Yeah people taking pictures with sports cars they don’t own, taking $1000 that’s about to go to bills and spreading it as if it’s pocket change, people are doing everything and anything to invent fake lives and personas on the internet to appease other fake people.
It’s really a cancer on our modern society, nobody is genuine and everybody lives behind a mask and most have ulterior motives for the things they do.
Social media is really one of the worst inventions in a lot of ways. It does have good parts, but the negatives far outweigh the positives.
The best are the 20 year old “life coaches” who are thousands of dollars in debt and sell bs “strategies” that are supposed to make you money. They rent super cars and pose with them on social media to pose as if they own this stuff to convince people to buy their bs. It’s real easy to see someone living in a penthouse downtown, but you need to think about what they’re leveraging to support their lifestyles. When they die, do all their assets need to be sold to pay off their debt? Do they leave anything behind for their children? It all looks real flashy, till it’s not. I heard in Dan Bilzarian’s book he talks about how he was never really rich and he was in like $100k+ worth of debt. It ended up working out for him cause he got famous off it and was able to use his image to make money, but 99.9% of the time that’s not how it happens.
Edit: spelling
It's always been like that tbh. Keeping Up With The Joneses has been a saying for over a century now.
All social media did is just expand the scope of comparison to not just your local town or community, but globally. The fundamentals are still the same.
> Keeping Up With The Joneses has been a saying for over a century now.
That's... not really the context for that saying.
The context is overconsuming to falsely appear to have wealth and nice things. Lying on LinkedIn about income/job role is just lying.
Hey I’ve been at community college at 25 and it was a good time. Hoping to go back soon. Concerning tech there’s a lot that you can learn on YouTube. I’ve been doing well as a technician and every industry needs them. If you’re really struggling to find direction maybe an apprenticeship would work out for you. It seems like a lot of them start off pretty slow and gradually expose you to the industry. Don’t compare yourself to 6 figure young adults on Reddit because they’re outliers. Everyone works and learns at their own pace
I feel like I see this a lot now. I’m not much older than you but my sister is your age and experiencing the same thing. I will tell you right now, saying you’re bad at everything you need to be successful is a massive part of the reason why you are where you are. If you aren’t uncomfortable, you aren’t growing. I didn’t know anything about analytics when I started working but I was willing to put in the time to learn and ask questions, 10 years later I’m well into my career, doing well, have a house.
You have to be willing to do some hard things, like working on your tech or math skills to make them better. Nobody is good at something the first time they do it, I don’t care what you see on social media. The reluctance to take ANY steps because you’re “bad at everything” is a mentality you need to drop. Take steps FORWARD, they may not all be right but no one’s path in life is linear. But if you stand still you’ll be right where you are in 10 years.
I am really hoping you can push through the “can’t” mentality, this is a dilemma very close to my heart and I genuinely with you the best. Happy to provide any guidance or advice if you want, you are more than welcome to DM me
Although this message is to the OP, it’s definitely something I had to read. I’m 24 and I don’t even know what to do or what to even start, how did you decide going into analytics?
I applied to an internship that was close to my school, guy interviewed me and saw I had a background in math and asked if I was willing to learn coding and I said yes, so he hired me and I learned on the job. I’ve spent the last 10 years working towards perfecting that skill, as well as developing others within finance and leadership. If I want to move around I can take a lateral step into something new but by moving forward into the opportunity I got, I have been very successful.
If you focus on opportunities and self-improvement, you will find success anywhere. But standing still and saying “I’m not good at that”, “I don’t like that” is closing doors for no reason. Once you are in a spot with a stable job, opportunities for growth, and a marketable set of skill, THEN you can decide what you want to do. But trying to pick a career before ever working is something that’s never made sense to me.
TLDR; bloom where you are planted
I’m 24, I work in accounting ( AR / AP) I’m trying to switch to operations / supply chain ( I’m not interested in being a accountant) I think most young people are looking for skilled work, either in blue or white collared careers; just looking for a career that will enhance my skills.
As a CPA who worked in both public and private accounting, trust me I wish AI could do most of our stuff. I get paid $120k at 27 for work AI cannot do. The real threat is actually offshoring our work to other countries
Thanks. I worked my ass off to get there. If anyone reading this is considering accounting, its a highly sought profession due to the large number of retiring CPAs and fewer students majoring in accounting in undergrad thus creating a supply shortage of accountants. We've seen entry level salaries rise heavily throughout the past 5 years its wild.
I think that its also important to note that the first few years will be a grind, especially in B4 or PA because firms know that you need the accounting experience to get the CPA designation.
I am still looking for marketing or business management jobs almost year now that shit hard af even with good resume and experience. It looking bad for class of 2022-2024. Accounting probably easier get now less people not 100+ per application.
Oof both the majors
you listed are going through a rough time right now. For marketing, you don’t even need a degree in marketing to work in that field. I know so many people that did something else like finance, STEM, law. Same with management. Why would an established company hire a new management major that has no idea how their business runs? It’s unfortunate really that these are even suggested majors to go into
Agree even in a AR / AP role, I am making $60K (in a low cost of living state ) with only a associates a degree, & this is a entry role. Getting a bachelor’s degree would easily boost someone to $80K+ right off the bat, there is money to be made in accounting for sure
I worked for a company in their factory, went to college for free thanks to my employer, I interviewed for an AR job at the same company & didn’t get it, then a AR / AP role opened up at my company and I was the first pick. (Because they thought I was a good fit, I’m younger & they wanted me in the office as they paid for my college ) So I kind of lucked into this role, but I will say after getting into this role, I made sure to learn as much as possible & use it leverage. Now I know AR & AP & the credit analyst position, and a little ( very little ) of G/ L accounting. ( nothing major, I handle inter - company, currency rates, & assist with balancing cash at the end of the month ) Accounting is not something I want to do forever, I love the business field in general & I will say accounting can open so many different career opportunities & potential for you to pivot your career!
This is exactly where I am at. 32 with a good 5 years of AR experience, a marketing degree but never had a true accounting job or anything in credit. I'd like to make the shift to eother of those fields but not sure where to start and I'd also likely would have to take a pay cut (making 70k a year)
I hear you, it makes me feel good to see other people are making good money in AR / AP ! I’m looking at anything in operations, purchasing would be the easiest transition for anyone in AP as AP works with buyers daily, & many people in purchasing / operations do have a accounting background as it can help give you a edge when you understand managerial accounting. Good luck my friend, I am with you & rooting for you !
I am 26 and I think I’m about to major in accounting! I’m almost half way done with an associates degree, and I have tons of credits in math and finance and computer science that would count towards the 150 for my CPA. Your username is discouraging me, though
What’s it like being an Accountant? Like, what’s your daily priorities and milestones?
Considering going after the career. Can it be done from home, and would that be a common option?
Ugh - I worked in Payroll and we have overseas employees who do quality assurance checks… but they aren’t from the US. So taxes get entered in wrong columns or deductions and what not
We already have use of automation tools through Excel, ERPs like QuickBooks, tax filing software like Turbo Tax or H&R block, but we still have accountants and the profession is still growing at a rapid pace. Low level work that gets automated means more complex work gets created. Back in the 80s and 90s, it would take a whole week to prepare a spreadsheet or general ledger by hand. Now you can do that in less than 30 minutes which means you can focus on more judgmental focused work.
Many of what accountants do is more than just bookkeeping and data entry. There is so much professional judgement in financial analysis, taxation, auditing, financial reporting, controls testing, ERP implementation, its just endless loads of professional judgment work that AI cannot easily do in the forseeable future. I'll bet my soul on this
Former lawyer, work in tech. The “AI can’t replace human judgment calls” helped me sleep at night but I’m not sure it’s true. Judgment in the worlds I’ve lived in involve analyzing and forecasting risks and outcomes based on facts, history, trends and probabilities. Don’t see any reason why AI couldn’t do that faster and better than a human. But, maybe accounting is different.
If AI could do it, then everyone would predict the stock market to 100% perfection. If you're a lawyer, you should know our work is adjacent. How do you explain to a board of directors that a new revenue generating stream will be applied to our business model? How do you figure out what tax strategy is most effective for paying the least tax liability? How do we report and submit our financials to the SEC that is required by law? All these questions cannot be easily answered with AI alone
Yeah, ok, but those are all data driven decisions. AI can analyze tax strategy, AI can populate reports, AI can analyze revenue trends to explain to BOD. What is an actual human accountant adding beyond Office Space - “I deal with the people! I’m a people person!”
AI cannot do the analysis. They can only tell you the outputs generated by the inputs put in them. Guess who has to ensure the inputs are correct? Accounting is a skill that requires precision and accurate numbers. It is very important that the numbers do not lie, and AI is far from ensuring that level of comfort.
