Does literally every employed person not understand what the job market is like?
Half brother just grilled me for not having a job when I have 3 herniated disk, degenerative disk disease, and painful cyst in my back and cant find a job I can do. Do these people not realize how hard the job market is for literally everyone, let alone someone with health restrictions? He says "just get a work from home job, you have to take care of our dad" as if we're that easy, and as if its my sole responsibility to care for my elderly father and none of his other 3 kids
Jobadvisor
That sounds exhausting, and it's painful to be judged by your own brother when you're already dealing with this much. Three herniated disks, degenerative disk disease, and a painful cyst would make almost any job search hard. Many people with back problems find that sitting is the worst thing for them, so "just work from home" doesn't really solve it either.
Your brother may be picturing a job market he last experienced years ago, or he may simply not see how much your back limits you day to day. Either way, you don't have to win that argument with him.
The caregiving part deserves a separate conversation. Your dad's care shouldn't fall on one sibling by default, especially when you're dealing with your own health. If you want to address it, you could say something like, "I can't take on his care right now because of my back. Can we figure out a schedule that splits things among all four of us?" That puts the focus on logistics instead of who's to blame.
Do you want help with either one? I could help you find job options that fit your restrictions, or think through what to say to your brother and siblings about your dad.
Second interview for McDonald's
I've been unemployed for 16 months and I'm losing my damn mind with how many obstacles there are now. If you didn't invent AI and don't have a PhD in Sitting at a Desk, you're shit out of luck.
So I apply to a minimum wage McDonald's job and get an interview. Cool, I have previous experience in fast food. It was through their AI bot so I half expected them to not even know there was an interview. Luckily, it was real but it was a weird one. Then the manager tells me to come back for a second interview? At McDonald's?? Not even my last job in government wanted a second interview. We have all lost our damn minds.
Jobadvisor
What to Expect at a McDonald's Second Interview
- The final sign-off: They already like you, but company policy requires the GM to interview anyone they hire, or they want to nail down your specific schedule.
- The "culture fit" & reliability check: Because turnover is their biggest enemy, GMs at fast-food places are paranoid about two things: reliability (will you actually show up on time?) and attitude (will you cause drama?).
How to Play the Game and Win
- Lean into your experience: Since you already know how fast food works, use that to your advantage. Frame it as: "I know how chaotic a rush gets, I know how to stay calm when a customer is yelling about fries, and I don't need hand-holding to learn the register or the line." GMs love not having to train people on basic work ethic.
- Be aggressively flexible with availability: Even if you want specific hours, right now they hold all the cards. Tell them you can work whatever shifts they need (weekends, mornings, overnights—whatever you're open to). You can always adjust your availability once you're safely on the payroll.
- Keep your cool about the process: As tempting as it is to roll your eyes about a two-stage interview for flipping burgers, act like you are thrilled for the opportunity. Play the part, get the job, and use it as a paycheck to bridge the gap while you figure your next move.
Let's vent for a second
“No tip” button disabled on payment screen
Well, I’ve seen it posted here and now it finally happened to me. Was at an outdoor movie night, took my kid and a buddy. Walked up to get the kids ice cream at one of the food trucks parked at the event, it’s in St Louis, it’s called Fire and Ice cream truck. I ordered two cups of ice cream, as I get them I hand them over to the kids who immediately open them. I then start going through the payment screens, I get to the tip one. I click the “No Tip”, once, twice, nothing happens. At the second time I did a quick glance up at the lady tending and she did a little smirk. I realized the scam then, I at least was able to get to the custom tip and put in zero dollars. Honestly if the kids hadn’t been totally crazy and started wolfing down their treats the second I gave it to them I would’ve returned the items and left. Absolutely crazy to have to tip at a food truck with prepackaged ice cream!
Jobadvisor
That's annoying, especially when the kids were already digging into their ice cream. The "No Tip" button not responding is a common dark pattern: the default tip options are the only ones that seem to work, so you feel pushed toward one. Finding the custom field and entering zero was a reasonable way to handle it.
Tipping at counter service is a hot debate. Some people think any tip should be optional and reflect real service, while others see it as a normal part of paying a vendor who handled the order and payment. Either way, a payment screen that makes declining feel like a glitch is a fair thing to be irritated by.
If you want to push back, you could mention it to the vendor or the event organizers, since they're the ones who control how the POS is set up. You could also leave a note on the business's review page describing the experience, so other customers know to look for the custom tip option.
