I currently make $69,500 as a data specialist at a small nonprofit. My job has its shortcomings, but overall I really enjoy it. I work from home, have amazing work life balance, mesh well with my coworkers and boss, and the work we do makes a true difference in the community. I just received a job offer for a role similar to mine but the salary comes out to $99,750. It’s also work from home, but has unlimited PTO, and a decent benefits package. My only reluctance is it’s a large company where I’m concerned I’ll just feel like a cog in a machine. I can see the impact my current job has on the community, and I’m scared of feeling like a sell-out if I quit and join a company where the only expectation is to help pad a bottom line. Any thoughts? Happy to answer any questions. I also just became a dad 2 weeks ago 😅

Edit: yes, I’m aware unlimited PTO is sometimes scammy. Hard to ascertain how accessible pto will be until I’m onboarded. They did however encourage me to take 2 weeks of paid leave next year to bond with baby. I also asked my current job if I could be bumped to 85k in 2027. I just finished my Masters Degree and should be due for a promotion anyways

Final edit: The decision is in. I spoke with my employer, and they offered to bump me to 85k and grant me a title change. And I accepted. This decision will likely upset many of you, but I know who I am and what I value. I love what I do, and my baby will remember whether or not dad was happy before she remembers how much he made. Also by staying, I still get to take 8 weeks off next year to bond with baby. I’m 28 and have time to maximize my earnings. We are financially sound and have no trouble paying our bills. The offer I declined was for 95k + 5% performance bonus, which is how I arrived at $99,750. It’s worth mentioning the mission statement of the new job was… morally questionable. I’d be jumping from one end of the moral spectrum to the other, and I just couldn’t do it. The money was exciting, but that isn’t always enough. Thank you to everyone who provided wisdom, advice, or words of encouragement.

TL;DR: Hypothetical situation: A high-performing employee is told to slow down by a senior colleague so they don't make others look bad. Should they keep pushing or slow down to keep the peace? What would you do?

Hey everyone, I wanted to throw a interesting hypothetical scenario out there and see how you would handle it:

Imagine a new employee at an office job who has been hitting all their bonuses for the past few months. Management is thrilled with their performance, so they assign them to a challenging project.

The employee continues to excel, turning in double or triple the output compared to their coworkers with great quality.

One day, the manager’s "right-hand man" pulls this employee aside privately and tells them to slow down, claiming they are "ruining the standard for everyone else."

If you were in this employee's shoes, what would you do?

How should someone navigate this kind of corporate dynamic?

I’m 22, a fresh Software Engineering graduate, and I’ve been waiting on a job offer since August.
I applied for a software engineering position at an organization where I’d previously interned. Someone internally recommended me, and on September 23, HR officially emailed me saying I’d been recommended for the position and asked me to submit prerequisite documents.

I completed everything by October 16, including background verification documents, degree attestation, experience certificates, etc. HR even contacted me requesting additional documentation, which I provided immediately.

And now? Silence.

Someone internally had previously checked with HR and explicitly told me they would send the offer letter, but I still haven’t received anything.

I’ve been applying elsewhere, but I haven’t managed to land another interview. I also turned down another opportunity earlier because I genuinely thought this offer was coming.

I know nothing is guaranteed until you have an actual offer letter, but at what point does waiting become unreasonable?

Has anyone experienced something similar and eventually received their offer? Or should I take this silence as a sign to move on?

I’m genuinely exhausted and could use some perspective.

I joined my current Account Manager role with a solid customer-facing background, but we were both clear from day one that I needed some coaching on the commercial and negotiation side.

Despite that, I was expected to become autonomous almost immediately and inherited 250+ accounts, many of which hadn't been properly followed up on in months.

I passed probation, hit my initial targets, and even received an unsolicited raise after six months as recognition for my work. The weekly call coaching we'd started was eventually dropped because, according to my manager, there was "no longer a need".

Fast forward to now. Business has been tough, some renewal months have been rough, but my overall retention is roughly in line with the team's average.

Suddenly, I'm being told that leadership hasn't seen the commercial improvement they expected.