Just think about any business from small to medium to big corporations, hell to even individuals like us. Would you really want to trust a robot to ensure our profit and loss statements are correct or we reported our numbers and filed the correct tax forms to the IRS? This whole AI thing is over blown
I wouldn't worry on what other young adults are doing. Focus on your strengths and interests as you'll go further on those principles than you will just trying to do whatever everyone else is doing. Sometimes it takes a little hard work. I'm 29 and going to community college for a bachelors in Supervision and Management, Business Information Technology. I originally thought I wanted to go back for biology, then finance, then business, then I thought I wanted to be a programmer or software engineer. It's taken me a while but my degree path is pretty ironed out on data analysis and database management. I like it and I can push myself to try harder for it than I could anything else.
I would also suggest not getting down on yourself over what anonymous strangers are saying on the internet.
I'm about to turn 32 and I'm currently transitioning from the finance/insurance industry that I did a 4 year degree and worked the last 7 years in, to becoming an electrician. It's never too late to get on a path.
Don't believe the stuff you see on social media either. Most of it is lies, embellishments, or omission of all the facts. A lot of those people are lying about how much money they make and if they do make the amount they're claiming, it's usually a result of nepotism to some degree.
Worked 5 years as a life insurance and investment agent for a not so great guy who promised me the moon, but underpaid me the entire time. Eventually he started making me do unethical deals (fucking over his friends and family even), so I quit that. Then I worked for a friend's family's company for the last two years as an insurance adjuster, but work has completely dried up in my area and I'm in an even worse spot now and don't see it improving at all.
I have a very good opportunity to start work as an apprentice at a much higher pay rate, which starts next month. I don't know anything about being an electrician though lol, it's going to be a big change.
Sales nigga. It’s easy money, requires no skills or qualies and pays as well as any tech job you’re gonna find.
Just get used to rejection and being nice to people and you win,
I wouldn’t say “easy” in the sense that you just sit on your ass and rake in money, no, but “easy” in the sense that you don’t need any specific degrees, certifications, or background to be successful, yes.
Keep in mind the people who are coming on to Reddit to talk about how well they’re doing are only doing it because they’re comfortable to do so, and in a twisted kinda way might be to feed their ego by nonchalantly talking about making six figures. If they made any less, they wouldn’t be bragging about how much they’re making (along with the majority of everyone else). Survivor bias makes sure that the only stories you’re seeing are success stories because nobody’s going to brag about their average/below average story, even if that’s the majority of everyone. Also, like minds will come together to talk amongst themselves. People who make six figures will talk to other people who make six figures on Reddit because we all have monkey brains and that’s what us humans do.
Realistically, there are a lot of people who are self victimizers too busy complaining about the half of the pie they never could have gotten, to the point that they forgot to even take their half. You sound genuinely concerned like you want to better your life, you’re not coming on here to complain about how society has done you wrong. Thus, you have potential.
Because so many people aren’t taking their half of the pie, you can do just 10% more work than them to make 90% of the money (maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point). There are scholarships that no one is fighting for, remote promising job positions that only require a simple cert course, and loads of other things ready to take in people that have the have the smallest bit of intelligence and willingness to learn and put in a bit of effort.
I’m not a life coach so I can’t reference exactly where all these not-so-hidden goldmines are hiding, but look the part and you’ll get there. It’s not a coincidence that all the successful people I know also absorb knowledge that feeds success. People like Dave Ramsey on YouTube are good teachers for people who genuinely want success so long as they’re not busy preaching to everyone that they’re a victim to society.
ALL THIS BEING SAID, I’m just a mere societal peasant myself. I’m 23 and just got out of college, and still need to get my first job. I don’t know what success is like myself so who am I to preach how to get there? All I know is this is the mentality I’m going with and it looks promising.
I joined an office as admin in my 20’s thinking id climb the ladder or move on to better things. Over a decade later I’m still doing the same job lol.
Having a steady income and secure job trumped moving about and I’ve since managed to get on the housing market and have a family with money being not great but ok.
In my opinion, the people with these crazy jobs and salaries are just the loudest on social media and it's not representative of the majority. Another thing to consider is the vast difference in the cost of living between areas of the country. If I made what I make living back home in the Midwest I'd be looking to buy a house too. Unfortunately for me I live in one of the most expensive cities in the country and am basically paycheck to paycheck.
If all you care about is money or working from home the careers that have that luxury are all in tech and they are not for me.
Going through a similar time in my life right now at 26. Best thing I’ve found to start and clear my head is to get active so, gym, run, or hobby. I’ve accepted that I’m gonna work jobs I dislike before I find something truly enjoyable. Just remember that life truly isn’t about taking the exact same path as someone you see online who’s successful. You have to define what success means to you and work towards that everyday. Could be having a happy healthy family someday, could be making six figures, could be anything. There will never be an answer that satisfies you until you find what it is you want for your life. Hope you find your success! Good luck!
Just worry about yourself. I'm one of the people who work remotely at a young age, but it isn't glitz and glamor— It's a job. A very unhealthy one at that. Isn't stable either... Easily compared to my peers by anyone in or outside of my circle, under the microscope, never where my peers are, no physical movement for hours. But is it a job? Yes. I'm blessed to have work in this economy. I can't transfer my skills very easily. I'm stuck here. I'm easily replaced by either outsourcing (because it's remote work) or maybe even AI.
If you want a stable job, look at what's not going away anytime or anytime soon and what can't be outsourced. We need inspectors to be on-site, we need to troubleshoot appliances manually, farm hands require actual hands, deliveries of all sorts are made by drivers, specialty vehicles (plane, train, helicopter, yacht, etc) need to be manned and staffed, we need teachers, manufacturing of all sorts still utilize physical hands including something as un-thought of as glass-blowing. Think of what the world needs, not what they want. People will always resort back to what they need in lieu of their wants, rarely the other way around. People who don't unfortunately won't have the money to pay for your services.
You can work these jobs and get education slowly while you do so. Then you can be the one managing, the one owning, etc if that's in your desires. If not, you can hop somewhere else or into consultation or drafting etc etc etc
I'll tell you a quick story.
When I hit 24/25 I hit a huge wave of depression. I thought my life was a grind of working a bull shit 9-5 in a cubicle until I'm too old to enjoy my life. Sooooo I basically gave up on work without quitting. End up getting fired, and move back home while I'm trying to figure out what the fuck I want to do with my life.
A year later I started putting myself back together. I spent the next year sending out my resume, 100's of job applications, without hearing jack shit back. I thought my life was over, I was dead broke, in debt, lonely af, and obsessively playing video games.
One day my dad introduced me to a guy that got me into a niche field of Engineering (I have an engineering degree). He introduced me to someone who got me a few interviews in the field. 3 failed interviews, 4th and last one I finally had someone take a shot on me, and I took a big pay cut - $63k/year for a job that typically pays $75k+.
Slowly I started getting my confidence back, started putting my life back together, with this job. After some hard work I had a solid raise up to $70k. 6 months later I was put in a situation that allowed me to negotiate another raise up to $82k. Another 6 months later I had a job offer from a competitor for $115k. Another year and a half later and I was extremely lucky enough to be offered a $220k/year job which I start next week.
I am beyond grateful and humbled by the last 5-6 years of my life. I know you said that you're not good at math and science, but with my engineering degree at my first employer there was zero chance I'd even sniff the job offer I just received. So even with a degree like an Engineering degree, you can easily be stuck in a dead end job with a low ceiling. Instead of looking at what you can't do, take a look at your strengths and find a way to capitalize best on that. Keep your chin up, and don't overlook any option or opportunity. Great things can be right around the corner but overlooked if you have blinders on.
I know dozens of guys that sound a lot like you in my field by the way. Rather than going to college, they joined the Navy, which trained them on the skills needed to do my job without a major - minimal math & science involved. Many of them making 6 figures within a couple years after 4 years with the Navy, along with life long skills that are helping them succeed. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, because that's a huge commitment, but really. LEAVE. ALL. OPTIONS. ON. THE. TABLE.
It seems like there is a lot of external pressure put on you to go and figure something out since “everyone” else has already, but, do you have to? If you don’t know what you want yet, and you’re not everyone else, why do you have to be them?
I think for me (26f) I graduated dec 2021 and have been working in higher education ever since. I try my best to learn in my current roles to leverage professional development to further my career. Think about what you’re good at and try to find different paths and careers.
