Important work that doesn't require 7 years of education?

[DeepThought]

It's a new year and I want to start my education, and get a job, and not be dead wieght to the world by contributing and doing my part in soceity.

The thing is, that most important jobs require University education. I can't do that, see I've only graduated from ground school, after that I hit a wall. Now I've wasted 4 years of my life in depression and isolation from the world, and I'm still depressed and I still have social phobia and anexiety. I can't talk on the phone and my one on one interaction is very limited, I don't have the social skills/traits that most important jobs require you to have.

And for me to be able to train my social skills, I first need to get an education and then a job so I can interact with people, but what to do when I can't get a job because I lack the social skills and I'm just to nervous around people. Or when I can't get a proper education because of my depression and mental problems.

This makes my choices VERY limited, and I'll never have an important and meaningfull job because most of those jobs require good people skills.

I currently live on disability checks, and I'm not quite sure I'm willing to trade that to work in a grocery store, stocking the shelves with bread.

I just wish I could find something meaningfull to do in life without having to go to school for 7 years and then struggle with a job because of the social implications.

I can't even volounteer work, because then you really need good people/social skills.

Anyone have any good ideas for a job for me? I can do maximum 2-3 year education, and I'm not intrested to work within contruction.

My diagnoses: Asperger Syndrome, OCD, ADHD.

 

[Pacific_Loner]

I don't know what you mean by "important, meaningful" job, but there is a lot of important jobs out there that does not require university degree. In my opinion, it's a mistake to think that a biologist, an engineer, or a lawyer is more important than an electrician, a welder, an artist, a carpenter. These are very important skills to have. Sure, a lot of people will think higher of you if you have a job that requires a university degree, because that's how people are, but again I think it's a mistake to make your choices in order to impress these people. Those who are worth making an effort to impress don't care about your degree, they mostly care about your ability to be a decent person. Just start by trying to impress yourself.

Sooo that being said, I don't know in which country you live, but where I live there is short programs (1-2 year), mostly manual jobs like those I mentioned but also computer stuff etc, and there is even government programs that you can apply and they will PAY YOU to do the course if you don't already have a degree. A lot of these manual jobs lead to a better paycheck than what I do with my degree. University is important, but it's overrated.

Good luck.

Edit: I forgot your point about making your life meaningful. I think it's not that easy to make your life meaningful through your job, because whatever job you do it always end up being repetitive and/or not that useful, and it seems we need more than that. A good idea, I think, is to find a job that you enjoy doing and that pays enough for you to be able to pay your bills, but choose to live below your means, so that you can pile a decent amount of money to do other things, work on other projects, take very long vacation, have some freedom.

 

[arjuna]

Great post Pacific_Loner.

A lot of these manual jobs lead to a better paycheck than what I do with my degree.

Exactly. Why bother going on a four-year university course and paying the fees when in two years time you can get a manual-job qualification and get paid double? You have to do exams but even an 8 year old could pass them.