scrubbedexpat091

It varies greatly by state, there is no uniform amount across all 50 states and it's not always necessary to attend a university to get the education needed.

My post was based on California (you can't really group the US as one country as things vary significantly at times between states, better to think of each state as semi-independent).

California heavily subsidizes tuition, and a fair amount of training for a career can be done at the community college level without needing to attend a university, and the community colleges are extremely affordable in California.

Community College tuition is 46 per unit (plus books) and 12 units is full-time course load.

So $552 for each semester + books/supplies.

You can get training for jobs such as nursing (RN & LVN), trades, paramedic, paralegal, aircraft maintenance, dental assisting, Radiologic Technologist, vet tech, and others, obviously not all schools will offer every program.

You can also do the first 2 years of university level general education and then transfer to university in year 3 to complete for a bachelors degree.

University tuition is varies more then community college tuition does as there are several public university systems in California.

The US system is higher cost, harder to get into, and generally geared towards things like science, engineering, medicine, and such.

The state university system is cheaper, and your typical university.

Average cost for San Diego State University for tuition is 7,000 per year if you a resident of California.

Students from another state pay an extra 12,000 on top of that. International students pay even more.


The program I want to do for lab assistant if the public school is around 4,000 which is a lot of money and I need to do a lot of upgrading, so closer to 7,000 once that is accounted for.

I could get a nursing degree for what a 6 month program costs here in BC.

I could be a paramedic, a lot more options then I have here.

BC adds in a lot of unnecessary pre-requisites that I have trouble with, where in California for non-academic stuff they concentrate just on the training needed to be successful in the workplace.

I would just way more opportunity job wise there as well as education wise, more selection, larger population just means more opportunity in general.

California's population is larger then Canada, and with that there are just more opportunities, more diverse life style, more food options, cheaper overall to live with more disposable income.

Wages are more or less on par now with BC, but the cost of food, transportation, gas and such is lower. Rent is about the same, but more amenities in apartments like central forced air heat, central a/c, dishwasher and so on.

scrubbedexpat091

Health issues prevent me from working 2 jobs.

The sponsorship isn't a huge amount, the moving costs and living costs is where the problem lies, need 6-12 months savings saved + whatever it costs to move with our things which looking at Uhaul is 1,800 just for truck before gas and insurance, and hotel costs.


Maybe one day if I can find a better job here that brings in more income.

scrubbedexpat091

I am trying to do that, it requires a lot of thought and active trying which I do fail at more times then not, where the half empty just comes naturally without any thought needed.

Stress is what sends me downhill fast, and pretty high stress at the moment which isn't helping.

Stinkypup

Ultimately I think we all in our lives have to put things properly in perspective- your downsides in life in Canada in your eyes seem multiple and overpowering to you judging by your posts.
My job is to be empathic, and dont get me wrong I try my best to be but I think you really do need to have a new outlook on life, it may not be as bad as you think that it is.
Putting things into context, my son's good friend who is 15 had to move schools away from his friends to be closer to his family as he has terminal bowel cancer- he texted my son today saying that his first day was awful away from his friends. I had to tell someone that that they had lung cancer last week (not smoking induced ) with a very poor prognosis, not that old. My other half had to tell a patient that she had breast cancer today, one of my colleagues had to tell her patient that she had the same condition, in her 30s. Another colleague in the office had to tell a young mum that she had advanced leukaemia. Yes it is our job but it is still really hard and it doesnt make the pain go away from these people and their families. It happens all the time but it still often brings us to tears however hardened we may seem to it.
You talk about poor transport links and BC not having a zoo- these patients just want to survive. These people have serious stress, that put yours and indeed my complaints of stress to shame.

No one knows what is around the corner, we only have one life to live, some dont have the choice/chance for long life. If you genuinely hate Canada that much then do something about it rather than spend significant amounts of time depressing yourself typing on this forum- everything is possible but may well not be easy. Your attitude unfortunately is very negative. This post has been very difficult to write and I hope that you read it in the way that it was intended.

scrubbedexpat091

I know the negativity is bad, and I am trying to work on it, not easy and I do fail more then I succeed at not being negative, but doing it little by little hoping it will become more natural to not be negative where right now it's very natural to be negative, and as I said I have to really consciously work on thinking positive, where a negative thought just instantly comes into my thought pattern.

There is no point in my life when I can recall not being negative by nature, as a kid teachers always pointed it out on report cards, and my mom sent a 6 page opinion the school psychologist wrote about me and it mentions the extreme negativity and thought patterns and I was 6, so 30 years at least, trying to teach this old brain new tricks, it's going to take time, and not sure I will ever be normal in thought, but trying to do what I can with the knowledge I have.


Seems certain things are a carrot in front of me, then when I get to it, it gets taken away, and the cycle starts over. Happened recently with the treatment/therapy place, I was so close to being able to go and start, then poof taken away as we couldn't come up with the 600 a month needed for it.

I hope one day to have the professional guidance and counseling needed to overcome the hurdles and walls that are in my way.

The lack of being busy probably doesn't help, I take the dog out several times a day for walks, and we sit by the river, I just miss being able to travel, see museums and such. When I was always on the go, always seeing new things, experiencing new things, life was good. The being on place without the ability to do the things offered really frustrates me. The gondola would be fun for example, but never have the money. There is a train excursion next month I would like to do, but way out of our price range.

Suppose being stuck in a small town isn't helping, I don't fit the lifestyle, outdoors and outdoor sports are not my thing. I am more of a museum, zoo, taking road trips type of person.

