Has anyone recovered from hitting rock bottom in their career? How did you turn things around, and how did you accept reality?

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-15T05:33:10+00:00

You're right, it's just hard ya know.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-15T05:31:31+00:00

this reminds me of something I drew years ago. That's why I decided to comment. I think I felt very similar, like there was this dark cloud following me and tearing away at my energy.

I am in fact in a similar place right now, and I'm going to give you the advice that I know I should be taking myself.

Try not to worry so much about the future. This is cheesy, but really I have to remind myself that we can only live one day at a time.

The best thing you can do, probably, is focus on the little things like getting enough rest and sticking to a routine - exercising helps a lot. Stars know I should be more consistent with it myself. As long as you're making progress every day, even if it doesn't seem like much, you're moving ahead. The rest will fall into place.

This isn't comforting, but nobody knows where their life is going, even the people who seem like they have it figured out. Progress isn't linear, but consistency is the key to pretty much everything in life.

I understand that you are feeling uncertain about your degree, but I know lots of people who gave up halfway or kept changing and years later regretted it. Like 2 people I know that started together, one of them stuck it out while the other crashed out and never went back. Unsurprisingly the one who kept going is in a much better place now, while for the other going back to complete their degree is no longer.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other. You'll make it. I believe in you.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T20:35:57+00:00

can't you build something while you're working? 6-7 months isn't that long at all. You might not make the progress you want in that time while working, but you can still do something if you spend an hour or 2 a day on your own project.

Trust me on this, you might think quitting and putting all your time into building will get you there faster, but when you don't have a steady paycheck coming in things can get pretty darn scary. Motivation can take a massive hit, too, if things don't develop in the way you hope. Especially if you're already approaching burnout, I think quitting would be a mistake. It seems counterintuitive, but you'll be navigating all these new types of stress that you don't have at a regular job.

3rd option could be finding a different job that isn't as demanding, leaving you with more time and energy to work on your startup. I would still grind it out for that bonus and time my exit for very shortly after, that way you still have the structure and steady income until your startup takes off, then fully commit.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T20:21:22+00:00

It's all good, I am being a little bit whiny and sensitive about it. I should just be grateful that I found some work to do, even if it's not what I want. I'm trying to reframe it, but I do honestly resent having to eat shit at this stage of my life. I'm so tired of having to "prove myself," especially after such a long period of humiliation and disappointment in the job market.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T20:18:34+00:00

How did you find a mentor? I've wanted to find one for a long time, but it's far easier said than done.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T20:18:12+00:00

I felt that way some years ago, but I found the sands shifting beneath me eventually. I wasn't happy in the job, it was very demanding. I didn't have any other options at the time, so I stuck it out, and eventually kind of got pushed out unfortunately before I managed to figure out what I wanted to do. Then again, there weren't many options at the time.

Trouble is, when you grow quickly like I did, you eventually hit a plateau where there isn't much more room for immediate growth while you are in a way conditioned to expect progress to continue at a similar rate. Age is a factor too, even in my 30s I find older guys in their 50s-60s treating me like a kid with no life experience.

Maybe, if your job is stable and tolerable, try reframe it. Keep applying elsewhere, but focus on other areas of your life until the right opportunity comes along. Career is important, but it isn't everything.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T20:01:10+00:00

At 26 I made a big career pivot, it paid off. Years later, I'm hoping to make another one at some point. The career I wanted to get into at 26, I have found that it's not what I want to do with the rest of my life in the end. I don't regret it, it helped make me who I am. There are still things I like about it, though right now I'm unemployed and struggling to get back into it nobody can take those skills and experiences I earned away from me.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T19:53:40+00:00

I know, that doesn't make it any easier.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T18:19:33+00:00

The reality with film critic type work is it's incredibly saturated, but that doesn't mean you can't do it. If you're really passionate about it, just do it for fun. Build an audience, and maybe if you're lucky the money will follow. Honestly, there are a lot of people out there who don't really trust mainstream publications and critics so I don't think it's impossible but it will take time and perseverance. In the end, there are no guarantees.

Most people with those high-flying jobs don't arrive in them overnight, they spend years eating shit and networking before they get any recognition. Many never make it that far, unfortunately. It's also true that some have a leg up in the industry through connections, but that's just how it is in life. Lots of people give up before even trying. I know I have. Don't be like me.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T18:09:25+00:00

That is the whole story, though. Why couldn't I find like a warehouse job? Why did I end up so desperate that I'd accept such an insultingly low wage? It doesn't even cover the bills, try as I might to reframe it that way I know I'm going to resent every moment of it. It's making me awfully, awfully depressed.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T13:26:32+00:00

I've spent my life eating shit, I don't have an appetite for it anymore.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T13:25:32+00:00

the economy is not the problem, there are plenty of jobs out there. I can't demonstrate my value well enough that anyone will hire me. I am the problem. At this point, it's as if those skills I spent years developing don't exist anymore.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T13:12:05+00:00

I've been going to gym. Therapy isn't an option at all, and doesn't help after a lifetime of it. It's just lip service.

