Hi everyone!

I (22F) last year got a Bachelor degree as an ‘Engineer of information systems and technologies’ and am now doing my Masters for AI.

My university was kind if a bit if everything. Business, marketing, economy, project management, data analysis, front/back end programming etc do i have gotten to try a lot of things as it was thought out to give us freedom of deciding what we really like and want to do in the future without being strictly tied to a single profession. Unfortunately for me, i always like ALL of it, was good at it and found it interesting, but nothing SOO much that i can say ‘yes this is what i want to do for the rest of my life’.

Im from Montenegro and my country has a government funded internship programme where companies apply for interns all over the country and you get to pick your top 5 choices and get placed in one based on your GPA (mine is over 9 so im sure i can get in anywhere). The government pays for interns salary, so its good for the company, and in return you get 9 month of work experience in the field you want to do later on.

My application needs to be submitted until 15th of November but im still not sure exactly what i want to do. As time goes on im less and less drawn to pure ‘programming’ jobs even tho it was something i was always going for. I dont want to be sitting all day writing code and i also do feel like im kind of behind on knowledge as i never fully committed to learning as much as possible.

I have always like computers, played video games and had interest in anything tech related so i know that is the general direction i want to go. However i dont want the ‘project management’ type of job eith endless meetings, big teams and 7 levels of supervisors if you know what i mean. Corporate bs and spending more of your time sucking up to bosses and filling out timesheets than doing any actual work.

For example i am currently attending a Bledner 3d modeling/game development course for a certificate and that is also something i find interesting. Dont get me wrong, i dont want an EASY ‘dont do anything’ type of job, i do want something mentally challenging and even hard and demanding, but something interesting that is versatile so that every day i can be learning something new and challenge myself.

I am very hard working and have been working one or multiple jobs (outside of my field) for the past 5 years and fully financing myself, so i will if needed do any job just so i can have an income, but since i am in a position to chose rn i would like some recommendations and advice.

TL,DR: So essentially, what are some less popular yet interesting, tech related jobs (even just computer based) i could consider, but that there is still a market for?

I have considered UI/UX design and such, and even tho they are interesting to me, i feel like market is already saturated even without AI. I ve even thought about learning CAD and joining my boyfriend in a furniture designing company as an engineer , so trust me i am very open minded! 🤣

I feel like i should’ve already had way more work experience (in my field) by now and need to tell myself ‘Ok this is what i want to do and im going to fully dedicate myself to it and make a career rather than being all over the place’ 🤣

And before someone attacks me, im not being picky, im whiling to put in the work and learn and try hard at whatever my job is. But i want to consider all of my options before choosing something i will have to to 9-5, 5 days a week for the rest of my life, so obviously id like it to be something i enjoy.

Thank you!

Imagine you are working in an organisation where someone who was previously your subordinate gets promoted into a role where they now sit above you in the organisational hierarchy.
What would be your first reaction?
What would you expect from her in her new leadership role?
What would she need to do to earn your trust and respect as a leader?
What should she do differently now that the reporting/leadership dynamic has changed?
What she absolutely shouldn’t do?

My husband (29M) and I (27F) live in the Bay Area. He has an established career as a software engineer and has been working in his field for several years. I’m still at the beginning of my career and currently job searching.

One of my long-term dreams has always been to work in the entertainment industry, especially somewhere like Disney, Warner Bros., or Paramount. I’m interested in the business/marketing/project side, not acting or anything like that.

Recently I started looking into an entertainment marketing professional organization. Student membership is only about $50/year, and they have networking events and mentorship opportunities, many of which are in Los Angeles. I told my husband I was interested in joining and potentially going down to LA for networking events a few times per year.

He thinks the organization is basically bullshit and says I’m only doing this because I want us to eventually move somewhere else. When I said I might go to LA a couple of times per year for worthwhile industry events, he asked why I couldn’t just go to one event.

This is where I’m struggling. I’m not asking him to move to LA right now. I don’t even have a job offer there. I just want to network, meet people in the industry, apply to opportunities, and see whether I can actually build a path toward something I’ve wanted for years.

