What is your biggest career regret (visa, work, companies, pay)

[Eastcoasting]

Worst career decision I made was moving back to my hometown area after graduating college and trying to make a dead jobless economy work. Turned out no matter how hard I worked I couldn't change the fact that there were not any real positions in my field.

So after kicking around and doing the best with the meager positions that were available I headed off to the big city at age 26, pissed off friends, made my mom cry and my dad angry. I couch surfed for a couple months and landed a good job, worked at least 60 hours a week (and was damn happy to have the opportunity to work that hard), job hopped and made up for lost time so that at age 30 I had regained lost career ground.

I should have simply graduated and moved to whichever metro area had the most jobs and gone from there...had I not moved I'd still be in my hometown, a bitter middle aged drunk by now.

[krawhitham]

Not leaving my last job sooner. It all worked out though, I was laid off and now I'm able to collect unemployment and decide the next steps my life will take (while searching for full time employment)

Steps that I've made that have helped me NOT regret much: Moving 3,000 miles away from "home," traveling abroad at any chance that I got (which helped me learn foreign languages and gain valuable life perspective), switching careers 3 times in my 20's and always living WAY below my means.

[Itstimetomuskup]

I would have taken a bad ass job that was offered to me instead of trying to finish up my MBA. I was an idiot to turn it down. I regret the crap out of it.

[veuvegirl]

I made a lot of mistakes, but if I didn't, I wouldn't be where I am now. I made a huge mistake taking a job with a health care company. I knew it was not a great fit, but I thought it was an opportunity. It was a bad time in my life, and an impossible adjustment.

[timetofly733]

My biggest regret is thinking my career defined me and that I was climbing some corporate ladder for years to become "someone." Got a good college degree in Management, spent 15+ years after college working accounting/comptroller jobs 50-60-70 hours a week thinking I was getting somewhere and would some day really hit that "big" position. Freaked out about the "what if" with kids (I'm female) when I was 35 (was married since 25) and got pregnant at 37. Became a stay-at-home mom and man...almost lost out on how fulfilling that could be. It's been the best part of my life. I could care less what I become in life in the "corporate eye" now. I wish I could've had more kids because I love being a mom. Now that being said, I realize I'm lucky because my husband is doing the corporate ladder thing so I can be a stay-at-home mom, but trust me, financially life changed DRAMATICALLY going from 2 incomes to 1 and adding a child. However, that good degree and all those years experience have allowed me to get a work-at-home accounting job for a web-based company, so I have to admit there was some merit to all those years I feel like I wasted working non-stop. But I do wonder if I would've care less about being a "career-woman" how things would have turned out.

[Tangirl32]

So far,

Accepting the job I have now. Who knew my manager will turn out to be a bully boss? That I will be constantly on edge, in a state of constant vigilance? That I would have panic attacks and anxiety. That I would start seeing a therapist to deal with the stress and harassment?

And before anyone asks, Yes, I have been looking.

[ShadyLadyTX]

My biggest regret was leaving the workforce to stay home with my kids. I went to school during that time, but I had no job experience. It sucked being 27 with a blank resume. I did eventually get hired, but now I have to work my way up before I'll be able to make anywhere near what I'd hoped to make after getting a Masters degree...sigh I did things backwards, but I'm on the right path now...I think? Lol

[ragnarkar]

Going to grad school because that's what my parents expected even though I hated every minute of it.. and ending up graduating in the recession because of it.

[ccm123]

Not attending Cal Tech, Harvard, Stanford, or MIT. I attended UCLA, which is a good school, but could have done better.

[tommy64]

I regret staying in a small town with little opportunity for too long. Thankfully I eventually stopped selling myself short and got out of "bumpkin-ville".