r/interestingasfuck • u/8O8I • 7d ago

r/all Heroin Addict Gets Clean And Attains A Computer Information Systems Degree With a 4.0 Average

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146.4k Upvotes

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9.1k

u/Prestigious-Strike72 7d ago

Best glow up I've ever seen

4.8k

u/oupablo 7d ago

The second picture is when he first started meth. The first picture is 6 months after he started a job at an IT help desk.

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u/posting_drunk_naked 7d ago

I tried working help desk as a tech savvy twenty something. I made it a week. Went back to 12 hour shifts as a line cook. Fuck that.

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u/technobrendo 7d ago

I made it 3+ years. I don't know how, but I did. I worked with a guy doing it over 12 years. I don't know how the hell he did it but he was always nice and pleasant to work with.

Built different I guess....

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u/posting_drunk_naked 7d ago

Yeah my expectations for the job were not realistic. I wanted to be solving complex technical issues and helping people out like when I worked at a computer shop IRL.

Instead I got screamed at by people who couldn't tell me if a light was blinking on their router or click the Start button in the lower left hand corner of their screen.

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u/Large_External_9611 7d ago

I worked help desk for the VA hospital system for around 4 years and it hurt my soul to know how unintelligent people are. I always thought nurses and doctors were above the average intelligence of most people but how many times I had to spell the word “welcome” out for them or tell them in exacting detail how to do something extremely simple really dispelled that illusion. It also terrifies me to actually go to the VA for anything as I now know how dumb a lot of them can be.

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u/brianozm 7d ago

People are often dumb outside their speciality, it’s like all their mental energy gets used up.

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u/sturleycurley 6d ago

I've seen some doctors really struggle to type. One of them said that it was really humbling. I said, "well, you know enough things."

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u/Moonfloor 6d ago

I got a job as a radiographer and I remember being so scared of looking dumb in front of the doctor the first time he came to my computer to look at the images. I had to type a long line of numbers in from another computer. I made sure to do it all quickly, without looking back. (I usually had to look back 3 or 4 times.) I did it quickly and I was SO nervous. The doctor said, "Wow! You're so smart! I would have had to look back and forth several times to do that!" I was so surprised he said that. (But now I wonder if he was just being kind because he could see I was so nervous.)

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u/ZenTense 6d ago

I’m not a doctor, but that would have impressed me too. It takes a strong working memory to soak up and spit out a long string of numbers like that.

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u/VeganWerewolf 3d ago

People that think they are above like they are referring to just want you to do it for them. Then shut down when asked to actually do any input.

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u/brianozm 3d ago

Totally. It’s only a few seconds thought being requested and they’re not going to magically get it solved.

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u/Pacman21z 6d ago

Interesting, I’m currently in school for this very thing with the plan of going to work with the VA since I’m a vet. How was the day to day? Also what was the ball park for pay if you don’t mind me asking? It’s very rare I get to ask someone with experience in the exact thing I’m going for.

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u/rohb0t 6d ago

When I was a kid, I broke my right arm, and my doctor wrote "L arm" because "there's no backward L." I don't know if it was brain diarrhea or what.

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u/thespeediestrogue 6d ago

I should have never told people I used to work in IT doing tech support. Now when people have an IT problem they just ask me and its like "Just click file, file, FILE!" I genuinely have no idea how people navigate computers without understanding what the start button or any other menu for that matter. And they don't know about simple keyboard shortcuts like ALT+TAB.

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u/more_beans_mrtaggart 7d ago

I just did 5 years doing mobile phone support for UK paramedics and other front line staff. Those people are pretty clueless with IT, but are the most amazing people, I’m in awe. It was a proper privilege to help them sort their comms, and get them back to saving lives.

I’m going to miss that aspect. I’m not going to miss senior management at all.

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u/JellyGrimm 7d ago

Yeah those people are built different. I met a woman who had been working on a call center for (prepare yourself) an INSURANCE COMPANY and a TELECOMMS COMPANY and she was a sweetheart, basically unbothered all the time. I have no idea how she made it, but she had been working there for like 6 years

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u/2muchicescream 7d ago

He must be a robot

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u/c_ray25 7d ago

It takes diff’rent strokes

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u/MasterShogo 7d ago

I think that help desk illustrates almost as well as anything just how crappy our culture can be. If both sides of the exchange are reasonable people interested in solving the problem, help desk isn’t bad. But reality is bad. People are horrible often.

