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I'm a 23 year old college student currently on break, because I had an emotional breakdown I withdrew for the semester of college earlier this year. Now that I'm back on track, I want to go back to school to ultimately get into a career where I can take care of myself. I suffer from Asperger's, which makes it difficult for me socially (I was made fun of a lot in college by teachers and students). I also suffer from depression, and I find it hard to trust anyone really.
Im debating what my best option is, I'm planning on transferring to an online college through the CUNY or SUNY system to have more free time volunteering at an animal adoption center and I'm also joining a disability program which helps those with disabilities find careers.
I have no interests, I do enjoy writing, but aside from that I don't have many hobbies that translate to well paying careers ( my main goal is finding a career where I'm comfortable and able to financially take care of myself).
Because of this, I'm not too sure, should I just finish my Associate's and move on with my life? Or go for my B.A.? I find it sad I can't complete my degree yet other people my age have.
Don't be so hard on yourself, 23 is young. Get the BA. Have you considered computer science/ software? Tons of jobs, great salary, people skills less important. I think we have a lot of people with Asperger's in Seattle due to the software industry. Autism is no big deal here for kids or adults.
The associate's degree is a reasonable goal, it will give you a sense of accomplishment and it gives you a degree instead of X number of semester hours. From there you can move on towards a four year degree.
I kind of agree with Joe. But finishing an associate's doesn't mean you can't complete a bachelor's. For many, having an associate's degree is an easier transfer than transferring with the community college credits.
Don't be so hard on yourself, 23 is young. Get the BA. Have you considered computer science/ software? Tons of jobs, great salary, people skills less important. I think we have a lot of people with Asperger's in Seattle due to the software industry. Autism is no big deal here for kids or adults.
I considered technical writing or a healthcare related field, but many of them require pre requisites and my GPA is at a 2.2 and I'm in remedial math class. So my options are severely limited,I'm joining a disability program that helps people with disabilities find jobs and careers, but there's a chance I might not be able to join the program. I figured I'd work as a mail order clerk and finish my associates online, and move on with my life. :/
Obviously I'm just an online poster, but I totally support you in any decision you make. Technical writing or healthcare are always options for you if you decide to take those routes. I had a 1.8 GPA my first round of college, but later returned and accomplished my career goals. There are always second, third, and fourth chances in life. Do what you have to do right now to take care of yourself and lift your spirit. And have PRIDE in your choices, for you are being responsible, actively addressing the depression, and considering thoughtful choices. Do not measure yourself by anyone else's ruler stick.
Obviously I'm just an online poster, but I totally support you in any decision you make. Technical writing or healthcare are always options for you if you decide to take those routes. I had a 1.8 GPA my first round of college, but later returned and accomplished my career goals. There are always second, third, and fourth chances in life. Do what you have to do right now to take care of yourself and lift your spirit. And have PRIDE in your choices, for you are being responsible, actively addressing the depression, and considering thoughtful choices. Do not measure yourself by anyone else's ruler stick.
Thank you so much, I'm trying my best to make reasonable choices and improve myself for my past mistakes. I'm far from perfect, but I'm taking into consideration all options and avenues, using my Asperger's to my advantage is a good thing, as I'm able to apply for more services that will help me in the long run in terms of educational and career options. Right now, I'm hoping I can transfer to SUNY Empire to complete my Associate's online, if I can't transfer, then I'll look into other avenues. Living in NYC does have it's pros in terms of job programs. ^_^
If I were you, I'd get the associate degree first. A degree always looks better than just 60 credit hours, and you can always continue on with your bachelor's degree when/if you have clearer career goals.
You can get your associate's degree in a variety of subjects on-line at many NYS community colleges, both those in the NYC area and all around the state, so you are not just limited to Empire State College. Many NYS colleges have open admissions policies which means that they admit everybody who applies except for a few selective programs (like nursing). If you are admitted and take at least 6 credit hours, you may be eligible for financial aid, too. The advantage of going to a CC is that you may have a larger choice of majors than at ESC.
You can also check out the SUNY 2 year technical colleges like Alfred, Cobleskill, and Delhi to see what they have in the way of on-line programs. If you like working with animals, you might consider Delhi which, I think, has a veterinary technician program. You may be able to do the bulk of your work on-line and take only your clinical training face-to-face.
In the meantime, one place to look for employment is with NYS, specifically OMRDD. I worked there for several years, and as the state agency that provided services to developmentally disabled individuals, they were very open to hiring individuals with disabilities. When I worked there, we had several computer programmers working for us who had handicaps, including one with Asperger's. NYS has a hiring program for people with disabilities that's called "55-b", probably for the section of the state civil service law. This allows individuals with disabilities (I'm not sure how that's proven) to be hired without having to take civil service exams, and gives them additional protections as well as accommodations.
Obviously I'm just an online poster, but I totally support you in any decision you make. Technical writing or healthcare are always options for you if you decide to take those routes. I had a 1.8 GPA my first round of college, but later returned and accomplished my career goals. There are always second, third, and fourth chances in life. Do what you have to do right now to take care of yourself and lift your spirit. And have PRIDE in your choices, for you are being responsible, actively addressing the depression, and considering thoughtful choices. Do not measure yourself by anyone else's ruler stick.
That's what is preached, but the reality is a bit different. Somebody who gets a degree later in life will be discriminated against. Career changers will be discriminated against. Everything is a competition.
You will always have a chance to obtain, change, and accumulate academic credentials. Whether or not that helps you in your career is a completely different story.
That's what is preached, but the reality is a bit different. Somebody who gets a degree later in life will be discriminated against. Career changers will be discriminated against. Everything is a competition.
You will always have a chance to obtain, change, and accumulate academic credentials. Whether or not that helps you in your career is a completely different story.
That's simply not true.
I started taking computer programming courses after I was 30 years old and became a full time computer programmer at age 37 after working in education for a decade plus.
My cousin's wife swapped out a career for business for a teaching career at 40.
Success at a career change depends greatly upon whether or not you can parlay some of the skills you learned in your first career into assets in your second one. Many more people could if they didn't think of their careers with such big blinders on. Good communications skills, good writing skills, good logical thought processes, etc are useful in just about any career a person goes into. Math skills are never useless. Being able to deal with irate customers is a big plus. If you have a good work record in your previous career, you've already demonstrated that you aren't a slacker or low-life.
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