Reply To: Broke, no education, stuck, what the heck should I do?

[blackdog]

@adventroverted

Wow, your story is so much like my own I could have written it myself.

I was first diagnosed when I was 30. The psych who diagnosed me with “an attention deficit with elements of depression” threw some Welbutrin at me and said it should take care of both. And that was that.

After meeting someone else online who has ADHD and depression, and finding Totally ADD, I arranged an assessment and was diagnosed officially at the age of 40. Once again, it was sort of a “here, take these pills” and send me on my way kind of thing. So, I’m not really any better, I just know why I am the way I am now. And I have some pills that make me feel a little better, sometimes, on a good day.

I have to give you credit for being a fighter and not giving up. I only tried college once. I always meant to go back but I was afraid of putting myself in debt again, failing again, and ending up in an even worse situation.

My two cents:

 

You’re right that working full time and going to school full time is too much. So, don’t do it that way. A good option might be what morrisfluffytail is doing, taking courses online, at your own pace.

And make sure that the college knows you have ADHD. Check into what their policies for special needs students are, what kind of accommodations you can get, like extended deadlines, for example.

The personality/career interest tests could help you to narrow down the possibilities, and the employment centre may be able to tell you how good your chances are of finding work in different fields, and where the best opportunities are. There may be shortages of certain types of workers in some areas, which would make it easier for you to get in.

So basically, what @morrisfluffytail said, only with more words because I just don’t know how to keep it short and sweet.

You might also want to look into what kind of government assistance is available. There may be grants or scholarships that you could qualify for. Or maybe an apprenticeship program would work for you. And if you see something that you really want to do, but you don’t have all the qualifications, try contacting the employer anyway. You never know, they might like you enough to hire you without all the requirements they list in their ad.

All this is pretty much the avice I have been given over the years, which I never actually used. Maybe you will be able to put it to better use and get yourself un-stuck and on your way to a better life. Good luck. 🙂

 

 

 

 

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