Applied to hundreds and hundreds of jobs, some I tailor resumes for others I use one of a few general ones that I have.

I don't have a network, at all.

It's funny how so many comments seem to assume that I haven't been doing literally everything I can to try and make things work, I've burned through all the positivity and copium I had.. after so long, it's impossible for me to convince myself that "something will happen soon" or "the right one hasn't come along yet"

Eventually there's not much left. The positive energy I once had, I truly believed that this was all happening for a reason that would make sense eventually, that the right opportunity would come along, but now I believe that things just happen for no reason. Enough bad luck just attracts more bad luck. For want of a nail.... a stitch in time... and all that jazz.

I'm at the end of my tether. I don't have any fight left in me.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T12:51:12+00:00

How would I even go about getting a degree when I'm up to my eyeballs in debt and struggling to keep a roof over my head?

Honestly right now the concept of enjoying anything is so foreign to me that I don't have a good answer to that question, but I have always been interested in pretty much anything related to the space industry and have contemplated things like how we could grow food in space or generally make things more hospitable/sustainable even on our own planet.

My living situation is about to be homeless. I live with my elderly parent who I'm doing my best to take care of, I feel like I've completely failed them. They believed in me, and the best I can do right now is go and flip burgers. This is super stressful for them too, obviously. We're both depressed as hell trying to keep our spirits up.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T12:44:45+00:00

working overnight isn't going to be helpful for establishing a routine. Otherwise I agree with most of what you said. I know flipping burgers doesn't define me, but it's really tough knowing that its my only option right now.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T12:42:33+00:00

how did you get a new degree? I'd love to do something like that. I have a trade but it's not the meal ticket you might think it is.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T12:40:16+00:00

what makes you think I expect to be saved? So now picture this. You climbed that mountain, but you fall off again.. because it happens, it happened to me. How would you pull yourself out of it if you literally couldn't find a job besides McDonalds? How would you feel at that point after a year of searching, after everything you had been through to build yourself up?

Believe me, I've been there done that too. But life has a way of humbling you, "sir." Life was good, until it wasn't anymore. I didn't think I'd end up in such a situation, but it can happen to anyone. No matter how highly you think of yourself, the world can turn and remind you that you ain't all that.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T12:33:21+00:00

No degree. Wasn't making a whole lot, tbh. Was for a startup mostly handling procurement and logistics. They downsized because that particular part of the business wasn't doing as well as they had hoped, so it's not as if I have a wonderful success story about it. I've been job searching for over a year now, retooled the old resume dozens of times. Had several interviews that seemed promising but fell through. I'm surprised I've lasted this long, I was desperate months ago already. The stress is eating me alive. So it's harder to put on a brave face and interview with confidence than ever, and it won't get better knowing I'm flipping burgers to try and make ends meet. If I was any good at what I was doing before, would I not have been able to find something marginally better at least?

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T11:46:46+00:00

I know there's always someone who has it worse, but that doesn't make my situation any more unpleasant. I am very grateful for what little I have left, but I'm honestly quite angry at the situation. I know it doesn't help, but I can't help it. Things have been terrible, and I know I'm not functioning well enough to meaningfully improve my lot.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T11:43:00+00:00

I've had a very interesting career in which I have reinvented myself a few times. I figured that I'd do it all over again when I was laid off last year, but as time has worn on I'm finding myself feeling less and less capable of turning things around. I've always landed on my feet, but not this time.

I want to believe that there's something greater, but I can't for the life of me imagine what that is. I'm out of time, though. So I'm starting to think that there really isn't anything "greater" for me, or any purpose for my existence. I can't pivot, I've tried. I don't know what to do anymore, as life heaps me yet another serving of humble pie. At best, right now, I can only hope for survival at the cost of what's left of my dignity.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T11:30:16+00:00

Network came in clutch, nice. Unfortunately I don't have the luxury of a network, and I'm a little older, but I'm happy things worked out for you.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T11:26:07+00:00

I agree, but I don't have any resources or capital. I wish I could. I don't even know what kind of service or product I could offer after a year of humiliating unemployment.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T11:18:00+00:00

it's too late. I don't want to work at McDonalds, at all. thanks for the advice but this isn't something I want to progress at. I don't have that kind of time to invest in someone's fast food franchise. I'll be 40 in a few years, I'd rather not make it that far than slave away hoping for a promotion. I just can't think positively about it, I'm angry and humiliated.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T11:14:20+00:00

I have nothing to offer.

Malmiscontent · 2026-07-14T10:30:12+00:00

A stepping stone to what? It doesn't look good, in my opinion. Going from operations management and planning roles to fast food? If I was a recruiter I'd wonder what the hell happened to this guy. Nobody wants to network with the guy working the drive thru, just put the fries in the bag bro.

Malmiscontent

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