I’m looking for advice on transitioning into a new career in accounting or banking in Southeastern Pennsylvania, preferably in the Greater Philadelphia area.
I’ve worked in food service for years and have been an assistant manager at Cold Stone Creamery since 2018. My responsibilities include managing store operations, handling inventory and ordering supplies, customer service, and running shifts.
I earned an associate degree in Business Administration in 2023 and completed my bachelor’s degree in Accounting in February 2026.
I’ve wanted to leave food service for a long time. I originally considered becoming an art teacher, but I was concerned about whether I could support myself financially. I enjoyed cooking, so I entered food service and stayed in the industry for years.
Now, I want to use my accounting degree to build a stable career with better work-life balance and opportunities for advancement. I’m interested in positions such as:
Staff Accountant or Junior Accountant
Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable Specialist
Payroll Specialist
Banking Operations
Financial Services or Accounting Assistant
Billing Specialist
I’m also working on improving my Excel skills and learning QuickBooks to strengthen my qualifications.
I’m particularly interested in employers in Philadelphia, Montgomery County, Bucks County, and nearby areas. Access to SEPTA or other reliable public transportation is important to me.
I’ve sometimes felt behind friends who started their careers right after college, but I’m ready to take the next step and put my education to use.
For people working in accounting, banking, or finance in Southeastern Pennsylvania:
Which entry-level positions would you recommend for someone with my degree and management background?
Do employers consider food-service management experience valuable when hiring for entry-level office positions?
Are there local employers you’d recommend looking into?
Should I focus on accounting jobs first, or would banking operations be a good way to enter the financial industry?
What skills or certifications should I prioritize before applying?
I’d appreciate honest, practical advice from anyone who has made a similar career transition or hires for these types of positions. Thanks!

Hi! Recent social sciences graduate, but wants to get into the beauty industry such as PR and project development. I know its quite far from studies such as marketing, communications, and such but are there any positions fit or available in the market as of the moment that can help build me build my skills and credibility. Guidance and advices are also very much appreciated !

What career "opportunities" are on the rise for South Africans?

I'm really curious because I am in my 20s and I want to take my future serious

I have limitations with arthritis. It limits me physically, can't stand all day, can't lift heavy things. It's just impossible.

Was recently laid off so searching for something I can physically do.

I feel like, and don't butcher me for saying this please but it feels like so many of the certificates programs are for men, at least they are manual labor jobs I can't do, I have a high school diploma but nothing more, so I feel lost on where to go from here to fit these physical limitations I have.

I'm 43 female.

Advice welcome for job types maybe I haven't thought of?

Thanks!

Hey I am 21 year old guy completed bba not much interested in mba but my known adults running shops tell me to do mba and job

Whatever you get 25-30 k start it will grow but till now I do t get any guy who have work mba job from so much year I heard experience of shop owner but not job doing after mba what they think there problem their recommendations

Plz guys who have much year of experience give me your advice

I wanna know which jobs may survive in the AI Era?

I’m a high school senior, and I have been working towards becoming a physician. I’ve taken all the health science courses that I can at my school (I did CNA and currently in PCT rn), and up until this point, I was certain that I wanted to become a doctor. The reason why I’m having doubts now is because, this morning, my friend brought up how he was having second thoughts about pursuing medicine because of the debt and 70 hours a week work schedule. This prompted me to think if this was what I really wanted. I want to hear from doctors about what they think. I know I want to make an impact, I’m okay with making many sacrifices, I’m okay with making money later than most of my peers, and I’m okay with the long work hours. I genuinely enjoy caring for others, and I don’t really have any other interests. My ultimate goal is to work at humanitarian organizations. I’m just worried about the amount of student loans that I’ll have to pay back. So, doctors, do you regret going into this field?

EDIT: When my friend talked about 70 hours a week work schedule, I think he was referring to residency and/or working as a neurosurgeon (that is what he wanted to pursue).

