Are you or are you not a minimalist?

[Teacher Terry]

I totally forgot that you are job hunting and credentials don’t matter. So I suggest you apply for jobs such as a heart surgeon, Neurologist, engineer, nurse, physical therapist which will increase your income so you can pay off your student loans. No need for pesky degrees.

[Gardnr]

When you show that crap works, you let me know.

UL, your seething contempt of those with advanced education and skill sets is shining bright. Chill dude.

[Ultralight]

UL, your seething contempt of those with advanced education and skill sets is shining bright. Chill dude.

I am just an uneducated schlub. Forgive me.

[iris lilies]

UL, your seething contempt of those with advanced education and skill sets is shining bright. Chill dude.

UL Has multiple advanced degrees himself you know. I don’t think it’s a self loathing thing though.
I share some of his skepticism about —certain disciplines.

I could write a couple paragraphs about my new friend who I’m keeping at arms length with lots of boundaries because we share interests but she’s unstable. But I wont. Suffice to say she also has a doctorate in social sciences and will mention that pretty often. I haven’t observed that her advanced degree has given her important insight into our group dynamics or has made her a master of interpersonal relations.

[Ultralight]

UL Has multiple advanced degrees himself you know. I don’t think it’s a self loathing thing though.
I share some of his skepticism about —certain disciplines.

I could write a couple paragraphs about my new friend who I’m keeping at arms length with lots of boundaries because we share interests but she’s unstable. But I wont. Suffice to say she also has a doctorate in social sciences and will mention that pretty often. I haven’t observed that her advanced degree has given her important insight into our group dynamics or has made her a master of interpersonal relations.

You explained that so, so much better than I could have.

[Teacher Terry]

There are unstable people in all professions. UL has contempt for human services professionals probably because of his family of origin which is why I never thought the field was a good fit. The profession needs people that can help and not harm.

[Ultralight]

UL has contempt for human services professionals probably because of his family of origin which is why I never thought the field was a good fit.

The above statement is untrue.

The profession needs people that can help and not harm.

Amen, sistah!

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well, they CAN conduct many of their own affairs. And possibly they don’t conduct those affairs especially well because the hoarding affects so much of their life, but chances are they are as just as effective at their affairs as many people are who don’t hoard.

I don’t watch that awful tv show Hoarders very often, but I have seen it enough to know that a fair number of those people have jobs outside of their home, they earn income, they must make a house payment to be able to keep the house, and etc. so they are can certainly conducting some affairs reasonably well.

+1 and maybe hoarding will be a fatal flaw that makes them unable to take the right action in some circumstances - say emergency personnel aren't able to get in due to junk, maybe they get typhus from rats in their junk store, ok that's pretty extreme forms of hoarding, but then again that may or may not happen, and clearly they aren't entirely incapable of conducting their own affairs as many hoarders do in many areas of life that don't involve hoarding, but may be vulnerable in that area.

I share the skepticism toward mental health help, but if it is helpful to someone or they think it is, they are free to use it, and get whatever they think they can out of it. If it's less than helpful and they want to break free of it (and it can be like breaking an *addiction*), then walk through the open door. Because there is life beyond dependence on mental health care to solve problems especially if you find it's not solving them anyway. You can change what you want, mental health doesn't have all the answers (very few it seems to me), and some things may be just fine as they are (but try to be realistic about consequences and hoarding has some).

Ha I might prefer free time to stuff but presently I work a job where I don't even get paid sick days and I'm afraid to take time off, so wanting what I can't have right now would be literally a waste of time and life if ever there was one! If we ever get mandatory paid sick and vacation time for everyone in this country, employee or gig worker, please let me know. I am in favor of it!!! Mostly I just try to live ethically, it's often pretty austere as I chase after neither stuff, nor have free time beyond weekends and unpaid national holidays like last week, but on some level I've gotten pretty used to austerity too.

[ApatheticNoMore]

NewGig, you are doing what you need to be doing for your life. Simply ignore the judgemental, online or otherwise, posts/viewpoints that have no relevance or value to your life or your goals.

+1 You are doing good.

[Ultralight]

Ha I might prefer free time to stuff but presently I work a job where I don't even get paid sick days and I'm afraid to take time off...

You need to move away and get a different job. Just sayin'.