Basically, after finishing with straight A’s in a degree in computer science (and a math minor) and riddled with schizophrenia, I decided to try for a philosophy degree. This worked extremely well until I tried to double major in philosophy and economics and then philosophy and math. This put a number of ‘black marks’ on my transcripts, put me into a deep depression, and sent my career into the dark ages. I really do not know what to do for my career. I grew up in a suburban neighbourhood with a middle-class lifestyle. Therefore, I don’t know if I would be able to handle being on disability. I also have a great investment idea, but no money to invest. Really, the only option is to go for my philosophy M.A. and then hopefully Ph.D. But I’m just too depressed about my situation to even think about it… Anyone here have any insights or ideas or even relate to my problems?
@jason_m. Depression is hard. I’m sorry you are experiencing it! Are you working now?
I can relate to your experiences @jason_m .
I completed college for computer science and received my diploma. I wanted to progress further so I applied for the software developer degree at a university. Bad move for me.
I was overwhelmed with the amount of work and pretty much failed most of my courses. I fell into depression and turned to drugs for the second time.
I kept telling myself to go further and further to advance my education, but I burned out.
My advice to you is to take it easy. If you want to go back to school then do it, but just take part time only.
Hope this helps.
@LousieG I work about 10 hours a week as a semi-professional bookkeeper for my father’s accounting firm. I learned quickly that an office environment is less than optimal… Therefore, I’m trying to find some alternative way of paying the bills…
You can be a freelancer. Make money online by creating websites or apps etc.
I’m all about education and definitely think you should go for more schooling if you can, but I have three questions.
- What work would you like to do?
- If you have school debt now, why would you go further and take on more? Or do you plan to get a better job with more schooling to pay it off?
- Is school easier for you than work?
There’s money in philosophy?!? Seems like one of those, “would you like fries with that?” degrees.
As someone with a philosophy degree, I can tell you, don’t bother. I had to get a job totally outside my field of study and go for additional certifications. Use your computer science degree, get a decent job, and study philosophy in your spare time if you want. Nobody in the entire employable world cares about philosophy degrees except schools looking to hire philosophy professors for like $60K. That’s not enough to justify the debt of getting a PhD.
I would recommend getting a job in computer science cuz it pays better if you can
Yeah, that CS degree is a lot more employment friendly than the philosophy degree.
Congrats on getting it by the way!
I came from a middle-class family. (maybe a little lower actually). We didn’t have a lot of extra money but we never went hungry and all of us kids had nice clothes for school and we had a nice car and enough money to buy a few luxuries or catch a movie or go places often. We were comfortable. I grew up in a nice city and most of our family friends were very well off but we always had enough money to go anyplace we were invited.
I got sick at age 19 and ended up in the psyche ward in 1980. Through the '80’s I lived in nice places and group homes and some that were not so nice. I ended up in a kind of average hospital for 8 months and I was a kind of naïve 20 year old thrown in with hoods and street people and some dangerous people and more weird people than I can count.
I got out and I got a job and I’ve worked at many unskilled jobs since the hospital but they bought me good food, music (Vinyl, then cassettes, and eventually CD’s). My department stores jobs paid for gas for my car and stereos, books, and other things.
I enrolled myself in college around 1985 taking one or two classes at a time. I had gotten SSDI (disability) in 1983 or 1984 but I worked part-time steadily. And this middle-class guy ended up addicted to crack and poor and sick. But I took any job that was offered. There are few jobs that I snub or look down on. My dad instilled in me a liking for physical jobs so that’s what I did for years.
But the only reason I wrote this post is to make a comment. You may end up successful but there’s also a chance you may not. You may have no choice about going on disability. There’s no shame in getting disability. Social Security was put in place for very good reasons and people from all walks of life may end up on it. Aiming for the stars is great, you are blessed with intelligence and it’s fair to use it to the utmost advantage. But many people before you have had to give up dreams because of the realities of living with schizophrenia.
I try not to post negatively but look where I came from but now I’m working as a janitor. It’s an honest job and I am happy with the pay and the people I work with and happy being around the office workers that inhabit the office building I go to work at three days a week. Life is funny with it’s ups and downs but I feel extremely lucky that I work at all. I don’t what path your life may take you down but if you succeed you can be an inspiration to other people. Despite the illness you can carve out a niche in life and even though you have schizophrenia you still have some power, some control and you still have choices. I guess I rambled but I wish you luck and maybe this helped in some way.
I went on disability for a second time in 1999 and it was a good move. I didn’t have work stress so my first year I spent quitting chain smoking. My dad was often sick so it freed up time for my siblings so they could earn more without having to take time off work to take him to doctors and hospitals plus I would do their grocery shopping and drive my brother to work every day. I got married and my wife was a similar caregiver for her family. It really helps if you think of how you can make your entire family prosper because unless they are total holes they will probably help you back in return if they can.
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