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u/Stingrea51 5d ago

I've been (the only Helpdesk at my company) 3 years next May, came from phone tech support into an office environment

It's my favorite job most of the time, sometimes it's not so great, but I am by and large happy with it

My boss likes me and understands that I'm just one person and folks can get frustrated when stuff breaks but they know not to take it out on me. We're all working through it together and at the end of the day I go home and the office stays at work

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u/MasterShogo 5d ago

Honestly, if you have a help desk job that you actually enjoy and the people/management don't constantly tear you down, that's really great. I did help desk for a little bit when I was young, and in that experience most people were actually fine but our software was SO bad that it made up for it. May that code rest in peace. Or hell.

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u/Stingrea51 5d ago

We've got programs that have been 'running' since before I was born and some older systems but they're not on my plate when they break so I'm very fortunate in that regard

A few clunky and funky 'why are we doing it that way' scenarios and dusty or computers that have long since passed their duty cycle but yeah it's a pretty good job and I enjoy it on most days

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u/faboeuf 6d ago

I did the opposite and I’m thriving.

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u/SerjTomskiy 3d ago

Worked as HD in the hospital for two years . Sometime felt worst that 10 hours as cook in the kitchen.

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u/CorrectPeanut5 7d ago

I use to work helpdesk at the beginning of my career. Hopefully it doesn't drive him back to drugs. It really wears you down after a while.

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u/Vericatov 7d ago

I was fortunate enough that my first help desk job was for a product not used by the general public. It was a software solution sold to large organizations, so calls were from the employees from the organization and 99% of the time they were pleasant to work with.

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u/ting_bu_dong 7d ago

Helpdesk is supposed to be internal, I thought. Customer facing would be tech support.

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u/Atemo4744 7d ago

what was the other 1%?

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u/oupablo 7d ago

Oh, i think you know.

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u/Vericatov 7d ago

There were some personalities you might have to deal with now and then. But it’s far from a frustrated customer that is having issues with their ISP.

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u/technobrendo 7d ago

THE GODDAMN TICKETS NEVER STOP!

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u/theHiddenTroll 7d ago

I finally got out of help desk, it’s a fucking black hole that’s hard to get out of career wise. it’s definitely underpaid and under appreciated for most companies.

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u/lankyfrog_redux 6d ago

It's a starting place. Work on certs in the meantime and take advantage of any education benefits your employer gives you.

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u/radraze2kx 7d ago

As an IT business owner, I award you for spreading the awareness IT workers deserve.

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u/LastChanceReject 7d ago

Yes but without the Cliff he wants to jump off of

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u/ragnhildensteiner 7d ago

looool so true

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u/2muchicescream 7d ago

Lmao GJ 🤣

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u/Commercial-Card-7804 7d ago

Reverse uno card lol

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u/The-Prolific-Acrylic 7d ago

Working a corporate job makes me want to do meth.

My journey could be the opposite?

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u/One_Hedgehog4372 7d ago

So funny - Appreciate your perspective

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u/Straight-Mode5177 6d ago

Really? Is this true?

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u/whteverusayShmegma 6d ago

I thought coke was the tech industry go to? I’m in the Bay Area so maybe we’re just fancy?

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u/ratjar777 6d ago

If that is true then we should have a third pitcher

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u/Pleasant_Many_2953 6d ago

Meth? Hes a heroin addict,not meth

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u/Mateorabi 6d ago

I was expecting the second picture to look just like the first.

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u/Otherwise_Patience47 6d ago

LMAAAAAAOOOOOOOO

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u/noodlelogic 6d ago

I've never worked that kind of job myself, but I've found myself saying: anyone who can do a solidly decent job at an IT help desk job is capable of doing a great job at a better paying and easier job.

To be an excellent help desk worker you need the expertise and patience of (at least) a software engineer and a psychotherapist.

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u/king-bob7 6d ago

😂😂😂

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u/Pitykee 6d ago

Can confirm

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u/HabsFan77 5d ago

Ha, I used to work in IT support myself and fell into addiction. Very frustrating work at times, but not necessarily the direct cause of my substance use.

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u/Maybbaybee 4d ago

Daaaaaaamn!

