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”.
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.