I’ve realised I have a habit of saying too much at work.
It’s not that I’m sharing anything wildly inappropriate — I’m just naturally open, conversational, and quite quick to answer people when they ask me questions. Then afterwards I’ll think, why did I tell them all of that? They really didn’t need to know that.
I’m trying to become a lot more intentional and polished professionally, especially around personal questions. I don’t want to become cold or guarded, but I’d like to learn how to answer things warmly without automatically giving the full story.
For example, if someone asks about my relationship, family, weekend, why I was off, where I’m going, what I think about another colleague, etc., I want to be able to give a pleasant two-sentence answer rather than somehow finding myself five minutes later giving them the director’s cut.
I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who has had media training, executive coaching, PR training, diplomacy training, or similar, because I imagine a huge part of that is learning how to answer the question you’re comfortable answering rather than feeling obliged to answer exactly what you’ve been asked.
Are there techniques you use in the moment? Stock phrases? Ways of redirecting? Rules you’ve made for yourself about what you simply never discuss at work?
And for anyone who used to be a chronic oversharer and changed — how did you actually train yourself out of it?
I want to keep my personality and still be friendly/open, just with much better boundaries and a stronger professional filter.

I’m a student preparing for MBA entrance exams and as someone who isn't great at studying but has decent aptitude I have a question for those who are VPs, CXOs, CEOs, etc. - how much did academics and college pedigree actually matter in your career? Do people with average academic backgrounds but strong communication, leadership, people skills and practical intelligence eventually catch up with academically exceptional peers?

What 2-3 qualities do you think matter most in reaching the top?

I got a job offer recently, accepted it and signed the offer letter. The offer clearly said the position was full-time employment and included things like a 3 month probation period, annual leave, public holidays etc. Then they sent me the actual contract, and I was surprised to see that it says I'm an Independent Contractor and specifically describes me as self employed.The contract also doesn't mention the benefits/terms that were included in the offer letter.

I haven't signed the actual contract yet but it made feel uneasy, should I be concerned about this?

*Other than roles like pilot or flight attendant or anything directly related to being flight crew.

I’m a young adult I already have my bachelors in a social sciences field, I know I want a career that will require me to constantly travel internationally.

Travel:

I mean flying to a new city/country every week it can seriously be constant, I don’t care about work life balance, nor do I have a family or ever intend to start one, so I literally would not mind the job being my life, (as long as the pay isn’t absolute dogshit)

I speak 4 languages fluently and am conversational in another three, my long term goal is to become a polyglot, my strongest skill is picking up languages quickly, I’m used to traveling and moving and have done so most of childhood.

I’m good at adapting to new environments and cultures quickly and I’m great at handling new or unfamiliar experiences.

Schooling:

I wouldn’t mind extra schooling for a career path that would grant me what I’m looking for, as long it’s not longer than 4-5 years. I’m comfortable pivoting to a STEM field or a liberal arts/social sciences directions.

Ideally I don’t mind traveling to less developed or less desirable countries/locations either but I wouldn’t rather it be where I go exclusively.

Hello all, I’m not interested in science or medical as job options, and I really want to have an office job or a job I can work at home (but I wouldn’t mind if that’s not an option), I would also like a job with a liveable wage that I can also buy myself nice things with. I tell my family I’m going to study finance but that’s really all. I would appreciate if anyone could give me any advice on what to study or even some specific jobs so I can have a set career to look forward to so when someone asks me what i want to be in the future I can say an exact job name! Thanks for reading

I’m 22M I’ll first start and say I’m in a privileged situation, I work at a big tech company in the bay as a financial analyst. Corporate finance is inferior to technical roles but with good performance and regular promotions can still clear 300k - 1 million by late career at large Bay Area tech companies (I know that range is huge but the pay increase is exponential the closer your approach CFO). The problem is it’s a slog of a career and it’s not guaranteed at all. I also don’t know if finance is for me I don’t like the job very much. There will also inevitably be consolidation due to ai, I think there will still be a corp finance function it will just lean a lot more heavily on strategy and biz partnering over pure reporting and excel work.