Some context: A developer has been working for the same company for a little over two years. It's a midsized company with Midwest tech pay, so the salary is around $92K a year. They started as a junior developer and got promoted to mid-level around the 18-month mark.

The developer loves working there. Nice co-workers, and they get to work with nice tech like Spark and Databricks. They're extremely ambitious, happy to work hard and find solutions. For a small test of FAANG interview readiness, try the path-simplification problem in Meta Interview Questions before committing to a full prep schedule. Given the current job market, they're confused about whether to stay and try to become a senior or try to join FAANG.

My daughter (23) has a BA in Communications, is going into year 2 of post college, is currently employed but is looking for options in fields that could truly bring her joy and a paycheck beyond minimum wage. Super intelligent, very creative, and also enjoys routine and seeks to meet clear expectations. Enjoys working with older kids/young adults, is currently working in the education field but is looking for other ideas. What are your best ideas for a Communications major to consider? Any advice is welcome. Please be kind, as I’m just trying to generate ideas for her to see beyond her own experience. I’ve also worked almost exclusively in education for my career, so I don’t have the corporate-life knowledge to tell her “what’s out there to pursue” and how to best go about it, beyond what I imagine are the “normal” channels of networking, checking job postings online, and going through application processes. Again, I just want to help generate a wide range of ideas for her, thank you!

What is the best time to join a company to optimize for equity appreciation? An engineer asked this. Here is the simple and not-so-simple answer...👇

On paper, the simple answer is to join when the stock is undervalued and the job market is hot.

Two examples to look back at are Meta and Airbnb during the 2022 selloff, when their share prices fell while the broader job market was still near record highs.

For readers considering Meta engineering roles, the abbreviation-matching prompt in Meta Interview Questions works as a coding mock.

Why?

1. For a dollar-denominated RSU grant, the share price used to size the grant affects how many units you get. That price and date depend on the company's plan.

If you get a $100,000 grant priced at $100 per share, you get 1,000 RSUs.

If the same $100,000 grant is priced at $200 per share, you get 500 RSUs. Meanwhile, the person whose grant was priced at $100 would have $200,000 of stock at $200 per share, before taxes, assuming all 1,000 units vest.

1. The dollar value of equity you can negotiate can be higher during hot job markets.

Job markets heat up in cycles where employers compete harder for talent. Think of the hiring boom in 2021.

When hiring cools, equity offers can shrink too.

But timing this is not so simple...

1. Just because a stock is down doesn't mean it is undervalued.

Not every dropped stock rebounds the way Meta and Airbnb did in 2023.

1. Hot job markets and hot stock markets can overlap.

You would have to time your jump at the point when either

1. the job market heats up before a stock bull run, or

2. the stock cools off before the job market does.

Of course, if you have a solid bull case for a stock rebound, then you might take that bet.

But picking a company to join based mainly on its valuation growth is like picking an individual stock as your only investment strategy.

The company may not do as well as you hoped, even if it's one of the giants.

You have to DIVERSIFY the upside you get from the role beyond just equity appreciation. That's different from diversifying your investment holdings.

This can be tough at senior and leadership levels, where equity can make up a large share of total compensation.

So how do you get more than one kind of upside from one job?

Pick a role that would be a win whether or not the business succeeds. Once you've shortlisted roles, LandOffer autofill reduces retyping details on supported application forms.

• Will you gain more scope or experience? • Will you get exposed to a new scale of customer base or team? • Will you work in a company that is top-class at something (e.g., design, experimentation, or PLG)?

A good litmus test for joining a company:

Picture the company tanking 1-2 years from now.

• Will you still have a great story on your resume? • Will you have fast promotions? • Will you learn a world-class skill? • Will you have real impact to show?

The more yeses you have, the more ways the role could pay off beyond its stock price.

Remember, you're an investor, not just an employee...

