How did you decide what you wanted to do with your life?

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I'm pleased to see that you really do put your money where your mouth is, Sedaka...

To the thread: I stumbled ass-backwards into my current career, which is a good one. I've always wanted to be a writer, enjoyed writing, enjoyed crafting art with words. When I went to college, for a time I studied creative writing. I'm one of those people who went through about half-a-dozen majors before I begrudgingly settled on one; some folks in my family twisted my arm a bit and convinced me computer science was the most lucrative choice; this was in the 90's, and I've always been a hacking geek. Just after getting my degree in CS, I just happened to hear about this career called "programmer/writer", which is what I do now; basically I reverse-engineer programming interfaces by looking thru their source code, and write documentation for other programmers about how to use the programming interfaces; i.e. I produce developer documentation (including code samples that I get to write) that describe how to use certain software development kits my company produces. I heard about this obscure career from my sister's common law husband, who I'd never met but just contacted me out of the blue one day shortly after I graduated.

So, imagine that; I'm a writer AND a computer scientist; who'd of thunk such a thing possible? Some of the gods must have favoured me in this life... Anyone [else] out there believe in fate, or luck? Fate presents opportunities; it is through free will and courage that we may reach out and grasp at such opportunities, chase our dreams, for better or worse.

My strategy of favoring more risky and challenging choices over easy and safer ones has worked out well for me. As I keep saying, fortune favours the bold... In essence, I live my life by this quote:

"One should not pursue goals that are easily achieved. One must develop an instinct for what one can just barely achieve through one's greatest efforts." - Albert Einstein

Good fortune,

- Icarus constantly redefines his limits…

At 43,I am still trying to figure out what I want to be "if I grow-up".I wasted a lot of years just wanting to be "dead" when I grew up,so,I am a bit behind my peers in career planning.

I had a lot of Interests in college but majored in psychology because I was hoping to find answers to my own depression.Unfortuntley,I didnt find them in psychology and got diverted by drinking binges and suicide obsession.I would have gone into English but was afraid my dysexia(writng not reading)would make that inpracticle as a career.I became completly disillussioned with the lack of "hard science" in psychology and disagreed with a lot of the current "theories" on mental health.I probably would have enjoyed learning about the neurology of psychology but I have the same issue with my dyslexia and memory problems(I can remember concepts but not always the scientific terms...very frustrating and embarassing).

I would recommend that you do a lot of research before picking a specific field,keeping in mind the following.......


1)Many aspies have difficulty in interviewing and selling ourselves when seeking a job.The best plan would be finding job markets that really need employees(many tech jobs are now out-sourced AND people from other countried are brought into America to do them for less money).

2)What would you actual work environment be like...would you have to wear cloths that you find to uncomfortable(ties,hose,make-up,etc)Would you be working with more "techy" people or more "sales/NT" type people.(basically,understand your personal sensitivities and which you can tolerate and which you would not).

3))Do you want to live where you are living or relocate?If you want to stay in your area...what are the jobs in that area?You can call and ask if the company would let you come take a tour to get a feel for the work environment.If you like it...ask them what kind of skills/classes they would like for a potential employee.



These are just some basic things to consider when deciding on a career.A class that teaches how to choose a career shoud be manditory in college.Once I had my BA,there was no one to help me figure out how to get a job in the field.I ended up working min. wage service jobs because I didnt know where or how to apply for "real jobs".I still dont.

You might want to check out the "work forum" here and see some of the issues that people have once they are employeed.

I always wanted a career in the regular army, but they didn't want me.

I did spend some years in the reserves.

I did a degree in economics and post grad in finance (major in accounting as it seemed a good idea at the time) and took a job in accounting after graduating as it was the only offer. Still an accountant (CPA) and still wish I could have got into the regular army.

As I'm sure you know, Aspies are known for obsessive devotion to a particular subject and talking at length about it. For me, the subject was computer software, and did I ever talk at length about it. When I was still in high school (I'm 36 now), I got some very good advice to study communication and public speaking--something that is a struggle for most Aspies. I learned good communication skills and that made all the difference. I've enjoyed a very good career working for prominent companies and meeting very famous people along the way. I think learning public speaking skills made all the difference. It gave me a way to channel the knowledge of my subject and passion I had into something useful for the world. Few people in my field think as creatively as I do nor remember the astonishing amounts of detail that I can. As an Aspie, you likely have the same advantages, but it isn't useful without communication skills.

