put a lot of things in perspective. I am wondering if there are any transitions to a more standard 9-5 “white collar” job that anyone thinks could be applicable. Just hoping someone can point me into a direction I find interesting and can research more. I roughly make the mid to upper 100’s a year and would need that to same income to support my family. Anything helps!

I’ve been offered a 6-month contract and can’t decide whether it’s a good idea in this market. Would love outside perspectives!

Background: Data/analytics, ~4 years of experience in tech. My first job lasted 2 years and I’ve been at my current one for 1 year 10 months. I’d been planning to look for a new job around mid-2027 anyway.

Current job (full-time, hybrid):

• ~$135k total comp
• Great healthcare, 4% 401k match
• Stable, but the work is getting less interesting, and I'd like to get a remote job eventually

Contract offer (W2, fully remote):

• 6-month fixed term covering a maternity leave
• $160/hr, 32 hours/week guaranteed (up to 40)
• No health insurance or 401k or PTO
• The work is cleaning up the data setup they already have, using tools I already know well. I’d also learn a couple of new ones and get exposure in a new industry (ecomm).

Here is what worries me:

• The job market. If the search afterward takes 6+ months, I'd end up losing money eventually.
• Since it’s a maternity cover, it likely won’t turn into a full-time job.
• Will 2 years → ~2 years → 6-month contract look like job-hopping?

Should I take it?

\Edit: what makes this attractive is that even after healthcare and additional taxes (no self-employment taxes due to the W-2 status) I'll be essentially earning 1 year of pay in 6 months.*

I'm 25 with a bachelor's degree in biology and some experience working in outpatient healthcare. I have approximately $56,000 in existing debt and currently live with family, which allows me to save money.

I also have access to a tuition benefit that could cover one graduate or professional degree at a particular university, so choosing how to use it is a major consideration. I'm weighing a PharmD, CAA school (which would likely require substantial additional borrowing), and entering a different field without necessarily pursuing another degree.

My main priorities are financial stability, manageable stress, good work-life balance, and a realistic path to higher earnings.

​

I heard from so many people the degree they pursue like they don't really work in those fields. It's a totally different environment. And sometimes I wonder is there such thing as a versatile degree that can go into any workforce especially white collar jobs because most of those jobs are computer based. With training and some skills like people eventually adapt to the new work environment and work their way up.

I left my job in March to pursue graduate school. I actually really liked my boss, and the company, but I'm still early in my career and wanted to try something different that I thought would be more fulfilling.

Unfortunately, grad school didn't work out. I had some issues with my supervisor, and after a few months, I decided to withdraw from the program in October.

Now I'm unemployed and looking to get back into the workforce, but I'm struggling with how to explain my situation to potential employers.

I feel like saying I left a perfectly good job to pursue grad school, only to drop out a few months later, makes me look flaky or like I don't know what I want. I also don't know how to explain why I left grad school. Saying I had issues with my PI feels like a red flag, even though there was more to the situation.

I'm debating how to approach this:

• A: Be completely honest. Explain that I left my job to pursue graduate school, realized it wasn't the right fit, and decided to return to the workforce.
• B: Leave grad school out entirely and say I left my previous job for personal or family reasons.
• C: Say my previous role was a contract position that ended, and I've been taking some time off before looking for work again.

I know B and C would mean bending the truth (or outright lying), which I'm not particularly comfortable with, but I'm worried that being honest will hurt my chances in an already terrible job market.

For context, I have a bachelor's and a master's degree already, plus around two years of professional experience. The graduate program I left would've been my second master's.

How would you handle this? Would you include the unfinished graduate program on your resume? And if you were interviewing someone in my situation, would the honest explanation raise any red flags?

I started working in accounting and finance about a year and nine months ago, right after school. I was promoted from junior executive to executive after about a year and a half.

I’ve become concerned that the company’s accounting procedures and processes are seriously flawed. I stayed because I was promised certain benefits, but those promises haven’t been kept. More recently, my manager reassigned most of my work and left me with very little to do. I finished what remained and used the spare time at work to upskill.

Now my manager has sent me a cause-of-action letter with allegations I believe are false and unsupported. This is my first job, and I’m worried I could be fired or demoted, which might hurt my career. I don’t want to resign before I have another job lined up because I need the income. I’m also still studying and don’t yet have a completed qualification.

I have a one-month notice period, which some employers have said is too long. Ideally, I’d like to stay until 2027, use my 21 days of leave, and then leave—but I’m not sure that’s realistic given the current situation.

For anyone who has been through something similar: How did you respond to a formal letter with allegations you believe are false? What would you do to protect your record and keep your income while job hunting? Is it sensible to try to stay until I can leave on my own terms?

I’m not looking to share identifying details, but I’d appreciate practical advice on what steps to take next.