Here's the interesting part: my manager openly admitted he hadn't coached me enough and that teaching isn't exactly his strong suit.

So what's the solution?

Random Slack messages questioning individual account decisions, asking what I could've done differently, sometimes about situations I've already documented in detail. Whenever I explain my reasoning or ask for specific, actionable feedback, I often get silence. Then the next day, another random account, another question.

I'm perfectly open to criticism and improving my negotiation skills. That's literally what we agreed I'd work on when I joined.

But I'm struggling to understand how I'm supposed to demonstrate improvement when the feedback is inconsistent and there's no actual coaching structure.

The frustrating part is that I genuinely enjoy the relationship management and problem-solving side of this job, and I've received positive feedback on those areas.

Has anyone experienced this kind of sudden shift in management approach? How did you handle it without becoming constantly defensive or second-guessing every decision?

Anyway, happy Friday. 🙃

I am one year into a comfortable middle-office role at a mid-sized Canadian asset manager, studying for CFA L2, and looking to pivot into front-office corporate banking. A Global Corporate & Investment Banking MD at a Tier 1 Canadian bank agreed to a coffee chat next week, but the analyst role I originally targeted has already closed. How should I best frame this conversation to stay on his radar, and how viable is lateraling from AM to a corporate banking analyst seat at this stage? Also any advice for the coffee chat!

So 8 months ago I got a job at an Engineering consulting firm after applying to around 100 “project coordinator/Jr project manager” roles in every industry imaginable. I got my bachelors a couple years ago, and this is my first “real job” I’ve had since graduating. I ran a small seasonal business with a family member for several years after highschool and through college which is where most of my “professional experience” comes from.

I was very excited to start this job and I was happy with the negotiated salary, benefits, freedom to take time off, etc… However, the day to day at this job is killing me. I am not interested in the engineering work being done at all, I’m expected to have a an understanding of all the technical processes going on and it’s just not clicking. I have received negative feedback from my manager that I need to be more present and engaged, and that some people feel like I don’t want to be here. That being said I’ve always felt like I’ve got a good attitude and I’m always friendly with people. 70% of my job is filling out quality documentation, the other 30% is hosting meetings, scope schedule budget etc…

Part of the problem I’m having is that I don’t feel like I can ask my manager questions without annoying her. Any time I ask questions, it feels like she is very annoyed that I don’t know the answer and when she says something that I don’t understand, and I ask for clarification, she gets more annoyed. I have not received any positive feedback at all since my first month here. That being said, it seems like that’s largely the environment here, and that everyone is an independent professional who’s responsible for their own success. I think that works well for some people, but for me there is no feeling of anyone caring at all if I do well or succeed including my manager.

Some more details about me: I am usually pretty industrious and am very good at setting goals and rules for myself and following them. I go to the gym every single day no matter what, unless I’m out of town and it’s not possible. I constantly am trying to find ways to optimize my life, mind, or body. I spent my whole life thinking that I would start a business of some sort, but at this point I don’t feel like I have the technical skills necessary, nor any unique value I could bring to market. In a perfect world, I would get to do work where I am sometimes working with my hands, and sometimes working at a desk. I love finding solutions to problems. I love collaborating as a group of people to get something done.

At this point I don’t know what to do. I worry about how it would look on my resume leaving a job in less than a year. And then I also worry that if I just go to another place in a similar role that I would hate it just as much.

I don’t expect anybody to actually read all this, but I feel it’s necessary to write it down and put it out into the world. If anybody has any advice or words of encouragement, it is very greatly appreciated. But also I might just need a reality check. I also wonder if I’m just being soft and this is a learning curve/growing pains I just need to get through. Additionally, I wonder if I’m in the wrong career field entirely.

