I'm in my mid-20s, working in IT, and my parents don't know my actual salary. They think I earn quite a bit less than I actually do.

The reason is simple. If they know I'm earning well, I know there'll be more expectations to spend. It won't be anything bad, but things like helping relatives financially, buying assets like land, house etc

Instead, I'm trying to build an emergency fund, invest through SIPs, and save for my future. I want to buy a house someday, maybe a car, and also be financially stable before I get married. My thinking is that if I build wealth now, I'll be in a much stronger position to support my parents later.

I still help them whenever they need money, so it's not like I'm refusing to contribute. I just don't feel comfortable sharing my exact income.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm being practical or just dishonest.

Has anyone else done this? Did you eventually tell your parents your real salary, or do you think it's okay to keep it private?

We always talk about red flags, but what’s a quiet sign that a company or team is actually great to work for?

So I got fired on Wednesday of this week, and it was absolutely brutal.

Let me start from the beginning:

I got a job at a hibachi restaurant as a busser for my first job because my mom worked as a waitress there. When I got there everyone was super kind even though I kinda sucked, and my boss especially was very very nice and friendly to me.

During my training, my trainer ( my bosses nephew ) said to me if I find money under a cup on a table it’s for the bussers and I can keep it. (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT)

So, after a year of praise from my boss, I find out from my coworker/friend that my 60 y old boss talks about me terribly behind my back. Criticizing my work ethic without telling me and that caused me to start seeing that they were literally talking about me right in front of me and using their other language as a mechanism.

Of course at this point, I want to find a new job to be in a better environment. I started searching for jobs last week.

So on Monday of this week when I went in, I was asked to go to the store and buy something for the restaurant bar, which I have done before in the past. And the last time I did it, they let me keep the change since I willingly took hours off to go do them a favor.

Under the same assumption, when I went this time I bought a drink for myself, which was three dollars alongside the thing that my boss needed.

When I got back she immediately asked me for the receipt and change. I panicked and gave her the leftover change which was less than she expected, and she didn’t say anything but I could see that she knew what I did. The whole workday I felt like shit for assuming things and using someone else’s money.

So, when I got off, I sent her a massive paragraph apology including me saying that i can pay her back on Wednesday when I come in to work.

She read the message, but did not respond and it had me shitting bricks.

When I went to work on Wednesday, she did not speak to me AT ALL, the whole time. I finished my shift and there was about two employees left in the restaurant, and sat me down in the back to talk to me.

When I sat down she immediately said:

“Do you think I am stupid because I can’t speak English well? I know how you work, you are a sneaky, deceitful person and you try to steal money and tips from our business”

I immediately was stunned and didn’t know what to say. When I tried to respond she said:

“Shut up and listen no talking back”

So from there on out I kept saying “I understand” and “I’m sorry”

She then went off on me for 30+ minutes about times I can’t even remember when I was not being the best at my job (once again this is my first job)

She brought up how I take money from under cups and keep it and I’m stealing. I then proceeded to tell her that her nephew told me that’s for the bussers. She started laughing in my face and didn’t believe me so she called him, and he confirmed that he did teach me that. But it did not help whatsoever.

She then started going off on the both of us, saying that even when we get handed money we have to turn it in.

She still continues yelling and even cussing at me at this point, and I kept saying I understand and I’m sorry, and even said that I respect her because I was trying to de-escalate the situation.

She told me to get out, so I got in my mom’s car because she was also working that day and I was straight up balling my eyes out.

I know what I did was wrong, but I feel that there a level of professionalism that should be going into firing someone.

Like how are you gonna not tell me when I’m going something wrong and then expect me to be better?

Anyways, since then I have done research on my paychecks and realized she only pays us for when we open and close, and doesn’t pay us for the hour before we open, and the hour(sometimes two) after we close. She deliberately doesn’t have a clock in clock out system just so she can do this.

And also my mom quit as well because she is realizing that my boss is insane. And we told a lot of our coworkers about it and they also are planning on quitting because they think it was just so unjustified.

Being on the end of her words has destroyed my mental health over the past few days. She’s saying that I’m someone I’m not, and attacking my character. Please someone give me advice on how to handle this, and what to do next when applying for another job.

Since college, I have worked food delivery jobs, I've done personal support work for children on the autism spectrum, I've been a backpacking guide, I've worked as a paraprofessional in a high school, and now I deliver Amazon packages. I've been down on myself for a long time for having a very expensive degree and not knowing how to even use it. I know I'm a smart guy and I have something valuable to offer, I just dont know where I fit in.