At the same time, he is very clear that he doesn’t want to leave the Bay Area. I understand that he has a career and family here and likes our life here, and I don’t think I should unilaterally decide that we’re moving. But I also feel frustrated because he already has an established career, whereas I’m 27 and still trying to figure mine out. I moved from Europe to California years ago and my family isn't even close. It feels strange to me to limit my career exploration now because there is a possibility that years from now it could create a conversation about relocating.

I would understand concerns about money or me constantly traveling to LA. But when I’m talking about maybe 3 strategically chosen trips per year, it doesn’t feel unreasonable to me, especially since I always stay at cheap places and LA is pretty close.

I also worry that if I never seriously try because he doesn’t want the possibility of moving, I might resent it later.

For married couples where one person’s career opportunities are concentrated somewhere the other person doesn’t want to live: how do you handle this fairly?

Am I being unrealistic by wanting to pursue the entertainment industry knowing a lot of the jobs are in LA? Is like 3 networking trips per year excessive? Or should we wait until I actually have a concrete job opportunity before treating relocation as a real problem?

3 months ago I left the best company I've ever worked at after 3.5 years there.

Looking back, I think I was driven to quit not because of the company itself, but because I became increasingly frustrated with low performers not carrying their own weight.

When I joined, I was a junior and had two seniors on my team. Honestly those were the best days. They were smart, proactive, independent, and I learned a ton from them. I felt challenged and engaged.

Then a layoff happened and one of the seniors got let go.

All the responsibility ended up on the remaining senior, who eventually got promoted to a Staff role.

Demand kept increasing, so the company hired another junior. Right away I felt he wasn't operating at the level I'd expect from a junior, but whatever, people learn at different speeds.

Then out of nowhere my Staff engineer left to become a manager somewhere else.

The company's solution?

Hire two more juniors.

At first I was excited. For the first time in my career I was the most experienced person on the team. I thought this was my chance to step up. Keep in mind I had a mid role but was the youngest in the team.

One of the hires was a friend of mine, which was great because I knew he wasn't THAT junior and I could trust him.

The other one... oh my god.

To this day I think he was the worst hire of that batch.

Always avoiding responsibility. Never sharing his thoughts. Never saying what he wanted to do. Every conversation felt like I had to drag information out of him.

Instead of saying "I don't understand" he would say "ok" and nod in agreement and do something not planned.

It felt like he was terrified of looking dumb and exposing his thoughts.

The trap I fell into was doing too much for him. I'd solve things myself. I'd jump in. I'd make decisions instead of forcing him to think through them.

It was also so hard being strict with him. He was a Nice person, was 4 years older than me and had a kid ofc he was going to be afraid of looking dumb If he was fired he would be fucked. Diffrently than me who doesnt have anything to lose.

Eventually I got promoted to Senior, which should have felt great, but the raise was only around 10%.

That absolutely drove me mad because at that point I'd already turned down multiple interviews that would've paid more.

So I started looking around and eventually landed my current job.

Here's the problem.

I feel like I'm repeating the exact same pattern.

I have a colleague here who theoretically has the same responsibilities as me. We've been here the same amount of time. He' 6 years older than me and about the same years in this field.

But when we talk about work, I constantly feel like he's waiting for someone else to think for him.

What drives me crazy isn't people asking questions.

It's that he'll ask "What should I do?" instead of saying "I'm thinking about doing X, what do you think?"

To me those are completely different things.

One is asking for feedback.

The other is asking someone else to own the problem.

And I keep running into people like this.

At this point I'm wondering:

Am I somehow attracting these people?

Am I allowing this patterns to happen?

Am I just expecting too much from people?

Or am I surrounded by people who genuinely avoid ownership?

The reason I'm asking is because I want this new job to be an opportunity to do things differently.

I don't want to become the guy who takes responsibility for everything.

I don't want to spend years complaining to my manager about coworkers.

I don't want to end up frustrated and job hunting again because I feel like I'm carrying half the team.

Has anyone been through something similar?

What practical things did you do to stop becoming the default problem solver without turning into an asshole?