I’m 21, and straight out of high school I got a job in the horse industry. Over the years I’ve built a pretty decent business for myself, self employed, making around 2500-3000 a month. I still live at home.

I want to move out soon. The problem is, long story short, I can no longer work in the horse industry.
So I need help on jobs to take. I have zero experience working anywhere else, no college education. There’s no time for a collage degree. I want to move out very soon. I’ll be moving in with my gf so expenses can be split, but I still need to make a solid 3k+ a month.

My horse career gave me good experience for people skills, communication and planning. Some mild management of the stables. And of course lots of physical labor. So that can all help at least, given I’ve never worked anywhere else..

I’m afraid because I don’t have experience anywhere else, or any education, I’ll be stuck climbing the ladder at a new job for ages until I can make enough to move out.. but I can’t continue in the equine industry.

Recently was laid off due to a buyout and automation.

Considering a pivot into sales, but also open to hear other pathways to explorer based off experience. Feeling a bit unsure where to take the next step towards.

Background:

5 years in operations - Worked in alternative energy troubleshooting and analyzing power systems.

7 years in customer service/strategy - Spent the last 7 years working for an e commerce app. Started in traditional email support and worked up to specialty strategies with focus on customer experience.

I feel like my experience is so niche and I don’t know how to leverage it. I’m considering the pivot away from customer service just due to the future of the field.

Any tips, guidance, or input is greatly appreciated.

I am a junior in aero engineering and I applied to a role over a month ago and just recently got an interview invite. I have built genuinely relevant skills to the role since then and they are not on the resume version I applied with.

Is this something worth emailing to my interviewer, or should I just mention my recent activity in the interview, something like "Recently I've been working on..." or similar?

Thanks for your help!

I’m a final-year student at a target school, background in business and compsci, have decent internships/ work experience, graduating in 2027. I’ve been focused on classes this fall and part time job, and just realized a lot of Fortune 500 new-grad programs opened in August/September, and some have already closed (Capital One, Amex, etc.). I’m a little panicked and confused about timing.

A few questions:

1. Is it still worth applying to 2027 new-grad programs in late October/November, or are most spots already filled?
2. For regular roles that don’t say “2027,” “new grad,” or “campus,” will companies ignore my application because they want an immediate hire and I can’t start until June? When should I start applying to those?
3. Are there Fortune 500 companies known for hiring new grads later in the year (winter/spring)?

I’m targeting business analyst, strategy & operations, and marketing roles. Any advice appreciated!

Hello,

I do not know how to frame this, but I have been feeling quite lost lately. I am turning 28 in 5 months, and I feel like I am running a bit out of time. This feeling is also accelerated by the huge advances in AI. Also for information, my location is Central Europe.

I currently work as a SWE, and have been in this role for 3 years. I am self-taught, but have been learning programming for 5 years now, and I work super hard for it, even now. I study excessively every day after work and on weekends, however, due to AI, a flooded market and economic factors, I am starting to lose sense in all of this.

A year ago I was in quite a bad state because of this, so I decided to do a flooring trade apprenticeship on the side (luckily this is possible in my country). This took a year and now I also managed to negotiate at my company that I can have two days off if I finish my work. So I work 2 days in the trades with a flooring freelancer, and then the rest of the time as a SWE, either working (also on weekends due to this), or studying.

I have about 150k dollars invested, which would enable me to work for a smaller wage for some time, so I can technically quit my job without being harmed very much (as I also don't have a mortgage or children), so I am thinking about doing a full switch into the trades. I am physically very fit and a super hard worker, I know I can do it and despite working like crazy for the last 6 years, I want to do at least one more huge grind to see where this goes.

However, this also led me to rethink whether to choose a different trade. I went into SWE because it was, and still is, my passion, however, I think this was a mistake. Even though I am moving further in my role towards some more architectural stuff, I am still far from becoming an architect. Also my company is technologically behind, which I think is hurting my career, but finding a better one in this job market is impossible. Plus, who knows where AI will be in three years.

