Am I abnormal??

It developed over time, but the answer didn't come while I was on my butt doing nothing. I had to go find a job, get in school, do all the leg work, and things developed over time.

its a process, i still don't know exactly what I want to do, but the picture is looking a little clearer now that i've allowed myself to follow my interests. I'd say follow your passion, get an English degree and pursue your writing.

You're far from abnormal. I'm not too far off from where you are right now. What I can tell you from my little experience, though, is to work your butt off to achieve what you want. Chances are, it won't happen on its own. Take the previous posters' advice. Assuming you're a somewhat engaging writer, remember that this is America; at least for the time being, you can do pretty much whatever you want if you apply yourself.

You are not abnormal, finding oneself takes along time for others while others it takes a short time. All i know is that each person was created with a purpose. God did not make any mistake in His creation. So, you have a purpose and you can realize it. You have mentioned that you can write... then take your time to practice and polish your skills in writing. You can cash it and earn a living from it. Pray and work hard. At the end you will be successful.

think what you are good at naturally
what interests you and what doesnt.

what passionate and excites you, and what doesnt.

then look along those lines.

You're not abnormal. You're trying to figure out who you are and what you're really meant to do with your life. But to me, you already know what it is: "I only have one ambition, to be a writer." Pursue it. Agreeing with LT, English would be a good major for an aspiring writer like you. Creative Writing too. Philosophy’s another one that comes to mind. And I know you like to read, so you will [may] probably enjoy it too. Journalism's also a good one. If writing's what you love to do, go after it. I hope you find a job soon.

:0)

As someone with an English degree who writes occasionally:

None of the great writers just sat around and "wrote" or thought of things to write. They had jobs, lives, normal everyday things that gave them a routine within which they found inspiration. Find a field where you can make a career and use your writing as an outlet.

English degrees are almost exclusively "pre"-degrees: their main use is to prepare yourself for further schooling, either an English master's or a professional degree (law being the main one). If you don't want advanced education, I'd recommend finding something more immediately marketable.

And yes, you do need to go to college these days. A degree doesn't necessarily get you somewhere by itself, but it's much harder to build a career without one.

Nope. I know plenty of people around our ages 18-24 that are almost in, if not the exact, situation as you.

Many of these people have found jobs and started going to community college or a vocational school. Others joined the military whether to just be in it, or help pay for college. I know one who joined the peace corps. It just all depends on you.

Luke 19:17 (New International Version)


17" 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'

Something that helped me was to be faithful in the little things. Now, I'm not without sin! I'm not always faithful in the little things.. but I've learned that when I am faithful in what I know God wants me to do, such as read/study/memorize His Word, go to church, take better care of my health, etc.. then He'll give me more responsibility.

I didn't have a clue what I wanted to to when I went to college! I changed my major 3 times.. then I took medical coding courses, and failed the final! A LOT happened that year.. it was really rough and I was very sick for a long time.. and that was when God led me to my calling In helping other people get healthy!

So you never know what God could use to lead you to your calling. And some people don't understand their calling until much later in life.. not trying to discourage you but there's not an age limit that I can find! Hang in there.. keep persevering and never give up no matter what, keep talking to God about it and get in His Word, watch Him work in your life!!

charmaineisnt said:

I was wondering how many people are in the same situation that I'm in right now or a similar one- I'm 20, unemployed and not in school. I lost my job last year. I was planning to go to college but now I don't know. I only have one ambition, to be a writer, but very few writers make a living from their writing. other than that I don't know what I want to do. *headdesk*
I was wondering if anyone could share what worked for you. How did you decide what you wanted to do for a career?

Click to expand...

Hey, if you love writing, give it a serious try. That's what I'm doing. I finished college recently but I can't get a job that makes much money and I'm just spending a lot of time reading and writing- trying to learn the craft. So what if you won't make a ton of money? Be diligent and you'll probably make some. Oh, and awhile back, on this forum, I posted something about starting some kind of club to learn how to write/read each other's stuff, etc. There weren't any takers but if you're interested- need someone to give you tips, look over snippets, or if you'd like to do the same for me, PM me.

I don't think you're abnormal; many people don't know what to do with their life at that age. But I think you should try going to college if you can.

If your abnormal, then I guess so am I because I'm in the same boat as you. haha

Nah your not abnormal. I've wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl, but I knew that would not bring in many paychecks or something I could make a living out of. But I do believe it's something you can do on the side. So I majored in journalism and never looked back.

Creative writing is A LOT different than journalism however in many ways, but you won't find too many journalists, or writers, in six-figure jobs. Do some research on AP style and see if you can freelance for some local papers if that interests you. Keep writing on the side.