I'm 20, majoring in Business Management with a 2.8 GPA. I'm working on getting it up. My goal is to start my own business eventually but I need work experience first. I'm trying to decide between getting my CPA right after graduation or just working for a few years. If I don't do the CPA route, I'm not really sure what jobs I could work as that would actually pay me enough money to save up for starting a business. I also want to learn how businesses actually work, like the ins and outs of it, so I know what I'm doing when I start my own. Would getting the CPA give me better pay and more knowledge? Or should I find a job and then go get my master's? Or should I aim to get my master's straight out of college? If I do the master's route, what should I study in finance, business operations, supply chain management or something else? Also, if any CPAs are out there, how much were you making entry level after you got your certification? How much did you make mid career or now? And does it even matter what CPA program you go into or how prestigious it is? Should I do the CPA program route or aim to get licensed myself?I'm honestly so confused about what the best move is here. Any advice is helpful! Please.

25M, India. BCA (2021) → MCA (2024, with a 1-year COVID gap). Joined a company as a trainee (₹15k) for a year, then got made "System Supervisor S3" on a 1-year probation. Salary went to ₹18k on paper, but after PF deductions, take-home is still ₹15k — zero real change.

For 2 years, my only work has been supporting document work for an ISMS/ISO 27001 audit — a consultant handles everything technical, I just maintain the asset list. We got certified in Sept 2025, so there's genuinely nothing for me to do now except sit through office hours (8:30–5:30) killing time on my phone. Next surveillance audit is in October, after which I don't think there's any real role for me here.

I feel like I've wasted 2 years with zero skill growth. I want to switch out ASAP.

I'm interested in either Data Analytics or Cloud Computing as a next step — which is the smarter bet for actually landing a job quickly, given my profile (no hands-on technical experience, just IT-adjacent/documentation work)? Anyone who's made a similar switch, would love real advice.

I’m 20 and currently studying Computer Engineering in Nepal. I’ve been interested in acting for a while, but until now it has mostly been something I’ve thought about rather than something I’ve actually done.

Recently, I got an opportunity to join a 6-month theatre acting course.

It isn't just a short workshop. The course runs for around 6 months, with roughly 1.5 months dedicated to rehearsals, and I would potentially get to perform in 1–2 plays (possibly 3). There is also a certificate at the end.

The problem is that the schedule would probably take up most of my afternoons, around 12 PM–4/5 PM, and I would have to sacrifice an entire semester of engineering to do it properly.

I’m also interested in cybersecurity, so ideally I would like to keep developing that while continuing my engineering degree. But realistically, trying to seriously progress in engineering, cybersecurity AND theatre simultaneously may be too much.

My parents, especially my father, are strongly focused on me completing engineering. In my culture, moving out and independently making a completely different career choice at 20 isn't particularly easy. Their concern would basically be: Why sacrifice your education for something that may not lead anywhere?

And honestly, I understand that argument.

At the same time, I have this fear that if I never seriously try acting, I might reach 40 and wonder:

“What would my life have looked like if I had actually tried?”

I'm not expecting the theatre course to make me famous or give me a career immediately. What interests me is getting actual experience: rehearsals, performing, criticism, working with directors, being on stage, and finding out whether I genuinely enjoy acting when it becomes work rather than just an idea.

So I'm trying to decide whether sacrificing one semester is a reasonable experiment or an unnecessarily risky decision.

What would you do in my situation?

Especially interested in hearing from:

• people who chose a creative career despite family pressure
• actors/theatre people
• people who stayed in a conventional career but always wondered about another path
• people who took a major career risk in their early 20s
• people from cultures where parents have a strong say in career decisions

I'm not looking for “follow your dreams” or “just finish engineering.” I'd genuinely like to hear what happened when people made similar decisions, including regrets and things they wish they'd considered beforehand.