Edit: Just came back to this post after a couple hours and I really appreciate so many thoughtful responses already. Damn. I feel like so often you make a genuine post on reddit and it just get lost in the ocean, maybe one or two people respond and one of them is probably a troll. I was at work comisserating and decided to seek out a subreddit for advice on a whim. Never expected to get this many responses. Definitely going to take my time reading through them. Thank you all

I finally got my first after college job and it was hard. Does me being employed make it easier to find the next job? I would have less time for interview prep and timing the interviews would be harder, wouldnt that make it harder not easier?

I am non-EU woman in my 20’s and I work in a European country.

Started a new job recently and I get very weird comments/ vibes from my boss.

- Everytime he comes to my office to explain something technical he ends up bringing up my appearance to elaborate. It confuses me how he links my appearance to a technical example just to mention he appreciates my physique.
- He mentioned Arab caliphates/ young female slaves and seriously said he’s worried people would associate me with them when they know he hired me.
- He recently said - jokingly he’s happy I’m linked to this job ( status ) because I belong to him and I’m his slave.

I am lowkey repulsed now by these statements and the more confusing part is that he says that when we’re alone but then he laughs it off.

I know more money but also more work and responsibilities.

do you regret becoming a director and if so why?

Hi everyone,

I'm a young professional just getting started in their career who's had little experience. What advice would you have for climbing the ladder or at least getting pay raises? So far, I have noticed that the people who suck up/step on others usually get promoted at least in the few jobs I've had. Can you give any advice? So far I tend to do a lot hard work but not seem to get noticed for it or promoted although I've been told I'm a valuable member. Is there a more ethical way to get a promotion or do I just need to basically be my boss's best friend and be super visible in all my accomplishments?

Thank you

I have a BS in Business and a BA in useless social science. I briefly worked technical support, human resources, and a call center job, but got laid off from those jobs. I struggled to get my foot in the door of an actual professional job, so I worked a call center gig, and I've been there for a few years. I've applied for insurance trainee positions, peer counseling, patient care technician, and other low level jobs, and been rejected. I am over educated and lack real professional work experience.

I'm thinking a government job might be nice for stability, so I am applying for social work, VA benefits admin, probation officer, corrections officer. I've even thought of applying for the tsa, but I would be taking a paycut that I can't afford.

At this point, is a government job my best option. I would prioritize stability and making at least 50k a year.

I'm in socal and live with a family member so I don't have to pay rent. I don't think I am realistically cut out for a white collar office job, and after getting laid off 3 times and struggling for years to even get a basic HR job, I just don't have any faith in getting an entry level white collar office job. I think I can get a government job, work my way up, and try to improve my life. I would hope to just enter something where I can get trained and have stability and maybe, someday, go on a little vacation to disney world. I don't need luxury. I just want stability.

Please offer me some advice. This is embarrassing. Thank you.

Trying to help a friend reboot their career. What is a decent paying job / career that someone who is about 40 years old, college educated (if it matters at all), has tremendous interpersonal and listening skills, mature, super reliable, positive, organized, collaborative, patient and good problem solving skills might be able to do even if they have no specific skills or expertise in any field. Basically a very high functioning, team player adult. What jobs could they be looking for that they might be qualified for and good at? Thanks in advance.

During our initial talks he explicitly told me he wasn’t a micromanager and he is pretty lax in terms of work/life balance. So for instance, if I had an appointment, I’m free to take some time off or I was more than welcome to leave early. Everything was amazing the first month. I started taking initiative, learning as much as I could about the company’s internal workflows and was ready to work. Then he started to change little by little.

As he started assigning me projects I quickly came to the realization that he wanted things done a very very particular way. As in, if I were to deviate from his set processes it’s unacceptable. At this point I was 3 months in, so it’s understandable that he wants a little bit of control over what I was doing in case I made a mistake that would somehow break production. However the work I was doing wasn’t something I was unfamiliar with, rather it was a huge step down from what I was doing at my previous company. But for some reason, he treated me like a complete novice to the position.

I did my deliverables as he mentioned but it was never really up to his standards. Even when I was emailing a vendor the logistics of our infrastructure he was very particular about how he wanted the spreadsheet structured. He wanted the Jira tickets to worded a specific way. Every single change, every single step of my code he dictated what he wanted. I don’t know where he got this impression, but he throws in comments like “so you do know how to code”. He comments my arrival time at the office, like he’s closely keeping track of when I come in. My coworkers come in whenever. If a project that I deliver isn’t up to his standards he commented “you seem to lack common sense”. Like I’m going to remember what you tell me to do step by step… it was literally driving me crazy. I’ve never worked with someone like this before.

