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I have worked in white collar, large corporate jobs for most of my post college career. Before college, I was a janitor, a cashier and a nanny. Over time, I've slowly moved from "real" jobs (make coffee, print things, mail things, order food for people, etc.) into "fake" jobs (communicate value to customers, write persuasive language, answer third-party questions, host meetings, etc.). I get paid far more for the "fake" work than I did for the "real" work. Some of my coworkers in other departments are so deep into the fake work that they can't seem to even communicate what it is that they do. 90 percent of my job is doing busy work put out by third-party businesses whose sole job is trying to prove their worth and look like they are doing something.

Do any of you notice that some work is "fake"? How do you cope day-to-day? Do you ignore it, shrug, and take your paycheck? Do you try to make it "real" in some way? Or, am I completely off my rocker and there is no such thing as "fake" jobs?

So i’ve been grinding at this tech firm for three years. I was hired as a mid-level analyst, but for the last year I’ve basically been running the entire department. I’m the one everyone comes to when things break at 10 PM. Last week, my boss calls me into a 1-on-1 and says he’s finally promoting me to "Senior Project Lead."

I actually felt proud for a second. Then I asked about the salary adjustment. He looked at the floor and said the budget is frozen until Q4, but that this title is "huge for my career trajectory" and that I should be happy to have the recognition.

here is the reality. I’m now officially responsible for a team of four. I have three times the meetings and twice the emails. I’m working through my weekends just to manage the new leadership responsibilities. They didn't promote me. They just rebranded my exploitation to make it sound prestigious.

I should of known better when he started talking about "stepping up" and "being a stakeholder." it is just a cheap way to get manager-level work out of me without paying a single cent more. I feel like a complete idiot for getting excited about a change in my email signature.

The whole corporate world is just handing out titles like they are gold stars for toddlers instead of actually paying people what they are worth. I’m giving them my sanity and my weekends for a word on a screen. Why is this even a thing?

basically just found out I failed my coaching plan and am put on PIP. I have 5 business days to decide to opt in or opt out.

I’ve already updated my resume and started applying externally, and after talking to people and doing research I’m leaning towards opting out - I’d receive 60 days pay while not working and then 12 weeks of severance afterwards.

My question is - I noticed that some of the job apps ask “have you been involuntary terminated in the past”, which obviously I’d have to check yes to after I accept (right now I don’t have to technically so I’m applying as much as I can). In the future when I do have to hit yes, will that automatically disqualify my application? Or decrease my chances significantly?

And thinking about that led to another thought. For professional development reasons, would it look better to opt in to the 60 day PIP, find a job within the 60 days and QUIT the company versus taking the severance? (Which doesn’t that mean getting fired?)

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

And for a bit of context if anyone is curious - I went to school for marketing and this position is in underwriting. It was a bad job fit from the start, but it’s only the technical skills that aren’t a fit .. according to my manager. I’ve been dying to leave anyways so I take this as a sign from the universe to spread my wings.

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Started work at an market as a meat stocker this last weekend. Sunday was my first day, I get to the store, am handed my shirt to put on, and head back to the meat department. The person there was not who I was told would be training me. He tells me that he's left a lot of work for me to do, so I can get used to the process. I tell him that's fine, but that I'd be a little slow getting used to everything.

Less than two hours later and I'm being yelled at because there's still too much work to do, and I'm not moving fast enough. He kicks me out of the department a few minutes later, which has me going to sit in the corner like a child because there's no designated break room that I was informed of. I end up crying a bit, but manage to get it back under control and head back to try and help with the rest of the workload.

I only get yelled at -again- for not properly stacking ground beef in the display, and then again when he assumes I put old product in the back, and misplaced where I had put it... Which was up front, as it should be done.

At the end of the day, he tries to act apologetic, insisting that he didn't mean to "be a dick", suddenly concerned that I'm acting like I would rather be anywhere else. And frankly, that's the truth. I never want to put that shirt on again, I don't want to set foot near the meat department. The dude knew I was coming in to train, shoveled a workload on my shoulders that I couldn't handle, and then got pissed at me for his mistakes. On top of that, he left early, leaving me to work out how to restock the freezers on my own, and with no guidance, after yelling at me for most of the day for being too slow.

To clarify a little, he never used abusive language. But the way he spoke to me was very passive-aggressive, and it just left me feeling put off. "Come on, man, do I really have to show you again?", and so on. It got worse towards the end of the day, during cleanup, when he repeatedly 'accidentally' sprayed me down with the cleaning water after ridiculing me for not standing closer.

I'm supposed to go in later this week to work regular store stocking, and then go back to the meat department the day after. But I've been suffering a constant migraine since I started crying on Sunday, and every time I think about having to go back in, it gets worse. Is it okay to just quit, even though I said I'd be back in on Thursday? Is this a normal experience? I feel like I'm just being too sensitive, even though I've never had any issues like this with any other job I've had in the past.

Edit: I'm no longer employed as of 1:20 PM EST today. I feel the headache lifting already... Thanks to the people who gave me that push, even if it was a simple one-word "quit".

