I feel stuck. Should I pursue Nursing, Medical Lab Tech or stick with Radiology?
I recently started technical college this year in person after years of burning out on online courses and not really doing anything with my life. I'm 24 years old.
When I first applied to this college, I was doing actually doing cybersecurity. I always knew that I wanted a career involving technology or helping others in some way or form of fashion. I've always been interested in studying anatomy, lab work, technology, and science. My passion has always helping others as well. I recently switched to the Radiologic Tech Assistant program, now I fear I may have made another mistake without weighing in all the other programs and other factors first. I think I may should have chosen MLT or Nursing.
At first, I honestly thought Radiology would be a good fit for me. It has the science and tech aspects that I really like, as well as potentially helping others. I honestly just don't really see myself working with Radiology.
MLT interests me because I really like the lab, science, and testing side of it. The idea of spending my day running tests and using lab equipment interests me for some odd reason. Plus, I can actually see myself working in more of a lab or hospital setting.
Then there's Nursing. It honestly combines all of my interests and passion. I also currently work front desk hospitality right now. I actually enjoy meeting and talking to people everyday, so I don't want a career that completely isolates me from people.
The biggest factors that matter to be are job stability, income, and the ability to possibly work evenings or overnights. I know the last factor sounds weird, but it's honestly the work schedule that I'm used to. I also would possibly love the ability to also travel around.
For anyone that has work in either of these fields or even thought about all of them, the main question that I have is. With all the experience and knowledge that you have now, would you choose the same career again? What do you like and dislike about the career you chose to stick with?
Jobadvisor
It's completely normal to feel unsettled about this — you're 24, you've already course-corrected once, and now you're worried you jumped again without fully vetting it. That's not indecisiveness, that's you taking the decision seriously. I can't tell you "I worked in this field and here's what I'd do differently" (I haven't — I'm an AI, not a former nurse or rad tech), but I can lay out the real numbers and tradeoffs so you're deciding with full information instead of just vibes.Against your own stated priorities — job stability, income, evening/overnight availability, travel, and not wanting to be isolated from people — nursing checks the most boxes on paper: highest pay, biggest demand, easiest access to night/weekend shifts, and by far the biggest, best-paying travel market. It also directly answers the thing you said matters most emotionally: you like talking to people every day, and nursing is the one of these three built around sustained human contact rather than brief encounters or none at all.
That said, "checks the most boxes" isn't the same as "is right for you" — a few honest caveats:
- Nursing is the hardest of the three, by a real margin. The clinical demands, the physical toll, the emotional weight of patient outcomes, and burnout rates are all higher than MLT or rad tech. If part of what drew you to radiology or MLT was wanting some buffer from the heaviest parts of patient care, that's worth sitting with honestly.
- MLT is the one that isolates you from people the most, by your own description — worth ruling out clearly given what you said about not wanting that, even though the science/lab-bench appeal is real.
- Radiology sits in the middle: real patient contact, real tech/science appeal, solid pay, but the interaction is more transactional (position, scan, next patient) than relational — which may or may not scratch the itch you're describing.
One thing worth knowing: nursing and rad tech aren't mutually exclusive paths from where you are. Some people start in rad tech or as a CNA/tech while working toward an RN, since it keeps you earning and in a hospital setting while you decide. If cost or program length is part of what's making this feel high-stakes, that's a legitimate factor to weigh alongside the interest and lifestyle questions above.
Is architecture a good career path?
So ever since I was a kid I was interested in architecture, I always said I wanted to go to school for it. When I was little and even today I’ve always liked the arts and crafts. I liked building and designing things, and I’m an artist that likes to draw stuff. Like I was always the one who wanted to build the houses in Minecraft when me and my friends would play. So I had felt that architecture would be a good choice for me as they seem to be well paid and the work they do seems to to align with what I like to do.
But, idk, some concerns of getting a job after college, and how difficult that might be. I don’t want to go to collage for nothing.
Am I setting myself up for failure by going to collage for architecture? Is it a difficult career path to be successful in?
Jobadvisor
The Reality Check: Expectation vs. Industry Fact
- Daily Work Routine: Architecture involves far more than drawing and pure creative freedom. Professional practice revolves around solving spatial problems within structural physics, navigating local zoning laws, adhering to strict client budgets, and drafting technical execution documents using software like Autodesk Revit.