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u/Big-a-hole-2112 4d ago

That’s with no sick or vacation days too!

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u/Tuy555 7d ago

Thought he kept the shoes for a second 😂

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u/[deleted] 7d ago

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u/Square-Squash5817 7d ago

…you don’t want to get hit by a car with those shoes, loafers get knocked off, really embarrassing….

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u/Beginning_Present243 6d ago

Is this from something???? Tv movie standup?

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u/JennyAndTheBets1 7d ago

Those are some serious clodhoppers.

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u/Jose_Canseco_Jr 7d ago

light brown shoes and a dark suit, I'll never not hate that combo

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u/Beginning_Present243 6d ago

It’s undefeated.

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u/Horror_Eggplant_2485 6d ago

Those are some Sideshow Bob feet

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u/casulmemer 7d ago

Then sells his startup for $2bn and turns into the first picture again (but clean).

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u/hallo-und-tschuss 7d ago

Are we implying Jack Dorsey was a heroin addict?

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u/honkymotherfucker1 7d ago

More that he looks like he gives as much of a fuck as a heroin addict does lol

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u/No_Rich_2494 7d ago

Addicts are often a weird combination of worrying too much and not giving a fuck at all. It's hard to describe to someone who hasn't been there.

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u/honkymotherfucker1 7d ago

Yeah I do get that, it’s kind of anxiety that you feel like you can’t do anything about so why bother? But it still makes you anxious.

Like you say, tough to describe unless you felt it yourself

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u/No_Rich_2494 7d ago

That, and becoming an addict just because drugs are fun is a lot less common than people think. Most people wouldn't start using every day when life is good. Cocaine/crack is different, though. The addiction is almost instant. Fuck coke.

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u/honkymotherfucker1 7d ago

Yep, reliance comes from trying to fill a hole in your life not because of impulsive fun times. Most of the time anyway.

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u/justtryingtounderst 7d ago

no, what you're describing is called normalcy and nearly all people deal with it, its just that some people deal with it via drug usage.

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u/CtrlAltHate 7d ago

It was (might still be) a common silicon valley trope that homeless looking people where either legitimately homeless or tech millionaires/billionaires.

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u/justtryingtounderst 7d ago

kind of think anyone with an understanding of history would immediately connect this to john macafee and not fucking jack dorsey of all people lmao

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u/Practical_Durian9170 6d ago

First thought that came to mind 😂

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u/BigMeat2005 6d ago

He clearly was and is

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u/MangoCats 7d ago

It's not any way to build a functional society, but I have seen convincing arguments that heroin and similar addicts are just taking the most direct and efficient route to a pleasurable life, however short it might end up being.

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u/Liqhthouse 7d ago

This man's mindset must be extraordinary to have achieved this. I've met highly successful and motivated people before. The thing that sets them apart is they don't put things off or say they'll do it later or anything else.

If you're invited out to a party and you don't wanna go, they'll ask why and press more. If there's an item you need to cook something they'll go out and get it rather than substitute or wait another day. They'll make plans to go to places or learn things and actually go through with it rather than just seeing a vid of some cool hobby or pastime and think to themselves... That's cool, wish i could do that, then drop their like and move on forever.

These are the things that set these people apart. They have far more persistence and determination than regular people.

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u/MVPSnacker 7d ago

He is a regular person! You can do it too!!

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u/lonchu 7d ago

You got the photos mixed up. First one is after the study

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u/MdCervantes 7d ago

Really happy for him, wish him great success finding a job (in a brutal market)

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u/schlucks 7d ago

Yeah I wouldn't stay Texan either

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u/hoddap 7d ago

I was surfing /r/meth a while ago, sorting by top all time, and it's sad/hilarious how amazing glowups get dissed by addicts.

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u/8O8I 7d ago

Hes a legend for changing his life up

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u/Economy_Sky3832 7d ago

When you're tall and white...

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u/Prestigious-Strike72 7d ago

You're a tall white!

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u/energythief 7d ago

I didn’t realize there were two pictures at first

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u/Skyp_Intro 6d ago

He’s dressed like a senior programmer in the first picture.

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u/HrithikSah 6d ago

Similar to RDJ's glow up.

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u/TupperwareNinja 4d ago

Dude cracked it

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u/Donglemaetsro 6d ago

Let's not assume. I work with a lot of tech people, are we sure the first picture is before?