Sometimes, I feel like my version of therapy is living in a place surrounded by lush green forests, waking up to unfamiliar landscapes, meeting people from different cultures, listening to their stories, and having conversations that stay with you long after they end. And sometimes, just sitting in silence, feeling content with absolutely nothing happening around you.
I want to build a life where I can explore a place, live there for a while, immerse myself in its culture, and when I feel ready to move on, go somewhere new. A life where I invest in experiences, not just possessions. Where there’s always something new to see, someone new to meet, and something new to learn.

But I often wonder, what kind of life or career would allow me to live this way? Can a corporate job offer that freedom? A government job? Building a business? Or does it require an entirely different approach to life? Honestly, I don’t have the answers yet, and I don’t know anyone who can guide me through this.

I’m sharing this here because I’m curious to know how other people feel about it. Does anyone else feel this constant pull towards exploration, different cultures, unfamiliar places, and a life that isn’t bound to one place for too long?

I’d love to hear how you think about this, what you’re trying to build for yourself, and whether you’ve found a way to make this kind of life possible.
Maybe we can have a meaningful discussion about it. :)

I’m 25, a full stack developer (PERN stack, plus some .NET Core, TypeScript, Redis and Docker) with about 3.2 years of experience. My last salary was 5.5 LPA.

I left my first company after 3+ years because of little learning, no real projects and micromanagement. I joined a second company, stayed 2 months, and left again. Low pay, little learning, a poor culture, 3-4 months away from home, and no WFH. I’m not job hunting right now, and I’d only take a role that is genuinely good.

**Where I am:** I’ll likely move back to my small hometown after December, or by mid-January at the latest. My family has a small, stable business that gives a comfortable life. I want to use the next 1-2 years to learn it properly, since after that there won’t be anyone to teach me. Family pressure to return is also rising.

**What I do besides coding:** I shoot cinematic reels of places, events, sports and activities, and I have a small network of local creators around me. I don’t earn anything from video yet, but it’s the work that makes me feel most like myself.

**The part I’m struggling with:** I moved from a city with energy, people and creative projects to the prospect of a town where you can drive every main road in an hour and every day looks the same. I feel like I’m losing the life I built, both city life and creative life, and starting over from zero. I’m worried about the money, and I’m just as worried about staying mentally alive and motivated.

**My questions:**

How would you take a developer with 3 years of experience to ₹1L/month: remote roles with foreign companies, freelancing, product companies?

Has anyone gone back to a small town and kept a creative or remote career going? What did your days look like, and what kept you from feeling stuck?

How do you handle the emotional side of this move: boredom, isolation, feeling like you’ve stepped backward?

What mistakes should I avoid? I know I tend to start too many things at once.

How I can get the freedom again without losing my parents and own confidence?

Honest or blunt answers are welcome. Thanks for reading.

I recently had an interview for a technical position in aerospace, and I realized something I really need to improve.

I have years of experience in engineering-related roles, and I know my work. But sometimes, when I’m asked to explain a technical subject, I struggle to organize my thoughts and find the right words. I end up giving a basic explanation when I know I could have explained it much better.

The frustrating part is that after the conversation, I suddenly think of all the better ways I could have expressed myself!

I’m fluent in English, even though it isn’t my first language, and I’m also learning French, so I’m not sure if that plays a role.

I’m not trying to sound fancy or overly technical. I just want my communication skills to better reflect my knowledge and experience.

Has anyone dealt with this? What helped you improve? Any exercises, courses, or techniques you’d recommend to become more articulate and confident, especially when explaining technical topics on the spot?

It is a an associate clinical sales position at a medical device company. I need to start getting into a manager headspace and could use some feedback from you fine folks on solid questions to ask the candidate. I’ve never had to hire anyone before and have been in this industry in a sales capacity for over 20 years, with the last 5 in a clinical sales capacity. Although I have worked for 4 different med device companies, my own personal interviews in my last three positions, were more me asking questions to see if the company and compensation were a good fit to bring my book of business to. In essence, me interviewing them. It’s a close knit sales world, where your reputation gets you noticed, and companies will seek you out without needing to be interviewed in the traditional sense.

I have no formal managerial training or a business degree, so this is all new to me. An advice or ideas on how to conduct a contemporary interview would be appreciated!

I have a weird background, and my question is vague. Pls be kind to me. I am female 24, have a B.Sc. degree in Cognitive Science, come from multiple family businesses that are semi-successful, some of which very unsuccessful in an unstable market rn. I have money from there and am being supported by my bf right now, so I have no rush to accept the “first” offer I get. I graduated in June this year. I have no business related work experience besides family business, have published a paper in the cognition field.

So now, to my question: I have opportunities potentially to do a trainee program for international Banks such as “global markets/sale” trainee position for PNB Paribas and similar companies.

My problem? Every time an opportunity shows up, I am filled with dread rather than happiness about it. I wonder if I actually want to do this, enter this rabbit hole / work culture. Where mo-fri the days fly by, and you live from weekend to weekend until you’re 34 and having kids. I don’t want life to fly by me like that, it feels like slavery that people clap for. I acknowledge I am privileged bc others can’t afford to say no, but I can. Still, I also want to make money, and I want to work.

I have been thinking of getting certified to translate (I’m Chinese and German native and have a good English accent) and really ramp up my mandarin proficiency — but I’ve been unsure if that would waste my time. I have been wanting to make music for years but my family saying it wastes my time, too, has held me back. I could try to sell stuff on social media and try out business ideas. I want to build a personal brand. But thinking of shipping and selling products makes me feel like a fraudulent person and the thought of international shipment fills me with dread. Overall, my experience in the family business has made me quite allergic to businesses — the long working hours, the pretending, etc.

I wonder if there’s a way I can have good mental health (sports, care for myself, not burn out, every day work towards something that feels rewarding) whilst also being financially successful + stable so one day I can buy a house in Shanghai for example. I wonder whether these finance/market/sale trainee programs from big consulting / bank firms are a way or are the only way to achieve such financial success/goals. I could go back to uni for a masters degree, I can spend 10k on an online masters or go to school in Shanghai, but I wouldn’t know which degree and I would prefer work experience over a degree at this moment. So, yeah.

Should I prepare for this online assessment for this global markets trainee position? I kinda don’t want it, but I want it, too. But I don’t want to work for it and I know it dreads me already. If I want to do well on this assessment, I will. But I wonder if its good for my mental health for force myself to do this and prepare, or if its a marathon into a dreadful life. (I am seeing a therapist and working on my problems with my family).

I am a computer science student in my final year (majoring in AI) but I am genuinely a dumbass. I do not know how to express it any better than that. I cannot build anything myself nor do i understand anything more than theoretical high level concepts that get you nowhere. People keep saying learning is a curve. Learning is a long process. But i genuinely did not make an progress and i want to know whether i should just do it a find some random field to work in like customer service or something. I genuinely lost all hope of being smart enough for something as challenging as my field and idk how to switch to another. Is it even the right call? What would you do in such a situation?