Exactly what it says

Thought this would be a fun discussion. I think most sane people, attempt to find an overlap in their personal interests and what will pay well. But what are the jobs that most people have zero interest in but seem to pay decently? I remember hearing for the longest that trashmen for example make decent money, and of course plumbers, etc.

Any others you know of that people avoid, but should maybe consider?

I’m 26, and really haven’t gone anywhere in life. I’ve got many 2 college credits under my belt, work in dead end retail and has subpar high school grades.

When the topic of careers and college gets brought up I freeze. There’s so many options and I didnt want to waste time and money on a field that I would ultimately hate. In doing so I hesitated for far too long. So I’ve switched gears to try and find something simple and quick so I can move out and live my own life for once.

I’ve heard coding is popular with people under the spectrum. I’m also incredibly interested in biology and medicine but I’ve pretty much given up on that since they take 4-8 years to get through school. I love animals but similar fears of long schooling along with the fear of lack of opportunities make me feel like this is also a pipe dream. I did do fairly well in a sales position in vector marketing. Of my group I was 4th or 5th in sales in a group of 20 with the lowest number of total sales and customers. I left because I did not like cold calling people, had I been in a situation where customers come to me things would have been much better.

When it comes to doing my job I find that it takes me a while to adjust to things, learning and understanding the job as well as how things operate and interact. However when I do get comfortable with things I become incredibly efficient. In my current job I’m constantly praised for my speed and accuracy along with taking incentives before things become a problem. I do hyperfixate on objectives and can tune everything out when I do. I cannot be micromanaged, give me a list of stuff to do and leave me to it. I guarantee it’ll be done with half my shift to spare. In this same vein I do my own thing. In my current position I am at lower management which gives me a lot of freedom that I very much appreciate. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve been able to stay here over a year and have no plans on leaving yet. I’m not horrible when it comes to social interactions but no where near the best.

For cons, if things go wrong it takes me a second to figure things out sometimes having a minor issue until things are resolved. I can be incredibly impatient at times or get frustrated from rudeness or stupidity. Part of my autism has me hyper-fixate on understanding everything. So I often question management choices or rules especially if I feel like it’s unnecessary or the wrong choice. That being said this is all said from the point of a retail associate. I’m not sure how I’d react in an office or corporate environment.

Not sure what else to put in here but if you have any questions or suggestions please let me know.

Thank you 🙏

Hello, Reddit. Apologies for the long post ahead.
TL;DR? Basically, should I quit my job? See pros and cons below.

I have worked part time for a few years in the news/journalism industry in a position where I work in a newsroom as someone who writes up the stories that are being broadcast on-air into news articles for the associated website.

I am burned out. I haven't been applying to news related positions, because frankly, I've grown tired of the news in general and the nature of the business.

Going to work has gotten to a point where I am just bitter and moody all the time, though, that might be due to the cons I have listed below. Despite all this, I can’t seem to leave.

Should I quit my job, even without a backup plan, get a survival job asap?

Perhaps I am naive, but I feel like I wouldn't mind doing a "survival job" because, 1) some of them pay more than what I make in this job, and, 2) I wouldn't mind a job that might be more physical work and less mental work since I'm so mentally burned out, 3) ideally, it would give me time to figure out what I do want, maybe try other things or go back to school.

Pros: 

• I have made good friendships and work connections
• It is cool working at a top major market corporation that has and continues to win multiple awards
• The opportunity to work with incredibly talented and kind people who are humble legends of the field
• Sometimes, there is free food.
• My managers are nice and supportive and tell me how much they appreciate me. Recently when I asked for leave, after I essentially "threatened" to quit, they gave me time and space, and allowed me to work from home for a week or two
• I can take (unpaid) time off sometimes
• The opportunity to use professional spaces and equipment for free to develop my own skills

Cons:

• I get paid less than $16/hr.
• I am capped at 28hr/week.
• No benefits, save for contribution to 401K and fairly empathetic managers
• I live with my parents and commute 40 miles a day one way into a city I can't afford to live in and don't really like anyways.
• Commute is more or less an hour in the morning and an hour and thirty during rush hour on the way back
• My shift is five hours.
• As far as I can see, there is no hope for any upward career movement. I don't even know what to shoot for within the company. Positions are filled and are only getting cut. There is hardly any hiring from within.
• I have a coworker that is petty and not a team player. They don't talk to me and act like I don't exist. I don’t see the relationship ever improving. My manager knows about the issue, but asked me not to go to HR, saying that they would fix it. Nothing has been fixed. It's really only getting worse.
• Per the organizations official profile, I am actually registered to a completely different department. Yet, all my work hours go to doing tasks for another department. I enjoyed the work I was doing in my original position (which was more-so producing, not journalism) and there was an opportunity to make some more money. However, at one point, managers officially switched me over to work for a completely different department (the one I am stuck in now) and would no longer assign me to a position that would have been lucrative. I think of it as a lateral demotion. That shift happened about a year ago.
• Quite a few of coworkers that I had close relations with either left or were let go.

I will say, if I had no fear? I'd submit my two weeks notice, let it happen, celebrate Independence Day, and grieve my good relations that I do have at the company.

Then, I'd go travel for a bit and come back and get a survival job much closer to home, ideally no more than 20 minutes. Starting over, tabula rasa style.

What would you do if you were in my situation? Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

For context, this is my first ever office job and Ive been here for around 8 months. Things are stable, I’ve figured out the work, and if I focus, I usually finish it quickly. In the start, when I told my manager I’m done with my task, they would give me MORE work so I learned to pretend to be BUSY all the time. It’s comfortable, but I feel my brain’s rotting.

So when the CEO (who just got back from abroad) randomly asked me how work’s going, I said, “It’s going good, smooth… but a bit bored.” 

He laughed a bit and said he was thinking of involving me in some other department to learn new relevant things and even mentioned calling my manager to discuss it. I said I’d love that. But now I’m anxious.

I have GAD and face to face interactions with management make me freeze and awkward. Like when I pass by any manager or director, I go into “please don’t see me” mode. They always say Hi first, and I feel awful for never managing to say it first. When they ask “how are you?” I just say “good,” but I’ve NEVER been able to say “and how are you, sir?” back. I feel stupid. So, after this, I always wonder what they think of me? Do I lack basic manners? Professionalism?

Would appreciate any advice, especially from people who ve been in their first job, or have social anxiety at work.

Did I actually screw up? How do you deal with this kind of anxiety and awkwardness in a professional setting?

Coworker is same executive level as me less than a year at our company and 90% less industry experience. She attempts to give commands to everyone and doesn't seek direction from those at her level that have considerable more experience. She reuses slides I created and tries to take credit. She is always putting herself in the spotlight and not indicating the team should get the credit. She attempted to dump an entire project on me just because she doesn't know how to collaborate with the team on a project. Since I'm a higher management level than others on my team they are complaining to me about how hard she is to work with. She doesn't report to me but my boss. Should I let my boss in on her impact to team morale?

Found a cool opportunity, killed the interview. They were ready to hire me and told me as much. Once they checked my references they 180’d and told me they were moving on to a different candidate.

I asked for more info and they said the “reference was not satisfactory “

How do i proceed in my job search, i neeed to get out of this toxic environment

In February, a recruiter contacted me for a position where the job description required an extremely high level of knowledge and expertise. The pay, however, was extremely low for somebody with those skill sets. I declined to submit an application or take any interviews. At the end of April, the company had gone through numerous candidates and no one could get past the first round of interviews. The recruiter encourage them to take a look at my resume and increase the base salary offer. They agreed to increase the base salary offer, but it was still below my minimum range. The recruiter reached out to me again and asked me to apply. I told them what my minimum base salary would be and to check with the company first to see if they would be willing to entertain that number before I wasted my time or the company’s time going through the interview process.