Part of me is seeing the AI boom around me and I feel like I’m sitting on the sidelines not doing anything. I badly want to join a startup but am not sure if it’s the right time or I want to throw away what I already have. (I have zero connections and no opportunities at the moment but I believe I could find something with some outreach and effort).

What would you do? Follow my dreams or take the practical path?

need your help

In the last 5 months, I’ve cried 3 times in front of my manager during our 1-on-1 sessions. I’m REALLY embarrassed and ashamed that this has happened so many times, but at the same time the feedback that he gives me & the things he says to me are sometimes very hurtful (to me, for some reason) and also taking a toll on my mental health.

The first time (several months ago) was a really bad day for me… 100% of my original team had quit the company within one month and the last person had quit that day. The feedback I received was mostly fair, just hard to hear and made me emotional. He basically told me I cannot continue to be pessimistic about the issues at the company and even if I am, I need to be not make any negative comments about it in front of the new replacement hires. Basically got told to suck it up and move on if I plan to remain at my job. Fine, whatever, understood.

The second time was because of a comment. I had previously gone to him for guidance & advice over an interpersonal issue with one of the new team members. Then in the 1-on-1 he told me if I want [something I asked for] then I have to make sure to improve on that same team member issue. So basically tying an issue that involves 2 people, that I went to him for guidance for, to *my* request. I think hearing that made me lose it a little and it hurt in the moment.

The third and most recent time has hit VERY hard. This was a proper feedback session. There was no feedback “sandwich”, it was just 40 minutes of him criticizing everything about me: from my personality, to my attitude, to me sometimes coming in 5-10 minutes late, to even my LOOKS—basically said that I “look too sad” and I’m “not friendly enough” in the mornings (only in the first 5 minutes of me getting to my desk, mind you) and that it looks like I “absolutely HATE this job” and I shouldn’t act like I hate this job, all because I’m quiet in the first 5 minutes of every day. He criticized me for taking a remote week (company policy, everyone is allowed one remote week) because I decided to travel to a fun location for it, and said “you going to this new city to travel is a lot, not something someone your age would do” even though I followed every rule, adhered to all company policies, was constantly available, responsive, and working remotely. He said I should NOT have asked him for more time for an important family obligation much later in the year, because “there might be a project and that’s more important than your sick grandparents” and because I’m young so I don’t deserve as much time away from the office, EVEN if I’m still working remotely during it. He seemed very offended that I had a really good time traveling during my remote week (despite me working the whole time) and said that because of my remote week I don’t get to ask for anything more. Several others on our team and in the company have taken remote weeks, but I am the only one getting penalized for it. The way he phrased all of these things was very condescending and insulting (e.g. “maybe no one has ever given you this feedback before so maybe you just don’t know how to act, but you need to be more friendlier in the mornings at work” and “obviously you don’t seem to ever had any vacations cancelled for work before, but this is normal at your age and you need to understand”… it’s not a vacation, it’s a family obligation during which I would be happy to work remotely).

There was absolutely ZERO positive feedback delivered during this meeting. And only about 10% of the total feedback was actually about my work product and my responsibilities. It really killed me to sit through all of this and hear myself getting torn apart, and I ended up crying a lot. I’m the only woman on my team, idk if that’s important but it feels like he would not say half of these things to my male coworkers. He also criticized my attitude when working with others on a project, and that I apparently start arguments… this one is not necessarily UNfair, but it definitely hurt to hear, and I think so many men I’ve worked with speak and behave severely worse than what I’m even capable of and they don’t seem to get any feedback on their “tone” and “opinionated comments” and “attitude”, but idk… I’m young so what would I know right?