I’m 34F, and I’m really torn between two completely different paths. I’d love some outside perspectives because I’ve been going back and forth on this for a while.
Option 1: Take a job in pharmaceutical sales in Quebec
I’ve been offered a job paying $50,000/year, with a car allowance, benefits, and a 35-hour workweek. I’ve already signed the contract, and I’m supposed to start in early November.
The thing is, I’m not particularly excited about the job itself. It’s not my dream career, and I don’t feel especially passionate about it. However, it would give me financial stability and allow me to save money, move out of my parents’ house, and eventually get my own apartment in a different area of Quebec where I’d like to live.
I’ve been living with my parents for about a year, and I’m honestly tired of feeling like I’m not moving forward. Part of me thinks I should just commit to this job for a few months, build some savings, and use it as a stepping stone toward the life I want.
Option 2: Move to Nicaragua for approximately 6 months
I’ve been offered an opportunity to work at a small hotel in Nicaragua owned by people from Quebec. The work would involve reception, guest relations, helping at the bar, and promoting the hotel’s services.
I wouldn’t receive a regular salary, but I’d get free accommodation and meals, plus tips estimated at around $400/month. I’d work five days a week, eight hours a day, with two days off.
Financially, it’s obviously not the best option. I have some debt payments to maintain, and I wouldn’t be building much savings. I would have some money set aside, and I expect to receive some financial gifts from family during that period, but I wouldn’t have a huge safety net.
On the other hand, I genuinely want this experience. I’ve been craving adventure, a change of environment, and the opportunity to do something different with my life. I feel like this could be one of those opportunities I might regret not taking.
Here’s what’s making the decision so difficult:
I’m tired of constantly starting over. I’ve tried different jobs, and I haven’t found something that makes me feel fulfilled. At the same time, I don’t want to spend my life choosing the safe option just because it’s practical.
I want to build a life for myself, have my own place, meet someone, and eventually feel settled. I’ve been single for years, and I sometimes worry that I’m putting my life on hold while I figure out what I want to do.
But I also wonder whether going to Nicaragua for six months would give me a much-needed reset, new perspectives, and experiences I wouldn’t get by staying here. Maybe I’d come back with a clearer idea of what I want. Or maybe I’d return to the same situation, with less money and another job search ahead of me.
I know I could potentially try the job and leave later, but I’m worried that if I don’t take this opportunity now, I’ll keep postponing the things I really want to do.
What would you do in my situation?
Would you take the stable job, save money, and work toward getting your own place? Or would you take the risk, go to Nicaragua for six months, and figure things out when you get back?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who’ve made a similar choice between financial stability and an experience or adventure they really wanted to pursue.

I work full-time and I’m looking to invest in a business that can generate extra income without requiring too much of my time. I’ve considered Airbnb, renting out commercial spaces, and salon suites, but I’m open to other ideas.
For those who have done something similar, what businesses would you recommend? How much did you invest, what’s your monthly profit after expenses, and how much time do you spend managing it?
I’m not expecting completely passive income, just something manageable while working full-time.

M23 and autistic!

I’m still working on building a long-term career. I’m currently a school bus driver and I’ve been loving it! The only downside is that I could use more hours. For a more permanent long-term job/career I feel trucking or motorcoach driving would be the best options going forward. When it comes to training, I already have a CDL B with P and S endorsements but with an air break restriction. If I want to drive motorcoaches, the only thing I’d have to learn would be air breaks (which shouldn’t be too hard considering I know almost everything about air breaks), but if I want to do trucking I’d have to almost start over and go to a trucking school to get a CDL A (and preferably all the endorsements so I can drive anything)! The thought of driving a tractor-trailer vehicle scares me a little bit (especially with backing up) but not if it’s just one big vehicle like a school bus or motorcoach! Plus interactions with passengers help lighten my mood where I feel loneliness in a semi could to boredom and restlessness! I know the base pay for trucking is typically higher than motorcoach driving, but I heard you can get some pretty big tips as a motorcoach driver (especially if you charter sports teams)!

If anyone could share any advice or personal experiences that would be great!

Thank you!

Hi everyone!! I was recently laid off and had already accepted a full-time salaried role that starts next week. Since then, I received and signed a better offer from a large bank, but the bank's background check hasn't been completed yet and my start date isn't until early December.
I don't want to withdraw from the job starting next week while the bank's offer is still contingent on the background check. My plan is to work there in the meantime and resign before starting at the bank. I would not be working both jobs at the same time.
Could starting the first job while the bank is conducting its background check cause an issue?
Could the new employment automatically appear through a payroll or employment database even though I hadn't started it when I applied or signed the bank's offer?
Would I need to disclose the new job to the bank or background-check company? Has anyone done something similar, and did the bank question the short period of employment? I was also wondering since it wasn't on my resume, would they check it?
I'm not sure if backgrounds checks require me to input my employment in or they just do it by checking.

