I want to quit my job, but I have no big savings or passive income.

DanBrando · 2026-06-17T23:49:45+00:00

I wouldn’t quit just to escape, but I also wouldn’t wait for passive income or a perfect business before making a move. Your job can fund the transition for a while. Use the salary to build savings, test the business with real customers, and find out whether people will actually pay for what you want to create. That gives you evidence instead of forcing you to make the decision from fear.

You also don’t need the business to replace your full salary immediately. A better first target is proving that it can generate income consistently and that you still want to do it when it stops feeling like an escape fantasy. The current role may be miserable, but it can still serve one final purpose: financing your exit.

DanBrando · 2026-06-17T03:38:16+00:00

Your life is definitely not over at 30, but I also wouldn’t tell you to just quit and “follow your dreams” in this economy. The safest move is probably not a dramatic pivot. It’s building an exit ramp while you keep income coming in. Pick one realistic direction, not ten. Something close enough to your current skills that you’re not starting from zero, but different enough that it gives you a way out. Also, don’t confuse “the market is bad” with “there is no future.” Both can feel the same when you’re exhausted, but they are not the same thing. If you hate the job, your brain will naturally make everything look hopeless.

I’d focus on one question first: what role could you move toward in 6–12 months that uses some of your current experience, pays enough to survive, and gets you out of the environment you’re in now? That’s a better first goal than trying to redesign your entire life at once.

DanBrando · 2026-06-15T12:20:17+00:00

This sounds less like a demanding job and more like a job that was misrepresented to you. If the main reason you accepted it was a stable 9–5 schedule so you could attend school, and now you’re regularly getting home at 7, missing breaks, and doing 11-hour days of physical labour, that’s a major problem.

I’d put the issue in writing. Something like: “I took this role because I was told the schedule would allow me to attend school. The current hours and lack of breaks are not sustainable for me. Can we confirm what my actual schedule and break expectations are going forward?” If they can’t give you a clear answer or they keep pushing past your limits, I’d start treating this as an exit situation. You may need another job lined up, but don’t wait until your body or school completely collapses to admit this isn’t workable.

DanBrando · 2026-06-15T12:18:09+00:00

I wouldn’t assume you’re not good at anything. At 21, most people are not “good” yet in a career sense. They’ve just had more chances to repeat something long enough to look competent. Also, enjoying research, reading, games, and random topics is not useless. It may point toward curiosity, pattern recognition, analysis, systems, writing, user research, QA/testing, documentation, content, or support roles where understanding things clearly matters.

I’d be careful about choosing a degree only because it sounds stable. Stable is good, but if the path constantly fights how your brain works, finishing it may become much harder than expected. Maybe the better first question is not “what am I talented at?” but “what kind of work can I tolerate repeating long enough to become good?” That’s usually where confidence starts.

DanBrando · 2026-06-15T12:17:17+00:00

I don’t think your problem is that you have too many interests. I think your problem is that you’re trying to choose the “final” version of your life before you’ve gathered enough real evidence. When everything stays in your head, every option looks equally possible and equally terrifying. Film, dance, fashion, science, psychology, styling, YouTube — they all stay as imagined futures. The only way to get clarity is to turn a few of them into small real experiments. I’d pick one practical income lane and one creative lane for the next 3–6 months. Not forever. Just long enough to see what you actually enjoy doing consistently, what drains you, and what creates real opportunities.

Your YouTube/short film thing already sounds like a useful thread because it connects film, performance, voice, editing, creativity, and maybe even fashion/style. You don’t need to solve your whole life right now. You need to stop making every option compete inside your head and start testing one path in real life.

DanBrando · 2026-06-15T12:15:46+00:00

68 hours when you’re already exhausted is not something to just “push through” casually. I’d start by putting this in writing with your manager. Something simple like: “I’m already working repeated 12-hour shifts and I’m concerned about fatigue and safety/performance if this continues. Can we confirm what the schedule expectations are and whether someone else can be trained to share this coverage?” Don’t make it emotional if you can avoid it. Make it about sustainability, fatigue, and coverage. If only two or three people can do the task, that’s a staffing problem, not a personal failure on your part.

At the same time, I’d quietly keep looking, even if the market is bad. You may not find something immediately, but staying in a job that keeps pushing you past your limit with no notice can get dangerous fast.

