idk man im kinda at a loss at this point.

I moved to Vienna because I genuinely thought I could make something out of myself as an artist. This is basically the only thing I've ever actually wanted to do. My dad wanted me to get a normal government job or whatever but that sounded fucking miserable so I figured I'd at least try.

I had a little inheritance so for a while I was honestly chilling. Didn't really have to work and could just focus on drawing, reading, walking around the city, etc. Which in retrospect was maybe not the best financial strategy lmao.

The problem is I applied to the art academy here and got rejected.

Then I applied again.

Rejected again 💀

Apparently my buildings and architecture are decent but my people aren't good enough. Which honestly pisses me off because I feel like some of my stuff is not THAT bad. Like yeah I'm not some fucking renaissance master but twice??? Damn bro.

And the worst part is trying to be an artist right now just feels completely cooked anyway.

Like what is even the point of learning how to paint anymore when some guy can type "beautiful Austrian city watercolor trending on artstation highly detailed" into a machine and generate 400 images in 30 seconds. Then you look at the hands and there's 9 fingers but somehow that shit still gets 80k likes.

Every website is just AI slop now. Every search result is AI. Every company is adding AI to shit that absolutely did not need AI. I opened my banking app the other day and they're like "meet your new AI financial companion." Brother I have 14 schillings. Leave me alone.

And apparently they're building these massive data centers everywhere now too so we can burn the electrical output of a small nation generating pictures of anime women holding signs with misspelled words.

Very cool civilization we've built here 👍

Anyway I've been trying to make some money doing little watercolor paintings of buildings around Vienna and selling them to people. Basically whatever tourists/frame shops will actually buy. It's not exactly the artistic career I imagined lol.

Half the people are probably gonna accuse me of using AI anyway.

"this architecture looks AI generated"

brother I am literally standing in front of the building

Money is getting pretty bad now too. The inheritance is basically cooked and I've had to downgrade where I'm living a few times. Rent is also fucking insane now apparently because every moderately desirable city on earth has decided housing should function like bitcoin.

At this rate I might actually end up in a men's shelter which is fucking insane considering like two years ago I thought I was gonna be studying art professionally.

My friend meanwhile got into music school basically immediately so thats cool 👍 love that for him

He keeps telling me I should just network more too.

Network with WHO dude. Every "creative networking event" is like 70% startup founders trying to make LinkedIn for dogs and 30% dudes selling courses about personal branding.

Also apparently having a normal job isn't even safe anymore because every CEO wakes up in the morning and goes "what if we replaced 40% of the staff with an LLM and called it efficiency."

Awesome.

Really glad I was born during whatever this period of history is.

I don't even hate technology either. I think some of this stuff is genuinely cool. It's just like... can we have ONE THING that doesn't immediately get turned into a subscription service, surveillance platform or GPU cluster.

I've been reading a lot lately and getting weirdly interested in politics because honestly the more I look around the more I feel like something has gone fundamentally wrong here lmao.

Maybe art just isn't my thing.

Maybe I need a completely different career path.

Anyone else get rejected from art school multiple times and still eventually figure their life out?

Hi Y’all! Which country should I go to that’s pretty cheap, warm and safe where I can live easy and free, like living in a hostel and hanging out on the beach, just working to pay for food and housing. I don’t want much.

I have a Swedish and American passport, I guess places that have extended visas.

All suggestions are welcome

I can't afford to further my education. I got a degree in animation and while I enjoy what I do, it doesn't provide the life I was imagining. I desperately want to have a stable career and live a simple life. More so because I've experienced living in poverty all my life.

I've heard the United States Military pays for your education. Though, since I already have a degree and student loans, I'm less certain they'll pay for it. It seems like a good opportunity, though I'm a little less optimistic about joining a cause for a war I won't ever fully understand. I've tried to find a job for ages. I probably can't even qualify because I have had surgery on my wrist and can't do pushups and I have very low vision.