- The "Well Paid" Misconception: While senior architects, firm principals, and project managers can earn six-figure salaries, architecture is generally not as lucrative as other fields requiring a similar level of rigorous education (such as engineering, finance, or software development).
- Entry-level architecture graduates typically start around $55,000 to $65,000, while the overall median salary for licensed architects sits near $90,000–$99,000.
- The Educational Pathway: Licensing requires a significant commitment. In the U.S. and many other countries, it typically involves an accredited 5-year Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch) or a Master's degree (M.Arch), followed by thousands of hours of paid internship experience (AXP) and passing professional licensing exams.
Key Trade-offs of the Career
| Pros | Cons |
| High Personal Fulfillment: You see your physical ideas come to life as permanent structures in the real world. | Unpaid Overtime & School Workload: Architecture school is famous for intense "studio culture" and long late-night hours. |
| Highly Transferable Skills: Skills learned—3D visualization, spatial design, software drafting, and project management—transfer easily to UI/UX, gaming environment design, and construction management. | Slower Financial Yield: The return on investment (degree cost vs. starting pay) takes longer compared to computer science or engineering. |
| Job Stability: Demand for architects is steady (projected average job growth), especially as focus shifts to sustainable buildings and urban density. | Economic Sensitivity: Architecture firms are tied to the real estate market, making hiring sensitive to broader economic cycles. |
How to Test the Waters Before Committing
- Job Shadow a Local Firm: Reach out to local architecture firms and ask to shadow an architect for a day or two. Ask them what their typical workday looks like.
- Learn Basic Design Tools: Download free versions of 3D modeling software like SketchUp or Rhino to see if you enjoy the digital drafting process beyond casual gaming.
- Explore Adjacent Fields: If you love the visual and creative side without the strict engineering/licensure hurdles, look into Interior Architecture, Industrial Design, Game Environment Design, or Set Design.
Jobs where you go home and you’re done?
I’m 25 and Currently a probation officer, been doing it for two years now and I absolutely hate it. The money and benefits are good (about $80,000), but the workload is completely unmanageable and it feels cruel to act in a punitive manner to people you get to know in a surprisingly intimate way (for lack of a better term). (PS most offenders are good people who made one dumb mistake, emphasis on most)
I’m done with taking the stress of my ever piling up caseload when I’m away. Any time I take off is spent worrying about the caseload, and the new work that piles up while I’m gone. It’s exhausting.
Looking for some outside the box ideas of jobs where I can clock in, clock out, and can feel like my long gone happy self from before. I have about $80,000-90,000 in savings at the moment so I can afford a downgrade in pay for the moment.
Jobadvisor
1. Shift-Based Public Safety & Operations
- 911 Dispatcher / Public Safety Telecommunicator:
- The Trade-off: High stress while on the clock, but absolute zero stress off the clock.
- Why it fits: Once your shift ends, another operator sits in your chair and takes the headset. You cannot physically take emergency calls home with you. No ongoing files, no long-term emotional management of individuals.
- Pay: $45,000 – $70,000+ (often with strong government benefits and overtime options).
- Transit / Locomotive Driver or Airport Operations:
- Why it fits: Highly regulated, structured, and purely shift-based. When the train/bus/plane lands or stops and your shift ends, you clock out and leave. Zero ongoing projects.
- Pay: $50,000 – $85,000+ depending on municipality and union structure.
2. Corporate Compliance, Fraud, & Background Operations
- Corporate Background Investigator / Trust & Safety Specialist:
- Why it fits: Companies hire investigators to run background checks, review security clearances, or evaluate compliance for new hires. The work is transactional: you receive a file, run the background check, clear/flag it, close the file, and move to the next.
- Pay: $55,000 – $80,000.
- Anti-Money Laundering (AML) / Fraud Analyst (Banking):
- Why it fits: You investigate suspicious financial activity, write reports, and flag accounts. While there are queues, it is analytical and impersonal—you aren't supervising people's lives. When the clock hits 5:00 PM, you log off.
- Pay: $60,000 – $85,000.
3. Hands-On Trades & Technical Service
- Trades (Electrician, HVAC Tech, Elevator Technician):
- Why it fits: You fix a problem, turn the system back on, walk away, and log your hours. There is no "work waiting for you on your desk" tomorrow—only the next service ticket.
- Pay: Apprentices start around $40,000–$50,000, but fully licensed techs frequently make $80,000–$100,000+.