I didn't really have to pick a career. I just needed to learn how to express my knowledge in a way that was useful to others. It wasn't easy for me--I'm very introverted. Ironically, public speaking is easier for me than one-on-one conversations.

The ADHD aspects of my AS have been challenging for me in that I get bored easily and switch jobs a lot. Since 1987, I've worked for 10 different employers and have changed job roles more than that.

I'm still trying to decide. I have too many interests!

I decided when I was 14. It was an interested that I first developed a fascination for at the age of four. I'm now 42 and still in the same business although from a different angle.

I wanted to get into accounting, then decided tho the money was not as good, I would be much happier learning forrestry and everything involved in that, I spent years in collage, never finished simply cause I could no longer deal with the whole dorm living thing, sucks cause I was a high honors student also.

Fate decided what I would do, in the end I just kinda fell into a position with a large company driving forklifts for a living. Never did I see myself doing this, but this job I get treated all right, at least I have some power, some say, I dont have to deal with people now if I dont want to, im good at what I do and the pay is alright, I do ok.

I had a dream, it was shattered by reality, but now I think im happy with what I do and can see doing it for many years to come.

I wish ya the best of luck finding your road to success and happyness in life!

Ever since I learned to read, I knew I wanted to do something involving books. I wanted to teach, to work in a library or to write. I have done all of these. I have been working at my current job for nearly 5 1/2 years.

Long term sticks around. I have a center that stays, and passing interests. Books do it for me. Most interests are just that, a blank edge of my knowledge, which when filled, is left. Sometimes I do find a lot, but still related, writing lead to printing, and printing software. Understanding the whole process from writing through prepress, to printing, markets, is all related, and many more jobs than I could take on.

The overview out from my main interests would take fifty years of college, and twenty apprenticships. No time for all that, but books keep me fairly up to date.

College covers knowing nothing to the leading edge, which is not what I need. I have a knowledge base, the leading edge may or may not pan out, I look at seasoned technology, what the production shops are running.

Game design, graphics design, computers, software, are related fields, and you should have some idea of general development. We change, grow I hope, the fields change, new products and methods, and only general reading covers it.

Universities are money machines. Game Design is fine, unless you ask a question about marketing games, then you have to quit computer science, and start over in business school, where they do not understand computers, or games, but have a class in general marketing.

Read the Trade magazines, it is fast and cheap.

Where does it come from, where does it go, who is the customer, the big players in the field, where is it going? No matter what your field, it is the center of something, learn your neighborhood.

I agree with developing personal skills, one person is a mystery to me, but a hundred predictable. Learn your neighborhood, and to be a cab driver and tour guide.

The first is outward from your field, the latter is up and down. Get Z Axis skills. The only thing worse than game designers is managing game designers. Most people take organization for granted, we have to learn it, we do it better.

One person is limited, times change, prepare to change with them, and to rise to new oppertunities.

Do you know your customer? Wrong, wrong, wrong, The US Department of Defense is the largest consumer of video games, they take the, you got killed, with more meaning.

Other rising uses are ongoing training for police and prison guards, playing nurse and seeing how many you kill through errors, and it is becoming the educational system.

To deal with these fields it helps to know a bit about them. Video games teach bartending, educational gaming is the future.

Game design is going to be huge for the well rounded person, and tunnel carpel syndrome for those who love anima. Nurses aids, guards in kiddie prisons, are hard jobs to staff, and those folks do not read well, they need training, someone has to understand the need, and design the solution, they might not code the game, and still make ten times as much.

Oppertunity goes to the prepared.

I don't know what I want to be - I just know it's not what I'm doing now....

Actually, if you go by my interests, my absolute ideal job would be an examiner, preferably in a mathematical or financial subject. i.e. setting exam papers & marking them. (Using both my creative side & my attention to detail.)

But unfortunately there is no way for me to get there from here - it's not a job you can just apply for off the street! As I understand it, you have to have a background in teaching etc.

I have thought about teaching further education, as there is no way I could cope with kids, but I'm not really sure how to go about it.

Still a possibility though.