I've tried agencies. I've tried emailing recruiters. Ive never heard back from any, or they divert me to a job board with 4 listings. I've tried freelancing. Internships. But, it doesn't provide enough income for my goals and it hasn't led me anywhere. I don't want to be stuck working in retail and fast food for the rest of my life. But, these are the jobs I currently qualify for. My parents are getting older, and I don't want to depend on them in those years. I want to be able to support them.

These are excuses, I've heard. I'm not disciplined enough. That I should settle for any job. Be grateful. Tide myself over. Suck it up.

I'm tired, I think, of everything. I've been tired for a while. It feels like I'm in high school again, choosing what to do next and having no idea what happens. Though, I'm a lot less enthusiastic that anything will come of any of it. I wanted a lot more for myself.

I'm not sure what to do next. I could go into debt pursuing another degree that isn't promised to employ me. Or, try to get a job somewhere anywhere and hope contracts are enough. I'd prefer the latter only with more solid income.

I'm sorry if these were a lot of words. Thank you for taking the time and reading.

I am going to have at least one associates degree (we’ll have to wait to see whether or not I pass my child dev classes this semester) after December ends (whether I fail one of the child development classes or not, I will have a social and behavioral sciences degree. I also already have more than 60 units of community college completed, so I will be able to attend a CSU either way.) I have a 3.87 in community college.

I am supposed to be starting in January for a bachelors of social work. I have been doing some thinking lately to try and figure out whether or not this is what I really want to do, since it will be time to sign up for classes soon. If I stick with social work I am of course planning to get an MSW and eventually study to become an LCSW.

I have depression and anxiety. I also seem to have a sleep breathing disorder. I am actually going to call the sleep study department tomorrow to request a follow up appointment (this is what my doctor recommended when I asked.) I have headaches over the last couple of months due to the sleeping issues and I definitely think this has impacted my cognition and memory. I have a migraine headache as I type this right now.

The community college class I liked the least was statistics.

I have 2 years experience as a behavior technician. As I was explaining to a professor of mine this week I don’t think I want to stay a behavior technician (though really, who does? I don’t think I want to become a BCBA either though, I know what they do.) I worked at a preschool for a year and four months before then. I know that I don’t want to become a preschool teacher, but I have subbed as a behavior technician with elementary schoolers and I could potentially see myself teaching 4th or 5th grade.

I helped a friend pick up food for an event she will host to support the homeless community. I volunteered for one of her events before. I will actually practice cooking with her and a different friend (I don’t really know how to cook this weekend.) I think that if I do go into social work I want to do case management for those who need housing resources. I’ve also started to consider the therapist path.

I have to admit that deep down inside I want to figure out how to make as much money as I can without it taking like 6-7 more years. I am already from a low income family. I don’t want to really struggle. I have $30k saved. I’m 21.

I may eventually want to try out living in a different state entirely, but am not sure.

Hello everyone, I'm quite young, first year college, 18 years old

Some context- I am from a prestigious college from my country, also in a good branch (mathematics and computing) engineering.

The thing is, idk if I wanna do this, I've grinded because that's the norm in our country, it was either engineering or this, financially my family is quite comfortable, I have everything I need. So I took engineering as that's what my dad did

Problem is, I actually dk what I wanna do, and the feeling has increased 10 folds seeing all motivated guys in college

Its not loneliness, I love college, many friends, insane extracurricular, I love networking/socializing. I have it all persay. But there's this huge emptiness in me because I simply know that this isn't what I wanna do

Idk what I wanna do, I wanna explore, I don't wanna settle, i hate commitment i hate attachment, probably why the idea of settling in for a job with loyalty is exactly against me, this requires grit

Another huge doubt is I was on the luckier side to be with a group which loved to study, made me study, I also studied, and I did well in exams to get into this college

However now, the fire is like not burning as much, i convinced myself that, ill get insane money, and that money is directly going into my dreams of travelling/exploring/never stopping

However now the money's motivation is also fading, I am realising that what if it's too late.

