How do I get one of those "career" thingys?

Agree with the radiology and the pharmacy fields -- in fact, virtually any medical field will likely be well-suited to your abilities. The drawback: they all require formal education and/or training to some degree. Best bet, perhaps, would be to get hired on as a technician (apprentice) at a drugstore, hospital, or large outpatient clinic and begin feeling your way around, learning about the scholastic requirements, and getting advice/intel from the healthcare providers and technicians. And don't forget nursing: there are many 'variations' on nursing in a variety of setttings (long-term care, visiting, hospital, community health), and the "barriers to entry" are most often less than the barriers to pharmacy, radiology, etc. Also: go to your nearest college (community college, best bet, IMO) and find out what kind of programs are available, and see if there are any education programs that integrate some sort of work-study program, so you can begin earning while learning. Best wishes -- let us know what you decide.

One caveat, from one bipolar type two to another: Get some career counseling and or other outside imput. We tend to be somewhat grandiose in our thinking sometimes -and that can manifest in biting off more than we can chew (oh, how I know how that works from personal experience.) I think checking into the medical field thing would be great. And I do know that community colleges have resources to help you choose what would be the best fit for you through tests and such. Please understand I am not saying you are not a smart person. I'm no slouch in that department myself, but sometimes the illness presents limitations and boundaries that have to be respected. Be proactive and analytical about that too. Get the backup and imput you need to be successful. Oh, and run this by your therapist. He or she may actually have some practical suggestions to help you along-and can help you think through your choices. Do update this, please-I'm sure we are all rooting for you!

Kudos on considering adoption!

And I do know that community colleges have resources to help you choose what would be the best fit for you through tests and such. I'm sure some people get something from those "testing centers" but for me, and a few friends, it was something of a joke. The careers I was suggested were so far from what I'd want to do or even be good at that they were comical. So use it as a tool, but rely on your own research to pick a field. That said, anything in the medical field has a ton of older employees just starting out. Either they decided to finally go to school, or they're switching careers. Nursing is definitely something to look at. If you're a guy, more and more males are becoming nurses. Some emergency rooms are almost fully staffed witih male nurses. It's hard work, and not for everyone, but you can make decent money and the work is far more dymanic than something like x-ray tech. Of course, dynamic might not be what you're looking for, so ymmv.

Do what you love. Take baby steps. Set realistic goals and follow through on them. Reward yourself, but don't punish yourself - life itself will punish you readily enough. But most importantly, do what you love. Otherwise a career isn't worth it.

I'm skeptical about the long term viability of a pharmacy career. It takes a bit of time to get a pharmacy degree (typically it's a 5 year undergrad degree), by the time you get out, things could have changed. Possible changes: 1. Glut of newly minted pharmacists attracted by the high starting pay, the job portability and the option to work less than full-time. This could be mitigated if pharmacy programs are keeping a cap on aadmissions, rather -- I don't know whether they are, 2. Restructuring of retail the pharmacy. This is already well underway. Independant pharmacies are few and far between these days, driven out by drugstore chains and pharmacies that are part of larger chain retailers like supermarkets and discount stores. These affiliated pharmacies have been effected by the consolidation among retailers. In many markets, supermarkets have fallen under common ownership with discount retailers, one result is that pharmacy operations have been eliminated or had their hours cut due to overlap in territory. Add to that the rise of the mail-order pharmacy, where process and automation allow for economies of scale that minimize the expense of trained pharmacists. There are lots of options, including pharmacy career tracks that avoid some of the dynamics I've described. Best of luck to you on pursuing a career!

Don't limit your education choices to community colleges; where I am, the state university has a respected evening-school program, with a ton of degree choices and numerous tuition-waver categories. If your employer will pay the whole cost (many do, if your grades are good), no reason not to get the best education you can. Medical tech is a good, stable career. Not just X-ray, but all sorts of imaging: MRI, ultrasound. There may be a degree that qualifies you for all of them. Having more skills makes you a more desirable employee. Having an unusual, but complimentary skill set makes you a sought-after employee. Good luck.

Key to education: If you're worried take a community college class: you'll rock and it'll give you confidence. If you take a university night class, do well, after a class or two, it's likely the university will let you 'enter' it's student population. This is a great backdoor that most people don't know about.

What about library science or information architecture? More creative and definitely detailed oriented. And routes can be both academic and corporate. Smarties welcomed. Good luck!