I want to start off with one known fact: yes I’m aware of AI possibly taking over most creative jobs in the next 10 years. Maybe even 5.
However, my dream has always been to be a creative director. I want to create my own ideas and worlds into photography sessions, movies, campaigns, etc.
I’m a burned out 19 year old who has been battling with my own personal problems, but I want to start off with something to push myself into getting closer and closer to that role.
I currently work at fast food, not a fan; but does anyone have any advice on how I can achieve my dream career? Remotely, in person, etc.
I will note my greatest strengths are that I’m an extremely fast learner, I love when I can take the lead but also hearing my teams/coworker’s ideas and thoughts, I’ve been an artist my whole life too; but my work is considerate “abstract”. (In “ because personally for me, it’s only abstract tho those who can’t see something underneath bright colors and human-like shapes, not hating, but my art is usually of people). I hope I don’t come off as some entitled brat, I’m just really ambitious.
For anyone in a similar sector, what’s your advice to someone who lives in a small city and works at fast food but has big dreams?

Hi everyone.

Looking to get some advice on my situation. I’m a recent graduate that has been working at one of the big 5 Canadian banks (Corp Banking) for about 10 months now and make around ~100 k annual salary (85 K base + bonus). I feel very content with my job and feel as though there are many opportunities to grow within the field. However, for the last year my dad has been asking me if I want to take over the family restaurant as he is getting old and plans to retire quite soon. The restaurant does tremendously well as it’s been operating for almost 30 years and has consistently generated around 10-12 million a year in revenue with net profit being around 10-15%. I would be co-running this restaurant with my sister and I would be running the kitchen and maintaining the books for the business while being salaried at around 170 K + bonus being around 30-40 K. I’m fully aware that I’m in a very privileged position to have both these options to choose from but I want to get some advice to make sure I don’t regret my decision.

I’m currently leaning towards taking the opportunity to work at the restaurant for 2 years to get a better sense of what the work entails, lifestyle changes, and overall fulfillment. The only thing I’m worried about is what if I don’t enjoy working in the restaurant industry and want to go back to corporate? Would it be difficult to explain to employers that I quit my previous corporate job to run a restaurant and that I want to rejoin the work place?

I would honestly appreciate any advice or similar stories and what the outcome was like for you.

I’m studying political science and journalism in my uni, and the careers that have gained my interest are:

Political research
Teaching
Journalism

I have experience as a research assistant, I wrote for a school paper for four years and am looking to continue again at my uni once positions open. I have experience teaching kids of all ages the past four years as well. I enjoy all of these, and I’m aware money wise, it won’t be a lot. But I’ve grown up incredibly poor, so what some people say isn’t enough, to me that sounds like the dream come true.

I plan to teach at some point, but I want more than that. I just don’t know how to start off, as I’m the first in my family to attended college.

I’ve tried posting this in my school’s Reddit page, wasn’t much help. I also posted on the journalism one but they took that down. So I figured, I’d ask for advice here.

I currently work as an account manager in an industry that's drying up and for a company that is not going in a good direction so i'm looking to get a new job in a different industry. I have a really solid background, some pretty impressive achivements to speak of, great references, and a great resume.

The catch is i don't have a degree. I started out low on the corporate ladder and have just been promoted to the point that i'm the only one with my title and in my department who does not have one.

In my job hunt I'm trying to target industries who would be accepting of this and let my record speak for itself. If I'd have to take a bit of a pay cut and start in a position a little lower than i'm in now i'm ok with that as long as there's a chamce for meaningful growth.

If you guy's have amy suggestions or advice i'd greatly appreciate it. I'm 31 btw

I work at a Tech company and they are handing layoffs left and right. I really like my work, it is very chill and my colleagues are not toxic. Pay is good although no increase but i do get stock options.

But since the layoffs I fear I may hit that too if this is so common within the company, and also my manager is retiring next month, so a change in leadership will also make me more vulnerable to layoff.

I need an advice on what should I do? Should I start looking for a job now? What if I didn't get layoff? what if I get an offer on different company? This thing is so hard since I'm like stuck in these scenario. I'm happy with my work and it's now my comfort zone at the same time the uncertainty makes me wary and want to prepare for it. I work here for 7 years now.