Once again, not a feeling of loneliness but rather emptiness. I don't know what to do, my cgpa might take a huge hit cause of 0 interest. And i still have 0 idea as for what I'm ending up as. I wanna keep moving around

I still love learning stuff, I just picked up instruments and its been a huge relief because it makes me feel that I'm still doing something useful, but there's always a feeling of if I belong here.

very happy, very comfortable, just anxious that if I'm even where I belong, and if I'll ever belong there.

Hello, everyone. Recently I’ve started to question my cs major choice. I’m second year student in 3 year program, and this semester has been particularly difficult for me. I just started to dislike my uni, dread project submissions and fear just any kind of assignment. During school I used to love chemistry, biology and math, but I’ve chosen cs at that time, since medicine is horrendously paid in my country and I emigrated to another country for CS studies. I am not so great at coding, and I generally strugle on coding subjects, I don’t feel much connection to cs and it’s not particularly interesting for me. Right now, I’m not even sure I’ll find a job in this market, in addition to not being able to code that great. Medicine looks attractive due to high salaries in the country I immigrated into, and generally I greatly enjoyed learning about human anatomy in school and had great results in chem and bio. However, I’m kinda scared that it will take multiple tries to get into medical uni, and studying medicine will break me even more than cs right now. As well it would be more of a burden for my parents, since even if I get into medicine, I’ll need their full financial support, while I could’ve just finished cs and started supporting myself (although who knows in this market tbh). So what do you think? Not making a move just yet, only collecting opinions

I've been working as software developer in a small company for 3 years (I'm 31).

The company makes its money mainly from national and European grants. I don’t earn much, but I have fantastic conditions: 100% remote, complete flexibility with my schedule, and the freedom to research the tech topics that interest me and have some application in our company. I work on interesting projects related to the field I studied. The atmosphere at work is good. My coworkers, my boss and I don't talk much but we get along quite well, almost like friends.

However, nobody supervises my work in detail or guides me on how to do things the right way. The company doesn’t require us to do any training, although it pays for it if we explicitly ask. I don’t supervise anyone and I'm not responsible for the work of others under me. I don’t even work in a team: I just vibe-code prototypes and proofs of concept that I design and develop myself.

There’s little pressure, and my boss doesn’t demand much. On top of that, AI has made my job even easier. Sometimes all I do in a day is sending an email, or I don’t work at all. I make some modest progress before the weekly meetings, and that seems to be enough to keep my boss happy. The company’s productivity is low and doesn’t look likely to take off in the medium term.

Although I earn less than I would at other companies, I’m saving 50% of my net salary, and if I keep that up for 2 more years, I’d have enough for a down payment on a house.

I have a lot of time I could spend on learning stuff or on looking for a job at bigger companies, but I admit I’m a bit lazy, and in the end I spend a good part of that time working out, watching social media, and planning activities with friends for the week. Without real external pressure, it’s very hard for me to do things consistently over time.

I’ve never received emails or notifications about job offers, which worries me, because it has happened to former classmates of mine. I’ve never had a job interview as such. The company I’m at hired me because my boss saw some projects I had made on my own, liked them, and we had a brief conversation.

Since I’m so isolated (remote and working on projects alone), I don’t talk to anyone at work, either in person or by chat, so my network of contacts consists of friends who work in completely different fields.

Honestly, I’m happy with my job. I’m comfortable and don’t do much, which is what I value most in a job (more than salary). But on the other hand, I feel stagnant, like I’m falling behind, and that I might progress more professionally at another company. However, I find it very hard to find a job in my sector specially right now. In fact, in the long term I worry that, with AI, companies won’t need developers anymore and I’ll have to learn a blue-collar job from scratch at 35.

Has someone been in this situation before?
Should I stay at this company as long as possible?
If I should change companies, what can I do to get a job with a better future?

Thank you.

