I’ve suffered from mental health problems on and off since adolescence, but I didn’t get the official “bipolar 1” diagnosis until just last year, when I was 25. I always did very well academically in school, but struggled socially. I had to transfer back to a state university in my hometown after just one semester away. Since graduation, I’ve had two negative experiences with employers. Each experience led to serious burnout and emotional distress.
Ironically enough, I haven’t actually used my degree at all. I never really cared for my field of study and only chose it because I thought there would be lots of job options. In reality, there aren’t very many opportunities, especially for young people, but even if there were, I don’t think I would want those jobs now. The exceedingly high stress levels and constantly changing regulations wouldn’t be healthy for me.
So now I’m exploring new career ideas…that’s what brought me back to CC, almost ten years after my initial college search. I’ll look into vocational counselors in the area and see if there are any who specialize in working with people with mental illnesses.