Is computer programming a good career choice for an aspie?

Page 1 of 1 [ 12 posts ] 

MikeW999
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 1 Nov 2012
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 143

17 Nov 2012, 10:35 pm

..........
l



Last edited by MikeW999 on 18 Nov 2012, 12:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

windtreeman
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2012
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 498
Location: Seattle, Washington

17 Nov 2012, 11:19 pm

Never too late, man! Especially if it's something you might enjoy. My advice would be to go for it. My ex-girlfriend's Dad exhibited plenty of ASD symptoms (though not all...and I don't think he would have been diagnosed) and he's a highly successful computer programmer. My personal experience with it was poor in college simply because I wasn't terrifically passionate about it and was too shy to pursue help. If it had been something I was truly interested in, I think a career in that field would have been quite compatible with my symptoms, anyway.


_________________
Assessed 11/17/12
Diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 12/12/12
My vocal and guitar covers (Portishead, Radiohead and Muse) http://www.youtube.com/user/DreaminginWaves/featured


EstherJ
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Apr 2012
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,041
Location: The long-lost library at Alexandria

17 Nov 2012, 11:30 pm

It's not too late.

I see some non-traditionals here that are decades older than you.

You're technically still college age. Go for it - don't let age hold you back from what you want to do.



NutcrackerPrincess
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 9 Oct 2012
Gender: Female
Posts: 62

17 Nov 2012, 11:46 pm

You can do anything you want!
If you are passionate about computers and are good at working with them, by all means go for it! People with Aspergers can choose any career they want just like a neurotypical can, we just have more drive and passion for specific things or whatever we do. :)

But of course surprisingly not all Aspies are good with mathematics or computers.
I'm an Aspie and I can't think in patterns and I have always failed math and I don't really understand mechanical things whatsoever. I think in art and words :) so I'm going for a career in teaching and then later on I plan to go into film and advertising. A career in education is a bit more practical. :D



Zodai
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Oct 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,023
Location: Walnut Creek/Concord, California

18 Nov 2012, 9:33 am

I considered it once; but apparently a lot of higher-end stuff in the field requires some form of communication, as the tasks might be too large for a single person to handle.

That said, I'm now planning on being a novelist ^_^


_________________
If you believe in anything, believe in yourself. Only then will your life remain your own.

Author/Writer


Jaden
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 May 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,867

18 Nov 2012, 12:22 pm

I think it depends entirely on the individual and what their interests are. I don't think those with AS inherently have good computer skills, nor any other skill as a whole either, it's just as selective as with "normal" people. But if programming sounds good to you, then go for it.


_________________
Writer. Author.


JBO
Raven
Raven

User avatar

Joined: 10 Nov 2012
Age: 124
Gender: Male
Posts: 119

18 Nov 2012, 12:33 pm

Not sure if this is still something you are interested in, but there are tons of free resources online. You should try to teach yourself and see if you like it.

If you become a programmer, you will end up teaching yourself everything anyways. The funny thing about the field is that as soon as you learn one thing, it will become obsolete or you'll get moved to a different project and need to learn something else. For this reason, when you go to school for computer science they don't really teach you programming languages, etc. It's more about teaching you how to THINK about things.

Python is a good, straight forward language to start out with that is also used a lot in the real world: http://www.learnpython.org/

There are tons of tutorials for c++ and java which are probably the 2 most commonly used languages. You could also teach yourself some HTML and PHP, which are mostly used for websites. If you search around on Google there is enough stuff to keep you busy for years. Start out with the most basic beginner stuff and try to work your way up.



shyengineer
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 3 Oct 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 166

18 Nov 2012, 1:51 pm

I've recently derailed my career plan to work at home doing web programming and design. I think it's a good choice because I get to work at home in peace to my own schedule. Money is good so I don't need to work full-time. I have the flexibility to work more or less hours to align with my personal needs. There's the occasional Skype call and emails but otherwise not a lot of people contact.



JRR
Toucan
Toucan

User avatar

Joined: 18 Jun 2012
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Posts: 294

18 Nov 2012, 8:47 pm

Yes, I'd say so. As was indicated, it's not 100% perfect, as positions in dumb companies may see social interaction as being incredibly important, even though, in the end, it has very little to do with the job. But, provided you find the right place, you can be able to basically go into your corner and just do your job. As long as you like it and can make it be your special interest-ish, then you should be good. But, be clear to yourself that you are a "programmer" type of person. People like that have a certain way about themselves that makes them enjoy it where others don't. You must have pleasure in this. I say this as a person who did some programming in the past, hated it, and went into network engineering, instead. I knew it wasn't for me.



Si_82
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Sep 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 525
Location: Newcastle, UK

18 Nov 2012, 9:22 pm

Thats what I do for a living now. Started learning to program on a ZX Spectrum (an ironic pun that actually only just occured to me) at age 9 and have loved writing software ever since. Yes, there are challenges but it feels like a natural career and always has really.


_________________
AQ46, EQ9, FQ20, SQ50
RAADS-R: 181 (Language: 9, Social: 97, Sensory/Motor: 37, Interests: 36)
Aspie Quiz: AS129, NT80
Alexithymia: 137


AardvarkGoodSwimmer
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,665
Location: Houston, Texas

18 Nov 2012, 10:46 pm

CAUTIONARY NOTE:

I studied C++ from 1998 to 2000. I took classes post-bac status at a local university and I did a lot of programs on my own. I got pretty good at it (even though admittedly we were learning console style). But when I began to look for a job in 2000, THE ONLY THING THE "HUMAN RESOURCE" CLOWNS LOOKED AT WAS YEARS OF CORPORATE EXPERIENCE. I know that might sound like an extreme statement, and I wish I could say they were also open to looking at a portfolio of work, or giving me an opportunity to field technical questions, or a reference from a professor. But no. Such was not the case. They were nontechnical people hiring for technical positions and they seemed to take the easy way out and just cherrypick.



madnak
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 6 Oct 2012
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 166
Location: Salt Lake City, UT

19 Nov 2012, 6:52 am

It depends. It can be solitary. Often it's either menial or demanding. If you can handle long hours, or endlessly writing boilerplate code for people who should know better, the pay isn't bad in the current economic climate.

Personally, I found it frustrating and anxiety-provoking, but that's how I feel about all jobs so take it with a grain of salt.