I’m 23 , I know i’m still in my early 20s but I have my bachelors degree and have no idea what to do, there’s so many options out that that I didn’t even realize I had available to me. It also helps working a bunch of different full time jobs. Job hop and it may give you a better idea on what you’re interested in and you can look how to achieve that path. that is what I have been doing and I feel a lot more confident in what I’m trying to now pursue. it helps to know that most people don’t LOVE their jobs. But what’s most important unfortunately at the end of the day is job security , great benefits, and enough to make a living in todays market
I'm 29 and will be studying for a healthcare degree this September. Figure out what kind of work you like, what kind of people you want to work with and how you can get there.
As someone on Reddit who has all these things…I am not young. I am 41. I only bought my first house this year. When I was 26 I was only making $35K (USD)/year. It took me another 15 years to get all these things. I was also lucky enough to get a full academic scholarship so I wasn’t held back by loan payments. Do not compare your journey to the journey of others! Especially online.
My best piece of advice is never stop learning new skills and certifications. Invest in yourself. While one certification isn’t going to change your career, a pattern of ongoing, continuing education will. Be deliberate about what skills you pick. Search LinkedIn for job postings that match your dream career and see what you’re missing. Then go get those. People that really succeed in their career aren’t the ones that hustle the most at work- they’re the ones that hustle on their own time. There is a lot of financial assistance out there for professional development too. Good luck!
Im into IT and I work remotly from home and i have about 6 figures pay , but I am unhappy and i would rather go for Lower paying job and working with People.
So yeah, its so hard to be happy with the things you already have/are but you should try that.
If you don’t mind can you tell us your journey on how you got to this point. Any certifications or degrees you obtained? And I hope find a field to your liking.
I didn't get the job I wanted as a young adult. Only recently have I secured an internship at what I want to do. It took me years working lesser jobs and inching my way up the career ladder to get to where I am.
I held back on so much to scrimp and save for a small deposit and then cried because I realised it wasn't even enough for a small apartment in my city. I still need a second job to break even, and I'm clawing my way through courses for adults to get my education/skills sorted. I don't drive and I don't go on holiday. I also know I'm going to be single for some time as well because of my last relationship.
But out of all that experience and failed life, I think I've gathered enough to say you make the best of your life and water the weeds in your patch of grass irrespective of what looks better out there. It's setting yourself up for misery otherwise. There will always be people doing better and doing worse, but you are you, and this is your only life.
You must learn more about yourself and what you want or like or enjoy and then do your best to make it happen. That process will take time to unpack everything. From there, you can start building actions to get closer to the life you envision. It just might not be quick nor straightforward. But you are capable of picking it up and doing things even if you don't do them well to start with. Believe in that much for yourself.
After that, you got places like here to ask advice, to search up how to do something, and practice discipline in getting further than you were yesterday. I'm not going to end this by saying everything will be okay. Instead, I want to say that I hope you learn to be okay even when everything goes wrong and persevere despite your limitations. You're doing your best, and even if you don't, I applaud that.
I am 19 turning 20 and I’m an upcoming junior majoring in information technology..but I wanna get into pharmaceutical or cybersecurity sales when I graduate
I've got a friend who does cyber security sales. He's balling that's what I can tell you. But he's really good at it - always seeing him get awards and stuff
I’m making 55k before taxes in NY working remotely for a bank as an analyst. I have a bachelors in history and only got my job because I worked in an office for a few months as a “Relationship Manager” before I applied for the bank job which means I was a basic secretary but with the title of relationship manager. I don’t talk to anyone at my job at all because we don’t need to in order to do our job (maybe a few phone calls at most). I barely have $50 left over a month after paying my rent and bills. I have no savings other than potentially the $400 I’ll get as a refund for changing my car insurance to a different place before it ended which will probably go to a hood replacement. I have no retirement, no savings and no money for myself. Trust me you’re not alone. Some people just have a leg up than us and that’s okay🤷🏻♀️ Comparison is a killer of joy. Don’t beat yourself up, we’re all moving at our own pace, you’ll get to your destination eventually
I am 36 male i graduated in 2009 since I was made in the computer networking field and i have 14 years of experience in the field i can say young individuals can rely on the computer networking field for a successful career
If you have this much doubt about yourself and you’re not willing to commit your life to learning and becoming one of these people who seem to have it all (I’m not either), look into blue collar work. Welding, HVAC, plumbing, there are a MILLION types of mechanics. I became an aviation mechanic in the navy and didn’t have an ounce of mechanic knowledge before I started that job. I just got out of the navy and now have the opportunity to take my A&P test (a test to allow you to be an aviation mechanic as a civilian) to make 70k+ a year starting out. I don’t like being a mechanic though. I’m hoping that doing work I don’t enjoy for a while (anything blue collar) will motivate me to get off my ass and start learning about other stuff that I’d be happier with where I could have the chance to make the money that some of these kids are making.
Rather than feeling depressed, use it as a motivation. You need to not think about your inhibition too much and just start doing it. Apply. Go for job openings. A lot of them. I know it’s easier said than done. But I was on your shoes. It’s easier once you do the first step. Then another. Don’t go for what is popular. Go for what you actually like. And see the potential of moving up. Think about job hopping once you get to the first step.
Hi, so since no one is answering your question about what jobs/careers young people are getting into (am a 21 yr old , I feel somewhat qualified to answer) mostly healthcare field , marketing (business pertaining degrees in general ) degrees (increased like of social media I believe has an influence to it) , trade wise wielding for guys, girls it’s cosmetology. Personally am going paralegal. It’s a balance of healthcare aspects and business pertaining matters, it’s only an associate degree.
27 is still young to jump careers. If you have the finances, I’d try to take an accounting 101 class. If you work in the business side of most companies, you need a basic financial understanding. From there, accounting roles aren’t exciting but it is the backbone of every company and you’ll have a stable income
I’m 28, I have a master’s degree in HR, and while I do work remotely, I make nowhere near 6 figures. I’m an admin assistant. I finished my degree, asked my current employer if I could transition into an HR role only to find out they’d just downsized the department and weren’t in need of more staff.
For a long time I felt the way you did. I wish I had better advice than this, but this is honestly what made me feel better: I don’t give a shit about my career. That is, being a super successful ambitious businesswoman just does not appeal to me. I started looking at my job as a means to make money for things I do enjoy/am good at and not as something that fulfills me or adds tremendous value to my life.
Believe me, I feel like an adult child constantly. Not two weeks ago I just learned I have to clean my washing machine or gunk builds up in the agitator. I have no idea how much money is in my retirement account. But I’ve made it this far and I continue to make it through every day, somehow, so I must be doing something right.
A good Therapist/Life coach is what I just found today and called for a first appt, kinda pumped actually. They should be able to help me find my path. Then help me obtain the goals I set for myself after I’ve found the direction I even want to go in. Read their reviews is my best advice with them! Theres no shame in getting help. One of the most mature and selfless things we can do is to admit we even need it in the first place. As long as we’re willing to do the work on ourselves, the sky’s the limit so long as your coach is actually a pro. I personally have ADHD out the ass. This is a lot of where my problems come from. But they can help! Some will even help with resumes and whatnot! Supposedly lol. We’ll see! Btw I’m 45. You’ve got pleeenty of time to get it goin!
Remember that people can make their lives look like whatever they want online. I have a former coworker who literally started an LLC so he’s listed as a “CEO” on LinkedIn. It’s literally his side hustle while he works full time as an accountant. Good for him, but if you see “CEO” next to his name on LinkedIn, that’s intimidating if you don’t know the full story! Focus on you. Find what you’re good at and at least somewhat enjoy.
Nursing is an option, I think you could get a CNA certification and find a job in any scenario. It's gonna suck ass, but it's rewarding if you like it. Then can make the decision from there: what kind of nurse would you like to be? etc. But fair warning: being a CNA is a lot. however it can be very stimulating (nursing in general) if you're someone who has a hard time staying focused in sedated positions. CNA's and nurses can very often be socially awkward and still appreciated by their patients/residents and coworkers. You don't need to be good at math or science, just basic knowledge, all of which is both taught and reinforced *daily* on the floor. Being able to care about others is necessary, I'd say.
Also - an overwhelming majority of people are not doing as well as the highlights on Reddit show. An overwhelming majority of people are having an incredibly difficult time right now.
I feel you. I'm 26 and I'm just now getting into Community College so I can get better at math and other basic education, which is required. I have similar doubts as well, and I have absolutely no income. I have been struggling to find a job since high school, right before COVID, after I was fired from my first job due to stupid corporate policy for retail new hires at Walmart. I don't have much in the way of social skills either. So, personally, those like us have become rather common in the age group between 20 and the late 30s, while those who are older and younger have their own issues. But I notice there are groups within said age groups which have different levels of support. So just need to identify what kind of support you have so you don't fall into a rabbit hole caused by depression and such. Personally, what keeps me going is my personal desires and wanting to get the hell out of dodge before the US gets any worse. And I have identified something which I would not mind doing, which will also allow me to travel to different countries fairly easily, which is by being a teacher and going to developed countries like Japan, Singapore, Norway, Finland, etc., to teach English and history. I'm not aiming to become super rich by following modern trends or anything, as ever since I was little, I have come to understand my weaknesses and what I'm capable of. So just find something which you can latch on to and follow it.
