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by foobarbazqux 4709 days ago
If you do decide to go back to school, I recommend taking advantage of the free and confidential counseling clinic that they almost certainly have. Don't tell your family about it unless you want to - it can be felt as a betrayal. See someone on a weekly basis to sort through what's going on. It just helps to talk, and counselors are trained to listen and empathize. Psychiatrists and other medical doctors are generally not trained like this, they will instead try to diagnose you with a disorder, so you might want to rely on them just for medication if you go that route. There's lots and lots of free high quality support on a university campus so don't be shy about taking advantage of it. On the other hand, if counseling or therapy in your hometown is an option for you if you drop out, that could help you figure things out too.
1 comments

Thanks for the advice. I think the depression would probably go away if I drop out (unless I can't find a programming job at all). I have contract work for the next year at least, so I'm not too worried.

If I go back, I'll definitely try out your suggestion of talking to counselor.