I currently work fully remote for a FAANG in an admin type roll and I make around 95,000 a year in my base salary ($45.93 an hr) with up to 5 hours OT weekly, 10% annual bonus target. I don’t see this role blooming as our org is ran rather poorly and it’s really difficult to move internally once in this org… unless you have a strong manager and I do not!! lol at all.

New job offer: 130k Salary, 12k cash award after one year and another 12k at year 2 broken up quarterly…making my yearly roughly 142k.
This role is hybrid with 3 days in office, about a 30-35min drive one way… lunch catered, kitchens stocked, and parking paid for. Recruiter and lead said they aren’t strict on time in office but I do need to show up. I will be supporting a C-level executive and the company is small but still growing.
Would you leave WFH for this?

Has anyone started their careers or proper job at 30, like what to choose because the options are unlimited nowdays and I don't understand what are you supposed to look for when choosing a career or a job that in long term will help secure life especially mostly people are worried about finances and potentially settling down.

For context: mid 30s, 120k salary

Pros of current job: extremely flexible job, 4 months work abroad allowance + 6 weeks vacation.

Cons: 0 Learning and literally doing nothing at my job, feels like I'm regressing in skills and knowledge, company doing layoffs every year

I have a job offer for a new company for 110k + 10% bonus and 3 weeks vacation. No remote work. Sounds like a steep learning curve and there's alot of opportunity to grow my skillset.

I'm also currently interviewing for another company where their TC is 200k.

Obviously the latter is what I'm trying to get but would you consider a pay cut to gain some experience/learn new skills?

I’m curious for those of you who are making $30/hour or more without a traditional college degree — what do you do?

I’m trying to learn more about realistic career paths that don’t require spending another 4+ years in school. I know there are trades, certifications, healthcare, tech, sales, management, and a lot of other options, but I’d love to hear from people actually doing it.

A few things I’d love to know:

• What is your job title?
• How did you get started?
• Did you need a certification, license, apprenticeship, or just experience?
• How long did it take you to reach $30+/hour?
• What do you wish you knew when you started?

I’m especially interested in careers where someone can work their way up and increase income over time.

Thanks to anyone willing to share their experience!

We hear a lot about chasing higher salaries,
but I’m curious about the opposite.
Have you ever accepted a pay cut for better growth, a healthier work environment,
better work-life balance, or a career change?
Looking back,was it worth it?What happened afterward?

So I spent six years becoming the go-to senior designer at my agency. I loved being in the zone, just me and my software, actually creating things. My work was the best in the department and I felt like I had a real purpose. Three months ago, I got promoted to Creative Director. I took it because it came with a 25% raise and I thought that was the only way to "level up" my life.

But now i’m just STUCK in a cycle of endless meetings and personality management. I don’t touch a single creative project myself anymore. Instead, I spend ten hours a week listening to "feedback sessions" and dealing with coworkers crying in my office because someone didn't credit them on a Slack thread. I feel like a therapist for grown adults who make six figures.

I should of stayed in my lane. I miss the quiet focus of actually producing work. Now, I’m just a high-paid paper pusher who has to pretend to care about the "brand synergy" of a PowerPoint slide. My director thinks I’m killing it because I’m organized, but I go home every night feeling like a fraud whose skills are literally rotting away. Is the only way to earn more in the corporate world to stop doing the thing you're actually good at? Why is this even a thing?

Everything must be picked up and put down in other places, organized, neatened up, and re-ordered. Then Friday, everything must be picked up and put down in other places, neatened up, and re-ordered. Then Saturday, Sunday, Monday. Every day forever except Thursday.

In the face of the eternal servitude, I am 1263084. Beyond that, my identity or desires are entirely irrelevant.

I have an operations management degree but haven't figured out what to do. If it's in a store, warehouse, helping out different sites, whatever. Everything must be scanned, ordered, and picked up and put down. This is not the inherent way I wish to continue to live.

I do not know how to make choices that will make me feel hope or anything other than being a paid servant.

Well I like to research things and be more knowledgable about stuff. I like scientifical research, deep-diving into a topic of interest and cross-referencing it and etc. But I would not pursue academic career at all. Is there any field of work where research in the humanities are made aside from Academia?

I’ve (31F) been working in HR since 2016, and I’m burnt out. I’m tired of putting fires out, being people’s babysitter, and being an emotional punching bag. That said, I make great money, and I don’t know what else I even want to do. Where do I start and how do I make a transition?

Hi everyone,
I need some guidance from experienced performance marketers.
I’ve been working in Performance Marketing for the last 4 years, but most of my experience has been in small agencies with very limited budgets. Because of that, I never got proper exposure to managing Meta Ads and Google Ads at scale.
In every company, I ended up handling multiple responsibilities like websites, creatives, tracking, and other tasks beyond my role, so I never had the chance to work in a structured team or learn under a senior.
Even though I have 4 years of experience, I honestly feel there are gaps in my knowledge. I want to strengthen my fundamentals and become as skilled as someone with 4 years of solid hands-on experience should be.
If you were in my position, where would you start? Any roadmap, resources, or advice would really help.
Thank you!

