Posted by Tomatheus on February 28, 2015, at 17:33:43
In reply to jobs for ex-crazies?, posted by Christ_empowered on February 28, 2015, at 15:20:32
Christ_empowered,
The counseling idea does sound good. I know that I've read somewhere (I can't recall where, though) that mental health professionals are more likely to have mental health problems of their own than people in most professions, so you'd likely face less stigma in getting a counseling job than you'd face in trying to get a job in a field outside of the mental health industry. You also might have an advantage of sorts over some of your colleagues, as you'd in some ways have a better understanding of what your clients are going through than someone who hasn't experienced mental illness first hand.
I think that in all likelihood, if I can ever get my concentration to be consistently decent, I might try writing some fiction before doing anything else. I did a lot of writing back in college, having received my first degree in journalism (with areas of emphasis in English and political science) and my second degree in psychology (with a minor in history), and since I see myself being more likely to succeed as a fiction writer than as a journalist or mental health worker, I'll probably strive to write fiction once I can actually read enough fiction on a regular basis. So, I think that it might be a good idea for you to look at both what your strengths (and weaknesses) are and what your educational background (major, etc.) is. I might have already asked you this in a previous thread, but what have you been studying in school?
I'll certainly keep an eye on this thread for more replies from others who might have other ideas as to what jobs would be good for someone who's recovering from a serious mental illness. I do think that writing is something to consider if you're interested in it, as you'd be able to set your own hours and wouldn't have to deal with bosses who might discriminate against you for having a mental health condition. On the other hand, making a living as a writer might be difficult, especially if you haven't done much (if any) writing in the past. And along the lines of what I said earlier, I think that when looking at any field that you might want to get into, you'd want to look at whether the work fits with your strengths, whether you have the training and/or educational background needed to do the work, and of course, whether you'd actually enjoy doing the work. Some jobs may generally be better fits for those of us who've battled with mental illness for a long time, but I think that a lot of finding the right job is going to involve individual factors, as well.
Tomatheus
Has long-standing difficulties with energy and concentration, as well as psychotic and cognitive symptoms
Taking Abilify & supplements including vitamins B3 & D3
poster:Tomatheus
thread:1077213
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20150214/msgs/1077215.html