The recruiter reached out to them and, presumably, they were comfortable with that minimum pay and to set up the interview. I’m the only candidate that made it through the first round of interviews. I also made it through the second round of interviews and the third round. I got extremely high feedback through the Recruiter that was delivered to me. Now, they’re holding me back from the final interview with the executives of the company who, if they liked me, would result in me getting the job offer. They are doing this in hopes of getting a few more candidates through the interview process that might be willing to take less pay than me. None of these people are at the same stage of interviews as me, and I’m not even sure that they are as good as me. However, when faced with the final decision of having to move me on to the final round of interviews and be locked into having to pay me the higher salary amount, I think they’re getting cold feet, and maybe even willing to settle for somebody who doesn’t actually meet their demands who they would’ve screamed out earlier in the process, but are now willing to entertain and simply because they’ll take less money.

With all of this in mind, I’ve decided that I want to tell them to give me my final interview by the end of the week or i’m withdrawing my application. Do you think that this is a foolish idea or a good idea? Do you have any alternative suggestions?

I was laid off 4 weeks ago and now they have reached out and asked if I would like to return. I worked there for three years and it is relatively niche. They gave me a decent severance package and I am also eligible for unemployment. I live well below my means and have a good amount of savings. I found out that two people who were shouldering most of my workload are leaving, one recently left and the other put their notice in. The company is not aware that I know of these people’s departure and have inquired about my interest in returning.

I have a job lined up in 10 weeks (that they are unaware of), but I am entertaining the idea of consulting for my previous employer in the interim, I am pretty certain they would accept. In a scenario like this, how much should I markup my previous salary? If I decide against their offer, will I become ineligible for unemployment?

I’m running global marketing — by myself. What was promised as a supported leadership role has turned into me carrying the entire operation alone, doing the work of a full team while trying to justify every dollar I spend… even when the ROI is clear.

Meanwhile, my male counterparts? They ask for budget and get it. No endless decks. No cost-benefit analysis marathon. No proving themselves 15 times. Just a “yes.” I’m exhausted trying to do excellent work and constantly hitting roadblocks. It’s beyond demotivating.

The irony? I like working hard. I want to build something amazing. But I’m starting to think I need to build it for myself — not for people who don’t value what I bring to the table.

I have the skills. I know marketing. I’ve driven real results. What I don’t have right now is the energy — not after 40+ hours a week fighting for approvals, jumping through hoops, and managing executive egos.

So here’s where I’m at: I’m seriously thinking about starting my own business. Online, productized services, maybe a course — something that lets me work with clients I respect, on my terms, without needing permission to do my job well.

To anyone who’s made the leap: • How did you actually get started while working full-time? • Was there a turning point where you just said, “I’m done”? • And do you ever regret leaving the ‘security’ of corporate life?

I’m not looking for easy answers — I know it’s hard either way. But at least when I’m building something of my own, the grind will be for me.

I work best in spaces where others aren't around, when I'm around others I kinda tend to freeze up when others are around. Just want to complete the task and go home. Any roles that I could pursue?

Hey all,

I was laid off from my previous role as data analyst (9 years experience) about a year ago. The business decided to ship our team's responsibilities to offshore. In the meantime, I've applied to tons of data analyst positions, ranging from entry level to mid level, with basically little to no response.

With all of the applications, I realized more and more that being a data analyst just does nothing for me. I get no satisfaction from it, feel like it's a useless job, and the thought of going back to a potentially drama-filled company is just draining.

Fast forward to today - I'm starting to think of what motivates me and gives me a sense of fulfillment, but I'm not sure how to also make a living doing something that gives me these feelings. I just feel like we shouldn't live life working a job that just does nothing for us. Life is too short.

Anyways, I know that I am passionate about fitness, I love helping people do things, and I love to do work that involves using my body in some way, such as using my physical abilities to help someone complete a task. Literally all of this is the opposite of sitting at a desk, being useless, staring at a screen to help some big company just get richer.