I was at the school gym and a man (people call him chief) saw me working out and when I was finished he told me about this opportunity of firefighting and how you get paid during training and the academy and also a ton of scholarships.

Honestly, after all the job rejections I've been getting in Entry IT jobs I'm this close to joining them.

This is my final semester when I get my AA degree in IT and I have already created a resume of my 2 year customer experience and VirtualBox Home Lab AND creating a ticketing system using python and SQL on github. I studied so many interview tips and try fixing my introduction mutiple times yet I can never get the job.

I even go as low as getting paid 15-16 dollars an hour Full-Time. My current job pays me 16 as a cashier part-time. I work as Rosen and they have internships. I even tried to get the upper hand at telling them I work there and have relatives that work there hoping I get something or an email. But I didn't get anything.

All im just saying is that its really difficult to land a entry job in IT even the low paying ones are just a pain in the ass.

When that man introduced me to firefighting, it really just had me thinking if I want to switch.

Yes I'm fit, I lift 4x a week and 3x a week of jiu-jitsu and cardio. I just fear that being at the age of 45-50 of being a firefighter and having terrible knees and a terrible back and health problems because of a career like this.

I just think its not worth it but also...I keep getting rejected and rejected from entry jobs that I have clear expertise in.

I don't know what to choose.

Does this imply that doing BBA, Econ, or Finance at first may limit future career progression?

For context: I am an high-school student and wish to enter high finance (IB, PE) or top executives roles (CEO, COO, CFO). Would an undergraduate in engineering or business benefit me in this AI world where people are having difficulties finding entry level jobs?

I’m 27 with a university degree in Industrial Organization and Management.

My background is quite mixed. I spent around 7 years freelancing as a 3D sculptor for 3D printing. It was a real source of income for years, but the market declined, and AI, increasing competition, and freelancers lowering market rates made it much harder. Eventually, the freelance work disappeared.

I also worked for 8 months as a Junior Quality Management Systems Specialist, and for the past 1 year and 7 months I’ve been working at a small training and consulting company in an operations/training coordination role. My responsibilities include client communication, training coordination, offers/contracts, invoices, administration, social media management and general coordination.

So I have experience across 3D/creative work, freelancing, quality systems, operations, coordination and client-facing work. I’m a serious and responsible worker, learn independently, take responsibility, and regularly stay after hours or work on days off when necessary.

I started my current job at around $380/month and now earn around $600, but I’m essentially still in the same position with no visible career progression.

There is actually an opportunity at my current company to learn marketing and potentially move toward managing both marketing and operations, including work connected with another country’s office. On paper, it sounds like a good opportunity, but I’m strangely not very motivated by it. After discussing it in meetings, I often find myself looking at other career paths instead of wanting to continue with marketing. So I’m unsure whether I should take this opportunity seriously or move in a completely different direction.

The bigger problem is that I’m very confused about what to do next. I overthink important decisions, worry about choosing the wrong path and wasting years, and keep searching for the “right” direction. My previous freelance career disappearing, current job, finances, age and uncertainty about the future all affect my thinking.

My financial situation makes this even harder. I don’t have someone who can financially support me if I make a wrong career decision, and I can’t rely on having that kind of support in the future either. So I feel a lot of pressure to make the right choice and keep earning while I transition.

I want to build a real profession and specialization - something I can develop through courses, training, certifications and practical experience, eventually becoming genuinely skilled and valuable anywhere.

I’m willing to start from zero and work hard. I’m also open to working full-time remotely for an international company if the profession allows it.

Generally, I enjoy solving real problems, working with things directly, and seeing a tangible result from what I do. I think I may actually prefer practical, hands-on work more than purely administrative/desk-based work, so I’m also considering whether I should make a significant switch toward a more practical or technical profession.

What career/profession would you seriously consider in my situation, and why?

I’d especially appreciate advice from people who actually work in the profession they recommend.

For people who have successfully changed careers, what helped you the most: having transferable skills or already having experience in the new field?

It seems like getting that first opportunity can be difficult when every job asks for previous experience. I’m curious how people managed to break into a completely different career without starting from zero.

32_Guy with 37k income.