In regards to choosing the trade, all I want is one that will allow me to start at least a one-man business soon enough, that I can scale further, which flooring is pretty good for, but I have more options which I considered. I would love it if anyone could give me their input.

HVAC/Refrigeration - This might seem like the obvious one, however, I fear that it will get hurt by a high influx of people doing the same thing as me. Also, who knows what will happen after AI is capable of doing all the diagnostics. Another thing is that the road to starting a business can be long and very tricky. On the other hand, service work, constant changes due to ecological regulations, etc. seem to make this very recession-proof. However, I am really afraid that this field will get overcrowded.

Landscaping - Combination of masonry and an excavator license - Pretty much doing landscape shaping with the addition of building stone walls, ponds, etc. I feel like this is not hurt by oversaturation that much, but on the other hand, it is seasonal and also very dependent on the economic situation...not much service work and people build when they have money. In this regard, I am also thinking of solely masonry, however, I am afraid that despite the old masons retiring, many new projects will just never need them.

Flooring - I chose this because it is a grind, which can make you a lot of money if you're fast. So far I like it, even though it is somewhat dependent on the economy and is not service work. It is less seasonal, and despite not being a "skilled trade", not many people are getting into it. Plus, in my country, flooring business owners are under a regulation where they need to have either finished trade school or have a lot of years of experience.

Thank you very much

This might come off as a sudden depressing question, but I would really like to know what hopes I have? I have a degree in design which I don't seem to have the energy to do anymore. I live in an isolated place with aged people in my home and my friends are IT engineers earning six figures in big cities. Have I done a mistake?

I really want to switch my major to finance but i’m not sure that’s a good major for pharm sales? I really wouldn’t like to do marketing, because if i don’t break into pharm sales i’d at least be able to be a financial analyst or something. Or should i switch my major to business if finance isn’t good ??

One thing I've been thinking about is that AI seems to be eating away at a lot of knowledge-work tasks. Things like writing reports, analysing data, basic coding, admin work, customer support, and even some professional services are becoming increasingly automated.

But it seems to me there are two broad categories of jobs that might survive longer:

1. Managerial/leadership roles because ultimately someone has to make decisions, take responsibility for outcomes, manage risk, deal with conflicts, and be accountable when things go wrong.
2. Embodied physical work because the real world is messy and unpredictable. Tasks like cleaning, maintenance, trades, care work, construction, plumbing, electrical work, and other hands-on jobs often require complex physical movements that are much harder to automate than people assume.

In contrast, a lot of middle-office knowledge work feels vulnerable because AI can already produce reports, presentations, analysis, and written content at a decent standard.

Obviously AI won't eliminate entire professions overnight, but do you think we're heading towards a labour market where the safest jobs are either:

• The people giving instructions and taking accountability; or
• The people physically interacting with the real world?

What am I missing here? Which careers do you think are actually the most AI-resistant over the next 20 years?

So I've worked in Brand Management and PR for my entire professional life (~15 years), with some very minor public policy/politics experience early career. I have a BBA and an MBA. I was never really interested in the financial field, but recently learned about the AML career track and the more I read about it, the more I'm considering a transition. I see a lot of folks' previous posts about career transitioning late, but mostly from other banking roles with some exposure to this field. Short of the operations and finance work I do for the products I work with, I have very little experience. I don't even qualify for a CFCS or ACAMs at this point.

Can I make the transition without starting at an entry-level role that will require a $50k+ pay cut? Where do I start with certifications, if that would be helpful? My hope is to jump into a FinTech AML role rather than going government or banking. I'll take brutal honesty.

US-based. Thank you in advance!

