Wondering what to do with my life - Help

[Zion]

To start, this isnt a "feeling sorry for myself" post its a genuine problem, that i cant decide and i would appriciate your ideas/feedback.

No 1 :

As you all know my aim is/was to eventually get into the coding business/proffession.

I still feel its possible that i am capable of doing so (ability wise) But ive been questioning myself a lot of late and am kind of loosing the zest for coding a bit (perhaps need a boost of some sort) Im planning on making a Wandria alpha for you all to test this week some time (your feedback may get my interest/zest back.

As for my ambition of getting a job in the coding industry, i am going to have to (already not going out or socialising at all due to switching part time to code more) make a lot more sacrifices too, like taking my car off the road (possibly selling too) to make ends meet.

I am wondering if all these sacrifices (which are becoming hard to live with, especially seen as im a party animal type of guy) are going to amount to anything.

No2 :

I could always get a full time job (not going full time again where i work now cus i hate the place) and forget about trying to be a coder (still code for fun sometimes) and just get a ordinary job and be able to socialise again and have a good time.

So what do you think?
Will my total lack of qualifications count against me getting a coding job? (only have junior cert (ireland)) or do i even posses the abillity to get that far?
Or should i just return to a normal work life and enjoy myself again.?

I cant answer these questions myself and would like your opinions to help me decide.

[SnesR0X]

A wise man once said, do what you love, and F*** the rest. If you want to be a coder then you should give it all you can. But if you think it would be too hard to make everything happen, then it's could be a hard choice.

[wolfpack]

its all up to you, which do you enjoy more? would you rather code or be out? your life is what you make of it, make it good. you dont HAVE to do wandria. we just appreciate what you have done in the DCEmu community and with that, we wont judge you for making a choice.

[gdf]

if you want a job in coding then go for it, or try to do some sort of qualification perhaps. try looking for games jobs in the back of mags like edge, they always need more people...give it a crack! surely being a prestigious homebrew coder would be enough. tell them that you are zion and show them your stuff, that might be an original job interview. "zion walks in with psp, sits down."

NOOOO! have to spread rep before i give it to you again zion. anyway, best of luck to ya, you got me my 4th dot.

[jman420]

the indecicive teenager, nobody really knows what they're going to do untill they figure out what they're doing. There will be a time when you know what your going to want to do. Untill then, just live your life. For instance, maybe you will meet a person that you will want to spend your life with. I have, and my life has changed dramaticly. Just wait it out.

Them's is my three cents.
Jman420

[gdf]

zion is 21 lol

[Zion]

the indecicive teenager,

:rofl:

im 21 ;)

[UchihaSasuke]

I think you should try just go back to normal life as coding business is by no means risk free. But if you enjoy coding so much you should give it a try and go all out on it.

[gdf]

decided yet zion...? you probly need time to think about it.

[UchihaSasuke]

He should take time as this is a important desicion that could lead to failure or success

[gdf]

indeed. well, hope he succeeds!

[UchihaSasuke]

Me too

[jman420]

whatever, irregardless, your still a young human.... just because your 21 doesent mean that much, your still undecided on your future.

[Zion]

whatever, irregardless, your still a young human.... just because your 21 doesent mean that much, your still undecided on your future.

agreed :p

edit - decided, im going to see through my dream of becoming a pro one day :) thanks for the lift up guys :D

[quzar]

if you want a job in coding then go for it, or try to do some sort of qualification perhaps. try looking for games jobs in the back of mags like edge, they always need more people...give it a crack! surely being a prestigious homebrew coder would be enough. tell them that you are zion and show them your stuff, that might be an original job interview. "zion walks in with psp, sits down."

NOOOO! have to spread rep before i give it to you again zion. anyway, best of luck to ya, you got me my 4th dot.

not to demean his work entirely, as for homebrew, whatever. anyways, as for a job, nobody will give a damn. It doesn't show anything in terms of ability that can be used towards a job.

Unless the situation is vastly different in the UK, there are basically two different kinds of jobs where you're mostly programming: one is where you are working somewhere on software that is used by others (be it a game dev, writing wmp, doing your own shareware stuff, or writing the tivo menu), and the other is where you write software to be used in-house. The two are EXTREMELY different in terms of demand, required skill, and ease to find.

The first, unless you pretty much won't get hired anywhere without many years of experience (typical numbers are at least 3 years in two languages), a portfolio with some of the work you've done previously, and a degree. These are the big boy programmers, and you really need to have a firm grasp on both the workings of the language you will use, and the theory behind algorithm design to get anywhere.

The second, you just need to research into what language is being asked for (typically something from java, vb, or peoplesoft) and learn it well. In this kind of job you are the person who (for example) writes the bit of software that takes in data that a business uses and registers it into a database

... sorry, i left this post unfinished hours ago because i had to run somewhere and now I've forgotten what my point was and where I was going. There is a lot of info in the above though?

[BrooksyX]

I say go for a programming job or another job that you might be interested in. You have the rest of your life to hate your job, so you should go for your goals while your still young.

[Yobumtin]

A good way to think about it is "You know nothing." You don't know if you're going to live again. You don't know if there's an afterlife. Do what you want to do. Its what I believe in and its what I'm sticking to. There's no way I'm going to live my life to the end just to regret what I've done with my life.

[John Doe 696]

First off I would like to point out that no decision is final,there's usually time to try out all options.

You are quite young,when I was 21 I was a complete loser f**kwad,had a dead end job I hated in a Supermac's yes that's right,and basically had no more sense than an onion.Four and a half years later I have a beautiful wife,own my own car, have a nice big mortgage and a dead end job which I love (I work nights in an electronics factory,and I get to sit on my ass reading books,or of course,using my psp :D )
The point I'm trying to make is often when you look back often what seemed like big choices don't have huge reprecussions,while small decisions that cause hardly a thought turn out to be levers that change your life.

Personally,I think a change of scenery would help.Maybe a long holiday,or move counties?New stimuli and conversations will get the mojo workin' ;)
I agree with GDF though,you could storm any job interview just by letting them loose on here to see the reactions to your work.Employers should be fighting to hire you.

Best of luck in the future.

If your gonna be around Limerick at any stage,hit me up with a pm if you fancy a pint.:D

Okay,this is what I get for not reading all the way to the end of the thread!Anyway;Glad you reached a decision,I think it was the right one,you're better off doing what you're passionate about.

[Cap'n 1time]

Do what you love... just do something.

[Zion]

If your gonna be around Limerick at any stage,hit me up with a pm if you fancy a pint.:D

Sure will ;)

Im in roscommon tho so maybe il go to limerick for a night out one of the weekends :D

[John Doe 696]

Sweet.C u around.I'll hit you up if I'm heading that direction.