Hacker News:
Throughout my entire life I have always had digestion issues, especially around times of stress like the holidays and during final exams. This would, of course, negatively affect my performance in school and life in general. My parents always told me that I just had a nervous stomach and that I needed to find ways to relax.
As I enter college I don't really know what I want to major in, but I do know that I want it to have something to do with computers. Right around my fourth year as an undergrad school is awful due to inability to attend classes on a regular basis because of medical issues, my GPA is terrible, and I still do not have a major. It's around this time that my parents tell me that, rightfully so, I just need to pick something and go with it. During my next appointment with my guidance counselor I ask her, given my current transcript, what major I am closest to graduating with. After some time reviewing my academic “progress” she tells me that my best bet would be a degree in Law & Society (Pre-Law). I tell her to put me in those classes and that will be what I seek my degree in.
About a year after this I am diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, specifically Ulcerative Colitis. I don't really know what this is and make a mistake that is apparently very common among individuals who are newly diagnosed IBD patients, assume that IBD and IBS are the same thing. I graduate with a degree in Law & Society, a minor in Computer Programming Technology, and a dismal GPA roughly a year after my diagnosis and it isn't until then that I begin to realize what UC is and how it has affected my life up until now.
Two years ago I had to have surgery to repair the damage caused by having the go disease for so long completely untreated. Now I am the point where I feel like a complete failure in life. I don't really know what to do. I hate my current job and going back to school in order to pursue another undergraduate degree in Computer Science would take 4 years due to when the classes I would need to take are offered. Any advice or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.
If you choose to go back for Computer Science, I would like to strongly suggest you are always keeping in mind "How am I going to get a job." I don't say this because it is necessarily hard to get a job as a Software Engineer, but rather that many undergraduates ignore their GPA and internships and just assume they will get a job when they graduate. Doing well in your classes and leaving your professors with a favorable impression of you also helps during the job hunt.
Also, make sure you are attending an accredited university with credits that can transfer to other universities. Not that you need to worry about transferring, but make sure you are attending a quality institution with a degree employers will take seriously (e.g. not ITT). Keep in mind that you don't need to pay an arm and a leg for such a degree either.
Finally, on a somewhat unrelated note, have you talked to a doctor about anti-anxiety medication? I know several people who had anxiety problems that manifested as a nervous stomach. They are on anti-anxiety meds now and doing fantastic. I am absolutely not a doctor and this may not be relevant to you, but just thought I'd bring it up.