After three job changes, dropping a
class the first week, and a depleted bank account, my Spring Semester 2025 is finally
over, and it felt middling throughout. This was my fourth semester in graduate
school. I do not know if it was drowsiness or the increase of serotonin in my brain,
but I did not have my usual pedal to the metal mentality with sporadic distraught
this semester. Diligently, I am still in search of the perfect approach to graduate
school. I left my non-profit job (bilingual case manager) of three years for an
employment-based practicum (part-time hospital case manager) only to leave that
job for my return to mental health (Health Link case manager) within the semester.
Shockingly, working less hours did not benefit me at all, my sleep increased to
unproductive exuberance, and my finances severely decreased. Even though I
found myself penniless during the semester there was a silver lining, I found
my way back to full-time employment in an organization that provides mental
health services and substance abuse treatment. And this is what I have wanted
to do since I moved to Tennessee four years ago. Working in mental health is
what I have done the most in my career and have enjoyed the best.
So on to next semester! If I recoup
my pennies on time.