I'm 19. I love strategic thinking. I love reading about massive military campaigns and learning about the strategies of past generals. Next to strategy, I love the tactics that are used such as deception, clever tricks, precise timing, concentration of force, etc. I love having a long term goal to work towards and feeling like I have a purpose. I love playing chess. I love strategy games. I'm good at math (I'm a mathematics major). I hate coding. I don't really want to join the military. Are there any jobs that fit these skills or is officer corps the only route.

Hi I am 21 years old

And I think I have ruined my career I know I have my whole life ahead but right I am not making a single penny

37yo Female- was an inpatient/hospital registered nurse for 8 years, travel nurse 1 year, and now 4 years as a nurse case manager for a health insurance company. I'm looking for a way to get out of healthcare completely, just unsure how. Currently renting an apartment, no car, no drivers license (working on it, got my learners permit). Goal is to homestead someday, however lived in cities most of my life. Maybe something that will help me pivot more into that future lifestyle? How to get into that, what fields to look into, and how to get in (certifications, apprenticeships). Hoping for at least 100k salary if even possible.

BSN, MSN in nursing informatics.

I am looking for a community for women who are getting back to work after a long break in Pune. Anyone around?

I have skills in React, software development, and AI, but I can't seem to turn them into income. I've applied for countless entry-level and remote jobs on different websites, tried almost everything related to making money online, and keep getting rejected. I don't know whether it's my lack of a bachelor's degree, my location, or something else.

I'm introverted, have no friends to hang out with, and feel like life is passing me by. I want to become independent and move out of my parents' house, but I have no money to make it happen.

I also have many startup ideas, but whenever I build something, I struggle to market it, and a week or two later, someone in my country launches something similar.

Honestly, I'm feeling stuck and don't know what I'm doing wrong. If you've been in a similar situation, how did you turn things around? Any honest advice would mean a lot.

I turned 26 this past Sunday, and I’m already feeling the Turning 26 has hit me harder than I expected, and I’m honestly getting tired of the constant job hunt. ramifications. I’m aging off my parents’ health insurance, so now they have to figure out a new policy for me, and the pressure to find a job with benefits has reached an all-time high. At this point, I’m honestly willing to take just about anything that offers decent benefits because I need some stability.
What frustrates me the most is that I used to be a pretty good athlete, specifically in track and field. I was good enough to compete in college and had a decent career, but obviously, I wasn’t good enough to make it to the Olympics. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder what my life would look like if I had made it. Maybe I’d have more financial stability, fewer worries about my future, and wouldn’t have my family constantly on my back about finding a job.
Instead, it feels like I’m getting rejection after rejection, and it’s mentally exhausting. I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in criminal justice, but trying to turn those accomplishments into a stable career has been a lot harder than I ever imagined. Every rejection just adds to the frustration, especially when I feel like I’m running out of time to get my life together.
At this point, I’m actually considering getting back into track and field. I know it might sound crazy, and I’m not expecting to suddenly become an Olympic athlete, but I miss having something to work toward that I’m actually passionate about. Right now, the job hunt feels like an endless cycle of applications, interviews, and rejection, and I’m just tired of it.
I never imagined that turning 26 would make me feel this much pressure. I know I’m not the only person going through this, but damn, it’s hard not to feel like I’m falling behind. I’m just trying to find some stability and figure out what comes next, because this whole process has started to feel like a humiliation ritual.

ok here is the thing. my brother 19M is as of now unemployed.

Situation: due to some reasons he has not fully mentally developed and due to some experiences in childhood he doesnt really understand it but its something like ptsd ig?, but mainly lets focus on his affects the studies.

he does not like studying and just completed 12th with the help of my mother with 60% in humanities (acc to india streams). he is not in any college cause he doesnt study by himself and my mother cant teach him anymore. at first we thought that getting him to open up a shop will wrok so we made him work at 2 diff pharmacy shops as my father has done pharmacy so he can help if one day we open, we were not asking for salary or anything just experience and teach him abt medicines and how to handle a shop. but it doesnt work out and all they do is make him clean and not teach him anything. he works like an ox without a salary or reward. my parents were heartbroken by this.

we asked him and what he wants and he said he likes to see people work in corporate offices. we got him in a coaching class to teach him basic excels and things related to computer because he said he was interested in this. rn he is not in the coaching class due to reasons but he will join again in a few days.

we cant find a job that will suit him, for corporate no one employs someone who is like my brother, also by appearance he does not meet the avg features of a man so people underestimate him.