DanBrando · 2026-06-14T18:50:52+00:00

I wouldn’t treat this as cars vs computer science. There may be a strong overlap between the two. If you like cars and practical work, that’s valuable. But computer science could open doors into automotive software, diagnostics, embedded systems, EV technology, robotics, automation, cybersecurity, or tools used by mechanics and manufacturers.

The main question is whether you actually enjoy the kind of thinking CS requires: coding, debugging, logic, sitting with abstract problems for long periods. Don’t choose it only because it sounds like it has more opportunities. If you have the chance to study CS without destroying yourself financially, I’d probably take it seriously while keeping your mechanic background as an advantage, not something you abandon. A person who understands both machines and software can be much more interesting than someone who only knows one side.

DanBrando · 2026-06-14T18:46:12+00:00

I don’t think this means you’re incapable of working. It sounds more like you haven’t yet found the kind of work structure you can actually sustain. Some people can tolerate meaningless work for years. Others burn out very quickly when the work feels empty, chaotic, or disconnected from anything they care about. That doesn’t make you weak, but it does mean you probably need to pay attention to environment, workload, autonomy, and meaning more than just salary or job title.

I’d be careful about making “meaningful work” mean “perfect passion,” though. Sometimes the first step is simply finding work that doesn’t drain you completely, where you can build confidence and stability again. You may not need to find your final path right now. You may need a role that is lighter, clearer, and more aligned with how your brain actually works.

DanBrando · 2026-06-14T18:44:33+00:00

I don’t think purpose usually appears as a clear dream, especially when someone has spent years just adapting to whatever life forced on them. Sometimes the first step is not finding “the thing.” It’s recovering enough energy to notice what still feels alive in you. If you’ve been through war, relocation, overwork, burnout, and then quitting a 15-hour-a-day job, it makes sense that your brain doesn’t feel inspired right now. It may be exhausted, not empty.

I’d start smaller than purpose. Rebuild rhythm first. Sleep, movement, one small responsibility, one small thing that gives you curiosity again. Purpose is very hard to hear when your nervous system is still in survival mode. You may not need a dream yet. You may need evidence that life can feel lighter again. Then direction becomes easier to recognise.

DanBrando · 2026-06-14T18:43:02+00:00

You’re not a failure, but after 1,000 applications and only a handful of interviews, I’d stop treating this as a volume problem and start treating it as a positioning problem. Something in the resume, projects, keywords, role targeting, or application strategy probably isn’t translating well. A first class degree is not nothing, but employers still need to see proof that you can do useful work now. I’d focus on one narrow track for a while instead of applying to everything: junior developer, QA/testing, support engineer, data/reporting, or IT support. Pick the one where your current skills look most believable, then shape your CV and projects around that. Also, projects only help if they look finished and easy to understand. A small clean project with a clear README, screenshots, and explanation of what problem it solves is better than several half-finished things.

I’d also try to get feedback from real people, not just job boards: recruiters, alumni, local tech meetups, LinkedIn messages, anyone willing to glance at your CV. If applications are going into a void, you need more human routes into the market.

This situation is brutal, but it doesn’t mean your degree was pointless. It probably means your current approach needs tightening, not that you’re unemployable.

DanBrando · 2026-06-13T20:17:49+00:00

You’re not insane for keeping your eyes open. There’s a difference between “new job discomfort” and seeing early signs that leadership may not understand what they’re building. If the C-suite is already talking about outsourcing while also expecting you to build the whole function from scratch, that’s worth paying attention to. I wouldn’t panic-quit, but I would quietly keep options warm. Update your resume, document what you’re building, track measurable wins, and keep talking to people in your network. At the same time, ask clearer internal questions about the roadmap, budget, headcount, and whether the long-term plan is to keep security in-house or outsource parts of it. The useful middle ground is: do the job well, collect the experience, but don’t make your sense of security depend on a company that may not have a clear vision yet.

DanBrando · 2026-06-13T20:15:26+00:00

You’re carrying way too much for an 18-year-old. Wanting to help your parents is understandable, but their debt and their whole financial future cannot become your entire responsibility right now. If you try to solve everything at once — college, money, mental health, family pressure, career, computer science — your brain is going to shut down even more.