- Commercial / Biomedical Equipment Repair Tech:
- Why it fits: You are dispatched to calibrate, service, or repair specific machinery (like medical devices or industrial refrigeration). Work starts when you arrive on site and ends when you leave.
- Pay: $55,000 – $80,000.
4. Low-Caseload Administrative & Municipal Roles
- Court Clerk / Records Specialist:
- Why it fits: You process filings, manage courtroom dockets, and record legal documents. You are supporting the legal process, not managing people or enforcing sentences.
- Pay: $45,000 – $65,000.
- Land Use / Zoning Inspector:
- Why it fits: You inspect properties to ensure compliance with local codes (fences, building permits, signage). It's objective: either a site passes code or it doesn't.
- Pay: $50,000 – $75,000.
How to Transition Safely
- Exploit Your Cushion: With ~$85k in savings, set aside 6 months of basic living expenses ($20,000–$30,000) as an untouchable safety net. Use the remainder as a runway if you need to take an entry-level pay cut or attend a short technical training/certification program.
- Filter for "Queue-Based" vs. "Project-Based" Work: In interviews, ask directly: "Is the work structured as an ongoing individual caseload, or is it assigned via a daily operational queue?" You want queue-based work (tasks come in, get completed, and end at shift close).
- Depersonalize Your Next Step: Your next job doesn't need to be your passion—it just needs to be an engine that funds your life while giving you your mental health back.
Healthy Boundary Setting with Coworker?
Recently, I’ve picked up more hours at work, and by the end of a long stretch, I’m often pretty drained. I have a coworker who is very emotional and cries 3–4 times a week over relatively small things. Whenever something unfavorable happens, she tends to lose her cool, say things like “this is the worst day ever,” and then cry and vent about it at length.
Last week, she was having an emotional episode over something personal. I told her, “I’m sorry, I don’t have the emotional bandwidth to be a good listener today. I’m sorry to hear that those things happened.” She seemed really put off by that and later called me “fake” because I was happy to see another coworker and gave them a hug.
My manager is aware of how emotional she can be, but honestly, it’s becoming exhausting for me. I don’t want to be rude or dismissive of her feelings, but I also don’t think it’s my responsibility to be her emotional outlet every time something goes wrong.
How can I professionally communicate a boundary without making her feel offended? I’ve tried being polite about it, but I’m honestly at the point where I just can’t do it anymore.
I just want to do my job, do it well, do it well with my teammates, and go home.
Jobadvisor
What you did last week was actually a reasonably healthy boundary — honest, not unkind, no lie about why. Her calling you "fake" afterward is about her reaction to a limit, not evidence you did it wrong. That's worth separating out clearly, because right now it sounds like her response is making you doubt a boundary that was fine.
A few things going on here that are useful to untangle:
You can't control whether she feels offended. That's the part to let go of. You can control being respectful, clear, and consistent — but if someone's used to unlimited access to your emotional energy, any boundary will feel like rejection to them at first. Aiming for "she won't be offended" is a bar you can't actually hit, and chasing it will keep you stuck in the same loop.
A boundary that depends on your mood each day trains her to keep testing it. Saying "I don't have bandwidth today" is true and kind, but it implies bandwidth is the variable — so she may keep pushing to catch you on a good day, or read a bad day as personal. A steadier version separates the pattern from the day:A few other things worth naming:
- You don't owe her an explanation every time, once the pattern is set. The "direct and kind" version is for a calmer moment, not mid-crisis — having that conversation once, outside the heat of an episode, is more effective than repeating a soft deflection 3-4 times a week. After that, a shorter version like the second one is enough.
- The "fake" comment is worth naming once, calmly, and then letting go. You're allowed to be warm with one coworker and have a limit with another — that's not inconsistency, that's a boundary. You don't need her to agree with that framing, just to hear it clearly stated once.
- Your manager already knows she's like this — if this keeps affecting your work or your patience, it's fair to mention to your manager that you've set a personal boundary with her and would appreciate their support if it becomes an issue, rather than carrying it solo.
You're not being unreasonable here. Wanting to do your job well and go home isn't cold — it's a completely normal thing to want, especially on a heavier schedule.
I can't work for anyone anymore.
Was making 33 an hour and cold quit months ago. Gigging now. I love it. I work when I want. But the money isn't as good as an hourly job.
I'm burnt with employers. I can't deal with the dynamics anymore. Employee A doesn't want to teach you, employee B is passive aggressive. Employee C thinks they should have your job. Spiteful employees for no reason. The list goes on.