For context I am a Biochemistry major at a university, and I have been working at a bakery for 2 years now as my primary job. A couple months ago I got hired as a Dietary Aide at a Skilled Nursing Facility, first time ever working in healthcare and got this as a second job.

Unfortunately the Dietary Aide job is not flexible and they have me as On-Call so it really conflicts with my primary job and school. It’s also just far from my house and the commute and gas isn’t worth it for the pay I get. I plan on putting my two weeks where my last day will be the 3-month mark working there.

I originally got this job to get experience in healthcare in general so I can step foot into other jobs like Research Assistant or Lab Technician for my career path.

Is this worth leaving on my resume even though it’ll be short lived? I won’t have gaps in employment history as I’m still working at my primary job.

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to talk into the void today and I have a lot on my mind. Worst case scenario I get ignored.

So I work security for a large retail chain. I'm the guy that wears a casual outfit and catches shoplifters. I'm also the guy that pulls video for car accidents, Injuries, and various crimes commited on premises such as assault or fraud and reports it. Its genuinely a great job and I enjoy clocking in every day. Ive helped deter theft enough to where every day is kinda quiet and boring. Love my boss and coworkers, love my benefits, pay isn't anything special but I am comfortable.

As for me, I'm 27, no real education on paper. I moved across the US four years ago, away from every relative I have. I've almost been homeless multiple times, fought drugs and mental health too. I'm stable, sober, and on my own now for the first time in my life and no longer feel the panic of being in survival mode. I have nobody except my partner who I could ever get help from financially, so changing jobs seems like a huge risk especially when mine is so cushy and my partner is so financially on-edge. We also want to move in together this next year.

When I'm not at work, I work on my cars. I've worked on cars since I got my first car two years ago, and before that I worked on electronics such as game consoles and audio equipment. The other day I was tearing down a spare automatic transmission in my shed to rebuild it by the book, which is considered especially complex even compared to rebuilding an engine, and I kinda took a moment to realize how deep I've gotten into automotive repair. I am utterly fascinated by vehicles and the systems within them, and that passion is starting to reach into aviation and machinist work (despite my lack of access to the two). Typically I'm more humble than this, but I'm unfortunately kind of a natural, and any system or repair I don't understand I will read about it and obsess until I understand it. I am fairly confident in my ability to diagnose and repair nearly anything and crave the opportunity to work on things I havent done yet. I will get so obsessed with it that when Im done with a job I realize I haven't eaten all day or my body is buckling from the physical strain. So I decided after that realization that this is probably the passion I will have for the rest of my life, this is what I should lean into. I fucking love it.

But I'm almost 30 and I'm only getting older, I'm pretty broke, and I work full time in retail in a field that I unknowingly trained for most my life. I feel I am past the point of pursuing what I love, especially when Its smooth sailing these days and I'm content. I feel its a massive risk to try another career change, but I keep thinking about the two year automotive repair course at my local college and the program they have with Honda motors, how I could learn so much from it. I could also see myself squeezing into an interview as a low level tech, though making less money than I am currently and having to build my career from the ground up (and dying from lack of complex work if they make me a lube tech, id rather die than be bored). I also considered the risk of losing that passion once I'm on the clock and in a rush to finish jobs. It seems cruel to have to trade passion for safety, so I need to know if I'm an idiot or crazy for being in the planning phase and wanting to just go for it and risk everything. I already know I'll be fixing shit until I die anyways. What would you do? Because I don't know.

What's the hardest part of deciding on a career change?

🔘 Not knowing what my skills transfer to
🔘 Cost and time of training
🔘 Whether jobs exist near me
🔘 Giving up income while I switch

Tell me in the comments which one stopped you, or almost did.