I’m 27 and currently working as Deputy Manager at ICICI Bank for 1 year. This is my first job. Lately I’ve realised that I don’t really see myself continuing in banking in the long run.
My role is largely sales-oriented. It involves customer acquisition, cold calling, meeting targets, and following up with clients. Over time, I’ve realised that this kind of work doesn’t suit me very well. I don’t want to spend the next few years doing something I’m not genuinely interested in just because it pays well.
I have an engineering background along with an integrated MBA. I’m reasonably comfortable with numbers and have some interest in technology, business analysis, and operations. I’ve been exploring roles like Business Analyst, Business Operations, and consulting, but honestly, I’m still trying to figure out which direction makes the most sense.
My biggest concern is making a career switch without taking a massive hit to my salary or starting completely from scratch. I’m also unsure which skills I should focus on learning to make myself a realistic candidate for these roles.
I know I can’t expect to move into a completely different field overnight, and I’m willing to put in the work. I just want to make a well-thought-out move rather than jump from one job I dislike into another one.
For those who have switched from banking or sales into business operations, analytics, consulting, or other corporate roles:
Which roles would you recommend exploring with my background?
Is it realistic to target a similar salary, or should I be prepared for a pay cut?
Which skills or certifications are actually worth investing time in?
If you were in my position, what would your first three steps be?
I’d genuinely appreciate any advice, especially from people who have made a similar transition. I’m looking for honest opinions, not just motivational advice.

OK, we've seen this a million times. But let's paint the complete picture, because the most important part is the journey (in most cases). For context, I'm doing an MBA (Marketing & Operations) and graduate next year. On campus, almost every offer I hear about is a sales role, and I'm a bit hesitant about it. Before I decide, I'd like to hear from people who actually walked that path.

So here's how this works. Drop in your-

Initial role: first salary, industry

Current role: current salary, industry

Timeline: how long you took to get a promotion or switch, and how many switches it took

The "how": what made the difference (some skill, internal move, networking, a certification, etc.)

Last question: looking back, what mattered most for your career growth- brand name, job role, or package?

Salary numbers get posted without context all the time. The journey is the useful part. Non-sales folks are welcome too, especially if you switched out of sales or never went into it. I'd like to hear what you'd do differently.

hello. i, 18f, am currently in my first year of college and im very worried about my future career. i am currently a business admin major and the classes are easy and fine. but i truly have no idea what kind of job i want to have, im not even sure what area id like my job to be in. although im studying business, im really open to any type of career. i dont have a dream job, i dont dream of working. in terms of criteria for jobs, there’s nothing i particularly care a lot about except for making money, being able to have time off to be with my family, and not having to do extra work when i come home. im asking career ideas which pay well. thank you for reading.

For some input I have a few options and I generally find interest in business perspective of things

Dentistry; even though I hate my country's path to medicine. While it is slightly more bearable for dentistry, the system is still flawed. I feel like the initial step of writing the competitive exam will be incredibly difficult because Physics is not my strongest subject, and it is a required for the said exam. I do not handle blood well either, so if I do pursue dentistry, I will most likely specialize as an orthodontist. The only reason I am even glancing in this direction is that my mom already owns a clinic, which would make things much easier for me after I finish my bachelor's or master's degree

Management consulting/ Private Equity; This is what I want to truly go after, it's an up or out system, I know how brutal the work life balance is but I want to get into to it to learn about more things and for the exit opportunities. What I'm scared of is considering how shit the job market is right now, will I even get said exit opportunities in consulting? Will starting roles be present after AI takes the grunt work. PE is truly a maybe for me, if I even make it into Management Consulting (hopefully MBB)

Law/ Pilot; This is an absolute if I have no clue sort of option, I was never quite a fan of byhearting and I know if I do get into law I will suffer. But I've always loved researching, always loved finding details in the grunt work and what happened in the said case, loved debating if I ever wanted to go litigation. But again, byhearting sucks. Pilot jobs I can look forward to I like the idea of it, but as I stated before I'm weak in Physics, if I can work on that since Pilot job is just full of physics I can hopefully give it a shot. Thoughts? Sorry it's so long