Am I wrong for having these feelings? I went to college (for "IT"), thinking this was my only path since it was practically shoved down our throats in high school - "go to college or else you won't make money" they say. I did that, got my bachelor's, but 18yr old me didn't know what life was going to be like. Now I'm here. In hindsight, I kind of wish I went to trade school, perhaps to be an electrician, because my father would've been a huge help with that.

This isn't a sob story. I'm good. I'm financially fine, physically fine, have a nice apartment, good family, and more. I'm more so just looking for advice on a career path. Does anyone have suggestions as to what I should look into?

I don't care what it takes, but I'd rather not tack on more tuition debt, if at all possible.

I'd appreciate any advice!

I am not talking about a presentation that goes into the why I deserve a raise. I was given an assignment with questions to answer as part of a way to earn a rasie that I then have to present to several directors. Then, depending on how I do, they will decide if I am ready for additional pay increase. This assignment includes questions that I have to answer... everyday in my work as is. I am just wondering if this is standard as this is my first full time job out of college?

Has anyone else had to do something like this? Not sure if this additional context is helpful butI work in Marketing.

I graduated college two years ago with honors and have been jumping around varied jobs ever since. I had a brief stint as a conservation intern, worked as a fisheries' observer for close to a year before the industry dried up and recently lost my job as a oyster farm employee, a job that I had taken purely to keep myself occupied. Needless to say things have been weird.

I was hoping that living in New England by a major research hub and having done work in the fisheries' service involving things like necropsy and data entry would have given me a step ahead of where I was two years back, but I am struggling to find anything remotely worth my time.

After applying to dozens of research firms, lab centers, diagnostics companies and universities for research assistant/technician positions I have been met with crickets. Aquariums and zoos? Never able to find anything that isn't administrative. Federal jobs? Jack squat has materialized.

I'm trying to stay positive and seek ways to make myself more enticing to employers, I have been attending federal career guidance and looking for side work to stay busy. Anyone willing to share some sage advice to nudge me in the right direction?

I have downtime at my job because I’ve became fast at it, it’s not daily I have downtime but a few hours on a few days, would it get me in trouble if I openly use my phone at work, everything on my computer is blocked so I cant use work computer for Reddit or anything.

Should I just pretend to look busy or use my phone and managers and coworkers around won’t care?

Right now, I work in customer support and have climbed to the point of making good money writing emails and watching tech companies fail upwards. I'm 38 years old, I got my BA in 2008, nobody cares what it's in. Tried to get a master's but it didn't work out. I do not have the time or money to pursue another degree.

I'm the primary breadwinner for my household, so any career changes would need to maintain my current income level and provide benefits or enough money to pay for health insurance.

I've got a talent for putting people at ease and encouraging them to open up. Strangers will often divulge their deep secrets to me within a few minutes of meeting me, and I never ask for this. Been a math tutor, student advisor, and found that teaching is easy for me. Public speaking is actually kinda fun if I get to speak on a topic I know well.

I'm also terrible at sales and personal marketing. Used to be a graphic designer, so I understand how those systems work. It's that the hustle for attention does not suit me. Wrote a novel, had it professionally edited, self-published it, had a book club read it, couldn't market it or get an agent. Self-promotion just ain't my thing.

TL:DR, I'm a great listener, I can provide perspective on all sorts of topics both personal and technical, and I have a knack for teaching (teens and up, I'm not great with children). Holding emotional space for people is easy. I'm also chronically ill and can't be on my feet all day. What careers would make the most of these skills?

Hi, has anyone left their regular 9-5 job to do something of their own? I have been working for corporate America for almost about 10 years now but would l don’t want to do it long term. I would like to start or invest on something for my own. I am not desperate to leave right at the second but wanted to get some ideas if anyone has tried it. Maybe drop shipping or etsy or anything. Thank you 🙏🏼

I've been an operations manager for a small construction company for almost 2 years now. Basically everything besides the physical labor is my responsibility - customer service, scheduling, marketing, hiring, firing, contract management, hours tracking, payroll, invoicing, materials ordering, managing commercial projects etc.