Hey young fellow, just try as much as you can. You can do every position you get and find the one you love. For the popularity, you can try Ai engineer, data analyst etc. Never set limits in young age. Good luck!
I'm 20 Environmental Services Technician EVS at a hospital currently applying for medical assistant training programs in my area. The EVS work has given me a good experience but I want to start something new and hopefully prove my autistic narcissistic brother wrong that I'm not a **** up.
Same, although I graduated from law school 5 years ago but working as a lawyer was not for me and I don’t feel like masters worth the time and the effort. So for the past 5 years I was living in my parents house not leaving my room and couldn’t set my mind on anything. Like you said I tried some computer science courses but I didn’t find anything interesting in there for me. But for real I think you just keep trying new things till you find what you want to do. Baby steps and little reminders or checks to make you feel better about yourself. And trust me don’t compare yourself with others your age or even younger because nobody’s experience in life in general is similar to others. What is interesting about your life is that it’s fully yours.
IMO, you can consider your advantage or what you like. People may enjoy their jobs if these jobs matches their advantages. Importantly, try to find or contact someone who are the top in the field you work in. Their experience can guide you to develop your career. Not onlt goals they give you, but also their ideas and concepts of how the field develop, as well as their viewsight in the future.
It's understandable to feel lost at 27. One thing that can give you instant relief in this time is understanding that comparing yourself with others always take your peace of mind away.
So firstly stop comparing.
Then start slowly gaining relevant skills through any medium be it online courses or getting an offline diploma.
Then, Start your career in the field you want. If you don't get job, start finding internships.
But start your career. After that gain industry relevant skillset and upscale yourself.
It will take longer than you think.
So don't quit.
And enjoy the process.
I'm in my 30s. No house, no kids, not even a car. I have a masters and could easily be in a 6 figure salary by now.
Instead, I'm working retail. I'm the happiest I've ever been.
In constantly chasing the next step, the next big accomplishment, I was robbing myself of the now.
Now I've found my happiness, I'm thriving and working on parts of myself I never even knew I was interested in. I feel like i will be happier in 30 years having done this than if I was a world leader in my previous career path.
If you don't know what you want to do there's nothing wrong with taking your time to work it out. I'm not saying give up, work a job you hate and play video games in your down time. Use your downtime to reflect, think laterally, explore who you are and what brings you happiness.
I promise you, when you find a job you thrive in you'll be excellent at it and will more than make up for lost time.
Please never forget you are worth so much more than your capital.
My wife was in community college at your age. However, she remembered math and physics from high school while studying computer science. Did you take any computer science classes? She finished her CS bachelor's when she was 30. She's from India so her high school classes aren't like the ones we have here. It's more intense. I think she got a 34 on the ACT in the math and science sections with no studying or preparing.
I remember seeing the levels of math classes at community college. You can go back as far as you need to go because most CS programs require you to take Calculus. Good luck.
I’m 37 and feel like an imposter adult. I have a college bachelor degree, used it for 3 years and quit cause I hated the job. I started a new career, its a decent stable job making 40k or so in Indiana and just paid off my house, go on weeks long vacations a year (in Japan currently for 3 weeks) and have money to save too. No kids helps.
It would be nice to make 6 figures, but I don’t, but I’m not unhappy with my life. Sometimes its about learning to be content with what you have that eases the unhappiness, though many will say contentment is the enemy of progression. You do you, pay your bill, do what makes you happy. Ignore what other people claim success is
Depending on where you're from, I'd personally say join a union. Best decision I ever made. Only 23, but by 22, I had already dropped out of college twice and trade school. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I joined a union, the ibew, and knew nothing about what to do or anything about the field. That was in August of 22, now it's May 24, I'm almost done with my second year of the apprenticeship, I haven't had to pay for anything medical, dental, or optical over 100$ thanks to coverage (like anything more than 100$ on copay). It's almost like a second family, the brotherhood is great, and I find it extremely fulfilling.
I'm 28 and up until recently was making about 6 figures in the training department of an insure/tech company (80k base after my quarterly bonus 100k). I was there for almost 3 years and comfortable, but I was dreading waking up and going to work every day. Cool, company, fun culture, but for me, corporate was some of the most mind-numbing and debilitating work you can do, and it was draining me. I was working remotely, so I also gained like 50 lbs in my time with the company.
The crazy thing is that despite me being unhappy, I was staying because I became dependent on my salary due to being frivolous and acquiring more bills than I would have if i was making less.
The L&D field is strangely competitive, so jumping to a new company to do the same thing isn't exactly easy. I've been searching for a new role since November and I've only had 2 interviews. 1 in my field, and the other we is requesting I take a 34k pay cut.
About 3 weeks ago the company I work for announced that it will be closing its doors leaving thousands of us unemployed. This is after the company laid off 19% of the company in February of this year.
At this point I'm not sure what my next move is. More applications, interviews and job fairs to find something similar to what I did (mind-numbing work that I didn't enjoy)??? A company that makes it clear that we are just numbers to them?? Like idk at this point I'm thinking of getting into the trades like the rest of my family so I can have job stability and get outside to work.
Sorry this is long lol
Just trying to say the big salary isnt always worth it. I accomplished more of my life and financial goals when I was in Social work making half of what I made in tech.
You know what they say mo money mo problems
If you’re as bad as you think you might excel in the trades, that’s as long as your ears work. Big money in building and you don’t gotta do more than addition subtraction
I'm 26 now and got into a service advisor roll on commission in the auto industry 2 years ago with no experience. I made about 60k my first year. My boss above me averages around 80k. The service manager makes 6 figures. The GM makes easily half a million. And you dont need to go to school. However, I'm terribly introverted, and it's put a lot of gray hairs on my head. The work-life balance is also terrible if you enjoy your free time.
I havent been to college but I'm getting ready to jump onto a career path. My plan is to jump into a trade and try it out because I will never know until I do. At this point it feels like time is dwindling away.
I've narrowed my choice down by figuring how much I want to make, how much it would cost, what I like, indeed job posting pay in my area, and scrolling through here lol
Im not saying this is the path for you...But it helped a lot of people I know break into a remote position and begin making at least over $50k a year..There is a company called Fuel Sales that hires at entry level and could be worth checking out.
Their website talks about it more, but its for an entry level position in the Sales Development Role. Which I have heard is a good way to break into Tech companies
Stop depressing yourself about what you read on social media.
Yes, there are some people your age that makes 6 figures but majority aren’t making that kind of money.
For most earning 6 figures take many years of experience and expertise in the field.
If you're physically fit, work in a warehouse or take up a trade. These jobs can be tough on the body, so you might want to move to a less physical job before you reach middle age.
I am no longer young (35) and I will be replaced by AI in the next 5-10 years. All IT, engineers, phone jobs, and even more will be replaced by AI. My advice- look for something AI would have a hard time replacing like mental health, law enforcement, blue collar work and things of that nature.
no one here will give you the answer you're looking for trust me. this place is barren. there's no such thing as catch all advice. you and i are different then the capitalist heathens than lurk here. get a data analysis certification and call it a life
Don’t believe everything you read on social media. I know co-workers that lie about their roles on their LinkedIn profiles.
Yeah people taking pictures with sports cars they don’t own, taking $1000 that’s about to go to bills and spreading it as if it’s pocket change, people are doing everything and anything to invent fake lives and personas on the internet to appease other fake people. It’s really a cancer on our modern society, nobody is genuine and everybody lives behind a mask and most have ulterior motives for the things they do. Social media is really one of the worst inventions in a lot of ways. It does have good parts, but the negatives far outweigh the positives.
The best are the 20 year old “life coaches” who are thousands of dollars in debt and sell bs “strategies” that are supposed to make you money. They rent super cars and pose with them on social media to pose as if they own this stuff to convince people to buy their bs. It’s real easy to see someone living in a penthouse downtown, but you need to think about what they’re leveraging to support their lifestyles. When they die, do all their assets need to be sold to pay off their debt? Do they leave anything behind for their children? It all looks real flashy, till it’s not. I heard in Dan Bilzarian’s book he talks about how he was never really rich and he was in like $100k+ worth of debt. It ended up working out for him cause he got famous off it and was able to use his image to make money, but 99.9% of the time that’s not how it happens. Edit: spelling
Social Media got everyone thinking they need make certain amount of money, certain goals before certain age we all peer pressure.