I’m a 24-year-old Project Engineer in the UK, currently considering leaving my employer of five years for a new opportunity.
I’ve had two interviews with the new company, including an in-person interview today, and both went really well. I’m genuinely keen to make the move, although I do feel a sense of loyalty towards my current employer.
Current job – £47,500 basic salary
Pros:
Paid overtime, which can be substantial during busy projects.
Annual discretionary bonus of approximately £4,500.
Good relationship with management and colleagues.
Trusted, established and given plenty of independence.
Interesting, technically challenging engineering projects.
Total annual earnings potentially around £60–65k with overtime and bonus.
Cons:
Basic salary is relatively low compared with other opportunities.
Progression has been slow, despite discussions about promotion.
Regular working away, sometimes involving long hours and nights away.
Feeling increasingly stagnant professionally.
New opportunity – Expected offer around £65,000
Pros:
Significant increase in guaranteed basic salary.
Greater responsibility, including full ownership of projects and their commercial performance.
More customer-facing and site-based work, with opportunities to develop relationships and generate additional business.
Potentially much better long-term career progression.
Flexible working hours, provided projects are delivered successfully.
Mileage reimbursed for business travel using my own vehicle.
Less overnight working away.
Cons:
Greater responsibility and pressure to maintain project profitability.
Less certainty around working hours and workload.
Leaving a company where I’m established and comfortable.
Performance-related bonus, but the amount and structure are still unclear.
Potentially giving up paid overtime.
My dilemma
I’m genuinely excited about the new opportunity, particularly the increased responsibility and potential for growth. However, I’m not desperate to leave my current employer, and I want to make sure the financial package justifies the move.
I’m expecting an offer around £65k, but ideally I’d like to negotiate closer to £70k.
There’s also another complication: my current employer pays an annual bonus in December, worth approximately £4,500 gross. Under the bonus policy, I’d forfeit this if I’m serving my notice when it’s paid.
So I’m considering negotiating the basic salary and asking whether the new employer would consider a one-off joining bonus to compensate for the bonus I’d lose by leaving.
My questions:
Is it generally acceptable to counter a salary offer, for example negotiating £65k up to £70k?
Is asking for a joining/sign-on bonus to compensate for a forfeited annual bonus normal practice in the UK?
Would negotiating both risk putting the new employer off or make me appear unreasonable?
Has anyone successfully negotiated both a higher basic salary and a joining bonus?
Would you recommend raising both together, or negotiating the basic salary first?
I’d particularly appreciate hearing from engineers, hiring managers, recruiters or anyone who’s been in a similar situation.
I don’t want to jeopardise a good opportunity by pushing too hard, but equally, I don’t want to leave money on the table unnecessarily.

After months of applying to different jobs, I finally received an offer!! But unfortunately the pay is much lower than what I currently make ($50k while the offer is $41k)

I have to send in my decision today and at first I was going to decline due to the pay (pay is fixed and not negotiable) but I'm SO desperate to leave my current job that I want to accept it so I can finally put my two weeks in the next month. Thankfully the start week isn't until the week of Thanksgiving which gives me some time to continue interviewing.

There's another company that I've been interviewing for (with much better benefits and the pay I'm looking for) and have been recommended some positions to apply for by a recruiter and hiring manager from different departments of the organization. I've been applying to Admin I postions but they both recommended me admin II and III postions which seems pretty promising? I'm also in a few 2nd stage interviews all from same organization, it's a big university). But I understand that it's only a potential.

I am getting burnt out from doing months of interviews at work or having to take time off. My current role is fully in-person and I have absolutely no backup to help me and with bosses who constantly argue with each other and gossip behind employees backs which is why I'm so desperate to leave. I already have a schedule email to accept the offer today, is this a right decision to do? Im not in a desperate financial decision to just quit without a back up but I feel thats a worse decision in this economy.

I’ve been working here for +4 years, and since this is my first job, I honestly don’t know if this is normal in a workplace or not!
Our organisation has three teams under two different HR departments. Two teams share the same HR, while the third has a separate one.
In just over four years, I’ve had five different managers. The manager’s assistant, despite having over 20 years of experience, has been promoted and demoted countless times, seemingly just to fill the position until someone else could be found.
Here’s what I’ve noticed:
The HR department responsible for the first two teams seems to favour Team 1 when employees request transfers. They accommodate their requests, sometimes without even informing our manager. However, when Team 2 employees make similar requests and threaten to resign, HR seems perfectly happy to let them leave. Although when HR visits our department, they seem more interested in dealing with Team 2.
I got a glimpse of the salary scales and noticed that Team 1 earns more than Team 2, despite having the same job titles, responsibilities, and duties.
The third team operates differently! They seem to consider themselves above the management structure. Instead of resolving issues within their department or through their director, they go directly to their HR or even the chairman, and their HR actually encourages this behaviour. They also have the highest salaries for the same job titles. They can arrive late or be absent, and management addresses these issues very politely, while the overall approach to employees seems inconsistent.
all three teams belong to the same organisation, yet there are clear differences in salaries, HR support, management authority, and accountability!

