Hello CC,
Thank you all for taking the time to read my post. A little bit about me…
I am about to the first person in my family to graduate from college (Bachelors in Chemical Engineering). I really enjoyed my time here and worked as hard as I could. However, living with a mental disability made college one of the most difficult times of my life.
When everything is said and done I will graduate from this place w/ a 2.75 GPA. It really brings me down because this was the best I could honestly do. Having severe OCD and anxiety, it was very difficult to do well in this major given all of the difficult STEM courses (Thermo, fluid flow, etc.)
I know some people are going to ask “Why don’t you have any internship experience yet” and I know that I have no one to blame but myself. Having OCD, it’s very difficult to progress in a linear manner when it comes to professional development. Going here the last three years has given me the sophomore and junior summer to land an internship. The problem with this is that I could NOT move away from my house. Every morning and night I have to organize, clean, and readjust all of my possessions. Doing this everyday gives me piece of mind. I know it sounds like I am trolling everyone, but I want to hear from someone in my predicament.
The question I am here asking today is what should I do next?
What should I do in regards to my disability? I feel like employers don’t care about your mental health and I really can’t hold a candle to people that do not have disorders. Should employer be notified up front “Hey this guy can’t learn as well as others and can’t perform as well as someone without a mental disorder.” I feel like it is “reverse-pandering” if that is even a thing.
Do I need to give up trying to get a job or internship with a low GPA and no experience??
I feel ashamed that I let my disability control aspects of my life that it shouldn’t, but I couldn’t let it get me down. I don’t want to feel like this is all in vain. Any encouragement and ideas would be greatly appreciated.