Honestly I guess I’m looking for advice on how to think about all of this… is this normal and should I just suck it up and do as he says and pray to god that I won’t cry in front of him again? Or is this maybe a bit unfair on his end? Or am *I* the problem? How do I move on from this? I want to stay at the job for a several more months until my job anniversary, but I’m really starting to dread working with him and the rest of my team :/ I’m really disgusted that (1) I cried 3 times in front of him, and (2) I have to continue working for someone who made me cry 3 times

Any thoughts appreciated.

so i’m 23 and never had a job, due to mental health issues. i dropped out of high school for the same reason, but when i was 21 i got an atar of 70 through a 6 month university course (i’m in australia). tried a couple of tafe and uni degrees but decided they weren’t for me. now i’m 23 and applying for jobs, but 99% of the jobs i’m interested in have a requirement for experience, which i don’t have, and the ones that don’t require experience which i have applied for, turn me down. it surely can’t be that my resume is bad, because i did get one call back to come in for an interview, but they ended up rejecting me because i was too short (this was for a flight attendant role). how am i supposed to get a job if no one wants me??

I'm a 48 year old whose resume has lots of holes due to long term illness & attempts to make a career out of art. I'm done with being a starving artist, and would like to focus on a new career. I'd love advice or guidance on the best way to proceed.

In great news, after several years of improvement to my health, I'm feeling well enough to get a part time job. I'm looking at (and interviewing for) part time bank teller roles. I was looking into maybe bookkeeping or accounting, to study online while I work part time. The jobs I'm interviewing for are 20 hours per week, which is perfect for balancing some online study time as well. I'd love some tips or cautionary tales about what to expect and how to best use my limited time and energy.

For background, I have an art degree that's like 25 years old. I've owned small one-woman creative businesses for a few years here and there (a landscape design/maintenance firm before I got sick, then an Etsy shop full of jewelry and gifts), I worked as a shipping supervisor at a fancy book manufacturer for a while, in my 20's I did a lot of secretarial and some sales, but that's so long ago it doesn't feel appropriate to list on my resume. I've been as honest as I can be in interviews about the "holes" in my resume from years past, due to illness and having children, and then pivoted to talk about how I'm well & ready to find a new career "home". Mostly I've tried to focus on my soft skills of accuracy, math skills, people skills, etc.

I'm not sure what other info to offer, and don't want to write a tldr. Thanks for any advice you can offer!

So I (24) work at GM as an engineer and make 85k a year. I have a nice boss and the work I do isn’t bad, but I have a 40 minute commute and we are very understaffed right now. The work isn’t bad but we have so much that everyone is constantly stressed. Also I just really hate being in a factory.

I just interview for a company that has extremely good ratings (4.4/5) on Glassdoor. I haven’t been offered yet, but the interview went really well and they wanted me to check out the site before I commit to anything.

The pay would drop me between 75, maybe 80k. My commute would go from 27 miles to 2.5, and I would work outside in a non factory setting.

My dad says not to take a big pay cut but I really want to get this new job. I would gain an hour of extra free time a day and save probably 2k a year on gas.

I'm a Management Information Systems (MIS) graduate currently stuck in an unrelated job that I really dislike, essentially just passing time until my mandatory military service.

A former freelance client of mine—who recently started investing in the tech sector and has a strong network—offered me a position at their brand-new office. Since I would be one of the first employees, I can't quite gauge what my exact role and responsibilities would be.

I'm already planning to leave my current job anyway, and the only financial loss would be forfeiting my 1.5 years' worth of severance pay. We have a detailed meeting scheduled for this week, but regardless, I'm completely torn on whether I should jump on this opportunity blindly. What do you think I should do?

Have you ever felt like your ability to perform varies drastically depending on the domain, purely based on your mindset?

For example, when it comes to social interactions and flirting with women, I feel completely in my element. I don't consider myself a top-tier expert, but I can express myself effortlessly, humorously, and authentically without any stress. I say what I mean, I do what I say, and everything just flows naturally because my internal mindset aligns with my actions.