Even without knowing anyone in Vancouver, I felt better, didn't do much but I rode the sky train around, took a random a bus somewhere, walked around downtown and such which was actually a good way to pass time and stay occupied.

Suppose always being in a large city, I am not suited or happy in a small town, and there is no future or opportunity in a town like this unless you want to work in retail or fast food forever.

Stinkypup

JS ... You are just carrying on with all the negatives again!! Part of my post was to try and point out that there are people in way worse position than you and I'm not at all sure that you truly absorbed what I had written. Not trying to be harsh but it isn't all about you!! You have to look outside your own little world. I am certain that California/US is not all heaven and rainbows, get real. Yes make plans but don't forever complain about all the barriers that are put in front of you ad infinitum- try/ plan to get over those barriers. Just try your best or else it will be Groundhog Day for both you and dare I say it, us.

scrubbedexpat091

I am aware people are worse off but that doesn't make my issues irrelevant or any less of an issue.

Trying walking in the shoes and helping a mentally ill person instead of telling them to do something they cannot do without professional help.

How many cancer patients would you tell to go and heal themselves without professional help?

I really will never understand the hate people have for the mentally ill, try understanding what we go through and the hurdles we face.


I'd honesty like to know why people think and tell me to fix myself when I suffer from serious mental health issues?

Our system only uses medication for mental health treatment, they do not provide long term therapy and counseling and since I cannot afford that, I cannot access it.

I have gone to DBT center in Vancouver, again the same diagnoses, borderline disorder, again same treatment reccomendation, DBT both group and individual, the same thing every psychiatrist has told me.

Thing is only those with money can access said treatment, and well people in our positions who cannot hold employment, cannot afford 600-700 per month for said treatment, so we continue to suffer.

Try understanding why we are the way we are instead of telling us we are too negative. No wonder we are negative, we are in severe emotional pain with no way out of the severe emotional pain.

Stinkypup

No that doesn't make it irrelevant but they have No control over their destiny whereas you do. I amsaddened and indeed offendedby your comments about suggested hatred against people with mental illness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Maybe sometimes the truth hurts- nobody is being vindictive, they have always tried to help you and be supportive but you apparently feel that our advice is wrong and "we as health professions need to find other professions because of contempt and hatred for the mentally ill." These are preposterous comments which I personally am not going to accept. It isn't all about the dollar and as I have said ALL health services need improvement, not just Mental health services. I have little or nothing else to say on this matter as I feel that I am banging my head against a brick wall. I hope that you eventually find what you are looking for.

scrubbedexpat091

When MSP will cover treatment, I will have the help I need, but that isn't happening anytime soon.

It's as simple as that, I will never recover until I have access to treatment and that will not happen until MSP will cover the DBT Center of Vancouver's services or that center decides to offer a more affordable option for low income individuals in need of help.

It's always about money and profit, never about human suffering, if it were we would have open access to the healthcare and treatment options people need.

Not just me, everyone with mental illness. Unless you have bipolar or something treatable by medication, there is nearly no options in the healthcare system unless you have money and people on disability don't have 600-700 per month to pay for the treatment, trust me if we did, we would be in said treatment and not sitting in emotional pain, and have no life and no ability towards a life.

This is what BC needs in the public system, this is in Ontario but is covered by OHIP.

http://www.ontarioshores.ca/cms/one....69&pageId=5902

I have gone to the 6 hour group course locally, and I did learn some basics, but 6 hour course isn't going to solve the issues one needs help with.

Compare that to ON, twice weekly for 1 year. Big difference, and that is why people become frustrated with the healthcare system. It's all dependent on where you live and not equal access.


Simply put those with mental illness can't cure themselves anymore then someone with heart disease can cure their disease, there are ways to help the healing process but professional help is still needed. When one can access professional help, recovery is possible and people go on to lead healthier lives, without the professional help, well the cycle just continues.


Apologies to you, I type on impulse at times, and I have removed the remarks.
B

bc2015

Nice job editing out the particularly nasty comments that you made about Stinkypup. FWIW I don't think there was any hatred towards mentally ill people in that post - just them trying to help.

A lot of posters on this forum have tried to help you but I don't ever recall you showing any gratitude. We all have our problems - some more serious than others - and when people try to help (especially strangers on an internet forum) it's nice to show at least some gratitude. Sometimes the help might be misguided but that's no reason to shoot off at someone.

scrubbedexpat091

Yes I did remove them, and I also added apologies to the other poster.

If the suggestions were something I could do, I would have done them. I didn't write them off, and if/when the time comes where they are viable, I will certainly try them.

Those without money, cannot access education, plain and simple. Nothing I can do to come up with thousands a year to pay for tuition, if I could well I would. Just an example of one thing I haven't been able to find a solution to .

Stinkypup

And you think that I don't want the best for all my patients? Clearly by your comments you don't and so the circle starts again. Threads like this are supposed to be two way discussions - you tell me and all of us about your agenda but don't accept in any way anyone else's point of view- you just say that they are wrong or are out to get you. It seems pointless to continue this "discussion"- I use that term very loosely as discussions involve meaningful interactions - clearly I have failed!

Siouxie

With respect to those concerned, could we please get back on topic rather than have digs at each other?

Thank you.

christmasoompa

Peeps, can I ask that this conversation is taken to PM, or a new thread in The Maple Leaf?

A bit of thread drift is normal but this is completely derailing the thread in to a conversation between two people about something quite personal. 10/10 for the thread hijack though.

Thank you.

christmasoompa

Great minds think alike.