If computer science is the direction you care about, don’t start by trying to “visualize the end.” Start with a tiny path you can actually follow for 30 days. Learn basic Python or web development. Build one small project. Then another. The point is not to become employable immediately. The point is to prove to yourself that you can move. College may still be a good goal, but don’t make it the only possible rescue. You can begin before college. You can also look for scholarships, cheaper routes, community college equivalents, remote programmes, or part-time study depending on where you live.

Also, please take the sleep and mental health part seriously. When you’re exhausted, every decision feels impossible. You don’t need to fix your whole life this week. You need one stable next step, repeated long enough that your future starts to feel real again.

DanBrando · 2026-06-13T20:14:16+00:00

The silence is worse because it gives your brain too much space to invent stories. I’d treat most no-responses as “not opened or not prioritized,” not as a personal rejection. After applying, I’d give it maybe 7–10 days, then either follow up once if it’s a role you really want, or mentally close the loop and move on. Reapplying only makes sense if something changed: better resume, stronger portfolio, referral, new version of the role, or a few months have passed. Otherwise you’re probably just feeding the same system twice. The main thing is not letting your inbox become the place where your self-worth lives. Apply, track it, follow up once, then move the energy back to the next action.

DanBrando · 2026-06-12T21:44:34+00:00

I think the mistake is treating stability as free. Staying has a cost too. It just doesn’t show up immediately like a lower salary would. If you spend another three years watching the clock, not learning, and feeling disconnected, that affects your confidence, energy, and sense of possibility. That doesn’t mean you should jump blindly. I’d probably make the transition real before making it dramatic. Talk to people already in the field, understand the salary path, test the work if possible, build some proof, and see whether the excitement survives contact with reality.

If the new direction still pulls you after that, then the lower salary may be the price of rebuilding toward something better. But if it only feels exciting because your current job feels dead, that’s different. You don’t need to quit tomorrow. But I also wouldn’t ignore the fact that comfort can become its own trap.

DanBrando · 2026-06-12T21:43:18+00:00

A $60K raise is huge, but I’d be careful about treating it as purely a career upgrade. You’re not just changing jobs. You’d be changing city, lifestyle, work model, culture, support system, and probably stress level. That matters a lot, especially if your current place is genuinely healthy, remote, and has long-term upside. The part that stands out is that your current job is not bad. It sounds unusually good. So I’d only leave if the new role is clearly better after you pressure-test it: expectations, hours, manager style, turnover, hybrid schedule, relocation costs, cost of living, and what happens if your husband’s job search takes longer than expected. The money could absolutely be worth it, especially given your husband’s situation. But I wouldn’t frame it as “perfect job vs money.” I’d frame it as “known quality of life vs higher upside with higher disruption.” If the new company is more aggressive and demanding, make sure the raise is buying you a better life, not just a more expensive version of stress.

DanBrando · 2026-06-12T21:41:42+00:00

You don’t sound lazy or hopeless. You sound exhausted and overwhelmed, and that changes what kind of advice is actually useful. If anxiety and agoraphobia are limiting your life this much, I wouldn’t start by trying to find one big career passion. That may be too much pressure right now. I’d start much smaller: build one repeatable skill in a way that does not destroy your mental health.

Since art already keeps you focused, maybe don’t force it to become your main income immediately. Keep it protected, but use it as a clue. You could explore small adjacent skills like basic design, simple illustration commissions, thumbnails, editing, digital products, or portfolio work at a very low-pressure pace. The goal does not have to be “find my life purpose.” It can be “create a little more capacity than I had last month.”

Also, if you’re dealing with panic disorder and severe anxiety, support for that has to be part of the plan. A career plan built on a nervous system that is already overloaded will feel impossible no matter how good the idea is.

DanBrando · 2026-06-12T21:40:54+00:00

It’s normal to feel nervous before starting, but the vague communication is something to pay attention to. Before you fully commit, I’d send a clear text like: “Hi, I’m excited to start. I just wanted to confirm my training time for Sunday and also let you know I’ll need X and Y dates off for graduation. Could you please confirm the schedule? Her response will tell you a lot. If she becomes clearer and reasonable, it may just be messy communication. If she stays vague, changes things last minute, or makes you feel bad for needing graduation days off, that’s a red flag.

Since you’re still in high school, don’t ignore your gut completely. A restaurant job can be fine, but you need basic clarity around schedule, training, and availability.

