Dazed And Confused
I'm a 39-year old IT professional with a degree in English literature. I took my first tech support job in 2006 to survive, after having a major medical emergency, having the house I grew up in sold unexpectedly (can't and don't blame my parents, as moving saved my dad's life, most likely, but I was *not* prepared), living homeless for the better part of a couple of years in my car, and have bounced around various tech jobs over the last 12 going on 13 years, after I realized I couldn't afford to finish my teaching certificate (and my parents told me they would disown me if I did-- I'm an only child, so ...), and I couldn't afford to keep working as a substitute teacher, even long-term, so I fell into the field and have been here ever since. I miss the classroom, I miss teaching, but IT pays the bills.
I have been working primarily in application support for the last 4 years; prior to that, I was working in networking and loved it, but the company didn't pay enough for me to live anywhere except my car. I moved to a better paying general desktop IT support environment and I hated it, but was wearily resigned to never being able to do any better than entry-level positions because I can't seem to test well enough to get even the most basic certifications, although I had mastered the job very well and was one of the highest rated techs there....
Fast forward to about 4 months ago when I fell at work, and ended up with a traumatic brain injury. I had previously been planning to go for a master's degree in data Analytics, as it builds on skills I already have, but now, with the short term memory and concentration issues I have, I'm not sure how I would even begin to make it through the coursework. I need to step up at least a level but I don't know where to start...what to look for, or what to expect...
That's terrible. Our country is embarrassing. I think after this covid we may need to rethink living arrangements. More community style, share amenities, shared roommates. I think we need bording houses! I would love a single, lovely room and get my meals cooked with a furnished parlor! But I have 3 kids:( Maybe I would like to own one!
There are many colleges that help people with disabilities like yours gain a degree. Think about the schools you want to go to, and set up time to meet with an advisor to explain your brain injury and what sort of ways they can help you achieve your goal. Many, many schools are finding new ways to help their students who have many different disabilities. And - I think you might even be able to get it paid for as you have a disability.
One question - why on earth did your parents say they would "disown" you if you received your teacher's license?! Teaching is a very important career. You're shaping the future of the country by teaching. I'm sorry you weren't able to go for what you wanted to.
I'm sorry you were homeless for years, as well. I was homeless for 6 months once - I lived on a friend's sofa. (My parents did the same thing yours did...except it wasn't for health reasons...they divorced and kicked me out prior to putting the house up for sale.)
You can achieve your goal of getting your masters in Data Analytics. It's going to be hard work - but it will be worth it in the end!
Best of luck!