Hi everyone,
I really need some guidance from people who have been through life and career decisions.
I come from a middle-class family. I recently got a placement as a backend Java coding intern. I know on paper it sounds like a good opportunity, but the truth is—I’m not good at coding. Every day I feel like a loser because I don’t know enough, and for the last 3 months I’ve been living with constant fear of losing my job.
I also have medical issues and due to medication/hereditary reasons, I take stress very badly. Even normal work pressure affects me mentally and physically. I know people say “IT jobs don’t have much stress,” but for me, it feels overwhelming.
My parents are supportive. They know my condition and keep telling me:
“If they fire you, it’s okay. Just be happy.”
But internally I keep thinking—if I leave this career, then where do I go?
I don’t have strong skills, I can’t afford expensive degrees, and I don’t have a backup plan.
I don’t want to be jobless forever. I want to earn. I just want something with less mental stress.
I’m also open to small business ideas, freelancing, non-coding tech roles, or any realistic path where I can slowly grow and generate income.
Has anyone here:
• Left a stressful tech job?
• Switched to a low-stress role?
• Started a small business from a middle-class background?
• Faced health/stress issues and still built a stable life?
I’m not looking for motivational quotes. I’m looking for realistic advice, hard truths, or step-by-step ideas.
Thanks for reading this. Even one reply would mean a lot.
I got a backend Java intern job but I can’t handle stress and feel stuck in life – need guidance
byu/Gullible-Republic-13 inbusiness
Posted by Gullible-Republic-13
3 Comments
I’m not good at coding -> Tons of poor coders out there in the wild making a living.
Every day I feel like a loser because I don’t know enough -> AKA Impostor syndrome, gets better with time but never really goes away. Embrace you don’t know everything and learn along the way. Gotta start somewhere. You will never know it all. Know enough that company and you make money. One day you’ll wake up and notice that people are coming to you for help. Stress isn’t going away, people from all fields worry about losing their jobs, just life really. Head up, have fun, do your best. Might want to put this in one of the learning programming subs. I’m use to the stress and not feeling “good” enough. I make the company money and they give me some of it.
You should go to a therapist, that isnt a knock on you, just a way for you to separate different realities and life in ways you cant imagine yet.
you have been getting paid for 3 months and gaining valuable work experience in the real world? That is what life is about, L I V I N…..You are slowly growing and generating some income. Do you work with a team in house or solo from one of those mythical ‘work from home’ jobs? I ask cuz when you work with a team, it helps with your self esteem……you can look around the room and know with certainty(since you see thier work and results right then and there) that you arent the biggest Fuc#t*rd in the company. They fo sho gonna fire Hilary for her worthless coding and nasty habit of tiktoking in the bosses bathroom.
hope that helps
You gotta love yourself a little.