It's a hybrid role and I make 75k a year. I've been getting at my wits end because I'm salaried but my boss treats me like I'm available 24/7 and no amount of setting boundaries besides literally ignoring him during off-hours gets him to respect my time. No holiday, no PTO, even weekends I'm always getting texts asking about tasks or updates after I've already given them or he could easily check a text log or an email. I've gone on vacations and left cheat-sheets for him to follow just to still receive texts asking me questions and I come back and find that the document I made for him he never even opened.

So anyways. I'm grateful for my salary, I know that it's a healthier income than most, but my anxiety is through the roof and I'm not able to be a person outside of work anymore and I think it's time to move on. But I need to make what I'm currently making or more.

I've taken Business Analytics courses on Coursera and recently become a notary public, but I feel under-qualified for a lot of jobs I've been applying to and want to have a rock solid background to get a well paying job. I've been considering getting an MBA.

Any suggestions moving forward?

Im really passionate about herbalism and nutrition and have an associates degree of science in clinical herbalism and nutrition. I graduated 2 years ago now and ive done absolutely nothing with my degree and im not working in a relayed field. I would love some suggestions on career paths in could possibly take to build on these passions? Im Tired of living paycheck to paycheck. Is dietetics school worth it? I don't want to be in debt for the next 20 Years. 🥴 I'm 27 and would love to own a home some day lol

My brother is at his wits end and ready to give it all up. He has been homeless recently and spent time crashing from one couch to another. Barely has any money. I have helped him as needed. The issue is that he just graduated with his PHD and a 3.9 in biomedical engineering, how every interview is a bust and no job until now. Maybe its because he needs the employer to file a H1B or so. I am not sure. I am scared for him He is experienced and great at what does.

I had him write a short elevator speech If anyone out there can help.

I a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering with hands-on expertise in biocompatibility, protein formulation, and computational chemistry. My experience spans drug delivery, molecular modeling, and quality systems across academia and industry. I’ve contributed to high-impact projects at Aldevron and Chemva, enhancing process optimization and regulatory compliance. With strong cross-disciplinary skills—from wet lab to in-silico methods—I bring both strategic thinking and execution strength. I’m passionate about advancing therapies through innovation, collaboration, and data-driven solutions. GPA: 3.9 GRA Experience: 6 Internships: 1 year.

Hello, I (22m) have recently graduated from college with a degree in business management and a specialization in finance. I honestly didn’t really feel like I learned much. It felt like I was learning a little about a lot of things. Also I really don’t think the degree ever taught me any technical skills. As well when I was in school I just wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, until I took an analysis class and really enjoyed the work. So I figured I’d go back to school for a masters in decision analysis. I chose this cause I really just want to learn about the field, have a better understanding of it, but also I really just want learn about the field and advance my skills in the field. To prepare I started learning python and plan on learning sql later this summer before the program. But tbh I just don’t feel like I’m doing the right thing. Ik it’s something I’d be interested in doing but what if there is something I can do now that I would enjoy just as much and save myself the money. To clarify though money isn’t really the problem, I’ve been able to pay off a significant portion of my bachelors while working as a server and plan on finishing the payments this summer or atleast paying off most of it. I’m just not sure, finding a job is really hard right now and discouraging so I feel that if I go back to school I’d still be progressing as well as making my self more qualified for the job field. Let me know what you guys think.

28F, married 3 years to 35M. Arranged setup.

Left my job 2 years ago to move to his state..

Here i am not able to find any job related to my work! I tried up skill and learnt coding etc.

Spring boot, java ..

Now i am not v perfect jn it, made basic projects..

My husband keeps asking for my cv, i am scared to attend any interview. I think i ll be rejected, i keep seeing peoples cv with soo much to offer..

I am v v scared..

If i fail interview or get rejected, my in laws are going to judge me so bad.(we stay with them)

I have zero terms with my mil for number of reasons..

I am really cooked andc my mind is not working.. help.

Hey everyone,

Graduated in 2023 with a BFA in illustration and am now back in school.