I majored in Journalism first and then switched to English for a while because I missed writing creatively, but the way our classes worked all of the writing burned me out, so I switched back to Journalism and now, sadly, my writing has been placed on the back burner until I get that spark again. That is key. Sometimes too much of what you love is a bad thing and it can burn you out. At the same time, it can also lead you to other things you are interested in.

Bottom line is yes, go to college. Even if it's a community college, go. Even as a writer, very few people get hired now a days without a college degree. College will show you interests you never thought about prior to school, and could open up a new world of possibilities. Take it from us writers who have experienced it.

EDIT, forgot one thing. Create a portfolio. That will not only help you get into some colleges, but will also help you get a job in writing later on. Employers want to see what you've done and had published. Buy a three-ringed binder and put the original published copies of your works in those plastic sheets. Don't use photocopies or printer copies, and only take your best work into interviews. They don't want to have to sit and read through all of your work.

Also, create a resume if you haven't already. That will also help.

Write for websites that let you make money with it (like associatedcontent or hubpages) and either put your heart and soul into your writings and take the brokeness as a sacrifice, or find another line of work to support yourself and do your writing on the side.

Thank God, finally someone I can relate to! I'm also not in school/unemployed.
starting off. It's a bad economy right now, so remeber that. I was also comforted by a story I heard on the news about college grads having trouble finding employment and having to live with their parents. Not that I wish suffering on others, it just helps o know that college isn't some golden ticket. I also love writing but haven't tried to publish anything yet. If I were you, I'd try to get my writing out there. Look what happened for J.K Rowling!
Don't stop looking for work. Even a small part time job is better than nothing. In the meantime, you might want to volunteer. That way you can get yourself out there and not feel lonely or unproductive.

For the original poster... have you written anything? Have you sent out any manuscripts, stories, etc? If not, start working on something and start getting your work out there.

I'd certainly go to school, there is so much value in an education beyond simply "getting a good job".

citizenthom said:

None of the great writers just sat around and "wrote" or thought of things to write. They had jobs, lives, normal everyday things that gave them a routine within which they found inspiration.

Click to expand...

Actually a lot of great writers did simply sit around and write...

citizenthom said:

English degrees are almost exclusively "pre"-degrees: their main use is to prepare yourself for further schooling, either an English master's or a professional degree (law being the main one). If you don't want advanced education, I'd recommend finding something more immediately marketable.

Click to expand...

Although it's not "marketable", there are certainly different uses for an English degree. Teaching, publishing, media, copy editors, etc.

Also, don't choose your major based on it being "marketable", otherwise you'll end up another worker bee who hates what they do.

AnEnglishMajor said:

Actually a lot of great writers did simply sit around and write...

Click to expand...

Name five.

Also, don't choose your major based on it being "marketable", otherwise you'll end up another worker bee who hates what they do.

Click to expand...

This is the single worst piece of advice you will get, and you'll get it from a lot of people. People with unmarketable degrees simply end up being "worker bees" in low-paying fields.

The only people who benefit from your getting an unmarketable degree are the people who teach in that field--who are themselves pushing you toward that major because without you, their degrees are unmarketable.

You can and will get an "education" in college regardless of what your degree is at the end. Since that is the case, you should make sure that your degree accurately reflects your value to the market.

Yeah I agree with Thom. There are plenty of worthless degrees out there.

citizenthom said:

Name five.

Click to expand...

Didn't you say you had an English degree? But I'll name five...

Jane Austen, Edgar Allan Poe, Ann Radcliffe, Virginia Woolf, Shakespeare (although Shakespeare did own part of his company, but it was only because of his writing that this was possible.)

There's plenty more... and most of these were back before people actually used writing as a profession. The numbers since the advent of widespread publishing have simply skyrocketed.

citizenthom said:

This is the single worst piece of advice you will get, and you'll get it from a lot of people. People with unmarketable degrees simply end up being "worker bees" in low-paying fields.

Click to expand...

Completely missed the point of the reference... oy vey. I am an English major because that is what I am interested in. I would never have gotten a Business degree or a Biology degree, because it simply does not help me grow in my interests.

citizenthom said:

The only people who benefit from your getting an unmarketable degree are the people who teach in that field--who are themselves pushing you toward that major because without you, their degrees are unmarketable.

Click to expand...

This is just the worst view of education I have ever heard of. If you are simply going to school to be "marketable" (aka to make a lot of money), then this is true. If, however, you view education as helping you grow as a person and finding where your true passions lie, then you should chase what you want to do.

citizenthom said:

You can and will get an "education" in college regardless of what your degree is at the end. Since that is the case, you should make sure that your degree accurately reflects your value to the market.

Click to expand...

Or, perhaps you should ignore what your value is to the market and make sure your degree accurately reflects what your interests are and what you can see yourself doing with your life.