life help: I finally figured out what I want to do, and it’s now I realise that it’ll be pretty impossible..

GinInTeacups

I finally figured out what I want to do, and it’s now I realise that it’ll be pretty impossible..

You know that age-old question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Well, after my dreams of ever becoming a princess were cruelly dashed I’ve spent most of my life mumbling my way through answers to that question. I’ve never been sure.
Now I know what I want to do, sort of… And I know I’m not going to be able to make it.

I want to be in the mental health profession. I mean, hey, I’ve had plenty of experience of it in the past year or so… I like helping people. And I especially want to help people like myself, as selfish as that sounds.
Only thing is, looking around, to do what I want to do I need to go to medical school before I can specialise in psychiatry. And competition is fierce, right?

So who are the medical universities going to choose; a straight A student with a wealth of extra-curricular activities or a girl who missed 8 months of school because of her anxiety and depression, had to drop over half of her GCSE’s, and barely leaves her house?
Yeah, the latter wins hand down..! Mmkay, or not.
It’s fair to say I’ve royally messed up.

I am trying to get better. And I am getting better sort of.. I’m actually turning up to school despite the fear that goes with it, but there’s no way I’m going to catch up on all the work I’ll need to have done.
I don’t want to give up completely on this.
I do that too often - decide something’s impossible then don’t even try.

If I get in lots of work experience in the next few years, and start up with some extra curricular activities, do you think I’ll have more hope?

But then, work experience is hard to find because of the confidentiality agreements that are needed…

My mum seems a bit pessimistic about it all… She’d always been the type of mother who’s said “If you get your act together you can be anything you want.”
It appears that when she says that, she really means “If you get your act together you can be anything you want, so long as it isn’t a psychiatrist, a brain surgeon, a rocket scientist, a princess etc.”

Anyway, I’m losing my point, whatever it was…
Does anyone else know of any other routes to get into the mental health career?

This open post was written 9 months, 2 weeks ago | V/U/S: 178, 8, 4 | Edit Post | Leave a reply | Report Post

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Since writing this post GinInTeacups may have helped people, but has not within the last 4 days. GinInTeacups is a verified member, has been around for 1 year and has 6 posts and 39 replies to their name.

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brain, Medicine, Rocket, medical school, Psychiatry, university, Dream, Leaf, life, Wealth (How Tags Affect Reciprocity)

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Jebus CoalMan Zeus 9 #
An Unknown Location | 9 months, 2 weeks ago (16 minutes after post)

just get your act together and you can be anything you want.
but remember its not a trapeze act or a comedy routine, its your life and you only have now, later will be too late. the time is now i mean now.now now now now
how now brown cow,

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gimli 2 #
Marietta, GA, US | 9 months, 2 weeks ago (16 minutes after post)

Hold up a minute there, kid! You are talking yourself out of it before you have even started!

You might have a bit of catching up to do, but if you’ve really found something to be passionate about, then get busy and don’t take no for an answer.

Couple of tips that spring immediately to mind: Start networking with medical universities now. Contact admissions counselors and let them know your story (something along the lines of “this was who I was before, but now I’ve discovered something about myself, and learned what I want to do with my life”. That’s kind of cliche, so you’ll have to work with it a bit…you might also talk with your guidance counselor at school to see if they have anything profound to say.

As for work experience, do they have candy stripers in the UK? In the US, these are hospital volunteers who interact with patients on a more or less non-medical level, It might be a good place to start!

And, I have friends that would claim (because they are nurses themselves!) that nurses have a lot more to do with patient recovery than doctors do, since they have a lot more contact…you might be able to become a nurse that specializes in mental health issues. That might be more obtainable should you need a backup plan!

Good luck!

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missconfused 7 #
An Undisclosed Location | 9 months, 2 weeks ago (16 minutes after post)

hiya hunny, i really sympathise with your situation and it is good that you have something to aim for. Your best off having a look at the link below:

http://yp.direct.gov.uk/diplomas/dipl…

i hope it helps xx

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nlyons162 1 #
Lexington, VA, US | 9 months, 2 weeks ago (3 hours, 50 minutes after post)

First off, take your mum out of the equation. There’s only one person who knows what you want and what you’re capable of, and that’s you. (It’s taken me a while to figure that one out for myself!)

Now, I don’t know anything about getting into health care professions, but I do know that if you’re serious about this, (and it sounds like you are) then you will have to keep going to school and you’ll have to talk with people such as counselors who are willing to support you on this. And when you apply for med school, schedule an interview with admissions nd explain everything to them. Your experience in this field could be very helpful in that respect and in understanding patients down the road. Good luck to you!

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Johno2090 5 #
Aberdeen, T5, GB | 9 months, 2 weeks ago (8 hours, 1 minute after post)

LOL you only took 8 months out?

I took 4 years out then went to summer school took a 10 week course and got into uni to study Biology, im now in my 4th year and finishing off soon. Don’t ever think that things are impossible, everything can happen and if you want it enough it will (dosent count towards relationships however lol)

Either go to college or try and get into a Summer School placment and get yourself into University.

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GinInTeacups 3 #
Southend-on-Sea, M5, GB | 9 months, 2 weeks ago (19 hours after post)

Thank-you for all your help. It was indeed very useful :]
I’ve since booked up a meeting with the school careers adviser, who aims to help me find the best route into University, although whether she’ll say anything more than the advice already given it remains unseen.

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Johno2090 5 #
Aberdeen, T5, GB | 9 months, 2 weeks ago (19 hours, 44 minutes after post)

Good luck! youll do fine,

To let you know my thoughts TeaCups, i think im better off than anyone else who went straight to Uni. I had 4 years to really figure out what i wanted to become while everyone else was forced into their roles. Ive met alot of people at Uni who wish they could be heading into another field.

Were the lucky ones.

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GinInTeacups 3 #
Southend-on-Sea, M5, GB | 9 months, 2 weeks ago (1 day, 4 hours after post)

It’s actually really nice to know that the time I’ve missed at school may actually have been beneficial… Everyone else has been trying to convince me that it’s been everything but…

As a further-further-update my older sister has been amazing! I mentioned that I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to pursue a career in mental health because of my grades. So she got out all her uni prospectuses and had a look through at all the options that lead to the medical health career. Upon learning that all the med schools require a B in A level maths, and B in GCSE maths, I freaked out.
I’m awful at maths, I’ve got a maths module in about 4 weeks, and it’ll be no surprise to anyone if I end up failing…

So my sister asked me what in exactly in Mental Health I wanted to be… I hadn’t thought all that far ahead, so she went through all the different things with me. And I decided, that Occupational Therapy is exactly my cup of tea. For that, I don’t need a Maths A level, and I don’t need to study medicine. I just need Psychology and Human biology for A level at at least grade B, and then I need to go on to do a degree in Occupational therapy which seems much less daunting than working my way through Med school.

And at last I am feeling a little more optimistic about my future :]

Help me with: Do you ever feel like a slave to silly little obsessions?

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I finally figured out what I want to do, and it’s now I realise that it’ll be pretty impossible..

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