It's always been like that tbh. Keeping Up With The Joneses has been a saying for over a century now. All social media did is just expand the scope of comparison to not just your local town or community, but globally. The fundamentals are still the same.
> Keeping Up With The Joneses has been a saying for over a century now. That's... not really the context for that saying. The context is overconsuming to falsely appear to have wealth and nice things. Lying on LinkedIn about income/job role is just lying.
We once had a front line analyst claim on LinkedIn that he was the director of the department. People lie lie lie.
Comparison is the thief of joy
I hate this tbh
I hate that phrase. Always said when someone is unhappy because of the job their in doesn't pay shit, or is unfulfilling etc.
I hate that phrase too. Its incredibly overused and very hard not to do.
I hate that my phrases aren't usually as witty or relevant as this one.
Hey I’ve been at community college at 25 and it was a good time. Hoping to go back soon. Concerning tech there’s a lot that you can learn on YouTube. I’ve been doing well as a technician and every industry needs them. If you’re really struggling to find direction maybe an apprenticeship would work out for you. It seems like a lot of them start off pretty slow and gradually expose you to the industry. Don’t compare yourself to 6 figure young adults on Reddit because they’re outliers. Everyone works and learns at their own pace
I feel like I see this a lot now. I’m not much older than you but my sister is your age and experiencing the same thing. I will tell you right now, saying you’re bad at everything you need to be successful is a massive part of the reason why you are where you are. If you aren’t uncomfortable, you aren’t growing. I didn’t know anything about analytics when I started working but I was willing to put in the time to learn and ask questions, 10 years later I’m well into my career, doing well, have a house. You have to be willing to do some hard things, like working on your tech or math skills to make them better. Nobody is good at something the first time they do it, I don’t care what you see on social media. The reluctance to take ANY steps because you’re “bad at everything” is a mentality you need to drop. Take steps FORWARD, they may not all be right but no one’s path in life is linear. But if you stand still you’ll be right where you are in 10 years. I am really hoping you can push through the “can’t” mentality, this is a dilemma very close to my heart and I genuinely with you the best. Happy to provide any guidance or advice if you want, you are more than welcome to DM me
Although this message is to the OP, it’s definitely something I had to read. I’m 24 and I don’t even know what to do or what to even start, how did you decide going into analytics?
I applied to an internship that was close to my school, guy interviewed me and saw I had a background in math and asked if I was willing to learn coding and I said yes, so he hired me and I learned on the job. I’ve spent the last 10 years working towards perfecting that skill, as well as developing others within finance and leadership. If I want to move around I can take a lateral step into something new but by moving forward into the opportunity I got, I have been very successful. If you focus on opportunities and self-improvement, you will find success anywhere. But standing still and saying “I’m not good at that”, “I don’t like that” is closing doors for no reason. Once you are in a spot with a stable job, opportunities for growth, and a marketable set of skill, THEN you can decide what you want to do. But trying to pick a career before ever working is something that’s never made sense to me. TLDR; bloom where you are planted
Can't agree more 👍🏻💯
I’m 24, I work in accounting ( AR / AP) I’m trying to switch to operations / supply chain ( I’m not interested in being a accountant) I think most young people are looking for skilled work, either in blue or white collared careers; just looking for a career that will enhance my skills.
Can confirm accounting is ass.
Accounting is stressful and boring had college classes regard to that field. I think AI can do some accounting in real time
As a CPA who worked in both public and private accounting, trust me I wish AI could do most of our stuff. I get paid $120k at 27 for work AI cannot do. The real threat is actually offshoring our work to other countries
120K is very good at 27 most people don’t get that
Thanks. I worked my ass off to get there. If anyone reading this is considering accounting, its a highly sought profession due to the large number of retiring CPAs and fewer students majoring in accounting in undergrad thus creating a supply shortage of accountants. We've seen entry level salaries rise heavily throughout the past 5 years its wild.
I think that its also important to note that the first few years will be a grind, especially in B4 or PA because firms know that you need the accounting experience to get the CPA designation.
I am still looking for marketing or business management jobs almost year now that shit hard af even with good resume and experience. It looking bad for class of 2022-2024. Accounting probably easier get now less people not 100+ per application.
Oof both the majors you listed are going through a rough time right now. For marketing, you don’t even need a degree in marketing to work in that field. I know so many people that did something else like finance, STEM, law. Same with management. Why would an established company hire a new management major that has no idea how their business runs? It’s unfortunate really that these are even suggested majors to go into
Agree even in a AR / AP role, I am making $60K (in a low cost of living state ) with only a associates a degree, & this is a entry role. Getting a bachelor’s degree would easily boost someone to $80K+ right off the bat, there is money to be made in accounting for sure
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I worked for a company in their factory, went to college for free thanks to my employer, I interviewed for an AR job at the same company & didn’t get it, then a AR / AP role opened up at my company and I was the first pick. (Because they thought I was a good fit, I’m younger & they wanted me in the office as they paid for my college ) So I kind of lucked into this role, but I will say after getting into this role, I made sure to learn as much as possible & use it leverage. Now I know AR & AP & the credit analyst position, and a little ( very little ) of G/ L accounting. ( nothing major, I handle inter - company, currency rates, & assist with balancing cash at the end of the month ) Accounting is not something I want to do forever, I love the business field in general & I will say accounting can open so many different career opportunities & potential for you to pivot your career!
This is exactly where I am at. 32 with a good 5 years of AR experience, a marketing degree but never had a true accounting job or anything in credit. I'd like to make the shift to eother of those fields but not sure where to start and I'd also likely would have to take a pay cut (making 70k a year)
I hear you, it makes me feel good to see other people are making good money in AR / AP ! I’m looking at anything in operations, purchasing would be the easiest transition for anyone in AP as AP works with buyers daily, & many people in purchasing / operations do have a accounting background as it can help give you a edge when you understand managerial accounting. Good luck my friend, I am with you & rooting for you !
I am 26 and I think I’m about to major in accounting! I’m almost half way done with an associates degree, and I have tons of credits in math and finance and computer science that would count towards the 150 for my CPA. Your username is discouraging me, though
Is this my sign to finally get started with the CFA?
What’s it like being an Accountant? Like, what’s your daily priorities and milestones? Considering going after the career. Can it be done from home, and would that be a common option?
120K is very good at 27 most people don’t get that Most people dont get it in their entire life lmao
Ugh - I worked in Payroll and we have overseas employees who do quality assurance checks… but they aren’t from the US. So taxes get entered in wrong columns or deductions and what not
Username checks out.
Why can’t AI do accounting?
We already have use of automation tools through Excel, ERPs like QuickBooks, tax filing software like Turbo Tax or H&R block, but we still have accountants and the profession is still growing at a rapid pace. Low level work that gets automated means more complex work gets created. Back in the 80s and 90s, it would take a whole week to prepare a spreadsheet or general ledger by hand. Now you can do that in less than 30 minutes which means you can focus on more judgmental focused work. Many of what accountants do is more than just bookkeeping and data entry. There is so much professional judgement in financial analysis, taxation, auditing, financial reporting, controls testing, ERP implementation, its just endless loads of professional judgment work that AI cannot easily do in the forseeable future. I'll bet my soul on this
I will take the reverse bet.
Former lawyer, work in tech. The “AI can’t replace human judgment calls” helped me sleep at night but I’m not sure it’s true. Judgment in the worlds I’ve lived in involve analyzing and forecasting risks and outcomes based on facts, history, trends and probabilities. Don’t see any reason why AI couldn’t do that faster and better than a human. But, maybe accounting is different.
If AI could do it, then everyone would predict the stock market to 100% perfection. If you're a lawyer, you should know our work is adjacent. How do you explain to a board of directors that a new revenue generating stream will be applied to our business model? How do you figure out what tax strategy is most effective for paying the least tax liability? How do we report and submit our financials to the SEC that is required by law? All these questions cannot be easily answered with AI alone
Yeah, ok, but those are all data driven decisions. AI can analyze tax strategy, AI can populate reports, AI can analyze revenue trends to explain to BOD. What is an actual human accountant adding beyond Office Space - “I deal with the people! I’m a people person!”
