Mei's Symposium

Week 2 Begins!

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

To put it in the wise words of Ron Burgundy...

One day it's fun and drinks, some introduction to how the systems work, some perusing the course work and a general idea of what the next month should look like - to full blown double-assignments with similar deadlines and an exam at the end of the month!

The first assignment is that group assignment I mentioned in my previous post. Now I've read it through properly and I feel safe in saying my read of the article by Ekström was right. It's pretty flawed.

The sample size is small, which isn't necessarily an issue for a qualitative study, but it feels odd to claim at numerous points how big and wide-spanning your study is when your sample size is 16 people from 11 municipalities, in a country with 45,000 people in the field in 290 municipalities? My classmates seemed to agree on this matter, but we ARE just first-years after all. I'm reigning myself in a bit.

Other things we noted was an inconsistency in reporting the data; for instance, the semi-structured interview questions mentioned "changed" after the pilot study, but there is no indication of in what way which puts into question if those first respondants can even qualify for the final results. We really questioned a lot of the study, for a good 2 hours, and we still need to sit down and write a proper summary of our thoughs. Once that's done, I'll post something more coherent.

But then came the second assignment, the individual one. Oh boy. We are to choose, based on course literature, to discuss potential problems (or at least feelings we have surrounding problems) in elder and/or child care. This could be super interesting to delve into, but the deadline for these assignments is September 15th and September 17th. Not impossible, but the speed at which we went from nothing to something.

Should be said - I AM enjoying it. A lot. I'd rather this than crawling the walls in boredom. I'd rather this than sit in an office and do nothing, learn nothing, and just tap away at my keyboard making another god damn walk cycle for a game that won't see the light of day because funding is about to be pulled.

I'm not bitter, I promise.

Anyway - the week's just getting started. Onwards!

The First Week

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Day 2-3; The Real Shit

Day 2 was another round of introductory classes, with a twist at the end - the Introduction to Social Work class threw us our first actual assignment. We got put into subgroups within the subclass, of about 5 per group. We then got assigned an article that we're meant to analyze and feedback on. Each group got their own paper, but the other subclasses are doing the same assignment, so I actually managed to chat with someone in the same broader program attendance after a lecture on Day 3 about the same paper. Which is great!

The article in question is Carries of the Troublesome Violence: The Social Services’ Support for Female Victims of Domestic Violence by Veronica Ekström (2014). It's an interesting dive into how social workers in Sweden interact with domestic abuse victims and what the systems in place do to help these women.

Day 3 (Wednesday) had three lectures in a row that all adhered to the overall class of Introduction to Social Work, and covered the basic history of social work as a practice, definitions of social problems, and social work as an organization. Very interesting stuff! The history as such dates back to the 1800's, with the growth of the cities and people leaving the countryside to find work. At the time, social work was more of a "non-profit" function, usually handled by people like priests or church volunteers. In 1921 the Institute of Social Politics and Communal Education & Research" was founded, which is when Social Work as a profession and research field was properly established. So much more, that's just like the first 5 lines of my notes. Definitions of social problems was interesting, because by the end the lecturers main point was that there is no definition - what constitutes a social problem changes constantly across time and location. What's a social problem in Sweden might not be a social problem somewhere else, because it's all mandated by culture and legislation. And, on the topic of organizations, we got to look more at what institutions do exist, the kind of workplaces we can expect in the future (unions, unemployment agencies, elder care, youth facilities, hospitals/clinics, private clinics, even our own private establishments). Just very fun.

I would share my notes but, they're all in Swedish. And quite hefty. I'll share one from the first lecture, just so you can get an idea of how much my wrist was hurting.

Day 3 wrapped up with me sitting in the library perusing the article we got in class. Me and my group decided to read individually, and then get together on Monday to discuss our finds, and write this into some sort of disposition for the hand-in. I'm on page 7, and will finish this up tomorrow, but my first impressions of the article aren't great. The sample size is quite small - 16 social workers were "semi-structurally" interviewed from 11 municipalities, which makes me question how scaleable the study is. As a pilot study it'd be good, but the author states they already did a pilot study of 3 social workers, and claims that the 16/11 they have now is "a lot of data points". When I mentioned this to the other classmate who is also doing this paper (but not in my group) she said the exact same thing, that that's kind of a strange assessment. On top of that the author doesn't "intend" to change anybodys mind, in fact wants the reader to make their own mind up from the presented data, but that's making for a very flimsy argument.

Later in the evening, the Student Union for the Social Workers Faculty held a pub round! So me, the marshals and a couple of people from the program (a surprisingly small amount of maybe 18 people out of 160+ attendants...) went out for some drinks at a couple of bars! It was great fun, I made some new acquaintances, got to chat more with people from the other groups (and my own) - I'm still the oldest person, and having drinks with people born in 2007 is itself making my head spin But there were some 96'ers and 97'ers, so even if my '95 still has me up there, I didn't feel super alone!

Also got to talk more with the marshals, and a little bit about that paper too - they also thought the points I mentioned were strange! So if people who have already done this part agree, I think I might be onto something. In fact, I kind of wonder if the lecturer intentionally gave us contentious papers, with the INTENT that we would pick them apart. I might have to ask him about that tomorrow.

By the end of the night, it was just me and 3 of the marshals left! I held out the longest! One of the marshals started ripping a patch off his own overalls and gave it to me. So, I have my first patch, and I don't even have the overalls yet!

Today, Day 4, was just hangover recovery, and some chores around the house. No classes, no lectures. Nothing special. So I just took it easy. Tomorrow though, Day 5? End of the week. And it is a big one. 3 lectures starting at 9, ending at 12. Lunch, then a 3 hour class after that. Finishing at 16. Phhheeew.

The First Day

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

An Introduction to The Program

I won't do "daily" entries much down the line, but here at the start I feel like it's relevant since it's all so new!

Today was very much introductory. First up, was a "Welcome to the Program" lecture, I got to sit down with the 160-170 or so other students in the Social Work Programs first year bundle. We got to see our course administrators, the heads of faculty for the Department of Social Work, had some general walk-through of the systems we're gonna be using (apparently this year they switched to Canvas, I hear mixed opinions on this but apparently their old system was even worse ).

After this we were assigned groups - obviously 150+ people is a bit of a nightmare to do assignments for so we got split into smaller subclasses of about 30 per class. So, these people will be my immediate classmates for the next two semesters at least! (Unclear if the groups stay after the first year?).

"Intro to Social Work"

This was the first actual class! Sort of. Still very much introductory, we mostly discussed the course literature - collected works like "Perspectives on Social Problems" and "Essentials of Social Work", both by authors Meeuwisse & Swärd. We had a fun exercise of not introducing ourselves, but rather introducing the person sitting next to us, by first chatting for 10 minutes and learning about each other! A bit of an exercise in listening and quick notetaking. I already know I'm gonna love this course.

Socializing with the Marshals

Get it? Social-izing? Cuz Social Work? Anyway. In Sweden, we have kind of a "frat house culture", but it's not quite that at the same time. There are student unions associated with the individual faculties, so the Social Work Program has its own union, you pay for a membership and you do things like travel together, get access to pub events, and there is a house on campus for those events specifically for that union. So, kind of a frat, except you don't live there and it's not toxic as fuck. There's even a uniform - in Sweden, students are often seen wearing these "overalls", where each color set represents the faculty or union you're part of. You can't just get the overalls without a trial by fire though. This spooked me at first, but turns out it's fairly straight-forward, at least for this program. All you have to do is be a bartender for a night at one of the pub events.

I found this out after the "marshals" (as those wearing the overalls are called) gave a guided tour of the campus grounds for us. At the end, everyone dispersed from the "frat house", and it was really just me and some of the Marshals and older year students in the house. So, hey, I wanna get involved. I tell them, we have some tea, it's nice and cozy - and boom, signed up for the bartending. So, October 30th on the Halloween Pub Event, I will be a bartender for the night! Fun!

Then I went to sit in the library for a bit to sort out some IT stuff. All-in-all, a successful day! Tomorrow is big - 5 hours of lectures, from 9 to 15, with an hour break. That'll be a gauntlet for sure. But I'm ready!

The Beginning

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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.

A little baby is born!

Thu, 25 May 1995 00:00:00 +0000

This post is just to test the backdating feature of the static page generation, and to see how the layout handles older posts (it should collapse the calendar view!)