Jobless individuals struggle with career direction
12 posts across 4 communities in the last 30 days; 58% from r/careeradvice.
“Hi, I graduated in Fall 2024 with a master's degree in data science from US. Before that, I had 4+ years of experience in healthcare research in a research lab diagnosing Alzheimer's in US after my bachelor's in computer science. I have had a couple of job-offer rescissions…”
“Hey I'm 32 years old and I graduated from university with a masters degree in biotechnology. I spent 9 months covering for a pregnant woman, as soon as she gave birth, they let me go, since then I've sent hundreds of applications to everything I can do, went to a few interviews…”
“I'm 37 years old, and I'm at a point in my life where I'm genuinely scared about what the next 10–20 years are going to look like. I'm hoping to hear from other men who have found themselves in similar circumstances, particularly those who managed to build a career relatively…”
Multiple people express feeling lost and lacking direction in their careers, some facing unemployment for extended periods. They question past decisions, feel overwhelmed by the job search process, and lack confidence in their ability to find suitable work.
SOURCES (16)
“I recently graduated from a university a couple months ago. I thought with a degree all my problems would finally start getting answers I've been seeking but honestly, I feel so lost right now. I'm not sure where I should start so I apologize if…”
“I'm 37 years old, and I'm at a point in my life where I'm genuinely scared about what the next 10–20 years are going to look like. I'm hoping to hear from other men who have found themselves in similar circumstances, particularly those who managed to build a career relatively late in life. A little background: I'm an American who moved to Portugal about a decade ago. I have dual American and Portuguese citizenship, so I'm legally able to work in both the United States and”
“Hey all, apologies if this isn't the right sub but I'd love some advice on my situation! So I (23F) graduated college last year with a BSc in Biopharmaceutical Science. I'm currently working as a QC Microbiologist in a pharma company (I'm based in Ireland for context) and I've been here for the last 1.5 years (straight out of college basically). It's a good job and I do like working in micro, I've always had an interest in it, even did my thesis on testing bioburden i”
“Long story short: Took a risk to enter healthcare and since then, I am constantly being denied multiple jobs despite working years in various labs for over a decade, having a bachelors in biology, doing original research, etc. Seems like healthcare is only about who you know, not necessarily who is fit for the job. Sure they can be one and the same, but man, after unemployment for over half a year now, I am so close to saying screw it and go into a completely different industry like law. I have”
“I graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a bachelor degree in business. I have been unemployed for the past years since graduation. I feel like I lost it. Some of my peers even called me a “loser.” I am on the spectrum and got some low motivation issues. What should I do? submitted by /u/Fleeting_Thoughts1 [link] [comments]”
“I have a Bsc Biochemistry from a top 30 UK university, worked as a software engineer for 4 years. I was made redundant last year and I am struggling to find a job in tech. I made 1 interview but didn’t make it at the last stage. I was wondering about other careers I can look into or if I should persist and keep applying to SE roles. I miss Science and was also looking into healthcare roles but ultimately I want something that leverages my skills doing analytical research and also my technical un”
“I’m 24, have a BCA degree, and I’m still jobless with zero professional experience. I graduated 4 years ago, and honestly, I haven’t done much with those 4 years. I haven’t coded, built anything, learned properly, or even used my laptop seriously since my college days. My final-year project was copied too, so I don’t have much confidence in what I actually learned back then. After my parents died, I isolated myself and basically locked myself in my bedroom. I know that’s a big part of why I lost”
“My cousin has recently begun looking to reenter the workforce following unfortunate circumstances (her husband has a heart condition, and previously worked blue-collar jobs without any benefits). Background: Late 30s. Female. Bachelors degree in mathematics and statistics. Looking for a job that is "family compatible" to some extent, and ideally uses her math background (she enjoys math). Willing to go to school to change careers, but two years maximum. Salary goals: 70k-80k USD per ye”
“I've been debating to myself for a year or 2 about this. Ideally, I wanna see the world and start working independently/remotely . After considering my options, here's what I wanna do: 1) 3 months of temporary work (parttime), combined with a remote function of copywriter, or anything with an easy-to-learn skill. This is to save up some funds. 2) There's also a program by the EU that offers me to do voluntary work abroad, starting January 1st 2027. Duration of this project is about 6”
“Hi im 26 year old male with a bachelor’s in retail graduated in 2023 and couldnt get any jobs. I have no special skills but I’d say im a fast learner and extroverted. Even though i have no exposure in corporate, i want to work in it even thought i have a bachelors in a very different major. What jobs do i apply for given the volatility of the current job market? Any advice is welcomed, thank you submitted by /u/Unique-Release1867 [link] [comments]”
“Hi, I graduated in Fall 2024 with a master's degree in data science from US. Before that, I had 4+ years of experience in healthcare research in a research lab diagnosing Alzheimer's in US after my bachelor's in computer science. I have had a couple of job-offer rescissions after graduation due to sudden Trump R&D funding cuts in 2025. After that I moved back home (India) and had some healthcare issues. Now, I am all well and ready to jump into the job, but finding it impossible”
“Hi I need some advice on how to return back to the workforce. My career path is a bit random. I did my undergrad in biology initially thinking of med school however during my undergraduate I realized it wasn’t for me but I finished my undergrad in biology bc I didn’t want to spend more time switching majors. I later then did a masters in information systems (with a data analytics concentration). I got my first corporate job as a QA tester, where I worked for 2 years. Since this was a contract ro”
“Hey I'm 32 years old and I graduated from university with a masters degree in biotechnology. I spent 9 months covering for a pregnant woman, as soon as she gave birth, they let me go, since then I've sent hundreds of applications to everything I can do, went to a few interviews but still jobless. Biotech sucks in Portugal and I blame my family for sending me down this path. I really wanted pharmacy. I was young and heeded my family's advice, . I can't take any job because I want”
“But it’s been over 20 years and I am terrified to even start. I don’t even know where to begin. Whether it’s to hire a recruiter (which who can you trust?) to even fixing my resume to meet today’s standards or which sites to trust to job search. Edit: any advice is welcome submitted by /u/nubman2000 [link] [comments]”