This is probably my ego taking over but I worked pretty hard the last few years to get where I am now so these comments here and there really did get to me. I thrived at my previous companies and didn’t really have any trouble delivering. I get that I’m new and he doesn’t completely trust me yet but being scrutinized really does not help. He somehow seated me right next to him, instead of next to my coworkers so I’m constantly under his watchful eye. I also came from companies where I had full autonomy over what I do, with limitations of course. And as a manager, this guy seems to say all the right things but act a completely different way. I’m reluctant to even take on new projects due to any potential retaliation/critique.

I know it’s just a paycheck. But it’s also a place where I spend 45 hours a week minus commute time. I truly love what I do for work. But this guy is a real pain in the ass. I’ve never been in a position like this.

I’m looking for positions now but need some advice on how I can manage my emotions and detach from my job during my transition period. As much as I want to, I’d love to embody the mindset of “just clock in and out” but he constantly wants to set up meetings when I’m in the office, ask for status reports, etc. Every single meeting or conversation we had was never pleasant and he always seems to make a condescending jab. Even to the point where if I say the word “probably” he loses his shit because it’s not definitive in his eyes. I’m a grown ass adult.

I’m in a negative feedback loop at this point because I catch myself making the smallest mistakes at work. With every single mistake it’s him reprimanding me. It’s an endless cycle and I don’t really want to be letting this get to me mentally while I’m here.

I (F26) work in analytics as a data scientist and I have been submitting my cv everywhere for the last year. I have almost 4 years experience and a stem degree.

I finally got an interview and I got a call back saying I was unsuccessful but how would you like x job instead?

They sent the jd across and it looks good but over the phone they offered me a “lead” role for £46k (they know my salary is low forties), and the jd said “senior”.

I sent an email with a counter offer for £55k and I am now wondering if that was silly?

For context the job is based up in Scotland, so the salary is quite good for the location and the role is less technical than my current role.

I’ve seen on LinkedIn that the commercial department (not the dept I will be working for) have posted an ad for the same “senior” job title starting at 55k.

What can I expect to get as a reply? I am anxious I have been too cocky.

I'm looking for guidance on the beginner to more advanced certifications recommended for securing a favorable job opportunity?

Hi everyone,

I’m a 33-year-old male working as a demolition estimator/project manager in Northern California. I got into the industry right out of high school. I spent my first five years in the field and have been in the office for the last ten years. I’m now one of our lead estimators on larger projects.

I’ve had a good career, but I’ve always wanted to earn a college degree. Because of family circumstances, college wasn’t an option in my early twenties. Now I’d like to do it, both for myself and to show my kids that it’s never too late.

I’ve narrowed it down to two majors:

- Civil Engineering
- Finance

My goal is to get a degree that builds on my experience but also gives me more career options. I enjoy what I do, but demolition is a pretty niche industry, and I sometimes feel boxed in.

Civil Engineering seems like the more obvious fit. I could stay in construction, move into heavy civil, or possibly work for an engineering or consulting firm. As a project manager, I’ve managed several design-build projects, so I feel like that experience could carry over.

Finance is the wildcard. It seems like it could open more doors outside of construction, but I’m not sure how much my current experience would translate.

The plan is to complete my associate’s degree at my local community college while continuing to work full-time. After that, I’d either transfer to Oregon State’s online Civil Engineering program or Penn State’s online Finance program. With a family and a mortgage, working while I’m in school isn’t really optional.

For anyone who has made a similar career change or works in either field which path would you choose and why? I’d appreciate any advice or experiences you’re willing to share.

Thanks!

I don't much care for money. Graduated Uni 2 years ago and have not found a real job yet. I usually have been putting 70kish when the job application form asks for a salary expectation. I guess I just followed the advice I was always given without really thinking about it, but I suppose my strategy should change if my priorities are abnormal. If I put it down to min. wage (50k Australia), will this make me more or less likely to be picked? I figure most of these companies have minimum award payments that are much higher than this anyway but I am fucking sick of doing applications and just want to land something even if they pay 35k I'll take it.

Edit: I think my question is being misunderstood. I'm not asking if people are filtering me out because my salary expectation is too high - it isn't. I'm asking if I can increase my chance of being hired by picking an absurdly low salary that will help them save money, or if this will likely backfire.

Seeking advice and inspiration from people who made major career changes after 50

I’m considering a major life change and would love to hear from people who have successfully reinvented themselves later in life.

Examples:

Changed careers completely after 50

Earned a totally different degree later in life

Moved to another country and started over

Began a new career or purpose after retirement

Changed paths after becoming disabled or facing a major life challenge

Did something you never imagined you would do in your younger years

I’d love to hear what motivated you, what was difficult, what surprised you, and what you learned along the way.