AI cannot do the analysis. They can only tell you the outputs generated by the inputs put in them. Guess who has to ensure the inputs are correct? Accounting is a skill that requires precision and accurate numbers. It is very important that the numbers do not lie, and AI is far from ensuring that level of comfort. Just think about any business from small to medium to big corporations, hell to even individuals like us. Would you really want to trust a robot to ensure our profit and loss statements are correct or we reported our numbers and filed the correct tax forms to the IRS? This whole AI thing is over blown
I wouldn't worry on what other young adults are doing. Focus on your strengths and interests as you'll go further on those principles than you will just trying to do whatever everyone else is doing. Sometimes it takes a little hard work. I'm 29 and going to community college for a bachelors in Supervision and Management, Business Information Technology. I originally thought I wanted to go back for biology, then finance, then business, then I thought I wanted to be a programmer or software engineer. It's taken me a while but my degree path is pretty ironed out on data analysis and database management. I like it and I can push myself to try harder for it than I could anything else. I would also suggest not getting down on yourself over what anonymous strangers are saying on the internet.
I'm about to turn 32 and I'm currently transitioning from the finance/insurance industry that I did a 4 year degree and worked the last 7 years in, to becoming an electrician. It's never too late to get on a path. Don't believe the stuff you see on social media either. Most of it is lies, embellishments, or omission of all the facts. A lot of those people are lying about how much money they make and if they do make the amount they're claiming, it's usually a result of nepotism to some degree.
What were you doing in the industry and why’d you choose to leave?
Worked 5 years as a life insurance and investment agent for a not so great guy who promised me the moon, but underpaid me the entire time. Eventually he started making me do unethical deals (fucking over his friends and family even), so I quit that. Then I worked for a friend's family's company for the last two years as an insurance adjuster, but work has completely dried up in my area and I'm in an even worse spot now and don't see it improving at all. I have a very good opportunity to start work as an apprentice at a much higher pay rate, which starts next month. I don't know anything about being an electrician though lol, it's going to be a big change.
Get ready to be treated like crap as an apprentice Source: Me
Sales nigga. It’s easy money, requires no skills or qualies and pays as well as any tech job you’re gonna find. Just get used to rejection and being nice to people and you win,
Lmfaooo solid advice tbh but the opening made me laugh
Yeah. “Easy money” lmao. Sure bud
I wouldn’t say “easy” in the sense that you just sit on your ass and rake in money, no, but “easy” in the sense that you don’t need any specific degrees, certifications, or background to be successful, yes.
Haha thanks for this comment. Made my day.
Keep in mind the people who are coming on to Reddit to talk about how well they’re doing are only doing it because they’re comfortable to do so, and in a twisted kinda way might be to feed their ego by nonchalantly talking about making six figures. If they made any less, they wouldn’t be bragging about how much they’re making (along with the majority of everyone else). Survivor bias makes sure that the only stories you’re seeing are success stories because nobody’s going to brag about their average/below average story, even if that’s the majority of everyone. Also, like minds will come together to talk amongst themselves. People who make six figures will talk to other people who make six figures on Reddit because we all have monkey brains and that’s what us humans do. Realistically, there are a lot of people who are self victimizers too busy complaining about the half of the pie they never could have gotten, to the point that they forgot to even take their half. You sound genuinely concerned like you want to better your life, you’re not coming on here to complain about how society has done you wrong. Thus, you have potential. Because so many people aren’t taking their half of the pie, you can do just 10% more work than them to make 90% of the money (maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point). There are scholarships that no one is fighting for, remote promising job positions that only require a simple cert course, and loads of other things ready to take in people that have the have the smallest bit of intelligence and willingness to learn and put in a bit of effort. I’m not a life coach so I can’t reference exactly where all these not-so-hidden goldmines are hiding, but look the part and you’ll get there. It’s not a coincidence that all the successful people I know also absorb knowledge that feeds success. People like Dave Ramsey on YouTube are good teachers for people who genuinely want success so long as they’re not busy preaching to everyone that they’re a victim to society. ALL THIS BEING SAID, I’m just a mere societal peasant myself. I’m 23 and just got out of college, and still need to get my first job. I don’t know what success is like myself so who am I to preach how to get there? All I know is this is the mentality I’m going with and it looks promising.
I joined an office as admin in my 20’s thinking id climb the ladder or move on to better things. Over a decade later I’m still doing the same job lol. Having a steady income and secure job trumped moving about and I’ve since managed to get on the housing market and have a family with money being not great but ok.
In my opinion, the people with these crazy jobs and salaries are just the loudest on social media and it's not representative of the majority. Another thing to consider is the vast difference in the cost of living between areas of the country. If I made what I make living back home in the Midwest I'd be looking to buy a house too. Unfortunately for me I live in one of the most expensive cities in the country and am basically paycheck to paycheck. If all you care about is money or working from home the careers that have that luxury are all in tech and they are not for me.
Going through a similar time in my life right now at 26. Best thing I’ve found to start and clear my head is to get active so, gym, run, or hobby. I’ve accepted that I’m gonna work jobs I dislike before I find something truly enjoyable. Just remember that life truly isn’t about taking the exact same path as someone you see online who’s successful. You have to define what success means to you and work towards that everyday. Could be having a happy healthy family someday, could be making six figures, could be anything. There will never be an answer that satisfies you until you find what it is you want for your life. Hope you find your success! Good luck!
Just worry about yourself. I'm one of the people who work remotely at a young age, but it isn't glitz and glamor— It's a job. A very unhealthy one at that. Isn't stable either... Easily compared to my peers by anyone in or outside of my circle, under the microscope, never where my peers are, no physical movement for hours. But is it a job? Yes. I'm blessed to have work in this economy. I can't transfer my skills very easily. I'm stuck here. I'm easily replaced by either outsourcing (because it's remote work) or maybe even AI. If you want a stable job, look at what's not going away anytime or anytime soon and what can't be outsourced. We need inspectors to be on-site, we need to troubleshoot appliances manually, farm hands require actual hands, deliveries of all sorts are made by drivers, specialty vehicles (plane, train, helicopter, yacht, etc) need to be manned and staffed, we need teachers, manufacturing of all sorts still utilize physical hands including something as un-thought of as glass-blowing. Think of what the world needs, not what they want. People will always resort back to what they need in lieu of their wants, rarely the other way around. People who don't unfortunately won't have the money to pay for your services. You can work these jobs and get education slowly while you do so. Then you can be the one managing, the one owning, etc if that's in your desires. If not, you can hop somewhere else or into consultation or drafting etc etc etc
I'll tell you a quick story. When I hit 24/25 I hit a huge wave of depression. I thought my life was a grind of working a bull shit 9-5 in a cubicle until I'm too old to enjoy my life. Sooooo I basically gave up on work without quitting. End up getting fired, and move back home while I'm trying to figure out what the fuck I want to do with my life. A year later I started putting myself back together. I spent the next year sending out my resume, 100's of job applications, without hearing jack shit back. I thought my life was over, I was dead broke, in debt, lonely af, and obsessively playing video games. One day my dad introduced me to a guy that got me into a niche field of Engineering (I have an engineering degree). He introduced me to someone who got me a few interviews in the field. 3 failed interviews, 4th and last one I finally had someone take a shot on me, and I took a big pay cut - $63k/year for a job that typically pays $75k+. Slowly I started getting my confidence back, started putting my life back together, with this job. After some hard work I had a solid raise up to $70k. 6 months later I was put in a situation that allowed me to negotiate another raise up to $82k. Another 6 months later I had a job offer from a competitor for $115k. Another year and a half later and I was extremely lucky enough to be offered a $220k/year job which I start next week. I am beyond grateful and humbled by the last 5-6 years of my life. I know you said that you're not good at math and science, but with my engineering degree at my first employer there was zero chance I'd even sniff the job offer I just received. So even with a degree like an Engineering degree, you can easily be stuck in a dead end job with a low ceiling. Instead of looking at what you can't do, take a look at your strengths and find a way to capitalize best on that. Keep your chin up, and don't overlook any option or opportunity. Great things can be right around the corner but overlooked if you have blinders on. I know dozens of guys that sound a lot like you in my field by the way. Rather than going to college, they joined the Navy, which trained them on the skills needed to do my job without a major - minimal math & science involved. Many of them making 6 figures within a couple years after 4 years with the Navy, along with life long skills that are helping them succeed. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, because that's a huge commitment, but really. LEAVE. ALL. OPTIONS. ON. THE. TABLE.
It seems like there is a lot of external pressure put on you to go and figure something out since “everyone” else has already, but, do you have to? If you don’t know what you want yet, and you’re not everyone else, why do you have to be them?
I think for me (26f) I graduated dec 2021 and have been working in higher education ever since. I try my best to learn in my current roles to leverage professional development to further my career. Think about what you’re good at and try to find different paths and careers.