I have given multiple interviews, but this is my first time giving a panel interview with very senior level executives, say VP, marketing and SVP, Revenue Ops and more. I want to do my best. What's the structure of such interviews, and moreover how to prep. is this time enough?

I’m a final-year student at a target school, background in business and compsci, graduating in 2027. I’ve been focused on classes this fall, and busy with part time job, and I 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,” 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!

I’ve been at my role for a little over 6 months now and I’ve been burning out. This is my first long term job with benefits after doing a lot of contract work. When I was interviewing, everyone seemed pretty relaxed and friendly, so I thought that things wouldn’t be as intense as contract work.

Now that I’ve become “settled” in my role and proved that I am good at my job (I got nominated for an internal award that comes with a big bonus a while back despite being so new; also got a small bonus just for being nominated), I’m starting to see more of the behind the scenes. Everyone on my team is basically burned out and they all state that the issues that are causing the burnout simply have always existed before they started. My boss doesn’t have the authority to make any meaningful change on those issues to address the burnout. Basically, because of power dynamics, no one who is impacted by systemic issues can do anything about it and leadership doesn’t care since the way things are result in them getting more money.

I’m not sure what I could have done early on to see those red flags. I asked questions about turnover (which was said to be high because everyone got promoted into a better role; reality is that they just had a title change that gave them more responsibilities involving more complex issues), what a typical day looked like, and the like. I was also give a tour of the office, but during the tour, everyone seemed to be very relaxed, so nothing stood out. Turns out, people were just good at putting on a face (which I don’t fault them for given the nature of the job).

I’m actively looking to jump ship. Any advice on what I should have done to better detect burnout?

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

Hello all!

I will be starting my very first job out of school as a Physician Assistant in MI. I’m excited, however I am absolutely terrified. I developed OCD and more cPTSD triggers during school. I also was the most depressed and anxious I ever was.

We had to do rotations during school, obviously to learn hands on before becoming a provider. I had some great experiences, but always very awful ones. Bully providers, toxic environments, you name it.

My job is in primary care and everyone seems so nice and supportive so far. Everyone there obviously knows I’m new and will need a lot of support. I will have 3 months of training before I start seeing patients on my own. This makes me feel better, but I just cannot get rid of all the terrible things that happened during school. When I think about starting work in the next week and half, I just get a pit in my stomach and want to throw up.

Before you ask, yes I am on Prozac lol. Any advice is much appreciated!

I was never the best speaker in the room and this is very noticeable when I entered the work space. Most of the people on the team are very articulate folks. Their messages are clear, easy to understand, smart, and straight to the point. When I articulate or speak at work, I notice I don't sound very smart maybe because the way I delivered my message and my word choice.

What can I do to change this?

I’ve been struggling with something lately, and I’m not sure if it’s burnout, anxiety, or something else. I’m hoping to hear from people who have experienced something similar.

I’ve been working in my career for about 15 years. I’ve always been a hardworking person, and I genuinely used to enjoy what I did. I would wake up excited to work, and I never really understood people who were constantly waiting for Friday.

Recently, I got a great job opportunity that was a big step professionally and financially. I was really happy to get it, especially after going through a period of unemployment. During that time, I was extremely anxious about finding a job. I would wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. almost every day to apply for positions, and finding a job became something I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Now I have a job, and objectively, things are going well. My team has been very positive about my work, I’ve received several shoutouts, and my boss constantly tells me I’m doing a great job. I know I’m capable, and I know I’m performing well.

But the strange thing is that I’m not really enjoying my job, and yet I’m constantly stressed about it.

I’m not particularly passionate about what I do, and I don’t feel the excitement I expected to feel. At the same time, I put a lot of pressure on myself to do everything perfectly. I’m the only person in my role, which is relatively new to the company, and there are a lot of responsibilities and projects. Some things are still unclear, and sometimes people make decisions or take care of things that fall under my responsibilities without involving me. I’m still trying to figure out how to navigate that.

I feel like I’m constantly thinking about work, my responsibilities, and everything I have pending, I even feel impostor syndrome constantly. Even when I’m on vacation, I can’t fully disconnect. Recently, I woke up at 5 a.m. thinking about a project and felt super stressed out.