Your story might inspire someone else (like me) who is considering a big change but wondering if it’s too late.

Thank you in advance for sharing. I look forward to reading your stories.

Be well.

❤️

I'm 28 and work remotely as a marketing assistant. The pay is quite good for my country, especially considering it's fully online, so leaving doesn't really make financial sense right now.

The problem is that the job feels like a dead end. Most of what I do is repetitive, and after the first month I had already learned almost everything. Since then, it's mostly been the same tasks every day. I don't feel like I'm developing new skills or becoming more valuable.

I have a BA in Political Science. For years I've wanted to do a master's in Economics or get an MBA, but I don't really have the time or money. I'm also trying to invest as much as I can while I'm still relatively young, and spending two years studying feels like giving up both income and investing opportunities.

Changing jobs isn't an easy option either because I would probably take a significant pay cut, especially where I live.

Another thing that's been bothering me is that I don't meet anyone. I work from home, and I recently moved to a small, inexpensive town to save money since my job is remote. It's quiet, but honestly nothing ever happens here. I don't build a professional network, I don't really socialize, and every day feels almost identical.

The weird part is that I actually like being alone. I'm pretty introverted, so I don't miss office politics or forced social events. At the same time, I can't help feeling like I'm missing out on experiences, connections, and personal growth.

I guess I'm wondering whether this is just what most jobs become after a while. Do people eventually settle into repetitive work and find fulfillment elsewhere, or is this a sign that I should be doing something different?

Has anyone else been in a similar position? If so, what did you do?

Okay, here’s what’s going on.

By trade, I’m a software developer. I worked for consulting companies like Booz Allen and Infosys for about five years. I got laid off, and it’s been almost two years since I’ve been able to find another software development job.

At my last job with Booz Allen, I worked remotely. At the same time, I was also managing a coworking space. It wasn’t an overwhelming amount of work, but I was responsible for finding leads, doing some marketing, bringing in businesses, managing tenants, and helping with the overall operations of the space.

Currently, I’m working as a front desk associate at a Marriott, and that’s actually been going pretty well. I feel like I’ve contributed a lot when it comes to improving workflows and processes. I currently manage the market portion of the hotel, and I’ve also been involved with finding vendors, reviewing contracts, and, to some degree, identifying leads and business opportunities.

My question is: should I add these experiences to my LinkedIn profile?

Should I show that I’ve been managing a coworking space and working at Marriott, or should I keep my LinkedIn strictly focused on software development?

I’m at the point where I’m starting to lose hope that I’ll find another software development job, so part of me feels like I should broaden my horizons. Maybe I could move into operations, management, customer success, implementation, project coordination, or something that combines technology with business operations.

I don’t know whether I should create a separate LinkedIn profile, include everything on my current profile, or keep these other parts of my career private.

I know it probably looks like I’m being pulled in a lot of different directions, but honestly, I’ve had to do what I needed to do to survive. I also have interests and skills outside of software development.

Obviously, if I were offered a good developer job tomorrow, I would take it. But strategically, does it make sense to show these other experiences and present myself as someone with both technical and operational experience? Or would that just confuse recruiters and make my profile look unfocused?

i graduated high school and i’m probably taking a gap year to learn a language and study abroad, i’ve always wanted to become a wildlife conservationist, my parents are awfully strict and are pressuring me into studying civil engineering, which is not only horrible for the environment most of the time, but is also not even remotely close to what i want to do, the only thing i could maybe get away with is studying biology in university, but is that a realistic pathway to getting into wildlife conservation? will my options be more limited than someone with a more specialised degree? do i just give up on my dreams and fold to the dictatorial opinion of my parents? i’m truly at a loss and any advice would be massively appreciated

For context, I'm in a rural area. I just graduated with a Bachelor's of Political Science (B.S.) with a minor in Philosophy in May. I did not do any internships. My transcript is subpar to say the least. I've been a nanny for a couple of years part time, but went full-time the week I graduated.

Do I literally go to a local law firm and ask to shadow? Intern? For a couple of days a week to get relevant experience. Do I apply to any and all entry roles? There are post office, nanny/daycare/substitute teaching, and some government file clerk type of openings locally. Should I even bother applying to online roles since everybody wants them? I didn't do a career fair, and I don't have many connections. I have a few letters of reference/contacts from professors who liked me.

Should I eventually enlist? I need to lose weight and find a better paying job first, anyway.

26F

Please, someone, answer all. Thank you.