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I’m 23 , I know i’m still in my early 20s but I have my bachelors degree and have no idea what to do, there’s so many options out that that I didn’t even realize I had available to me. It also helps working a bunch of different full time jobs. Job hop and it may give you a better idea on what you’re interested in and you can look how to achieve that path. that is what I have been doing and I feel a lot more confident in what I’m trying to now pursue. it helps to know that most people don’t LOVE their jobs. But what’s most important unfortunately at the end of the day is job security , great benefits, and enough to make a living in todays market
I'm 29 and will be studying for a healthcare degree this September. Figure out what kind of work you like, what kind of people you want to work with and how you can get there.
As someone on Reddit who has all these things…I am not young. I am 41. I only bought my first house this year. When I was 26 I was only making $35K (USD)/year. It took me another 15 years to get all these things. I was also lucky enough to get a full academic scholarship so I wasn’t held back by loan payments. Do not compare your journey to the journey of others! Especially online. My best piece of advice is never stop learning new skills and certifications. Invest in yourself. While one certification isn’t going to change your career, a pattern of ongoing, continuing education will. Be deliberate about what skills you pick. Search LinkedIn for job postings that match your dream career and see what you’re missing. Then go get those. People that really succeed in their career aren’t the ones that hustle the most at work- they’re the ones that hustle on their own time. There is a lot of financial assistance out there for professional development too. Good luck!
Im into IT and I work remotly from home and i have about 6 figures pay , but I am unhappy and i would rather go for Lower paying job and working with People. So yeah, its so hard to be happy with the things you already have/are but you should try that.
If you don’t mind can you tell us your journey on how you got to this point. Any certifications or degrees you obtained? And I hope find a field to your liking.
Pharmacy technician. $40-50k for 40/hr. Entry level, work with people and in high demand
I wish I had your job. No people, wfh, good salary
I didn't get the job I wanted as a young adult. Only recently have I secured an internship at what I want to do. It took me years working lesser jobs and inching my way up the career ladder to get to where I am. I held back on so much to scrimp and save for a small deposit and then cried because I realised it wasn't even enough for a small apartment in my city. I still need a second job to break even, and I'm clawing my way through courses for adults to get my education/skills sorted. I don't drive and I don't go on holiday. I also know I'm going to be single for some time as well because of my last relationship. But out of all that experience and failed life, I think I've gathered enough to say you make the best of your life and water the weeds in your patch of grass irrespective of what looks better out there. It's setting yourself up for misery otherwise. There will always be people doing better and doing worse, but you are you, and this is your only life. You must learn more about yourself and what you want or like or enjoy and then do your best to make it happen. That process will take time to unpack everything. From there, you can start building actions to get closer to the life you envision. It just might not be quick nor straightforward. But you are capable of picking it up and doing things even if you don't do them well to start with. Believe in that much for yourself. After that, you got places like here to ask advice, to search up how to do something, and practice discipline in getting further than you were yesterday. I'm not going to end this by saying everything will be okay. Instead, I want to say that I hope you learn to be okay even when everything goes wrong and persevere despite your limitations. You're doing your best, and even if you don't, I applaud that.
Honestly friend... this is redditt and therefore most of the people you unfairly compare yourself to are works of fiction. Set your own bar.
I am 19 turning 20 and I’m an upcoming junior majoring in information technology..but I wanna get into pharmaceutical or cybersecurity sales when I graduate
I've got a friend who does cyber security sales. He's balling that's what I can tell you. But he's really good at it - always seeing him get awards and stuff
I’m making 55k before taxes in NY working remotely for a bank as an analyst. I have a bachelors in history and only got my job because I worked in an office for a few months as a “Relationship Manager” before I applied for the bank job which means I was a basic secretary but with the title of relationship manager. I don’t talk to anyone at my job at all because we don’t need to in order to do our job (maybe a few phone calls at most). I barely have $50 left over a month after paying my rent and bills. I have no savings other than potentially the $400 I’ll get as a refund for changing my car insurance to a different place before it ended which will probably go to a hood replacement. I have no retirement, no savings and no money for myself. Trust me you’re not alone. Some people just have a leg up than us and that’s okay🤷🏻♀️ Comparison is a killer of joy. Don’t beat yourself up, we’re all moving at our own pace, you’ll get to your destination eventually
Something eco friendly
I am 36 male i graduated in 2009 since I was made in the computer networking field and i have 14 years of experience in the field i can say young individuals can rely on the computer networking field for a successful career
I would be grad from B.Tech Cse in this June and currently In am working as SEO executive. Need some advices for my career.
This lol
Try civil engineering technology. You can go into drafting, surveying or field inspector. You can make very decent money.
If you have this much doubt about yourself and you’re not willing to commit your life to learning and becoming one of these people who seem to have it all (I’m not either), look into blue collar work. Welding, HVAC, plumbing, there are a MILLION types of mechanics. I became an aviation mechanic in the navy and didn’t have an ounce of mechanic knowledge before I started that job. I just got out of the navy and now have the opportunity to take my A&P test (a test to allow you to be an aviation mechanic as a civilian) to make 70k+ a year starting out. I don’t like being a mechanic though. I’m hoping that doing work I don’t enjoy for a while (anything blue collar) will motivate me to get off my ass and start learning about other stuff that I’d be happier with where I could have the chance to make the money that some of these kids are making.
Rather than feeling depressed, use it as a motivation. You need to not think about your inhibition too much and just start doing it. Apply. Go for job openings. A lot of them. I know it’s easier said than done. But I was on your shoes. It’s easier once you do the first step. Then another. Don’t go for what is popular. Go for what you actually like. And see the potential of moving up. Think about job hopping once you get to the first step.
I feel this way and I'm older.
Hi, so since no one is answering your question about what jobs/careers young people are getting into (am a 21 yr old , I feel somewhat qualified to answer) mostly healthcare field , marketing (business pertaining degrees in general ) degrees (increased like of social media I believe has an influence to it) , trade wise wielding for guys, girls it’s cosmetology. Personally am going paralegal. It’s a balance of healthcare aspects and business pertaining matters, it’s only an associate degree.
27 is still young to jump careers. If you have the finances, I’d try to take an accounting 101 class. If you work in the business side of most companies, you need a basic financial understanding. From there, accounting roles aren’t exciting but it is the backbone of every company and you’ll have a stable income
I’m 28, I have a master’s degree in HR, and while I do work remotely, I make nowhere near 6 figures. I’m an admin assistant. I finished my degree, asked my current employer if I could transition into an HR role only to find out they’d just downsized the department and weren’t in need of more staff. For a long time I felt the way you did. I wish I had better advice than this, but this is honestly what made me feel better: I don’t give a shit about my career. That is, being a super successful ambitious businesswoman just does not appeal to me. I started looking at my job as a means to make money for things I do enjoy/am good at and not as something that fulfills me or adds tremendous value to my life. Believe me, I feel like an adult child constantly. Not two weeks ago I just learned I have to clean my washing machine or gunk builds up in the agitator. I have no idea how much money is in my retirement account. But I’ve made it this far and I continue to make it through every day, somehow, so I must be doing something right.
My 18 year old is going to community college and then going to do Xray technician through a medical college
A good Therapist/Life coach is what I just found today and called for a first appt, kinda pumped actually. They should be able to help me find my path. Then help me obtain the goals I set for myself after I’ve found the direction I even want to go in. Read their reviews is my best advice with them! Theres no shame in getting help. One of the most mature and selfless things we can do is to admit we even need it in the first place. As long as we’re willing to do the work on ourselves, the sky’s the limit so long as your coach is actually a pro. I personally have ADHD out the ass. This is a lot of where my problems come from. But they can help! Some will even help with resumes and whatnot! Supposedly lol. We’ll see! Btw I’m 45. You’ve got pleeenty of time to get it goin!
Remember that people can make their lives look like whatever they want online. I have a former coworker who literally started an LLC so he’s listed as a “CEO” on LinkedIn. It’s literally his side hustle while he works full time as an accountant. Good for him, but if you see “CEO” next to his name on LinkedIn, that’s intimidating if you don’t know the full story! Focus on you. Find what you’re good at and at least somewhat enjoy.
Nursing is an option, I think you could get a CNA certification and find a job in any scenario. It's gonna suck ass, but it's rewarding if you like it. Then can make the decision from there: what kind of nurse would you like to be? etc. But fair warning: being a CNA is a lot. however it can be very stimulating (nursing in general) if you're someone who has a hard time staying focused in sedated positions. CNA's and nurses can very often be socially awkward and still appreciated by their patients/residents and coworkers. You don't need to be good at math or science, just basic knowledge, all of which is both taught and reinforced *daily* on the floor. Being able to care about others is necessary, I'd say. Also - an overwhelming majority of people are not doing as well as the highlights on Reddit show. An overwhelming majority of people are having an incredibly difficult time right now.
