I earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in computer science consecutively and was very proud of it. I worked in the field until the age of 33, when I married my husband, whom I met the year prior during the pandemic, and decided to stop working to focus on being a trophy wife full-time. I’m currently considering getting a PhD, since I have a lot of time on my hands, to complete the academic “trifecta”.
I only completed a couple of college classes and could never “find myself.” I started when 3d animation was “new” and every class ended up being photoshop 101 over and over so I stopped. I started up again studying computer repair technology but was more interested in physically repairing things only to find that no one does that, you just buy a new computer.
Even though I have a love for science I never felt intelligent enough to go for a degree in that field nor did I have any interest in the story I hear about the constant begging for grants that comes with the field so I never attempted to study it.
I went through a trade school for HVAC, but because of the area I live in it was more like 6+hours of traffic and 7 hours of work so being miserable every day I decided to call it quits.
Now I’m still single (at 39) working in a factory, renting a poorly insulated garage “apartment,” spending $300/month in heating bills because of it, and still miserable. My retirement plan is a nitrogen suffocation device I’ve been thinking about manufacturing when the time comes.
1/10 wouldn’t recommend.
You got this, I had to fight tooth and nail to get where I’m at today. And I still struggle, I struggle a lot. But what get me through everyday is being able to be at peace with myself.
I had to live in the woods with a canvas tent with a wood stove and a old Vietnam era cot I picked up at a thrift shop for $10. Yeah life was hell back then. Winters in the western United States were to harsh so I hopped trains and hitch hiked to the east coast were there was less distance between things and it was warmer. Things did get better, I was educated in machining during high school and I picked up fixing transmissions in a automotive shop to earn money and have somewhere warm to stay during the day. Sooner or later after some saving I was able to get an apartments, while the place was a shit hole, no working heat or ac. I was happy to have a roof over my head. After about a year and bonus from the shop I worked at I bought the place I was living in for $25,000 and fixed it up. Once computers got into vehicles that’s where I picked up electronics and decided I liked it enough to take a 8 hour course on it and began learning how to program on a old window 95 machine I found in the garbage. Yeah later got into IT and left the transmission shop and now I get paid decently but still paying off my debts.
Lesson learned, don’t co-sign for you friend who wants to buy a house right after highschool.
But my advice for you, don’t give up. Even if the light at the end of the tunnel is a train, just hop it and see where it takes you. That’s what I did, and I’m glad I didn’t jump in front of it.