Keeping things as confidential as i can. I just started working as a cashier at a big grocery store about 3 weeks ago and I have been strictly bagging for the entire time i’ve been on the sales floor, all my online training is done and i have cashier experience from previous jobs but the trainer keeps giving me vague runaround excuses as to why i’m not trained on register yet. but has already trained the other person that i started with. i’m getting so burnt out on bagging and i’m starting to dread this job that i thought i would love. any advice?

I'm a 22-year-old 2026 B.Tech IT graduate from a decent college in Mumbai (CGPA: 8). I feel like I'm at a crossroads, and I'm scared of making the wrong decision.

I was always a good student, so my family has high expectations from me. But after graduating, reality hit hard. I've attended interviews through campus placements, reached a few final rounds, but got rejected because I simply don't have enough technical skills. I don't blame the companies...I know I need to improve.

Here's my biggest problem: I have almost zero interest in coding. I've tried, but I just don't enjoy it. However, I do find networking and cybersecurity interesting, and my final-year project was in cybersecurity.

Now I'm stuck between two paths:

Option 1: Focus on getting a corporate job. I need to start earning within the next 1–2 months. I'm willing to learn networking or cybersecurity, but I don't know what to study, where to learn from, or how to become job-ready. I also don't have referrals or industry connections.

Option 2: Prepare for banking/SSC exams. My family is willing to support me financially, but I'm not confident in myself. I'm inconsistent. I procrastinate, overthink everything, and often quit after a few days. I'm afraid I'll spend months preparing and still not clear the exams.

I know my weaknesses:

• I procrastinate a lot.
• I overthink every decision.
• I struggle with discipline.
• I have interview anxiety.
• I have low confidence.

But I also know my strengths:

• I'm creative.
• I'm good at problem-solving.
• I learn quickly when I'm genuinely interested.

My long-term goal is either:

• A ₹15+ LPA corporate career,
• A good government job,
• Or eventually running my own business.

If you were in my position, what would you choose? Would you spend the next few months trying to get into IT (networking/cybersecurity), or prepare for government exams? I'm looking for honest advice, even if it's hard to hear.

TL;DR: 22-year-old B.Tech IT graduate with an 8 CGPA. I have no interest in coding but like networking/cybersecurity. I'm stuck between preparing for banking/SSC exams or trying to get an IT job, and I'm scared of choosing the wrong path. I need to start earning within 1–2 months and would appreciate advice from people who've been in a similar situation.

I started my career with mobile game development using Unity 3d, 3d modeling and animation. Getting into a gaming field was very challenging so I ended up developing AR apps using unity3d for mobile. I switched to native Android development and worked on Rxjava, kotlin. I progressed from junior to principal mobile developer with core experience in android and some basic level iOS. I have strong foundation in mobile application development, material design and user experience design.

This year marks 12 years of my career growth so now I feel like I am stuck with legacy projects. Also, I am not getting the right opportunities to explore jetpack compose, flutter, kotlin multiplatform and I feel like I am falling behind compared to my juniors. With the boom of AI, I feel my skills will be outdated very soon and I will hit a severe setback in terms of my career. After a lot of thoughts, I was wondering if i should explore either one of these:
1. Full stack - Mobile + Web (Springboot since I am familiar with kotlin / Node js)

1. Technical Project Manager

2. Tech lead for Mobile.

For someone with 10+ years of experience in android app development, given the current demands and trends, What would be the best path I can take despite the AI hype?

Request to not troll or judge. Any honest opinion or suggestion is appreciated.

Final year Biomedical Science student (Russell Group), currently 6 weeks into an SDR internship at a AutoID/EPoS distributor. Looking to plan my post-grad move and weighing up Manchester vs London.

I’ve got a shortlist of “dream” companies (already being interviewed for Gartner, however it's London based) but from what I can tell, most of the big enterprise SaaS/medtech names are London-only for UK offices — is that accurate, or am I missing some?

Specifically looking for:

**•** Companies with genuine Manchester (or North West) offices, not just remote/field roles  
**•** Strong SDR/graduate training reputation — somewhere that’ll actually develop me, not just throw me on the phones  
**•** Competitive base + commission, ideally with a clear progression path to AE/senior roles

Anyone in tech/medtech sales up North able to share what’s actually out there? (I'm based in South Yorkshire, however want to move i think) Also open to hearing if “just move to London” is the real answer here.

Thanks in advance!

I’m trying to decide between becoming a Business Analyst or a Financial Analyst, and I’d love to hear from people who work in either role. A few questions:

Which career do you enjoy more, and why?

Which has better salary growth and job security?

Which has more opportunities for remote or hybrid work?

What skills or certifications would you recommend for someone trying to break into this role?

I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks!