The Beginning
The History
In 2023 I got devastating news. My role as an animator was made redundant at the company I was with at the time. I had poured my soul into that place, and it hurt me. The timing could not have been worse either, as this was at the zenith of what was to become the great layoff season - something that, unfortunately, is still ongoing. At this point, I still managed to swing a new position a few months after my departure. But unfortunately that position was also made redundant in 2024, and by then luck was far less on my side. The industry I knew and loved had crumbled rapidly, and skillsets like mine were (and still are) oversatured. A friend of mine was able to tell me that the position I'd applied to at his company had applicant numbers in the quad digits. So, in terms of chances, it's a bit like trying to stand out when you're in an all-seats-booked sports stadium.
Almost a full year later, I still had heard little to nothing from the places I was applying to. The few interviews I'd gone to led nowhere. The single work-test I got was dismissed with no further contact. It was now nearing the summer of 2025. This was when I realized I had no other options left. I have to switch careers. I have to go back to school. Only problem was, I was a high school dropout; no university for me. So, the first thing I had to do was sign up for adult education in Sweden, something called a Folkhögskola ("folk high school", for the US people out there it's akin to a GED). This was, as it sounds, high school level education. So nothing fancy, but it was my entry ticket to universities.
The Realization
The following year with the adult education allowed me to try some new tricks in my toolbox. See, I was born in 1995, which makes me 29 at the time of my last job. Right around then, I was finally given therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder, and an ADHD diagnosis, which came with access to medication. Back when I went to school originally, when I was 17-18, I'd all but given up any hope of higher education, because I could barely handle what I was handed at high school. But isn't it crazy how getting treatment can help a person? Because what do you know - I graduated with the highest possible score; a 4 out of 4.
If I was to point to one thing I always loved nearly as much as doing art & animation, it was the fields of psychology and sociology. I love the study of how humans work both internally and together. Long ago, when I was that lost teenager with little hopes, I had a dream to work with that. To help people. Back then, I didn't think I'd ever get the chance, so I forgot about it. But now? After I've felt what it did for me, and knowing what my capabilities are? I absolutely think I can do it.
The Plan
Now, initially I had my eyes on the Psychologist Program - but, try as I might, that is beyond prestigious even for me. And, I'm not sure it's what I would want anyway. While it sounds right on paper, the reality is from my own exposure to the system, very impersonal. Conveyor belt systems. Receive patient, diagnose, bye-bye. It's rare to find jobs doing what you actually want to do - long term counseling, frequent reaching out, day-to-day assistance and betterment. That's what a counselor and psychotherapist does, which led me to another program that would set me up more appropriately for that AND give me more backup opportunities - Social Work.
And, just like that, I was applied. Summer came and went, and my application was approved. And it all begins as of, uh... -checks notes- HOLY MOLY, TOMORROW?! Yeah, wow, okay, time flies, let's hope I don't blink and the semester is over, eh?
Anyway - ahead of me is a 3.5 year program, starting August 2026 and proceeding until January of 2030. The result is an academic degree in Social Work, which allows me to work pretty broadly in all forms of welfare and caretaker institutions in Sweden, be it elder, youth, school, criminal justice, LGBTQ and more, as anything from a case worker to a councilor - it's pretty broad. Once I graduate I will work for 2 years to accrue some clinical experience, after which I'm eligible for a program that leads to a license in Psychotherapy practice. It's a long road ahead, but it's one I'm excited to take.
The Blog
This is where you come in! As I mentioned, this is a long, long road. It's by all definitions a progress report. Maybe I've watched too many early 2000's student-oriented romcoms, but the idea of a blog has been really attractive to me lately. Essentially what I want to do here is make posts now and then as things progress throughout my education. What I'm learning, what I'm experiencing, how it's all going. It's a place to vent, and a place to celebrate. It'll be little anecdotes from my life, little events I'm doing, both school-related and not; because school is not the only thing I'm changing (it just happens to be the biggest thing). I'm also going to exercise more, I'm going to meditate frequently, try to gain strength and stabilize my weight, I want to be more social, be more creative, be more authentic to myself.
I've made threads in the past that were very project-oriented, and for one reason or another those projects fell through. The last 2 years are why. But I won't let it get in the way anymore. I am going to become the best version of myself. People often talk about life coming and going in chapters. I kinda feel like me going through this now is less like a new chapter, and more like a "Volume Two".
And the journey starts... well, yeah, tomorrow. I gotta get some sleep first.
As a prelude, sort of a "Post Zero" before I start actually progress-reporting; I actually had a small "kick-off" for this on Friday. The university I'm going to had a little "welcome-day", where they did guided tours of the campus, and in the evening there were student pubs. To my disappointment, I didn't actually meet many people from my program, but I met a bunch from other ones. As I mentioned though, I am now 31 years old at the time of writing, which put me on average in the 10 year senior of my fellow students. At one point I was in a circle of people, all new to the uni, and the question came of "what point in time would you want to visit if you could timetravel", and a handful said "the 2000's", and I was standing there with my rum & come thinking "been there, done that". But they were chill though. In fact, I got on really well with the group I ended up in. I think I lost count of the amount of times I had shocked "You don't look it!" responses to saying my age, though.
OKAY. Sleep. Tomorrow, first day of classes.