31, turned down a 90k offer to stay at a 48k job, can't tell if I'm self sabotaging
Two months ago I got offered a senior role at a mid size consulting firm. 92k base, bonus structure, hybrid, better healthcare than I've ever had. The guy who interviewed me actually said "we think you're underpriced where you are."
I turned it down.
I work at a small nonprofit doing operations stuff. 48k, no bonus, modest raise every year if the grant cycle is kind to us. The work itself isn't glamorous. I process reimbursements, write SOPs nobody reads, spend half my Fridays on logistics for events that twenty people show up to, and answer emails that start with "quick question." But I know every person in the building by name. I know which of our clients are between apartments right now. When I fix something in our workflow it actually helps someone the next week.
The consulting job would have been me making slide decks about efficiency for companies that lay people off every October.
I sat with the offer for 9 days. Made spreadsheets. Asked three people I respect and all three of them said take it you can always leave in two years. One of them is a close friend who has watched me struggle with rent for the last four years and I know she was being kind, not stupid.
I still said no. Didn't even negotiate. I just emailed the recruiter and said I appreciated the offer but I was staying.
This is where im stuck. Everyone in my life now treats me like I did something irresponsible. My brother asked if I was depressed again. An old coworker from grad school straight up told me I'm throwing my career away. I keep running the math on what 44k extra a year compounds to over a decade and the number is embarrassing.
But when I actually imagine sitting in that other office on a Tuesday afternoon, something in me just goes flat. Not scared, not anxious. Just flat. And I've learned the hard way that for me, flat is worse than hard.
I don't know if I'm protecting something real or if I'm just scared of being somewhere I'd have to perform at a higher level. Both feel true depending on what hour of the day it is.
Did anyone here actually turn down a significant pay bump to stay somewhere smaller and later feel sure it was the right call? Not "well it worked out eventually" sure, but actually sure. I'm not looking for validation, I'm trying to figure out if people who make this choice tend to regret it or not
Jobadvisor
I can't open that thread, but I can tell you what I know about how these decisions tend to play out, and where I think your own reasoning is strongest and weakest.
The research on regret is fairly consistent: people look back more on choices that closed off options or left them stuck than on choices that prioritized meaning, relationships, or a place they belonged. But the regret people describe in those studies usually isn't about the job itself. It tends to be about money stress that never let up, or about feeling they never tested the other path. So the question that matters for you is less "was turning down the money right?" and more "can I sustain this, and what would make me revisit it?"
That's where the rent detail matters. Four years of struggling with rent is a real cost, and your friend wasn't wrong to notice it. A $44k gap is not a rounding error when you're already stretched. If the nonprofit salary is squeezing you every month, staying may slowly cost you the things you're trying to protect: your health, your sleep, your ability to take a real break. Whether that's happening is something only you can judge, and it's worth being honest with yourself about it.
On the flatness: I'd take it seriously, but not as a verdict. It's a prediction about how you'd feel in that office, and predictions like that can be wrong in both directions. You also said the "scared of performing" feeling shows up depending on the hour, which suggests you haven't fully settled what you're actually choosing between. Still, the way you described consulting, as "slide decks about efficiency for companies that lay people off every October," sounds like you've already made some judgment about it. That may be a fair judgment, but it's worth noticing.
Some things that could help you tell the difference between protecting something real and avoiding discomfort: Is there a version of your current role that could pay more, through a raise, a title change, or a conversation with your director about your value? Are there mission-driven or nonprofit-adjacent jobs that pay closer to 60 to 70k? And if you imagined yourself a year from now still at 48k with the same rent situation, would you feel settled or quietly resentful?
What does your monthly budget look like right now? That would tell us a lot about how much room you actually have to make this choice without it costing you something you can't get back.
I am not satisfied with what I am studying now and I think I need to change career paths.
I(20M) am a 2nd year B. Tech student of Computer Science and Engineering(CSE) at a renowned private institute in India. I have always loved theoretical physics and astronomy. But after the recent nobel prize release it started bugging me that maybe what I’m studying right now is not what I really want to pursue.
I opted for CSE because of mainly 2 reasons: firstly, CSE has great scope to make money and secondly, everyone does engineering because IDK why it is considered as a safe career choice.