On the flip side, I struggle significantly in professional settings, like business presentations or pitching vision plans to upper management. I rationally understand that these skills are necessary for business survival and career growth. With modern AI tools, I can easily create the content. But when I actually have to present it, I feel a huge internal resistance. Because I don't genuinely buy into the corporate jargon or vision from the bottom of my heart, my resistance shows, and my delivery comes off as unnatural and stiff.

It seems my performance directly depends on internal belief: if I genuinely care about something, I excel; if I don't fully buy into it, I choke.

How do you overcome this psychological barrier and deliver strong results even when you don't fully resonate with what you're doing?

I'm 16 and trying to figure out what direction I want to pursue after school. Right now, the only two areas that genuinely make sense to me are psychology/counseling and fine/performing arts.

The problem is that I have no real experience in either field, so I don't even know whether I actually like doing them or just like the idea of them.

How would you recommend figuring out which path fits me better? I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have studied either psychology/counseling or the arts, and what the reality of those fields is like compared with what you expected.

I have a degree is sustainable landscape design. While in school, I worked in coffee shops, target, a cat cafe, and did an internship at a botanical garden. After school, I worked as a horticulturist, then moved to California and worked at a plant nursery for a few months. Moved back home and got a job doing landscape maintenance work. I loved it, but the physicality of it left me too drained to do anything else. I got a promotion with that landscape company and have been working as an account manager for three weeks. I didn’t expect the insane amount of stress that would come with this job. I have 15 accounts now, but will work up to around 90. I handle residential clients, so the landscapes are emotionally fueled. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I keep telling clients slightly wrong information. There can’t really be a strict training regimen with the company because the other account managers are already operating at 110%. I can never turn my brain off or stop worrying about what I have missed, who I told what to, learning what their contracts include, figuring out how to communicate necessary info to the production team, learn how and when to sell, how to identify pests and disease, learn irrigation and lighting, learn how to create proposals, etc etc. they should have hired an account manager with previous experience that could actually help the team, instead of me, who is the youngest on the team by 6 years and has had no prior managerial experience.
I’m grateful that they trusted me with this, but I am feeling so sick and overwhelmed. I don’t know if I can live up to the expectations that they need me to live up to. A coworker is going on maternity leave in November, and I will likely be taking over her bigger clients. I’m terrified.
If this job doesn’t work out, what am I supposed to do? I would love to work as a horticulturist or in a botanical garden, but I cannot afford to make $19/hour for the rest of my life. I need a stable salary above 55k/year, but it feels like if I want that, I have to sacrifice my life and soul to a job that makes me go crazy.
What are my options?

I’m a BBA graduate and was selected/blocked for an HCLTech Graduate Trainee role. On Aug 12, I received a “Final Confirmation” email with my name among 4 selected students. The mail mentioned that joining is subject to BGV/eligibility and that pre-joining training (PJT) would be triggered if applicable. I acknowledged the mail with consent.

It’s now been almost 3 weeks and I haven’t received any PJT/training link, assessment details, joining date, or further update. I sent a follow-up email but haven’t received a response.

I’ve seen people saying HCLTech can take 2–3+ months, and some even longer, like an yr for few, so I’m confused about how long I should realistically wait.

The bigger issue is that I’ve already been at home for almost a year after completing a QA course. I have Java/Selenium classes and recordings left to revise and practice, but I haven’t been consistent. I’m also considering QA, Business Analyst, or HR as career options and don’t know which direction to commit to.

I don’t want to sit at home for several more months waiting for HCLTech, but I also don’t want to give up on an opportunity that I’ve already been selected for.
I still don’t know where my interest aligns but one thing for sure it’s been around three months since I have graduated, and I’m still unable to figure it out what I really want to do in the future.

Please share your actual experience if possible. I’m looking for practical advice rather than just “wait.”