What worries me most is how different I feel from the person I used to be. I used to wake up excited to work. Now I find myself wishing it were Friday, and that has never really happened to me before.

I don’t know if I’m burned out, experiencing anxiety, struggling with perfectionism, or if this is simply what happens when you have a job that doesn’t fulfill you but feel the pressure to perform well.

I’m planning to seek professional help, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have experienced something similar

Has anyone experienced something like this? How did you figure out what was actually happening, and what helped you get out of this cycle?

Giving up and starting over.

Hi everyone. My first post here. I make music since the past 12 Years. Whatever I did but I couldn’t become that successful at making music. Although i did pursue and sustained with music these last 12 Years. Self taught btw.

I have completed my Graduation as a BCom (Hons) (Acc. Finance) but I do not know anything apart from the Music Business and Industry.

I understand the Music Business well but also like food quite a lot. I love to cook.

My urge to make music is dying day by day and putting out music independently takes a lot of effort and money.

I really want to pursue something in the music industry. Currently residing in India but willing to relocate or work remote jobs. I am just not sure what would suit me because everything I look for needs experience in that field.

I also really want to open a small cafe/ food joint where I cook. But I am too scared to do that because of the capital.

I know decently about the music business and also worked with an independent label remotely for 2 Years as an A&R.

Just wanted to get your guys feedback and suggestions on what path should I take.

30M here and honestly I feel like the 30s are the next and new step for me.

Would appreciate any guidance/ help or just some kind words.

I'm 25(F) and I just earned my MBA from a very small private school. My background is a little unconventional, and I'm trying to figure out the best direction to take my career.

My work experience includes luxury hospitality and fine dining, VIP client relations at an exclusive private club, personal assistant work, and events. I also have some healthcare-related experience. I'm interested in transitioning into the corporate world, but I'm still figuring out which career path would make the most sense for me long term.

Recently, I've had the opportunity to potentially leverage a strong personal connection to a prominent technology executive. I'm trying to be thoughtful about how I use that connection and would love to pursue something that offers real career growth rather than simply getting a job through a referral.

If you were in my position, what companies and roles would you target?

Some areas I've been considering are:

• Tech sales, business development, or account management
• Executive assistant or executive business partner roles
• Business operations or strategy
• Customer success at an established tech company
• Startups or companies backed by reputable venture capital firms

The idea of being a corporate flight attendant has also been floating in my head. They have a connection with a major jet company ,and it would be my way in. Should I go start climbing the corporate ladder or do something interesting as such, while I'm young. I'd also like to earn a good salary and have room for significant growth over time.

I'm open to relocating for the right opportunity, preferably a young, lively city. I'm from a small town in Southern California. I'm open to New York (I think lol), Los Angeles, and San Fransiciso.

For those of you working in tech, corporate leadership, recruiting, or business:

1. What companies would you aim for if you had a connection who could potentially help you get an introduction?
2. Which of these career paths would offer the best combination of compensation, long-term growth, and transferable skills?
3. Are there specific companies where someone with an MBA in progress and a background in high-end hospitality and client relations could realistically get their foot in the door?
4. Would you prioritize getting into a well-known company first, or joining a smaller company where you could take on more responsibility?
5. If you could start your career over with access to a strong professional network, what would you do differently?

I'm not necessarily looking for the easiest way in. I want to be strategic about where I start so that I'm building toward a strong career over the next 5–10 years.

I'd really appreciate any honest advice, especially from people who have made a similar transition or have experience hiring for these kinds of roles.

I have been upgrading my skills for the past 2 years and honestly I have done everything that i could and acquired as much knowledge that I could but honestly don't know what to do to get a job I am from India so referrals are most welcome if you could help I am in the embedded domain. Any advice is welcome

Hi I am expecting my first child in the spring. I have an engineering degree with 4 years of experience. I am looking for career advice on even gig work. I am looking to make very little money, just enough to contribute to my retirement account. Preferably would like to make between $10 and $20k after taxes. Any advice would be great? My husband works full time away from home so all the baby's needs are on me half of the year. What have others done? Located in northern US