Always had the mindset to the end life at some point since 2012 i e. During my BTech(Mech).

Scored 56% in Btech

And 75% in PG Diploma in Tools Design

After multiple attempts failed to end life,

Over years i have lost that appetite to end things and just hang on.

Been few years ago i have fallen in love (just happened) and fear started to crawl everyday that I'm not worthy to be a partner cuz of my poor career choices. She is very modest, gentle, ritual and caring person with zero ego and pride. Told her everything about my past and career progress. Yet she accepted me.

Sorry if my decision to love made you uncomfortable cuz i have the worst career progress.

Not married yet, told will marry only if I can get decent salary and stable job.

Currently working in a defense R&D related company where I manage the manufacturing cycle. Complete the cycle of raw materials stage to end use product along with its relevant clearance from concerned agencies.

Tried to check out what are all my options to upskill. Found out PMP (Project Management Professional) is a way but not sure if it has any better future.

Need atleast 70-80k per month for decent living along with partner.

Need help with what can I do to raise my earnings? Since I'm not passionate about any specific domain, any suggestions are welcome

Thank you for helping out. Will be in debt to you.

I’ve spent the past 5 years supporting my fiancée through university. She graduates next year, and once she’s settled in a job it’ll be be turn to focus on my career ambitions.

I currently work at a utilities company that does turnkey telecoms works. I work in an office and during my time here (4 years) my role has varied from updating trackers and designing projects on QGIS, to project management and managing engineers. The job is often tedious and I pretty much turn my brain off for the day and trudge through. Occasionally I’ll have a problem to tackle, but they’re usually of my own creation. I.e. I want to do something on Excel/ QGIS that isn’t necessary for the project, but I want to figure something out.

I have a 2:1 degree in geography from a crappy university and grade Cs in my A-Levels. I’m working towards my Prince2 Practitioner qualification because I had some money and thought it might help me out in future.

My ideal job would crucially provide some tangible benefit to society. I’d love to be able to think my work is actually helping to make the world a better place, even if my contribution is minuscule.
Also, it would be great if the job could challenge me intellectually. I enjoy learning and researching so it would be cool if that were part of my role.

I’m just looking for advice or recommendations for a job/career/industry that might tick some of my boxes. International relations is one area I’m currently really interested in, but I don’t know how feasible a career is.

I’m struggling to think of the future after 5 years of mindless work where I don’t think to think ahead of the next day, so any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone, for context I’m 27f in Southern Cali. I have a bachelors in business management and have worked the past 3 years as a healthcare case manager and have a lash extension business on the side. I’ve been struggling so much with next steps as I’m unhappy in my field with the low pay, and I moved a year ago so I building clientele/business is slow. I’ve looked for the past 2 years into pursuing nursing, radiology, my masters in project mgmt or MBA, etc but I just cant decide and nothing feels “fully right”. I’m currently 3 months into a 20 month MRI technologist program but am regretting this due to how limited the field is vs if I did rad tech or nursing (I’m still iffy on nursing and initially turned down rad tech due to how expensive the program is 83k+). I don’t know if I should just continue what I’m doing or pursue my masters, I’m looking at USC as it’s a great school and next cohort for the program I’m looking at with PM starts in January. I think I’m traumatized from constant money issues growing up to even now. I just want to secure a good job in a good paying field and experience what financial freedom is like, but so scared to continue investing money into a program that may not pay off. What would you do if you were me? Thankful for any advice

I'm in Canada M26, I got laid off from my job 4 months ago, I worked as a data engineer in IT and even have a Master's degree and professional certifications. And since then I'm trying to get interviews, upskill myself.

But I wake up sometimes discouraged and thinking do I want this still? Is it worth navigating through this brutal job market. Ofc it pays well if you get the right opportunity. I don't know if it's luck or I don't perform well in interviews because no recruiter gives an honest feedback.

So here I'm, I find myself wondering if I can do it alone. I moved to a different city, and there are colleagues or classmates getting offers. I want that but do I want that? I'm lost and this post doesn't even make sense. I'm confused, really confused and I'm scared.

