Career choices

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Guys, I need help fast. I can't decide what to do for a career when I graduate from college and move out on my own. My mom, a few years back, did suggest computer programming, because I love computers, and the pay is decent, but I don't know if I would be any good at it, and I do not know if my typing skills are fast enough. She also did tell me that I would also make a good writer, and I do agree with her on that, but if I were to become a writer, then I would end up with irregular income, and long irregular hours. I can't become a software engineer because my math skills suck. Do you guys have any suggestions? Because I have been fretting about this for 48 hours non-stop, my brain is on the verge of overheating!

Why do you need to figure out the career you're going to spend the rest of your life in overnight? It takes a long time to figure out what you are really good at and you need to think about what you could enjoy doing for the rest of your life. Many people change what they want to do for their career several times, so be flexible.

Go for computer programming if you get the chance I'd say! I loved it in a taster I did and wish I was brave enough to ask to change to it instead of doing silly Latin! Quickness in keyboarding can be learned and is not the be -all and end -all of programming as my sister who did some electronic engineering and C++ found out. Java programming is good and Terry pratchett became a writer with just an ordinary basic computer job.as his source of income(for hinkley point) alternatively you could take a writing course with journlism freelance in it and do articles and your own stories on the side, maybe with some research besides reporting in it. I have a friend who gets lots of work like this. Good luck whatever you go for- Im just on the dole in a cybercafe here.

Typing speed isn't all that important in programming.

And being that I am a programmer I can say that


Criticial Thinking skills are the important thing. It's things like 'Rather then creating a new variable, I could just subtract something from it.' or 'Instead of looking at every item in this thing, it would be faster if I searched alphabetically'

That kind of thing.


Programming also is a good way to show you that there is more than one way to do something, any of which could be considered correct.

Another vote for programming here.

I don't know what workplaces are like in the mainstream industry, but in my industry (gamedev) they're generally quite forgiving of things like weird behaviour and lateness into work, all they care about is how good you are and how much effort you put into your job. Plus, coders seem to be less bothered by social issues, so it's a good way to meet new friends. And as if that wasn't enough, it can be very, very satisfying.

Definitely try it out to see if you enjoy it - if you do, practice 'till your fingers bleed and you'll be fine.

Programming for sure. So much fun.

I got lucky and got a job with a government contractor. You can be as nerdy as you want, work the hours that you like (more or less...you'll have to do most of the core hours), flexible working arrangements. I do web stuff, database stuff, and analyze project stuff. Pay and benefits are pretty good too. You also don't have to talk to too many people and the ones you do talk to are always the same folks. Works for me.

the tricky bit is finding something you like where there is actually a labour shortfall & a realistic chance of finding employment. Not easy.

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage ... ge/p!eLaXi

Ive been playing with this site that builds up a profile and suggests compatable careers you could do. (UK based but i dont see why you couldnt use it anyway) The problem is theres no indication of whether its suggestions are even remotely feasable - eg it might say you should be a nurse (zero possibility of employment in UK atm) or something obscure like a seismic interpreter ( how many nationwide vacancies are there likely to be in seimic analysis - 1? 2? )

I followed my dreams and went into the racing industry. I get to watch T.V. every weekend and see my stuff win. It's great!!

Thank you guys for your input. However, the thing I am worried about is that writing may be the only thing suitable for me, and I read on the INternet that most writers have irregular incomes. For example, one article said that if you start out as a writer, you may make $12000 one month and then for the next six months not even make a single cent, and if I were to ever become poor, then my self esteem turns turtle just like in the Poseidon Adventure. For some quirky reason or another, when I move out on my own, if I have to struggle to keep food on the table, then my self esteem and attitude will become dangerously unstable. However, I did hear that computer programmers make good money, but what if I'm not any good at it? Sure, I can operate a computer with ease, but I don't know if, regardless of how much I learn in college, I will ever become familiar with computer programming knowledge. Oh, well, I guess I should lay off fretting about it, because I guess only time will tell.

Hey StereoKid don't worry i've been in that same boat for 4+ years and i still have no clue what i wanna do after i graduate high school. I bet you probably have had plenty of ideas about a career so have i. heres a sort of silly quote this ones from my mother. she keeps telling me that shes working at her job at the state labor dept until she decides what she wants to do when she grows up. and i look at that and think hey if she can get by without a college degree, two kids, three cars (one of thems mine) and having graduated highschool 25 years ago then i'm fine. so don't fret work in jobs that will pay the bills and keep you on your feet until someday it comes to you "hey that looks interesting maybe i'll try that" and then go from there.

StereoKid i see whereyour going with that and yeah my idea of staying on my feet is probably different then yours. Like you i live with my parents i should have graduated high school last week but because i'm an aspie my school class load is lighter then what i needed to graduate so i'm finishing this summer. now back to the point. most jobs that would keep you on your feet probably wouldn't pay enough to do all the upgrades so that would be a problem from your standpoint. However heres a good piece of advice i got a while ago about life after moving out of you 'rents house. First of all do not go into debt! for recent HS graduates that is not good Credit Card companies target young adults and no matter how good the deal sounds it probably has a catch. second apartments are not a great place to move into after leaving home because you just keep giving the landlord money and you don't get anything permenent from it. If you plan to go to college student housing is best. they may have some rules about volume of your stereo and stuff like that but at least you don't have to pay rent every month. and finally no one is going to give a recent HS Graduate or college Graduate the type of job that can get you everything that you want at once. but with a little creativity and saving you can get your Sound System faster then you think. One last thing everyone has their moments of feeling like their broke or poor and unless you father is Bill Gates or some other big wig you will probably have these moments too.

Hey StereoKid i see where your going with this and i guess i got a little confused about what your saying so sorry. Now to the point. you said that in 5-10 years you do not want to be just making enough money to get by and i think anyone would agree to that position. in your first post you said you mom was suggesting computer programming and you were worried about your typing skills being too slow and also not being good at it. you have to remember that everything takes practice and some things may come easy to some people and other have to work at it. i have been looking at computer programming on and off for awhile also and recently i saw an ad on Games 4 Tech TV (G4) for Devry University which is a tech college with a very well designed Computer programming section with one major call Games and Simulation Programming. if you search them on the web you can read more. i actually got a call from a rep 2 days after asking for more info on their site. one thing thats great about them is that they have multiple locals and a completely online section. now back to your main dillema about making enough to have a house and upgrading you stereo system and whatever else you want to do. computer programming is quite a good area to start that quest in and it has plenty of posibilities for employment and one way is actually Computer programming is one job that is quite easy to make into a home business. all you need is a computer with some power and probably a fast internet connection. i have an uncle who him and two of his friends run a softwere company that is completely home based they actually live in completely different parts of the country. most likley though you would want to first get a job with a company because it can be expensive to start a home business and it would be good to have some expirence first so that you can learn whats selling and what could end up being a money pit. but whatever you do find for a job in the future remember that the only way that you are going to end up where you want is to work.