What to do

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Ever since I can remember, I have had a plan. Do A levels (if your American its basically where you go in-between high school and uni) get a degree, teach or carry on with education, then teach. That is what I have worked the last 10 years for. Now I am in my last year of A levels and I am starting to wonder if that’s what I really want to do. I hate learning, test and the pressure that comes with it. I’m fed up with having to force my self out the door to go to school and sometimes not being able to do so. I want to do something I love, that makes me happy. Not put my self through hell everyday.

I know no one with Asperger's Syndrome except my self so I was wondering what people thought as not having a plan stresses me out

Last edited by hattie on 04 Jan 2007, 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm the same way about feeling anxious and stressed out without a plan in place that I'm working on. It sounds to me like you may be struggling with something that I've experienced that comes when you have come to the conclusion of a plan. You've had this plan for a decade, have worked to accomplish it, and now that it is about to finally come together, you start to think, "What next?" Does this sound familiar?

not having a general plan gets me very stressed too. and for years i didn't have much of an idea what to do. i'd gone to university and struggled through it, but didn't like it much, and i couldn't do a job because i got too stressed. so i was stuck back at home, not knowing what to do. in a way, not having any general plan of what to do with my life was just as stressful as the pressure of university was i find it's important to have a general plan, but not one that's so specific that i can't change it if neccessary.

actually when i first did a-levels i was at school, and I hated it. it was horrible and stressful and too much pressure, and i couldn't cope and dropped out. i ended up going to a local college doing the same a-levels, but the atmosphere was more laid back and there was a lot less pressure, and the tutors didn't even care if you didn't turn up! i did much better in that environment.

what sort of things do you love, that make you happy when you do them?

The only advice I have is be yourself and please yourself, these are decisions you'll live with for the rest of your life, the choice lies with you and only you, if you're stuck, find places that will give you information on all the different branches you could take.

I'm going to university next year, whether it is what is best for me, I don't know, I'll be very lonely and afraid, but I'll have to get through it to make the 'most' of myself.

The things I love to do are maths and art. Im thinking about going into accountancy after A levels as I love numbers and math problem, but I’m going to have to look into that more. My dream job would be doing my art work all day, but I could never take that risk. I need something that is secure. I guess im afraid I will come out of uni with my history degree and realises that it’s not what I want.

Excellent advice! I will offer my situation as a cautionary tale. You have the benefit of knowing about AS before you set out on your journey. I learned from my mistakes the hard way in ignorance. Anyway...

I too would love to write music all day, but one needs to pay the bills. I also devised a similar plan. Get my MA and teach. While getting my degrees, I fell into accounting. My BA degree is not in accounting, so I did low level bookkeeping-type stuff. I loved it! Everyone left me alone with my spreadsheets. People who hated me would still reverently ask for my help because my brain would remember the most obscure things about our accounting system. People thought I was crazy, but I still got respect because I knew my job so well. I was limited in terms of salary without the degree, but I didn't care. Then management changed, the system changed, and I was finished with school. Here was the opportunity to put "the plan" into action and teach.

The result? I hated it. I couldn't deal with the pressure or the students who mocked me. Some days, I wanted to disappear, which I could do in accounting, but not as a teacher. Now I'm trying to get back into accounting. I miss my old job. The good news is I'm a much better person and I will never have the regret of not acting on "the plan." Yet I feel silly for insisting on acting on some artificial plan instead of being contented with what made me happy. (Maybe it was a little devil whispering in my ear: "You can be even happier if you would just follow the plan!")

Look into accounting. If you like math and numbers, it's a great job. Since everyone needs to balance the books, you will always have a job. It can afford a great deal of flexibility if you have experience and know what you're doing. I thought it was way too bourgeois and boring for an "artist." That is how my Rousseau-like romanticism gets me into trouble! I'm often out to lunch until slapped in the face by brute reality. I really need to work on that. Reality can be quite unpleasant when it sneeks up on me.

Here's an interesting article on hiring. Maybe it will help answer some questions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/techn ... ref=slogin

You love math and art. You are working on a history degree. You shouldn't be afraid that a history degree isn't what you want, at this point it sounds like you already know it isn't what you want. If you feel like you are forcing yourself through this process to get a degree, that's a problem. It strongly suggests you don't like the material for the degree, and if that's the case its an easy jump to assume that you wouldn't like a career with that degree. If you love math, why aren't you working towards a degree that focuses more on that, or problem solving, rather than rote memorization of dates?

I don't know what to recommend for what changes in classes you would need to make in order to switch from a history to a mathematics degree because you are attending college in the UK, where things may be different. You might try to evaluate your circumstances and your feelings after taking a vacation to clear your mind. Things may seem clearer after doing that.