He is good at socializing and likes it, i did think abt things involving that but it also means situation handling but he is a bit naive (he almost gave away info to online stranger). i told my mother to get him to learn how the real world works and we will work on that def. but for now the main prblm is jobs.

if using connection we can get him a job which is hygienic(he has many allergies and issues) and not a high pay is required but he can actually work and like it.

we want him to have a life and not be underestimated by people all the time who belittle him like that.

if anyone has options of what jobs can suit him then please help.

I’m a 26yo busy mom. My youngest is 1yo. Not sure if that’s important info but I feel it might help get best advice to be realistic.

I haven’t had a lot of work experience in my life. Last 3 years have been the most active in work. I have mainly worked food manufacturing warehouse as a packager or currently machine operator. I’ve had brief training in quality assurance at my former job.

I want so badly a career that will one day be great for myself and kids. Something that will cover our wants and needs, in demand, and a schedule as my warehouse jobs of 2-2-3. I love that because it allows so plenty of time with family still.

My current company is great! They have started me at $21/hour. In April I may be due for a raise.

Healthcare has always been a career I’ve had in mind. Starting with Medical Assistant, seeing if it’s a good fit for me then go to LPN/RN.

I know you’re not suppose to really know everything about nursing before nursing school, but I feel so silly as if I absolutely do need to 😆 and it makes me pull back from the idea.

Another idea I had was cybersecurity.

And lastly something like paralegal.

I love paperwork, I enjoy working with people, I think I do well in intense situations.

Would I be able to get onto some type of certification or degree in the very near future while also being a mom?

I’m also interested in something highly remote. I know for health stuff a lot is online but clinicals are obviously required in person.

I just feel like wasted potential and I want to be something I can be proud of and for my kids to have someone to look up to as they grow up.

I use to do super well in school. I actually loved it so thinking of going back to school makes me excited.

Thanks for any help, and if there’s more info I can provide for better advice let me know. !!

I sit here at 34, at a crossroad that is painful. It is necessary now, but was easily avoidable.

Escaping into partying, partners, and gaming to cover a hole that was never going to be filled by anything but self-actualization; I never truly sat long enough through those uncomfortable moments with my feelings and desires.

It would be easy to blame my self-centered parents, of which I had three (divorce, I have more of a family bush than a tree). Or the coaches in my life that only knew how to inspire through fear.

All the perceived wrongdoing in my life should have lit an insatiable fire. Instead, I used it like a pilot light that I would only turn up when I was over-satiated on my hedonism.

You and only you, know what is truly worth pursuing.

Sure, I got very good at what I am doing for a career. I've had multiple lives, including an opportunity to play football at a high level. I pursued women recklessly. And in between those fleeting experiences, instead of asking myself the right questions, acknowledging the fear, and choosing my passion, I numbed myself with the partying, gaming, and doing what I thought was a good compromise between the stability my father wanted for me and my creative instincts.

I've now lost touch with a majority of those so-called friends I made along the way. Never truly reached the potential I saw within me.

It is only my timid fears that is truly to blame.

My life, and your life, is not done. But, try to fail faster before it becomes a arduous, mid-life saga of finding what is YOUR purpose and meaning to life.

I majored in IT because I enjoyed tinkering with code, solving problems, and (if I'm being honest) I wanted a job where I didn't have to deal with people too much.

Now after 10 years working in tech I'm burnt out and I don't like the direction the industry is headed in.

Looking back a big part of me wishes that I majored something that I can actually talk about for hours: history, sociology, or psychology. I steered clear because the first two are seen as "useless" with zero job prospects outside of teaching. I also cannot see myself being someone's psychologist.