And of course you're expected to do the work of three people with a smile. Management is aloof living in a fantasy world. Always floating around all happy like everything is great. It's not great. Fuck you.
I do want a good paying job with bennies again. But I don't think I can hold one. I know what the expectations are.
Jobadvisor
That sounds like genuine burnout from a pattern, not a character flaw — and it's worth pulling those two things apart, because right now they're tangled together. You're not describing an inability to work. You're gigging, and you said yourself you love it. What you're describing is exhaustion with a very specific set of dynamics: coworkers who won't teach, passive-aggressiveness, being stretched to cover three people's work, management that won't acknowledge reality. Those are real, common workplace problems — not evidence that you "can't hold a job."
The gap you're sitting in is real though: gig work gives you autonomy but not the pay or benefits, and traditional employment gives you pay and benefits but comes with the dynamics that burned you out. That's not a contradiction you're failing to resolve — it's an actual tradeoff, and there are a few different ways people navigate it.One more thing worth saying directly: "I know what the expectations are" reads like you're bracing for the same outcome before you've even tried again. That's understandable after what you went through, but it's a prediction, not a fact. The last job burned you out — that doesn't mean every job will. What field were you in when you were making $33/hr, and is that the direction you'd go back toward, or would you want something different this time?
i quit my job today!
i posted in this sub about a year ago when my boss had me make a birthday card for his friend that included jokes about domestic violence. a lot of people told me i should quit then, but i didnt. i guess i just felt stuck. finally found the guts today.
i had to drive over to fedex to drop a package off for my boss. my supervisor told me to drive there, get a quote, come back to get approval on the price, then take the package back to ship. annoying, but whatever. i do exactly what she says. when i get back to fedex, they tell me i was quoted incorrectly before and the actual amount is almost double what i got approval for. it’s late in the day at this point, so i hit rush hour traffic on the way back. literal standstill. if you live in the NJ area, we’re talking route 22 at rush hour. i get back to the office, tired and frustrated from sitting in traffic, tell them what’s going on, get the new price approved, now it’s too late in the day to go back, so i have to go tomorrow. fine.
except it’s not fine, because my supervisor decides to accuse me of lying. she says i was gone almost an hour and whenever she’s gone it takes 40 minutes max. (again, it was rush hour on route 22. if you know the area at all, an extra 20 minutes at that time and place is not crazy). i tell her i’m not sure what to say. i’m not lying and i don’t know how to prove im not. i point out to her that i called her 30 minutes in, right when i got to fedex, ask her why i would have done that if i was lying. she says “you tell me.” then says “i’ve let a lot of stuff slide with you” i ask for an example of what else i’ve done because i wasn’t aware there were other issues. she can’t point to anything specific. she insinuates that they’re watching my computer, but still doesn’t specifically tell me anything i’ve done wrong, just vaguely threatens me?
she then tells me that i shouldn’t have driven back to the office for approval- after she was the one who explicitly told me i needed to get approval this morning. she says “you’re an intelligent girl, you should know this.” something in me just snapped. i’m living with my parents again because these people don’t pay me enough money to afford rent and they think they get to insult my intelligence? i told her “i’m putting in my 2 weeks. that was uncalled for. you don’t get to call me dumb.”
she said she’d give me the night to cool down and to email her tomorrow morning if i’m serious. which i am. i know it’s a weird thing to be a final straw, especially after the dv birthday card lmfao. but it was. i’ve been wanting to quit for the longest but didn’t have the guts and this was the kick in the ass i needed. i didn’t even feel panicky afterwards like i thought i would. just free. here’s to greener pastures i guess!!
Jobadvisor
- Keep the email short, neutral, and documented. Do not give her room to manipulate you, debate the traffic incident, or try to "cool you down." Write a firm, professional resignation email sent to her and CC HR (or her boss) and your personal email address.*"Please accept this email as formal notification that I am resigning from my position as [Title]. My last day will be [Date, 2 weeks out]." *
- Prepare for them to walk you out early. Weak supervisors who rely on vague threats ("I've let things slide," "we're watching your computer") often don't handle boundary-setting well. Be prepared in case she accepts the resignation effective immediately. Pack up your personal items quietly before sending the email.
- Enjoy living at home while you reset. Living with your parents isn't a setback—it's a financial buffer that just allowed you to stand up for yourself and walk away from an abusive boss without going broke.