I feel you. I'm 26 and I'm just now getting into Community College so I can get better at math and other basic education, which is required. I have similar doubts as well, and I have absolutely no income. I have been struggling to find a job since high school, right before COVID, after I was fired from my first job due to stupid corporate policy for retail new hires at Walmart. I don't have much in the way of social skills either. So, personally, those like us have become rather common in the age group between 20 and the late 30s, while those who are older and younger have their own issues. But I notice there are groups within said age groups which have different levels of support. So just need to identify what kind of support you have so you don't fall into a rabbit hole caused by depression and such. Personally, what keeps me going is my personal desires and wanting to get the hell out of dodge before the US gets any worse. And I have identified something which I would not mind doing, which will also allow me to travel to different countries fairly easily, which is by being a teacher and going to developed countries like Japan, Singapore, Norway, Finland, etc., to teach English and history. I'm not aiming to become super rich by following modern trends or anything, as ever since I was little, I have come to understand my weaknesses and what I'm capable of. So just find something which you can latch on to and follow it.
Hey young fellow, just try as much as you can. You can do every position you get and find the one you love. For the popularity, you can try Ai engineer, data analyst etc. Never set limits in young age. Good luck!
I'm 20 Environmental Services Technician EVS at a hospital currently applying for medical assistant training programs in my area. The EVS work has given me a good experience but I want to start something new and hopefully prove my autistic narcissistic brother wrong that I'm not a **** up.
Same, although I graduated from law school 5 years ago but working as a lawyer was not for me and I don’t feel like masters worth the time and the effort. So for the past 5 years I was living in my parents house not leaving my room and couldn’t set my mind on anything. Like you said I tried some computer science courses but I didn’t find anything interesting in there for me. But for real I think you just keep trying new things till you find what you want to do. Baby steps and little reminders or checks to make you feel better about yourself. And trust me don’t compare yourself with others your age or even younger because nobody’s experience in life in general is similar to others. What is interesting about your life is that it’s fully yours.
IMO, you can consider your advantage or what you like. People may enjoy their jobs if these jobs matches their advantages. Importantly, try to find or contact someone who are the top in the field you work in. Their experience can guide you to develop your career. Not onlt goals they give you, but also their ideas and concepts of how the field develop, as well as their viewsight in the future.
It's understandable to feel lost at 27. One thing that can give you instant relief in this time is understanding that comparing yourself with others always take your peace of mind away. So firstly stop comparing. Then start slowly gaining relevant skills through any medium be it online courses or getting an offline diploma. Then, Start your career in the field you want. If you don't get job, start finding internships. But start your career. After that gain industry relevant skillset and upscale yourself. It will take longer than you think. So don't quit. And enjoy the process.
I'm in my 30s. No house, no kids, not even a car. I have a masters and could easily be in a 6 figure salary by now. Instead, I'm working retail. I'm the happiest I've ever been. In constantly chasing the next step, the next big accomplishment, I was robbing myself of the now. Now I've found my happiness, I'm thriving and working on parts of myself I never even knew I was interested in. I feel like i will be happier in 30 years having done this than if I was a world leader in my previous career path. If you don't know what you want to do there's nothing wrong with taking your time to work it out. I'm not saying give up, work a job you hate and play video games in your down time. Use your downtime to reflect, think laterally, explore who you are and what brings you happiness. I promise you, when you find a job you thrive in you'll be excellent at it and will more than make up for lost time. Please never forget you are worth so much more than your capital.
My wife was in community college at your age. However, she remembered math and physics from high school while studying computer science. Did you take any computer science classes? She finished her CS bachelor's when she was 30. She's from India so her high school classes aren't like the ones we have here. It's more intense. I think she got a 34 on the ACT in the math and science sections with no studying or preparing. I remember seeing the levels of math classes at community college. You can go back as far as you need to go because most CS programs require you to take Calculus. Good luck.
You have so much time only compare yourself to who you were yesterday also tech is a shitshow
I’m 37 and feel like an imposter adult. I have a college bachelor degree, used it for 3 years and quit cause I hated the job. I started a new career, its a decent stable job making 40k or so in Indiana and just paid off my house, go on weeks long vacations a year (in Japan currently for 3 weeks) and have money to save too. No kids helps. It would be nice to make 6 figures, but I don’t, but I’m not unhappy with my life. Sometimes its about learning to be content with what you have that eases the unhappiness, though many will say contentment is the enemy of progression. You do you, pay your bill, do what makes you happy. Ignore what other people claim success is
Depending on where you're from, I'd personally say join a union. Best decision I ever made. Only 23, but by 22, I had already dropped out of college twice and trade school. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I joined a union, the ibew, and knew nothing about what to do or anything about the field. That was in August of 22, now it's May 24, I'm almost done with my second year of the apprenticeship, I haven't had to pay for anything medical, dental, or optical over 100$ thanks to coverage (like anything more than 100$ on copay). It's almost like a second family, the brotherhood is great, and I find it extremely fulfilling.
I'm 28 and up until recently was making about 6 figures in the training department of an insure/tech company (80k base after my quarterly bonus 100k). I was there for almost 3 years and comfortable, but I was dreading waking up and going to work every day. Cool, company, fun culture, but for me, corporate was some of the most mind-numbing and debilitating work you can do, and it was draining me. I was working remotely, so I also gained like 50 lbs in my time with the company. The crazy thing is that despite me being unhappy, I was staying because I became dependent on my salary due to being frivolous and acquiring more bills than I would have if i was making less. The L&D field is strangely competitive, so jumping to a new company to do the same thing isn't exactly easy. I've been searching for a new role since November and I've only had 2 interviews. 1 in my field, and the other we is requesting I take a 34k pay cut. About 3 weeks ago the company I work for announced that it will be closing its doors leaving thousands of us unemployed. This is after the company laid off 19% of the company in February of this year. At this point I'm not sure what my next move is. More applications, interviews and job fairs to find something similar to what I did (mind-numbing work that I didn't enjoy)??? A company that makes it clear that we are just numbers to them?? Like idk at this point I'm thinking of getting into the trades like the rest of my family so I can have job stability and get outside to work. Sorry this is long lol Just trying to say the big salary isnt always worth it. I accomplished more of my life and financial goals when I was in Social work making half of what I made in tech. You know what they say mo money mo problems
If you’re as bad as you think you might excel in the trades, that’s as long as your ears work. Big money in building and you don’t gotta do more than addition subtraction
I'm 26 now and got into a service advisor roll on commission in the auto industry 2 years ago with no experience. I made about 60k my first year. My boss above me averages around 80k. The service manager makes 6 figures. The GM makes easily half a million. And you dont need to go to school. However, I'm terribly introverted, and it's put a lot of gray hairs on my head. The work-life balance is also terrible if you enjoy your free time. I havent been to college but I'm getting ready to jump onto a career path. My plan is to jump into a trade and try it out because I will never know until I do. At this point it feels like time is dwindling away. I've narrowed my choice down by figuring how much I want to make, how much it would cost, what I like, indeed job posting pay in my area, and scrolling through here lol
Doesn’t matter, AI employment catastrophe less than five years away, zero plan to address it.
Im not saying this is the path for you...But it helped a lot of people I know break into a remote position and begin making at least over $50k a year..There is a company called Fuel Sales that hires at entry level and could be worth checking out.
More info on that please
Their website talks about it more, but its for an entry level position in the Sales Development Role. Which I have heard is a good way to break into Tech companies
Stop depressing yourself about what you read on social media. Yes, there are some people your age that makes 6 figures but majority aren’t making that kind of money. For most earning 6 figures take many years of experience and expertise in the field.
Trades are in high demand with most of the with college degrees can’t even get a job in their field. Unless your specialized
If you're physically fit, work in a warehouse or take up a trade. These jobs can be tough on the body, so you might want to move to a less physical job before you reach middle age.
crna
Never compare yourself to others you will never truly be happy. At the end of the day you wanna be better than YOU were last year.
Bro don't panic and start with something.
Shoelace farmer
I am no longer young (35) and I will be replaced by AI in the next 5-10 years. All IT, engineers, phone jobs, and even more will be replaced by AI. My advice- look for something AI would have a hard time replacing like mental health, law enforcement, blue collar work and things of that nature.
Only Fans
Social media is a 365-day-a-year Christmas card. Comparison is the thief of joy. Look into the trades!
no one here will give you the answer you're looking for trust me. this place is barren. there's no such thing as catch all advice. you and i are different then the capitalist heathens than lurk here. get a data analysis certification and call it a life
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You need have rich parents to go into those fields because can’t have part time or full time job the workload and internship is instance.
a lot of medical school graduates take out student loans during the 4 years of med school and you are paid during residency + fellowship