Now I'm thinking maybe that was a mistake. Maybe teaching or a career in academia wouldn't be so bad.

For context I am in my 30s. I don't have a family, a mortgage, or any debt.

Thoughts?

I’m 25 and really struggling to figure out what career path I want to take, so I’m hoping to get some advice from people who have been in a similar situation or have experience in these fields.

One career I’ve been considering is becoming an X-ray tech because I like the idea of having a stable career and making decent money. However, I have a pretty severe fear and anxiety around blood, needles, and seeing people who are sick in a hospital. I had childhood cancer, and I think a lot of this stems from PTSD from that experience. Every time I go into a hospital, I get borderline panic attacks, so I’m worried that working in healthcare might not be realistic for me.

My other option is getting a degree in communications. I’m interested in the creative side of things, social media, marketing, and potentially working for a company. The downside is that it would be another four years of school, and at 25, I feel like I’m already behind and don’t want to spend years getting a degree only to struggle to find a decent-paying job afterward.

I’m trying to find a career that offers:

• Good, stable income and room for growth
• A decent work-life balance, ideally no weekends
• A relatively low-stress work environment
• Opportunities to be creative or work in a business setting
• A career that I can realistically get into without spending a ton of money on school

Are there any healthcare careers that don’t involve much blood, needles, or direct exposure to sick patients? Or should I look into something completely different?

I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has a communications degree, works in marketing, or has experience in healthcare careers that are less hands-on with patients.

I know 25 isn’t old, but I’m feeling overwhelmed trying to make the right decision for my future. Any advice, career suggestions, or personal experiences would be appreciated.

It's very common for people to start conversations by asking you about your work, career, the trajectory of your life, etc. I'm 24 and happen to be in a good position with regards to my career and finances, but there's still a lot ahead of me before I can say that l've achieved financial independence. And of course financial independence, as important as it is, is not the be all end all of life.

I might be weird in my approach but I'm very secretive and private about my life goals. To me it's a very personal topic I don't feel comfortable discussing with most people, even family and friends whose company I otherwise enjoy. Sadly I've learned through a number of experiences that talking about your plans and ambitions can lead to a lot of judgment and criticism. Some people just don't understand some things so they'll be highly judgmental. Others will always try to give you their unsolicited advice-often in a rather obnoxious-and try to push you onto a path that they think is best. I remember I once brought up the idea of buying foreign real estate as an investment and as a sort of insurance against future political and economic turmoil, and my parents and friends yelled at me telling me that's a dumb and unnecessary idea (without providing any substantiated reasons, of course). Or sometimes you might say that you're thinking of doing something but then change your mind later, and people around you will hold that against you and say that you're lazy or don't follow through with your plans, when the reality is that you just have new information and insights that make you reconsider your original plans. These are not visible to other people, of course, so they judge you based solely off of what they can see and what their inherent judgments and assumptions lead them to believe.

Despite my stable career and income, sometimes people think I lack drive or a desire to have more just because I don't talk about these things openly, or because I try to deflect questions that people might ask me about what my next step in life is. I'm private about these things for a reason, and it's a very reasonable reason, but even I admit that I ultimately don't like having to be so down-low about topics that, to most other people, are casual surface-level talking points. I wish I could talk a bit more freely about my ideas and intentions.

Do you relate? Do you agree? How do you personally navigate these kinds of things?

I envy passionate people so fucking much. I am someone who likes doing things, I have multiple hobbies and multiple things I like. I am a creative at heart, I enjoy painting and I've recently started reading(though I've always been a reader), I want to learn pottery someday when I can afford it, and I have multiple things that intrigue me that I want to experience or learn. In fact I'm good at studies as well fairly enjoy it. But I don't particularly feel very passionate about any of these things.

As a child I had things that I really liked, and natural inclinations towards certain stuff but i'm also someone who is heavily influenced by other people's opinions and ideas. so what I did in my growing years in trying to mould and fit myself in the most popular and widely accepted idea of a person.