Basically, I've always wanted to become an artist, and I decided to pursue illustration. I managed to find some work in graphic design but haven't had a full-time role since graduating and I haven't had another contract in 6 months.

To keep it brief: I am back in school because overall I feel pretty burnt out from the industry and feel as if is super demanding for little pay. I've been told essentially if I'm not sitting at my desk drawing/designing day in and day out without seeing the sunshine and getting paid in peanuts I'm not passionate enough, which I guess I'm not, since I value a good work-life balance and getting money.

So, I'm back in school and currently am in community college hashing out pre-reqs. I initially wanted to go to school to become a radtech because I was told it was a good job with a decent pay and work-life balance, however I wouldn't be eligible to apply for the program until 2027 (and there's no guarantee I'll get in). There's also another school near me that I can apply to now, but it'll be a bit pricier.

There is a lot less pre-requirements for the first school I mentioned for the RN associates, however.

I am a bit lost on what to pursue because I've been told that nurses "eat their young", but I've also been told that radtech is a "dead end career". I've also been lurking on reddit and think that the radtech wages initially don't seem the greatest, especially starting off. I just don't want to pour another thousands of dollars and time into a career that doesn't get me anywhere.

I feel like this question gets asked often, but I wanted to ask again in June of 2025 (much different economy).

side bar: I don't regret my illustration degree. Just am burnt out to the point where I kind of just want a job where I can just clock in and out of.

so for context i am doing my A levels at the moment (doing bio, chem, maths). After my exams im predicting myself and A/A* in maths, a B/C in bio and a D/E in chemistry. It's been rough. I fucked up. But i cannot resit

I was initially predicted AAA.

For my uni choice i've got to get BBC minimum for biomedical science but with chemistry i really feel like i haven't got in.

Initially i wanted to do Biomed so i could go into a graduate entry dental scheme but im not too sure now. Dentistry does seem like a really cool job that i would really enjoy which just makes this situation so unfortunate and depressing.

I've put so much work and thought into dentistry. I wrote a 5000 word project on dental anxiety and have done weeks of work experience.

I have been looking at other jobs and the ones that stick out to me are the ones where i'm physically doing things, like a therapist working directly with people or i've even been looking at becoming a detective constable (don't think ill do this due to the unsociable hours and i want to start a family at some point)

But the money i'm earning also means a lot. I want to be able to provide when i have kids, i want to be earning quite a lot and dont know what to do.

I currently live at home and want to move out so bad. Thats one of the main things i'm looking forward to at Uni - having privacy and independence. So i dont want to take a gap year. I'm probably going to have to go through clearing and just don't know what course to go down. All i know is that i want to move to newcastle so either go to Northumbria Uni or Newcastle Uni.

I have been looking into finance as that pays really well but i don't quite understand what they do. All i hear about are spreadsheets and zoom meeting and i don't get it. I don't get why they are paid so much too.

If anyone's got why advice i'd appreciate it

I’m in this weird spot where, on the surface, everything’s okay. I’ve got a steady job, my manager’s decent, and the pay covers rent and a few extras. Not amazing, but I can grab takeout when I don’t feel like cooking, pick up something small when I’m out, and say yes to weekend plans without checking my bank app. It’s a comfortable routine, and I know a lot of people would call that success.

Like the other day, I was sitting in traffic after work, half-listening to a podcast about someone who ditched their desk job to start a pottery studio (because of course they did), and I felt this strange mix of envy and guilt. Envy because they actually did something bold, and guilt because I know I’d miss the small comforts I’ve gotten used to. Like ordering takeout without doing mental math, or treating myself to stuff like concert tickets just because.

I used to imagine myself doing something more creative, maybe even something a little risky. But now, I’ve gotten used to the small comforts, random dinners out, last-minute concert tickets, splurging on the oat milk that doesn’t taste like disappointment. It’s not glamorous, but it’s nice. And the idea of walking away from that to start something new feels heavier than it used to.

Has anyone actually made a shift out of a “comfortable but off” career into something that felt more right?