I’m wondering if I should go back to college to get a Technology degree so that I can work as a computer support technician (part time). I’m undecided on what I should do because the last time I tried to go back I ended up having a relapse and quit school. I’m just not sure what I should do. Having a degree may open doors. What do you all think? Have any of you had a similar experience?
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I’d start small… you’ve got time.
It’ll just make your resume that much more full when it’s all said and done.
I wouldn’t go beyond part time work unless you know you can handle the higher stress levels of a more demanding schedule with less down time to unwind.
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I am a student, in my senior year. I would recommend college only if you are quite bright and will make As and Bs without pulling all nighters. I myself am smart and I just don’t understand people pushing themselves to do higher education when they aren’t of higher ability–the result is strain, and strain can cause one to break.
It’s also a matter of how motivated you are. I have always had strong, very strong motivation. In fact I was a fighter as well as a student at a prep school. I was motivated as hell, that’s a different story.
I actually have a hard time NOT being productive. Needless to say, I do well in college.
It’s an investment of tons of time and money. I would make sure you are prepared by seeing a mental health worker like a social worker to assess your aptitude for college. By that I mean your intellectual ability as well as psychological stability.
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I used to work in the industry. Support techs with a college degree were very rare. Most had technical certifications from software and hardware vendors like Microsoft, CompTIA, etc. This site may help:
Suggest buying used study manuals and challenging the exams yourself (they cost approx $100 USD apiece and you still pay if you fail them). Don’t get rooked into paying thousands of dollars for expensive and useless courses. Better to buy some hardware to practice on yourself and some study manuals that are gently used, but still current.
Pixel.
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I very much agree that you are smart but one doesn’t have to be a genius to get a college degree now. At least I have dozens of friends who made it through with not so good grades and sort of I don’t give a ■■■■ attitude.
The key is to work as much as you need to pass through, but not like it is a matter of life and death. ( I saw people having breakdowns and burning out before they knew what was going on).
If you have goals then go for it. I’ve become ambitious since getting my meds right and want to be an Ornithologist, which was a past goal I gave up on because of my mental illnesses. But now I’m trying to go back to school for it.
My school has resources for mentally ill people…as long as you don’t abuse it…if you’re late on an assignment because you’re having bad symptoms, they give you some leeway. So there’s options out there. I’m seeing the school social worker tomorrow.
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[quote=“muzikos, post:1, topic:34660”]
What do you all think? Have any of you had a similar experience?
[/quote]My experience with college was terrible. I did stellar work and received sub-par grades for it, simply because they all graded on a curve where the over-achieving students made on-par students like me look bad.
Long story short, I’m never going to college again. Never pursuing anything in this world either. I have my subtle projects & that’s good enough for me.
I am thinking about going back to get a Masters. Honestly, I am very worried about relapsing into psychosis from pushing my self too much. The deadline is June, so I will see what happens from now until then.
As far as opening doors I would not count on college to do that. I have a Bachelors with really nothing to show for it. The only thing to show for it is a huge amount of debt. Then again I have a Political Science degree so that is my own fault.
My advice would be to go for something that guarantees you a good paying job. If I could do it again I would have became a nurse. Another thing I would think about is if it will be too much stress for you. Don’t make your mental illness worse by going for something society tells you to get but is not really needed.
With Sz I’m an average student. On medication I do better. I’d listen to Pixel though if your career doesn’t require a degree. I’m finishing mine, because I have only 15 hours left. I don’t know if grad school would be a good fit for me. I will work with my Vocational Rehab office to find a career that suites me and I will go from there.
What college did you go to that all courses were graded on a curve? I went to a state school which was pretty easy.
One more thing, take a serious look into technical schools.
It was a community college, and I only took two courses in the Winterim to see how I’d do. I was bombed with C’s, which would have been high B’s or even A’s in high school.
I was a solid straight A student in English courses, in fact that’s the one thing I took pride in - never getting less than an A in an English course, yet I was getting C’s in my college introductory course? Wasn’t adding up, as my writing has always been clear. The other class was a religious studies course, and religion was my thing yet I got nailed with a B-. I wanted to maintain a 3.8 or higher in college, so I dropped out in the Spring semester not giving two craps about school ever again.
I dropped out of High School to join the Army. When I went to community college my writing was terrible. I had to really learn along the way. I thank community college for the patience with dealing with my writing. Looking back on it, my paragraphs were huge and my punctuation was horrible. Needless to say, I never received higher than a B in my English classes.
Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses. You did good in English I sucked.
Whatever you do, avoid DeVry.
Their graduates had been trained on outdated tech and were useless at the outset. We eventually learned to stop hiring their grads. We also avoided college grads as they tended to have inflated expectations for entry-level support roles (it takes years to move up to the pay grid to something you can live on).
Pixel.
College should be free. It is not here in 'Murica.
Not free here in Canada. Doesn’t mean you have to go without education, however:
Pixel.
Thanks I forgot about open courses! I am going to start one tonight.
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