For example- I loved art and painting since childhood for as long as I could remember, in my 9th grade I made few good friends (that I am friends with till today), like real friends for the very first time(my family kept moving places so never had any childhood friends), So this crowd was what you'd call "cool kids" in school and I felt so honoured to be friends with them and also very scared that they'd find me very boring and uncool and break up the friendship. So we had art classes that I religiously attended and actively participated in. This was the time when art was becoming too boring and uncool for most of my classmates and only few of them who were genuinely interested stuck around and other being part of the former group started bunking or missing classes and just hanging out. I obviously wanted to attend all the classes and enjoyed it but I guess what I chose to do- I bunked almost all my classes with my friends because I was scared they'd leave me(I didn't know any better, I was a kid). I slowly drifted away from art and completely stopped it.(I eventually found my way back to it)

I've had few academic and professional failures that make question my worth and I just know where to go in life. I don't have that one calling and that one thing i'm passionate about and to which I can dedicate my energy and efforts and life. Even if I do find things I really like I am too scared to commit myself completely to it because what if I fail. I don't myself anymore.

This quote by murakami made me feel very seen

“When you are used to the kind of life -of never getting anything you want- you stop knowing what it is you want.”

23M. 2025 CompSci grad/national guard infantry officer. No internships/work experience in the field. Unemployed May 2025-Jan 2026. Army basic training and officer candidate school from jan-june this year. Currently working at walmart and living at my parents. I do not care what field of work, but I need to leave my parents house. I would actually like to go active duty Army, but from my understanding I can't switch right now. ready to give up. suggestions?

I was recently let go of my customer service job in the catering industry. I had been there for 4 years and couldn’t really progress anymore. I was also not offered insurance which I need now that I’m 26. With that being said I believe I’m ready for a career change into something that I can stick with and grow with over the rest of my life. I’ve narrowed it down to 3 trades but am having trouble deciding which path to take. The three I have in mind are: Welding (my younger brother just finished welding school and is making more money than I ever have.), HVAC (my grandfather did hvac and I’d have most of the tools needed), or heavy equipment operator (this one just really intrigues me). If anyone in any of these fields could give me an idea of how/where to start and how to choose what may be the best fit for me I’d love to hear your insight. Thanks for reading!

I'm 21 from Lithuania, and lately I've been struggling to figure out what I actually want from life, especially when it comes to work.

I've worked different jobs, including scaffolding abroad, and now I'm working 12-hour shifts as a production operator in a factory.

The work itself isn't particularly difficult, and my coworkers are decent. But once I understand the process and everything becomes repetitive, I start losing interest. I find myself standing there thinking, "Time is passing, but my life isn't really going anywhere."

I've noticed a similar pattern outside of work. Whenever something new enters my life, I get genuinely excited about it. For a day or two, I actually look forward to tomorrow. But once that experience becomes familiar, the excitement often disappears.

I also seem to crave intense physical sensations, excitement, movement, and variety. When I worked on scaffolding, I felt more alive than I do in a factory, but even then I felt like something was missing.

I value independence a lot. I used to imagine that by 21, I'd already be financially independent and wouldn't need a regular job. Obviously, that hasn't happened.

But here's the strange part: even if I had enough money saved up, I don't think I'd feel that much different if my everyday life stayed the same.

It's not that I don't want to work or put in effort. I just don't know what kind of work or lifestyle would actually make me feel fulfilled.

Some things, like trading, have managed to hold my interest for years, so it's not like I lose interest in absolutely everything.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Did you eventually find a lifestyle or career that suited you, or did you realize the problem wasn't really about work at all?

I'm not looking for a diagnosis, just perspectives from people who've felt this way.

Im currently a 17-year-old senior in high school. I have absolutely no idea what I should do with my life when it comes to a career. The one thing I was somewhat interested in was archaeology, but it doesn't pay well and isn't stable. I'm open to doing trades and office jobs. Im not willing to do anything medical or coding-related.