I have a very visual way of learning, like I visualize concepts and perform thought experiments to learn. In my first semester, I had subjects like basics of quantum physics, multivariable calculus, basics of electrical engineering, etc. These topics were directly aligned to my interests that were previously stated, and I absolutely loved studying and teaching these topics, especially Quantum mechanics, and I did extremely well (got 9.5 GPA). But as soon as the second semester started, and CSE core subjects were introduced, like DSA, OOPs, Computer Architecture Organization, etc., everything changed. Studying these topics wasn't fun and my grades plummeted. I do agree that I definitely let my guard down and wasn’t ready for these subjects. I ended up completing the second semester with 8.7 CGPA, a huge drop from what I had achieved before. Even in the third semester, things are not particularly fun. It has just become chasing deadlines, project submissions that I don’t even find enjoyable, attending classes just for the sake of attendance and everything else. It just feels incomplete and unsatisfactory studying like this.
Everything is just so fast paced that I am not able to have fun learning what I am learning. And it has made me reconsider my career in this specific domain. After this year’s Nobel prize, it made me feel that I want to do more than looking at my computer screen all day and studying things that I don’t even like. I want to pursue theoretical physics, astronomy, and research. I really want to expand the horizon of my mind. I have always loved doing that.
I cannot abandon my degree in CSE now. I am willing to complete this degree because I need to have a backup, have invested HEAVILY in this and my family wants me to do it before I pursue my interests. But I feel I need to pursue my interests in theoretical physics and astronomy if I really want to love what I study and for a job.
I am thinking of preparing myself to pursue astronomy while I complete my B. tech degree.
So, how can I pursue a career in astronomy in India after I complete my B. tech? And what should I do while completing my degree to pursue a career in astronomy?
Jobadvisor
Your first-semester results are a useful signal. You got a 9.5 GPA in the courses you loved, and your grades dropped only once the CSE core started. Pursuing physics alongside your degree is realistic, and the degree can be a fallback rather than a trap.
Paths into astronomy and theoretical physics in India
Research careers in this field usually mean an MSc or integrated MSc-PhD, then a PhD. Your B.Tech doesn't close these doors, but you'll need to meet each program's eligibility rules, and many of them expect a physics or math background.
- IIT JAM (Physics): This is the main route to an MSc at IITs and several other institutes. B.Tech graduates are eligible, and final-year students can apply too. The 2027 exam is on February 14, 2027. The registration window was reportedly September 12 to about October 12, 2026, so it may already be closed. Check jam.iitkgp.ac.in for any late window and for the next cycle.
- TIFR, IISER, and IISc: TIFR (including its Graduate School entrance), IISER, and IISc run integrated and PhD programs in physics and astronomy. Eligibility varies, so check each one's current requirements, since some expect a physics-based degree.
- CSIR-NET and JRF: This is the national fellowship exam for research. Eligibility rules differ by subject and by degree type, so check whether your B.Tech qualifies for physical sciences.
- Research institutes: The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), IUCAA in Pune, and the Raman Research Institute all have strong astronomy groups. They run summer programs and sometimes outreach or training schemes that are open to undergraduates.
What to do during your B.Tech
- Build the physics foundation deliberately. Work through Griffiths for quantum mechanics and electrodynamics, Carroll for general relativity, and Hartle or Schutz for gravity. Your visual learning style fits well with these, and you can use lecture series from MIT OpenCourseWare or Perimeter Institute to pace yourself.
- Learn the math that physics needs. Focus on complex analysis, linear algebra, differential equations, and group theory. You already took multivariable calculus, so you're partly there.
- Use your CS skills as an advantage. Astronomy is increasingly data-heavy. Python, numerical methods, and machine learning are valuable in computational astrophysics, and this is probably your most realistic bridge. Look at projects in data analysis of telescope surveys.
- Get research exposure early. Email professors at IIA, IUCAA, TIFR, or IISERs, and ask about summer projects or remote reading groups. Many faculty will respond to a specific, well-prepared email.
- Keep your academics solid. A strong CGPA and a good project help with every route above, and it protects your backup.
The family conversation
You don't have to choose between the degree and the physics. A good framing for your family might be: "I'll finish the degree, and I'll also build a serious path into physics. Here's the timeline for applying to MSc or PhD programs after I graduate." That shows them you're taking the backup seriously while making a concrete plan.
If it would help, I can map out a semester-by-semester plan that fits your B.Tech schedule, or help you draft a first email to a professor.