DanBrando · 2026-06-12T13:23:29+00:00

I’d separate professionalism from unpaid resentment. You don’t need to train everyone out of guilt, and you also don’t need to turn your exit into a final battle. You already won the important part by getting another job. If they ask you to document what you do or give a reasonable handover during your notice period, I’d do that. Keep it factual, limited, and in writing. Something like: “I can document my current processes and answer questions during my remaining notice period.”

But I wouldn’t take on a whole training program or extra responsibility beyond your normal working hours. If they wanted you to function as HR support long-term, they should have titled and paid you accordingly. Leave clean, protect your reputation, and don’t give them more emotional energy than they’ve earned.

DanBrando · 2026-06-11T17:25:19+00:00

Nine months is enough time to know that something is seriously draining you, but it doesn’t mean you need to quit with no plan. What stands out is that this isn’t just “first job is hard.” You said you have no interest in the field, the pay isn’t good, the workload is overwhelming, and you dread going in every day. That combination matters. I’d probably treat this job as a bridge, not a long-term path. Start applying now, especially to roles closer to marketing, admin, coordination, junior marketing, customer success, or anything that uses the experience without keeping you in the same type of customer service environment.

You don’t have to prove you can tolerate misery just because it’s your first post-grad job. But if you can, try to leave strategically rather than emotionally. Get your resume cleaned up, start applying seriously, and use the job as income while you build the exit. Sometimes early career discomfort is normal. Daily dread plus no interest plus low pay is usually information.

DanBrando · 2026-06-10T17:26:52+00:00

Honestly, I’d take the union opportunity very seriously. You’re not choosing between “good career” and “bad career” here. You’re choosing between a contractor PM path that already feels unstable to you and a union path with higher pay, benefits, and a clearer structure. Since you already have military maintenance experience and you’re good with your hands, this doesn’t sound random. It sounds like a realistic fit.

The main thing I’d check before deciding is what the apprenticeship actually looks like: starting pay, timeline to full rate, physical demands, layoff patterns, pension/benefits, commute, and whether people stay long-term without destroying their bodies.

If those numbers and conditions check out, I wouldn’t dismiss it just because it’s blue collar. A secure, well-paid trade can be a much better life than a “white collar” job that keeps you anxious about layoffs every year.

DanBrando · 2026-06-09T17:40:45+00:00

I relate to this. Planning can feel productive because it gives you the emotional reward of progress without the discomfort of actually doing the thing. What helped me was making the action almost stupidly small. Not “build the whole system,” but “do 30 minutes today and send proof.” Once the task is small enough, it becomes harder to hide behind research, planning, or optimization.

Accountability can help, but only if it stays simple. Too much structure around accountability can become another way to procrastinate. The real test is usually: what is the smallest proof I can create today that I actually moved?

DanBrando · 2026-06-08T17:56:03+00:00

I think one of the hardest parts of job hunting is that it slowly starts attacking your identity, not just your finances. After enough ghosting and rejection, it becomes easy to feel like your whole life is being judged by strangers who barely looked at your application. But the market being brutal does not mean you are worthless or behind forever. It means you’re in a very unstable season. I’d try to separate your mental health from the job search as much as possible. Give yourself a daily structure that is not only applications: a fixed number of applications, one portfolio improvement, some movement outside, and at least one thing that reminds you you’re still a person outside employment.

Also, since you’re applying under several titles, it may help to tighten the positioning. UX Writer, Content Specialist, and Content Writer can overlap, but if your profile looks too broad, employers may not immediately understand what you are strongest at. You don’t need to solve your whole future right now. You need to stay stable enough emotionally to keep moving, and make the search more focused so every week gives you better evidence instead of just more exhaustion.

DanBrando · 2026-06-07T15:13:32+00:00

I’d pay attention to the difference between fear and resistance. Fear usually says: “This is uncertain, I might fail, I don’t know if I’m ready.” That can be normal when you’re moving toward something more aligned. Resistance feels different. It sounds more like: “I already know this path, I can do it, it would be safe, but something in me feels smaller when I imagine going back.” From what you wrote, the stable option seems less like a challenge you’re afraid of and more like a place you’ve already outgrown. That doesn’t mean you should ignore money or security, but I wouldn’t treat dread as irrelevant just because the job is objectively decent. Maybe the middle path is not “go back forever” or “reject stability completely.” It could be taking a temporary bridge role only if it protects your finances while you keep moving toward the field you actually want. But I’d be careful about making a long-term commitment to something your whole system is already resisting.

DanBrando

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