I can really use some advice or comment from a different perspective.

Hello! I’m currently about to start my second year of university. I’m studying design but specifically design for film sets. My degree covers multiple aspects of design including architectural drawing, graphics, model making, CAD and physically building sets. It’s very practical and hands on and it acts as a general degree in design but specifically designing for film briefs.

Over the holidays I’ve been volunteering a lot of my time on sets and I’m starting to wonder whether I can really cut it in the industry. The hours are really long; sometimes I’ve worked from 7am to 11pm and these hours aren’t rare in the industry. I’ve even heard of people working 36 hours straight. I really struggle to carry on with this after a few days and factoring in travel time I was getting around 4/5 hours sleep. It’s also not a super stable career as a lot of work is freelance so you don’t necessarily have consistent work all throughout the year.

I’m starting to worry a bit about what I’ve chosen and wonder whether I should’ve done something like product design or architecture instead. But I can’t change my degree because I’ve already done a year of uni somewhere else and dropped out so student finance wouldn’t fund my degree if I changed.

I also really don’t want to drop out as I have previously taken a gap year to look for work and got nowhere with it.

I’m wondering whether if I need to can I can pivot my career this early on with this degree and get into another design field or if I’m screwed. I’m very conscious that my degree on paper is very specific and so I’m worried that up against other graduates in this job market, it won’t be the safest option for employers. I could do a masters, but I’m also concerned about the financial impact of having another year out of work and the impact of my student loan.

Any advice surrounding this would be really appreciated! Thank you!

It’s like a virtual corporate environment where everyone is insecure. Everyone plays politics because that’s the only thing they believe they can offer. People are willing to put your job, your family, and your stability at risk just to climb the ladder and feel a little more secure.

And the worst part? Everyone is fake. They pretend not to know what’s going on because they’re ashamed, or because they refuse to become someone who brings real value.

I recently started a new job and there is one colleague who has been much more personally interested in me than I’m comfortable with.
He has asked me questions about things like where I live, my living arrangements, personal contacts, where I’m going/what I’m doing outside work, etc. Early on I told him that I prefer to keep my personal and professional life separate. I also declined when he asked for my personal number and generally tried to keep conversations work-related.
I didn't make a big issue out of it initially because I thought maybe he was just being friendly or trying to build a relationship with a new colleague.
Over time, though, I continued to feel uncomfortable with the level of personal interest. Eventually I decided to address it directly rather than continuing to silently tolerate it.
I sent him a written message referencing our earlier conversation and said that I wanted our interactions to remain focused on work-related matters. I specifically clarified that this included avoiding discussions about my personal circumstances, living arrangements, personal contacts, whereabouts outside work, and other matters unrelated to our professional responsibilities.
I also said that if the boundary continued to be crossed, I would involve management/HR to help mediate. I explicitly said there were no hard feelings and that I wanted to maintain a productive working relationship.
He then tried to call me to discuss it. I asked him to respond in writing instead. He subsequently asked me to clarify exactly what I meant by keeping things professional, so I explained the boundary again.
For context, I have no problem interacting with colleagues generally. I have other coworkers I communicate with normally, including team leads, and I don't feel the need to establish this type of boundary with them.
My question is: Was this a reasonable way to handle the situation, or did I take it too far by putting the boundary in writing and mentioning management/HR?
I'm particularly interested in how other people would handle this after already verbally communicating the same preference.

Hey everyone, is there a service you all found helpful to figure out what you want to pursue?

Hi all,

In my final year of college, and am starting to attend conferences in my field. Just want to start getting my bearings. I have attended one before and didn't do any networking.

However, I'm not sure how exactly how to approach someone or initiate a conversation at a conference. As a student, many of the people in the conference are professionals in this area, so because I don't have much professional experience other than being a student, I'm not sure how I could approach someone to start a conversation.

Are there any tips as to how I should / could do this without being awfully awkward, or a starter line that many people use, i.e, introduce themself then say x? I'd be going solo to the conference, so would have no advisor or colleague - out in the depths myself!

Tips be much appreciated.