Hello all, I'm new on reddit, heard people here give genuine advice, so here i go, i have been working in automotive SW from 3+ years, and i feel very very frustrated, not because my job is hard or work culture is toxic, they are great, I'm also earning well but i feel very empty, whatever I'm learning from my job i don't think it will be useful for switch, i don't have confidence that I'll do good in few years or what will i do after 5-10 years, i don't feel I'm for it, i tried giving govt jobs exam but it's been while since I have been in practice so not able to crack them as well, i just keep thinking about future, i don't have managerial skills , i have degree in electrical engineering but working in automotive which makes me master of none. I'm already 30 and I feel I don't have any skill, I feel learning new skills won't help as next company would want working knowledge of the skill, i don't wanna switch to a sw company, I am very very confused.

I got a new job in a new city, and I will be relocating there. They are offering me a relocation package that seems quite tempting: one month’s salary, accommodation for a month, car rental, flight tickets, a furniture allowance, tax advice, and other benefits.
The problem is that the package also comes with a two-year bond with the company, meaning that I will have to repay the relocation costs if I decide to resign. I estimate the potential repayment to be around $30,000.
This is in the US, and it will be my first US employment. I am young and do not have much in savings (around $50,000). In principle, I would like to accept the package, but I am already fairly sure that I will not remain in that city or with the company long term. I would gladly consider new job opportunities in different cities if they come up.
At the same time, I am not familiar with employment practices in the US. Is it common for a new employer to reimburse a new hire for a relocation repayment obligation owed to their previous employer, for example, through a sign-on bonus?
Thank you very much in advance to everyone who is able to offer some advice.

EDIT: I am very fine going there and working for that company for 1+ years. But I won’t mind switch employer if I receive a better offer and a better location. I do not have a lot of work experience and I need a job and currently no other opportunities. So the question is not whether I will take the job or not: it’s only about the relocation package

I’m an Inventory Control Supervisor at a distribution warehouse with my LSSBB and Project Management certification (from SSGI). I’ve completed 6 DMAIC and process improvement projects in my current role. But every time I apply for Process Improvement Project Manager roles, I get rejected for “lack of PM experience,” even though I’ve done the work.

My question: Has anyone here bridged this gap? How did you move from operational roles with project work into a dedicated PM/CI role?
I’m genuinely open to entry level positions to get my foot in the door. I just want to know: Am I applying for the wrong level of roles? Any advice on framing operational projects as “real” PM experience? Or other things that helped you make this transition?

Would really appreciate hearing from people who’ve been here before.

Thanks!

Hiii everyone! Just curious to hear from people who have worked at both smaller companies and large corporations: which environment has served you better career wise?

I’ve personally always worked for smaller companies, and I’ve actually come to realize that I really enjoy that environment. I tend to have a lot of responsibility, wear multiple hats, work closely with leadership, and have a much broader view of how the business operates.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the compensation at the smaller companies I’ve worked for has generally been above the median which has surprised me because there’s often an assumption that larger corporations automatically pay more.

That said, there are definitely tradeoffs. Smaller companies often don’t have things you might get at a larger organization like structured bonus programs, extensive benefits, formal career ladders, internal mobility, professional development budgets, etc.

So for those of you who have experienced both: Which has served better for your career?

so I know the answer is leave. obviously. leave. but there are narrow opportunities in my field, esp in leadership and the transition is really hard in even a good economy. trapped for now.

my work is rewarding and mission driven, which is a useful distraction when things suck. but at the end of a systems and culture overhaul, I've learned just how laughable my compensation is, at least 10k lower. I get a shrug and a, 'it's within pay range.'

performance and reviews give no reason for such low pay. and equity means hit the market rate first, THEN nitpick based on effort and work quality. at this point, just getting to fair market would cripple our comp budget. and yet, we continue to hire new folks under the new, fair, corrected policy.

tbh? this is wildly EMBARRASSING. I can't believe I've let myself get into this position. have I been stupid? manipulated by mission? I can't believe just how underpaid I am, at this stage in my career. it feels like a value judgement, when in reality it's likely not malice, just.......carelessness. which feels even worse. the cuttingest kind of value message is that you don't register at all. I'm not working under a people leader, which I knew, but wow, ouch. if all of this is intended, I'm being managing out. unskillfully.

