Career Changer Struggles Pt. 1

Sometime last year, burnout happened for me.

I found myself working and finally fulfilled (financially, work/life balance), but something was “missing”.

I was tired of being a social worker.  Not because of the job, but because of the workload.  I worked throughout the pandemic.  I witnessed the loss that people experienced.  I was sad, depressed and sleep deprived.  I decided that I wanted to do something different as a career.  

I wanted a job that didn’t follow me home or haunt me during my sleeping and waking hours.  That’s when my husband suggested a tech field as a career change.  

He was wrapping up his degree in Cyber Security and he felt that it would be a good match for me because I’ve always loved working on computers.  I can’t tell you how many “junk” PC’s he’s brought home that were destined for recycling.  Now all of them are up and running because of me.

So, I started down that path last year.  I studied for the CompTia Security + and passed.  

I was elated.  I had hoped that the certification would be the foot in the door that I needed to change my career.

I got a help desk job around that time, which I’m thankful for.  But I realize that there is a problem for career changers like me: time.

I was working what’s considered a full time job that’s pretty involved, and trying to work another 20+ hrs a week.  Oh yeah, and completing labs and studying for other certifications in an attempt to acquire more skills, knowledge and credentials.

I absolutely love diving into Linux, learning about all the FOSS programs and playing around them.  But, as the weeks dragged on I found that a hindrance to me was exhaustion.  

Exhaustion was setting in, and I slowly lost my will to do anything.  I was turning into a zombie.  I started struggling to stay awake.  I had to take NoDoz multiple times a day.  At my second job (help desk) I would have to take a NoDoz to drive home at night.  I was so tired that I would start having hallucinations if I didn’t.

Long story short, I found that my model of studying and working 2 jobs was not sustainable.

But, here I am again.  Doing the same thing, but worse: working my primary job full time as well as a help desk job full time.  I’m so tired as I type this that I feel like a husk of a person.

I just want to be clear that I’m not trying to have a pity party for myself.  But I am desperate enough to scream into the void and ask for help.  I have no guidance: no real idea of what I should be doing, or where I should apply so that I can free myself from having 2 jobs.