I guess the world really is against me!

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And Mom was only trying to reassure me that it isn't just to shut me up. Well, in reality, it is. I really enjoy writing, so I might either go into technical writing, or writing for a newspaper. However, I read that the turnover rate for technical writers is relatively high, and that the pay is pretty low ($37000 a year after a few years of experience, not base pay). I could go into computer programming, since I do like computers, but I'm not sure if I would enjoy programming a computer 8 hours a day, five days a week. For those of you who are computer programmers, can you give me a lowdown on what kinds of projects you do as a programmer? How hard is it? Is it fun?

Another reason why I feel like the world is turned against me is because I am struggling in college right now. I got a 50 out of 100 on three biology homeworks, and a 50 on a biology exam, and so right now, I'm using any energy I have left to barely manage my time, and then I have to study my butt off. I feel like the world is against me on this, however, because when I do try to study hard, I start to gradually burn out. In other words, I gradually start to fall asleep, and this is studying at a desk with good lighting.

I needed to vent.

Always a tricky balance, this - earning enough to live whilst being able to do something you really want to. As you're young, I'd go for the job which feels right. Presumably your parents would continue to support you through the initial stages of training?

Many people find it difficult holding down jobs they dislike. With AS a number of factors can make this harder - low boredom threshold, different values, increased likelyhood of stress, and so on. I think you'll be a lot happier in yourself doing a rewarding, interesting and satisfying job, even if it doesn't really pay enough. OK so you might not be able to afford a fast car or expensive holidays, but if you're happy anyway then would you really need them? A lot of people who buy luxuries do so to cover up inadequacies elsewhere in their lives.

The other thing to bear in mind is that "Technical Writer" isn't necessarily the top of the tree. Once you're well established you may well become a Technical Editor, or a freelance expert in a particular field. I'm sure there would be career options above and beyond this eventually.

If it's what you want to do - go for it. Your enthusiasm should be obvious to an employer and may in itself earn you a higher than average income once you've settled in to a suitable position.

I'm sorry to hear that!

I hope things improve with you!

You know, I am NT and I used to feel that nothing was really going my way.

Then I saw a pbs documentary on Steven Hawking and I was like, here's a guy in a wheelchair, Lou Gherig's disease, who has to rely on someone else for almost every activity, and the guy is brilliant and never complains about his situation.

Life is what you make it, disability or no.

i'm struggeling with things like this as well, i'm currently becomming a network admin. but that's realy not what i want to do in the future, i want to be a musician or musical teacher, but my parents are against it, because it's a very unsecure future, so here i am, stuck, next year i'll graduate, im pretty sure my parents will force me into working, in the sence that they will stop paying for my education, then i'll have to work my ass of to pay for school, till i cant bear it and give up....oh well, it's still another year away

As a programmer I can say this. Yes it is hard. And often it can be fairly boring. Sometimes you bump into a problem, and you have no idea where to go from there.

But, it can also be fun. I would say more so than technical writing.


I keep hearing good things about python, so you might want to try that (I've been meaning to). Java has some really good packages for widgets too, if you're interested in making user interfaces (scrollbars/buttons and the like)

It depends on what kind of programming position you get. When you start out, you're usually not given much freedom to experiment or design things. You do what you're told.

If you get to a higher level, it can be a lot of fun, because you get to be the one breaking the problems down into components and coming up with new ideas. It's rewarding to listen to a problem, program for several days, and demonstrate a working solution. Programming is also fun in that there is no single solution to a problem. You decide how to represent the system... what the basic constituents are and how they interact.

It reminds me a lot of legislators. You're coming up with rules for a system, and have to consider all the possible exceptions and circumstances under which the rules will apply. If you do it well, you end up with a flexible solution with as few rules as necessary, much like the Constitution.

Programming is fun. But the problem is the type of job that you are likely to get at entry level. Unless you are very good (better than I am apparantly), it is almost expected that you take some sort of help desk or tech support job. Now, a computer science degree teaches you nothing about this stuff. I'm absolutely incompetant at it. I guess that's why I'm in grad school. I've done a little consulting work, but didn't really find a great fit there either.