Ask HN: Having emotional breakdown

* Immerse yourself in programming. You have no idea how much satisfaction you can get out of it.

* Read. Read. Read. Start reading things. Read your CS books, non-fiction, etc. Read as much as you can.

* Get active in some sort of Free/Open Source Software community. Pick a project you like and start contributing. Always good to have a goal (I will fix/file/triage x bugs in x months).

* Get into IRC. ##linux-india on Freenode is a great channel full of people who hack stuff (and some other non-hackers too).

* Some people have suggested getting a girlfriend or a social life. Knowing the place you come from, that won't help. Stay away from those people. They will only make you feel worse.

* Set a goal to get into Google Summer of Code next year once you have figured out programming and working on FOSS projects.

* Study just before the exams and make sure you get out of your college as fast as possible (ie, don't drop out). If you have good knowledge of Linux systems, taking over the college labs will help you a lot. Build some sort of a hacker reputation so that people discount your bad grades.

That's pretty much what I did when I was in one of those crappy Indian colleges. Once you have gained enough confidence, things will get better for you.

If you need more help, email me - b.ghose at infinitelybeta.com

[update] And oh, don't worry about jobs; if you can hack, I have a job for you.

Being an introvert is first and foremost the ability to extract energy from what you're doing rather than needing an audience to survive. It does not mean, however, that you should not talk to people just because you don't feel like talking. Everyone needs at least a couple friends to talk to. By only talking to yourself, it's very easy to get depressed.

So talk to people, get _new_ friends. Find another context where you'll be meeting new people – take up some hobby for example. Programming, wood carving, whatever. Go to and organize some meetups with them.

Forget your past. It's all gone. Every single person on Earth has a shitload of missed opportunities. That's ok. It's never late to start doing what you want. Start reading http://diveintopython.org/ or whatever else you'll find right today. You'll be doing great stuff in no time.

Also, a girlfriend is immensely valuable but she's not a substitute for other friends, remember that.

PS I was once such a terrible introvert that I barely talked at all and was afraid to even call people, so I got a part-time job with a lot of calling and now people are not a problem for me.

Cheer up and good luck! You can do it.

The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself From Chronic Unhappiness

http://books.google.com/books?id=uE-HjrA2yJIC&printsec=f...