For those of you who have known me for some time, you know I have a Master's in sociology and spent from May 1996 to November 1998 trying to get a job in applied research, notably criminal justice applied research.
I had three dozen plus unsuccessful interviews and no successful ones as an applied researcher.
Finally, the state of Maryland gave me placement exams in November 1998 and admitted me for computer programming training in Baltimore between January and June 1999. I have been a Web developer since August 10 1999.
I had one successful job interview and no unsuccessful ones as a computer programmer.
a. a lot of employers might have their reasons, only a year of experience, not so many computer packages.....
b. but they would have known those things from my resume, and the only things they would have learned from me in person would be my weight, appearance, and social behavior related to Asperger.
Should I have been a social researcher after all?
Computers are a fast growing industry, and by now you've got some seniority under your belt. I think you made the right choice. But it is your life, and only you know if you're happy with the choice you made.
Ultimately I am simply happy to be doing one of two or more occupational things I enjoy, earning enough to live and save (maybe if I earn more I can save more), paying ALL of my bills (I had student loans and unpaid medical bills from testicular cancer in 1997 that were not extinguished until 1999), having some hobbies, and being in an excellent position to be an excellent boyfriend/future husband, God willing.
Computer coding is fun, but so is getting deep into the knowledge of the situation of the United States (education, inequality, crime). I do miss the chance to get stimulated that way. Sometimes I take pleasure in the most mundane of tasks (take this Adobe PDF document and clean up the text output so a screen reader can read it neatly for a blind person) because it, for example, gives an in-depth examination of how much a predominantly-minority high school in the Mississippi Delta does with little.
I was reading "I don't need fixing" on another thread.
A. Did my career need "fixing" too?
B. Or was I mistreated for obesity, Asperger or both?
(I might have the last laugh, employers aren't dealing with me at such a salary, they're paying me more in something else)
Tidbit from U.S. History....
Employers did not usually hire women, well, textile mills, and later in the twentieth century, office staff, telephone exchanges, nurses, teachers, yeah. They were prejudiced, presumed women were working for "pin money", paid them less than a man because they assumed hubbie was working even if they were widows... but World Wars I and II, a lot of men go off and fight, who is going to build the weapons for the men to fight with?
Hmmm, let's see... the women?
Rosie the Riveter.
The men who did hiring did what they had to do, whether they liked it or not. Sure enough, they sent the ladies packing when Johnny came marching home.
We Aspies.... don't expect to get hired in public relations, sales, management, marketing.... all that soft touch kind of influencing work goes over about as well as Ugly Betty in a fashion magazine. They might not even really like you that much in neutral or Aspie-friendly occupations such as accounting, computer programming, risk analysis, statistics, actuary, law, but..... as my career psych told me in 1998.... if the computer career field is screaming "bloody murder" for talented people, employers will do what they have to do.
And maybe this time they will learn to like it.
I think you did what you had to do at the time as it was obvious that you were getting nowhere in your quest for a job in your original field. I suppose if you now have the time, you could see about writing a sociology book or a novel as a personal interest. It's not uncommon for people to have to change career directions at least once in their lives so I don't think you did anything wrong by accepting the computer job.
I think you did what you had to do at the time as it was obvious that you were getting nowhere in your quest for a job in your original field. I suppose if you now have the time, you could see about writing a sociology book or a novel as a personal interest. It's not uncommon for people to have to change career directions at least once in their lives so I don't think you did anything wrong by accepting the computer job.
I have had several wildly different jobs in my life. I don't regret a single one, and I believe that they have all contributed to my wider knowledge about life and other people.
I don't see why you can't pursue your interests in your spare time. It seems you have the best of both here, a job you like that pays well, and free time to pursue something else that interests you.
I could not get a job in my chosen field either, likely due to obesity and gender discrimination, with Aspie discrimination thrown in for good measure. I too managed to land a job in a field where they are desperate for people (addictions counseling, rather high turnover due to counselors relapsing themselves!) and were willing to overlook my so-called shortcomings.
The computer field is pretty volatile, so you just might get a chance to work in a totally different field before you know it! I would say, enjoy the ride while it lasts. If you have a secure government job, you are lucky, in my book.
I went from Engineering tech at a failing Laser engraving company to Laborer in a Steamfield to feed my family.
They were upgrading computers and all the senior people had been laborers with no computer experience...I got a spot as Steamfield operator.
Then a trainee powerplant postion opened up that no one wanted.
I took that at 40 years old...in four years I was a Senior operator.
Then we bought out our competitors and as compitition heated up I was crushed by the Old Boy Network.
There was a fatality at my plant and I couldn't be trusted with the company line of what happened...you know Aspies...I only have one reality and it wasn't pretty.
So as my work group pressed me from all sides I had a meltdown.
This time there were company doctors...
The doctor at this facility well known for it's Psych treatment center exclaimed " Oh Sh!t...you've never been diagnosed"
This was rather interesting for me...it lead me down the path of eventual diagnosis and then an understanding of why I have always been a Seeker.
They of course couldn't have RainMan running their powerplant and I might turn into Erin Berachavich regarding the accident so they put me on disability retirement.
Happily I am valued in my community as volunteer and they have some other hourly worker up there sweating out that tired old plant.
Anyway...if you can gain some satisfaction from your work, pay the bills and get some down time to persue your interests that is better than being ground to dust by the Global economic steamroller.
Tim
Since you're asking for opinions, I'll give you mine
I think you're probably better off where you're at.
Wouldn't a Social Researcher have to deal with a whole lot of people?
I'm willing to bet that you first got interested in the subject due to simply not understanding the social world; this is the way it is with me, at any rate. (it mushrooms out from there, of course - mine has grown to include pretty much the entire spectrum of the "Humanities"... Philosophy, Religion, Sociology, Literature, etc. etc. .... I get overloaded by the sheer amount of material out there and get stuck.)
Well, anyway. This post is more of a reflection of how I think about the contents of your question, so keep that grain of salt well at hand