- #1
OMGCarlos
- 28
- 0
Ever since I was younger, the thought of researching and teaching for a living was absolutely thrilling to me. For the past 8 years I've considered it deeply to the point where I quit one job to go to school, but was activated to deploy a few weeks in. After several years of serving in the military and web development, I'd like to give it another go...
I've been diagnosed with Aspergers, and tend to get obsessed with whatever it is I'm working on. Over the years, I've lost almost all my friends and ended good relationships because my obsessions will keep me locked in a room while I focus on web development. It wasn't until my grandparents (who raised me) came to visit and I felt anxious/nervous around them that I knew my reclusiveness was getting out of hand and sought a therapist.
Come to find out I also have PTSD.
I was fired from work three weeks ago because I unprofessionally refused to work on an adult site. Because it's mid-semester I decided I would freshen up on Math in preparation. Immediately I felt the same fire (obsession) I felt when working on problems in web development.
Here's my question:
Is academia a bad fit for someone who gets obsessive. "Fortunately", my obsessions are pretty consistent - in other words, I'm not compulsive (I don't switch from one thing to another). My concern is that I will go to school and focus too much on certain classes and flunk out.
My reasons for academia is that I love (LOVE) researching and teaching. The reason (I'm guessing) I was obsessed with web development was because the field constantly evolves and I get the opportunity to teach what I learn at conferences/meetups etc. I get a rush from it, from reading new things and then teaching it. I don't know why.
I am considering Physics or Mathematics, but because of my GPA I will be attending a community college in an engineering program for two years until I fix my GPA and am accepted at a university. I'm in a rather fortunate situation in which I have a decent savings, school vet benefits, and a client base to do easy freelance work on the side while I focus on school.
Is this something obtainable? Ideally I would like to "enter" academia within 10-12 years, less if possible.
***
It's important to note that I have been attempting to go to school since I was 18 (I'm 2 months shy of 26) but I have always either been activated in the military or new work opportunities came up. Because of this, my GPA is sub-2.0 (possibly lower, way lower) with around 72 credit hours, due to my negligence (I could easily have prevented this had I simply kept open communication with my school with deployments etc).
I've been diagnosed with Aspergers, and tend to get obsessed with whatever it is I'm working on. Over the years, I've lost almost all my friends and ended good relationships because my obsessions will keep me locked in a room while I focus on web development. It wasn't until my grandparents (who raised me) came to visit and I felt anxious/nervous around them that I knew my reclusiveness was getting out of hand and sought a therapist.
Come to find out I also have PTSD.
I was fired from work three weeks ago because I unprofessionally refused to work on an adult site. Because it's mid-semester I decided I would freshen up on Math in preparation. Immediately I felt the same fire (obsession) I felt when working on problems in web development.
Here's my question:
Is academia a bad fit for someone who gets obsessive. "Fortunately", my obsessions are pretty consistent - in other words, I'm not compulsive (I don't switch from one thing to another). My concern is that I will go to school and focus too much on certain classes and flunk out.
My reasons for academia is that I love (LOVE) researching and teaching. The reason (I'm guessing) I was obsessed with web development was because the field constantly evolves and I get the opportunity to teach what I learn at conferences/meetups etc. I get a rush from it, from reading new things and then teaching it. I don't know why.
I am considering Physics or Mathematics, but because of my GPA I will be attending a community college in an engineering program for two years until I fix my GPA and am accepted at a university. I'm in a rather fortunate situation in which I have a decent savings, school vet benefits, and a client base to do easy freelance work on the side while I focus on school.
Is this something obtainable? Ideally I would like to "enter" academia within 10-12 years, less if possible.
***
It's important to note that I have been attempting to go to school since I was 18 (I'm 2 months shy of 26) but I have always either been activated in the military or new work opportunities came up. Because of this, my GPA is sub-2.0 (possibly lower, way lower) with around 72 credit hours, due to my negligence (I could easily have prevented this had I simply kept open communication with my school with deployments etc).
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