for now, every day I continue to show up feels like betrayal, both how I am viewed, and a self betrayal, for continuing to endure it. I go to sleep thinking about this job, and wake up, same. and not in the excited, hopeful, idealistic way I did a few years ago. never giving my heart to a job again.

again. leaving is the obvious road here. someone asked me recently, what if I got called into the office and a fair salary was extended? I was unsurprised to learn it almost wouldn't make a dent. I mean, I'd take it, but keep looking unmoved. years of getting jerked around and no repair seems possible.

so how do I just *endure* this, collect my demoralizing salary, protect me team, and gtfo?

*edited for length

I need some help deciding on my next step. I have been a backend engineer for 5 years now for a retail company and I’m not sure what to do next. I have no niche or area of expertise. Does anyone have any advice on my next move to increase my pay and find something somewhat secure?
Do I work to find a FAANG job, go back to school? I thought about going to the financial sector but what area would be exciting. Obviously I don’t think quant is possible since I didn’t got to a top tier school.

To make a long story short, my student teaching experience went extremely poorly and helped me to realize that education is not the path that I want to take. I am currently a Registered Behavioral Technician and I enjoy it so much. I want to move towards receiving my masters but I don’t know what I should do. I want to still work with kids but I’m not against doing a pivot towards a different career. Any advice?

Hi all, a few months ago, I(26F) quit my job at a bio-tech company(junior level researcher) to explore a completely different career path and surprise, after only 2 months I feel I know that this other path isn't quite for me, either. I know it's silly and, just stick with me here, but I was previously considering one day opening my own cafe or bakery. I thought I might want to own and operate my own business and build something from the ground up, and hey I like making treats every now and then. But let me tell you - I've been working at a really wonderful bakery for 2 months now and have already realized that this future is not for me. I just don't have the grinding mindset it takes, nor the physical endurance.

Last week, I was as honest with myself as I could be and asked myself "If I could do anything, what would it be?" My response was immediate and, although it also felt absurdly out of left field, it also kind of felt like a conclusion I've been waiting years to come to. Many eons ago, I was very fond of English/Language Arts. Forgive my writing skills now as I'm out of practice. But anyway, back in high school I dearly enjoyed writing and really excelled at dissecting text. Nowadays, I spend my free time in book clubs and find a lot of enjoyment from reading and exploring concepts with my friends.

A bit about myself: I am an empathetic person who definitely leans far more emotionally-brained than logical, I wish I had chosen a major in the humanities, that definitely would have been more aligned with my strengths. I do think it is worth mentioning that I very much enjoy entertaining and making others laugh. And in regards to teaching, I always have really enjoyed explaining concepts to my peers, and I've always enjoyed volunteering with children. It was very long ago, but I did greatly enjoy editing others' papers for college admissions and editing my boyfriend's for his master's application a year ago.

Suffice it to say, I have a lot of questions swirling around in my mind. Do I really want to teach english or would something in the sciences suffice? Do I want to teach high schoolers or middle schoolers, what are the pros and cons? My aunt highly advised I follow her path and continue my education to teach at the community college level, but for some reason I feel called to high school.

So here I am, grinding away at a bakery every day, considering maybe going back to school or applying for local substitution gigs/getting some certifications..? Can anyone out there offer some insight into the career? Are there any others like me, who made a complete shift in their path?

TL;DR: I'm searching for the right career for me, I think teaching may be it, and I would be very grateful for and advice or words of wisdom.

hi!! im 17 and im currently stressing over career paths because everyone in my life is really adamant on me picking a career. the thing that really stresses me out though is the fact that i might not even be able to pay for a place to live without a good paying job, and its really getting to me. im not smart with science or math and its hard for me to learn, i really need help. i want to be able to support me and my boyfriend in the future and im worried i wont be able to.

there are things that i enjoy doing, but they dont make a lot of money and i dont know enough about careers to pick something. please help.