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GeneralRelative
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Member Since Dec 2023
Location: United States
Posts: 26
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Default Aug 21, 2024 at 09:48 PM
 
I've talked a lot about what's going on with me in other threads already so I'll try to keep it brief here: I used to be a high-paid web developer. I was living alone in a nice downtown studio apartment, paid enough to cover all living expenses, including a decent apartment and enough for monthly payments on a car. But in 2022 I started getting lonely and isolated because I couldn't make friends in the city where I was living. So I went to go live with my family. But then I realized the work was taking a huge toll on my mental health, so I quit, and was planning to take some time off to recoup and find a new job. But then what followed after that was a chain of personal tragedies and family drama that left me with crippling depression and severe atrophy to both my professional and social skills.

I have autism spectrum and ADHD symptoms, crippling depression and anxiety, and I can barely function most days. I currently work a little above minimum wage as a closing shift grocery store produce clerk at about 30 hours a week, which is about as much as my mind and body can handle of that kind of work, and even then I have to call in sick for mental illness reasons occasionally. It's not paying nearly enough to cover all my living expenses and my family is supporting me by letting me live in their home and letting me use their cars or give me rides when that's not possible. (My car was totaled by a distracted driver and insurance wouldn't pay enough for a replacement.)

I can't keep living the way that I'm living. My family is draining me and its blocking opportunities for socializing and making connections. Additionally, I'm not sure how long I can keep counting on my family. I am expecting more tragedies, because I can see the writing on the wall. So I need to find another source of income that will give me enough to get a car and a place of my own. The trouble is I have absolutely no idea where to begin at this point. Web development seems impossible get jobs for anymore, and that's for people who have been practicing their skills. I haven't, because I can really only do it when it's for a company with clear business needs, and I am not a business. On top of that, I don't know if my mental health will let me do something so cerebral anymore. It was all already getting difficult in the last couple years doing it with anxiety, memory lapses, attention issues, and lack of motivation.

Where do I even start with this?

Last edited by GeneralRelative; Aug 21, 2024 at 09:50 PM.. Reason: typos/formatting
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