Depression and Autism Spectrum (medication, supplements, deal, long)

[GraniteStater]

Ok, this will be a long post.

I am on the autism spectrum and have struggled with depression off and on for many years (tried vitamin supplements, natural remedies, medication, etc). I have a very limited network of friends and family even though I am invovled with activities and groups that are of interest to me. I have extreme changes and shifts in my interests. One year I might pick up a new interest or hobby and I will become engrossed in it. Other times I feel like I have ADD.

I graduated from college with a major that was supposedly going to have lots of job growth. That never happened and I could never get an internship or foot in the door. Therefore, I went other directions and took other types of employment. I don't tend to stay in one place for very long as I like to be mobile and enjoy the flexibility. However, I am under massive amounts of stress right now because I think it would be a good idea if I went back to school again to get my certification in medical coding or transcription. I was never great at getting "good" grades so I will have to work very hard to make this work..

Just venting...

[brightdoglover]

Dunno about coding, but I think medical transcription is going away with Dragon and other voice recognition software. I thought of it myself for a living but decided the future wasn't looking too good.
Isn't becoming extremely engrossed in one activity or thing and then dropping it part of many autism spectrum diagnoses?

[Doll Eyes]

OP, I agree with 'BDL' I would be realistic about these with these 'get a degree in 15 month' deals if I were you. I think the transcription is a very limited field and the opportunities vs. the graduates are not balancing out. I have a cert. in medical coding/billing that I got after graduating regular colleges. What they don't tell you in those programs is that a lot of doctors will not even let you touch the coding process right out of the gate because how you code affects their billing, which affects the practice's overall income. It's a common catch 22: they want you to have years of previous medical experience but they won't give it to you. I have A.S. and struggled mightily to find a job. I had no problem getting internships during college though. I had to give up a really good job b/c of social issues and I work in a doctor's office now. I do half reception and half transcription and still don't do the billing which is separate department. I liked the coding part in school but never really liked the billing part anyways. I think you have to expect to start at the bottom in the medical office environment unless you are planning to become an RN or a doctor. You can work your way up to the billing/coding though if that's what you want once you get your foot in the door. How you do that is luck of the draw unfortunately.

[GraniteStater]

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Thanks for those replies.

I think what I'm looking for is a career field that is growing, but would be more applicable to my skill and interest level. It's very hard to find an answer when everyone has a different opinion. I would like to not move as I prefer living where I'm at now, but it would appear that anything healthcare or medical related has more growth. Job security just seems rather antiquated now so that is frustrating to me. Quite often I really feel like I am from the wrong generation entirely