Edit: I also forgot to mention that Teams 1 & 3 seem to think that Team 2 works for them!

I recently accepted an internal promotion at my current company. The posted pay range was $32–$43/hour, and I asked for $35/hour because I thought it was fair and was nervous about asking for too much. HR agreed, and I start November 9.

Now I’m wondering if I should reach back out and ask for $38/hour instead. I know I already accepted the offer, so I understand they could say no, but the extra money would make a difference.

Has anyone renegotiated after accepting an offer but before starting? How did it go? Would you ask for more in my situation or leave it alone?

I(28F) am in a struggle. I need genuine advice from others to inform me what my problem is with working and finding a career that would fit me. I can't tell if it's my mental illness, if I'm lazy, or I'm too picky but I struggle so much with work and I'm so tired of myself for it.

So, my current position is a full time night shift janitorial job. I have worked here for 8 years. I have also worked retail, fast food service, and at a doggy daycare alongside the nightshift janitor job. Since I started working I noticed a common theme: I can't withstand loud noises, crowds, rushes, and disgusting things. I do it and will get it done, but it hurts me mentally and physically. I have mental breakdowns or I vomit and gag depending on what I am dealing with.

I really thought I'd like the doggy daycare and thought I would be great at it, but I ended up failing miserably. I couldn't hear anything besides dogs barking. I couldn't hear over them. I was so overwhelmed and often after those shifts I would go to my car and hold my hands over my ears for a long time before driving home in silence. It ended after I did something wrong, but I couldn't even hear what the manager was yelling at me about. I couldn't hear her over the dogs despite her being right beside me and I ended up feeling so overwhelmed that I broke down crying. That was my last day.

I struggle with fast food service and retail because of crowds, rushes, loudness, and customers. Basic things, things that are so easy for my other coworkers, I struggle with. When a customer asks me a question about a product, even when I know the answer, I freeze and struggle to answer them or find the right words. I also struggle with loudness from everything. From the background music to the chatter of customers. The rushes are a blur to me. I feel like the room is spinning and every once in a while I'd make a mistake. I can't handle confrontation with customers either, especially when they yell or get in my face. And another coworker would come help me out. I was good at organizing, preparing food, or during slow days, etc.

Even though I've been a janitor for the past 8 years I still can't stomach a lot of things. I've thrown up nearly everyday since being on this job. Even in my personal life I struggle with that. I think the only reason I've been able to stick with this job is because I don't really talk to anyone during my shift, I can listen to music as I work, and I can go at my own pace and routine. Another big thing about this job is that it has great insurance. But the under stimulation of this job gets to me, I find the night shift difficult to work, and I just want to sleep at night and make more money.

I have things I want to accomplish that I can't with what I am making. I feel unfulfilled and want to do something else but I feel trapped where I am at because I keep sucking at dealing with normal things. Things that everyone else can deal with. My boyfriend says I should try going back to school for healthcare but I genuinely do not think that I will be good at that at all. I was thinking potentially going to a cosmetology school since I thought I might be good at dealing with one on one interactions, I'm creative, and have a knack at beauty things. But I'm also scared to try because I keep failing and scared of financial debt.

I would really like to hear whatever insight you can give in regards to this.

I’m trying to pivot. I have a ms in health informatics. I work as a finance manager right now, and I think I like working with bigger projects. What does your day in a project management position look like? I had an interview for a business manager position, but I’m not sure that I truly know what I would be doing. Please give genuine advice. Thanks so much. -an early career nervous individual trying to figure it out

I have a new opportunity I am very excited about but wanted an outsider perspective. Details on each job below

Job A: Postdoctoral fellow for a university. Fully remote with as needed travel for conferences usually once every 2-3 months. The job is a temporary position for 1 year and likely renewal for 1 more year. The end goal is faculty if I get funding or another postdoc appointment. Pay is $100,000

Job B: Lead Data Scientist / Researcher for a hospital system. It is 3 days home 2 days in office with the commute being 1h 45mins. The job offers faculty appointment if I do well. Pay is 154,000. Additionally, they said I could conduct my own independent research and collaborate with others outside my responsibilities to the department. It seems I am skipping to the end goal of job A with job B.

Additional relevant details: I have 2 kids day care age. Oldest starts school next year. My wife is screaming accept and we’ve discussed the two days I’m gone how we’d handle the kids logistically. She’d do the mornings I’d get them on my way back in. The hybrid days I’d do both drop off and pick up.

We are interested in moving to the area of Job B. That’s where my parents live and it’s a fun city versus the smaller, large town we live in.

I feel job B is the answer. That commute isn’t great but it’s only 2 days and I’d still eat dinner and tuck my boys in at night. It’s a career kick starter in my field and that increase in pay plus 2-5% merit increases seem like I will scale up fast.

Let me know your thoughts! Would you take job A or job B?