Should I pursue a Masters degree in computer science, considering that I have a mental illness?

[teo123]

In Friday last week, I graduated with a Bachelor degree in computer science from the FERIT university. My Bachelor thesis will only be published onto DABAR around a month from now. Namely, I missed the deadline by a few weeks, and DABAR is currently not allowing uploads. I told them I missed the deadline because I was not able to work on the thesis because of my psychotic disorder (which is actually not true, I was able to), so they let me submit the thesis after the deadline without having to pay 2'000 kunas as penalty. But I am not able to start studying for a Masters degree this year nor will I immediately get a diploma (I will get a diploma somewhere in mid-December) nor will I immediately get my Bachelor thesis published on DABAR.
So, what do you guys think, should I pursue a Masters degree the next year?
I am asking because many people on the Internet are advising people with mental illness not to pursue a PhD because doing a PhD is tough on mental health. In my opinion, they are right. But, what do you think, does the same thing apply to pursuing a Master's degree in some difficult topic such as computer science?
In Croatia, people who have finished the Bachelor degree in computer science (which lasts three years) mostly pursue a Master's degree (which lasts two years). I am afraid that, if I don't pursue a Master's degree, the employers would ask me why.

[teo123]

@Red, you are studying civil engineering, right? Are you planning to get a Master's degree? Why or why not?

[Avskum]

@teo123

I've been in a similar situation. Take a year off where you look for a job and work on mental problems, imo.. And seriously work on fixing your problems, face your fears, go outside, talk to women, get better social skills, lift weights/work out, start dating, etc. Don't just sit on the internet all day. This should feel very uncomfortable. Get used to it! Figure out what trauma is the cause of your addictions and mental problems and work through it.

Come back to do the Masters after a year

[Red]

^what he said

[Red]

@Red, you are studying civil engineering, right? Are you planning to get a Master's degree? Why or why not?

Yes I am in my last semester but before I apply to grad school I want to get more research experience first, and if I do go to grad school it won't be for civil engineering, it will be more for general science, probably something with physics.

[teo123]

@teo123

I've been in a similar situation. Take a year off where you look for a job and work on mental problems, imo.. And seriously work on fixing your problems, face your fears, go outside, talk to women, get better social skills, lift weights/work out, start dating, etc. Don't just sit on the internet all day. This should feel very uncomfortable. Get used to it! Figure out what trauma is the cause of your addictions and mental problems and work through it.

Come back to do the Masters after a year

But the problem is that I suspect it's very hard to get a job in this economic climate. Economy is, by many metrics, doing worse now than in 2020.

[Red]

But the problem is that I suspect it's very hard to get a job in this economic climate. Economy is, by many metrics, doing worse now than in 2020.

Have you tried looking for a job yet? What metrics are you referring to, and where are you getting this information? By many metrics, the economy has been improving substantially.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/croatia/overview#3

Teo, I think you're just trying to find excuses to not get a job. Make a good resume; You should include:

• Contact info, obviously (name, email, phone, address)
• Your education, what your degree is in, courses you took while in University (preferably ones that are more related to your major)
• Skills, you seem to be good at programming, so include the programs you are competent in
• Previous work experience, if any
• Even if you're applying to a job related to computer science, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to include citations for your research papers in linguistics, to show your varied interests and desire to learn and work hard on things, and maybe also include your book that you published
• Mention any other skills that may be of note, such as speaking English (not everyone speaks English there), communication of ideas maybe
• If you have any, put the contact info of people who you've worked with for, after asking if they can give a strong reccomendation

If you want you can send it over when you're done (preferably, blur your contact info, address), and we can shoot you straight. Keep it simple; Too many words and it becomes uncomfortable and time consuming to read. So for instance, for a Civil Engineering Major like myself, my education section would look like this:
Bob Jones University, Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering
September 2019 - May 2023
● Gained understanding and skills after taking courses in Structural Analysis, AutoCAD, Transportation Engineering, and Project Management
● Acquired interests in sustainability after completing various courses in environmental engineering
● Completed sixty-page Traffic Impact Study that thoroughly analyzed busy traffic intersection
● Illustrated bridge, floor plans, and road layouts in AutoCAD
● Constructed an in-depth analysis of a structural design, involving the use of mathematics and computer programming in MASTAN for Steel and Concrete structures

Just do something like that.

With your credentials Teo, it shouldn't be all that difficult to find a job. In interviews, keep your views to yourself, ESPECIALLY your crazy ones, but political views and veganism shouldn't be mentioned either. Just show confidence and a keenness to learn and get a job done; A lot of people with good resumes get turned down because they don't carry themselves well in interviews. Also, don't include your website or your Youtube channel, just saying. I also suggest not mentioning mental health, if they ask about that, just say that you are getting treatment for it.

Almost everyone that I know who has graduated has been able to find work pretty easily.

Now, if you're thinking about grad school, that's another beast, but still won't be impossible to get into.

[Avskum]

But the problem is that I suspect it's very hard to get a job in this economic climate. Economy is, by many metrics, doing worse now than in 2020.

Worst case you'll have to take a random crap job and keep applying for jobs you actually want in the meantime.

[teo123]

Have you tried looking for a job yet?

Well, I haven't tried to apply to any jobs since I graduated, because right now I am having panic attacks almost every day. I would be worse than useless to the team in this mental state. Alprazolam does help a bit, but it doesn't do miracles.
A few years ago, I tried getting a job at a few companies. I came to know that Mono (not the famous one having something to do with .NET framework, some Croatian one) is looking for somebody who knows JavaScript, and I made a PicoBlaze Simulator in JavaScript not long before that. I got to the interview, and, at the interview, they tasked me create some short program (a CRUD list of cars) using ReactJS and MobX in a month. I had barely heard about ReactJS and I hadn't even heard about MobX, so I wasn't able to do that and they rejected me. And, for other firms that I applied, I didn't even get to the interview. I came to know that RT-RK was looking for a compiler developer. So I sent them a link to my AEC-to-WebAssembly compiler. And they responded me with an e-mail saying that they are looking for somebody who is intimately familiar with LLVM or GCC (preferably both), and that my project doesn't show that I am familiar with those things.
Companies have apparently learned that they shouldn't ask algorithmic-competitions-style questions on interviews, because knowing libraries and frameworks is far more important than algorithms and data structures when you have to deliver a software that works. Too bad, as I have plenty of experience with algorithmic competitions.

[Red]

@teo123 What else are you doing for treatment? Are you just on the medication? Are you balancing it out with therapy and meditation?

Also, make sure you apply to jobs that are actually meant for your field of expertise. Send them your resume so they know if they should consider you or not in the first place, save everyone time.