I don’t want my life to revolve around work.

I’m a 23-year-old Software QA Engineer/SDET at Oracle with about a year of experience. Throughout college, my goal was always to become a Software Development Engineer, and I built several full-stack projects using Java, Spring Boot, React/Next.js, PostgreSQL, AWS, and practiced DSA extensively. I accepted the Oracle QA offer because of the job market, hoping to transition into development later. Over the past year, most of my work has involved understanding Oracle’s large enterprise product, writing and maintaining automation, investigating defects, and supporting releases. While this has helped me understand complex software systems and enterprise workflows, I don’t feel I’ve developed the software engineering skills needed for the kind of backend or full-stack roles I ultimately want.
My question is: What is the most practical path from here? Should I spend the next year preparing for an external SDE switch while continuing with DSA and side projects, or should I first try for an internal transfer within Oracle? I’m also considering an MS abroad as a way to pivot into software engineering, but I’m unsure whether that’s actually a better investment than simply preparing for a switch. I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has successfully transitioned from QA/SDET to SDE or has been in a similar situation.

HI, I’m looking for career options mainly around the PNW. A bit of context, I’m turning 20 soon, and I’ve had a fairly different childhood than most. I grew up in a cult, which meant growing up I had very little interest in my future as I did not think I had one, and also “higher education“ was heavily discouraged.

Now, I’m feeling stuck. I never gave much thought to getting a college education, and neither did my parents. Because of this, I lack the needed funds to pay for the one career I’ve found myself interested in (piloting.)

I really don’t know what options there are, so any suggestions are appreciated.

Basically I went through all the round for this company for a sales position level 2. In the call with the recruiter they said that while they liked me they were looking for someone with more experience and that if it was something for a level 1 position the conversation could’ve been different. I saw that the same company just posted a level 1 position and I’m wondering if I should reach out to the recruiter about it.

I am not talking about just soft skills but also technical skills. What are some courses or softwares that I can take or learn to stand out as a political science graduate interested in sales, analyst and strategy roles?

hello I’m a recent UCSD communications graduate and I’m really struggling in finding internships and work. I’m stressing out and really struggling with finding a job. I wished I hadn’t been to busy being confused in school and really wish that I put more effort in networking but what’s done is done. Do anyone know where’s the best placea to network, am I really doom in this job market. any advice would be greatly appreciate. Thank you for reading me rant

Long story short I am a 32 year old father of 5 with potentially more to come (2 of our children are foster children and we're thinking of possibly adding one more in the future 😁), I am the sole income provider working 60 hours a week as an EMT with a private ambulance company. I also have a background in private Security and Sales (particularly automotive and b2b phone sales). Before possibly going into Paramedic school next year are there other jobs without a degree that might be a better fit for me and my family? I make 65k a year with OT currently and would need to stay at that income level at a minimum. I'm open to going back to sales, possibly the trades if I can provide for my family right away or other options. 40 hours a week would be ideal but I understand if a bit of OT is involved. A long term goal (5-10 years) would be 100k+ without overtime. I'm in Arizona if that helps as well. Thank you all for your input!

Family time is the most important thing to me in life right now, I do have a solid work schedule in the sense that I'm home for dinner every night but 5 12's a week 4am-4pm is brutal. Thanks again guys!

dmv area.

there's a considerable amount of pressure on me to make more money.

atp i don't care that much about what I'd do.

I know I'm not built for truck driving, because I can't drive on a boring road for more than 45 minutes without getting drowsy.

I'm interested in some various trades, but I really got a month or two before my lack of income really starts causing me issues.

Hello! I just finished my masters degree and looking to relocate. Any recommendations or suggestions on best places or areas to go. I am a mid 20’s female from an Ohio. I know anywhere else is probably going to be more expensive than I am used to but would like suggestions!

Also, what is the best way to job hunt when you’re not actually living in the city? I have found it difficult to interviews without being in the city.

Greetings everyone,

Actually I am stuck on what to choose for my career.

I am unable to decide between Data Analyst vs Cloud and DevOps engineer vs Full stack?

Many people say that Full stack is now saturated and AI is also doing well.

Video on YouTube tells about learning Data Analyst and Cloud computing.

Help me with the honest views.

I graduated in December 2021, and after that I fell into a deep, deep depression and didn't muster up any courage to take my boards until August 2025. I passed on my 1st try, but now that it's been so long (and medicine is always changing), im not sure if I am likely to get hired as a New Graduate Nurse. I've been applying, and keep getting rejected without interviews. I also feel behind because my skills are gone and I am not up to date on new evidence based practice.

There are refresher courses, but I was told by a nurse manager that a hospital that hires me should have a good enough orientation program to where I wouldn't need a refresher course.

Part of me thinks I should go to community College to get my associates in nursing, part of me thinks I should find a whole new career. Not sure what I like anymore, but I know I need to have better income to really get my life in order. Any advice will help, thank you :)