My son is whom was diagnosed with adhd at the age of seven is now an adult (age 22). He was discharged from the Marines after 3 1/2 years with a less than honorable discharge. I had concerns but didn’t voice them at the time he entered the Marines because I felt it would be discouraging. I am now faced with another challenge, he is presently employed at nursing home as a cook and makes decent money. He is not trained to be a cook but since he has been working there his ability to create and facilitate wonderful tasting meals has been more than I could have anticipated. He is still unfulfilled because he has always dreamed of being a policemen. He is constantly talking about it and making plans to go to school for law enforcement. This time I am not being quiet and voice my concerns with this pursuit. I am feeling again though that I am being discouraging because he has this notion that, a) he has learned from his mistakes and, b) people think I can’t do it so I will prove them wrong. I feel he is setting himself up for another disappointment and I need to know of some other types of employment to steer him to. Also, he doesn’t want to pursue culinary arts as a profession which I feel he would be excellent at.
police work
At 22 many people are reluctant to settle into the job they have. They still have dreams and hopes. And that’s the good news - that your son is still thinking and dreaming and trying to plan for the future. Some people even as young as he become very discouraged particularly after the negative experience that the service must have been for him.
There are many kinds of policemen. Local township police, state police, country constables, campus police, and private security officers. Encourage him to explore all the different types of law enforcement as one type might suit him better than others.
If he’s accepted into any training progam, he can always return to cooking if he doesn’t like it or if it doesn’t work out.
Good luck.
Has he considered keeping his job and enrolling in a course or two to see how he likes the program? This is a good way to get started and the first-year courses are usually good for other majors if he later decides to pursue another job goal.
He was doing something right if he was a Marine for 3.5 years. Thank him for me for serving if you will.
John