HI All,
I apologise right at the start for writing a long post. I am 32. I was a Creative Director with an ad agency. However, things were never in my favor since the very beginning. It’s now been 8 years since I started, and money-wise, I was doing fairly well. ONLY money-wise, mind you. I had this HUGE guilt in me, that I haven’t studied enough and take a stable job. And over time, this guilt had taken the form of a void. An emptiness.
Advertising isn’t for everyone. The very core of the business, is dicey at best. I mean, it’s like debating over your favourite color. You like orange? Great. I don’t. Now? And in most cases, the one saying “I don’t” is my prospective employer, and the oranges are my “creative ideas”. How do you survive in a field that is based on subjectivity?
Then, something else had happened in the past, when I was in school. My elder brother had helped me buy my first PC. And my love story with computers had begun. I used to spend days around it. He even inducted me into the hardware. When most of my friends were happy just tying on the keyboard, I used to know where and what a RAM is and what a motherboard. (This was a huge thing 10 years ago).
And this brings me to the present situation. I am currently jobless. And more frustrated than ever. I JUST don’t want to do advertising. However, it is my only way of earning. Now I want to revoke my love of coding, programming and computers. I want to have a definite degree in hand, I want to be an expert in something solid. That doesn’t change as per people’s whims and fancies. \
If my code works, it works. No employer can deny that. They don’t have any excuse to give me like in advertising (We DONT like your idea!!).
Now my question to all you guys reading this, should I jump the boat? I am 32, Indian male, single (divorced actually), and living with my parents. Also, I was not Einstein-brillaitn with maths. I was average, about 55-60%. Do I stand a better (than advertising) chance at doing something in the programming industry?
My dream job? How about programming an arm of a probe going to different planets?
I will have to make a lot of sacrifices, time, money, energy. I am prepared to do all of that, if the end is fruitful. Otherwise, my depression and frustration will only double if I fail in this.
Thanks for reading and will really appreciate your honest suggestions.