help me with my career

Hi,
i had any exam today and that was a big career changing chance. but the exam went terrible. now i wont get admission in any college for higher studies.

i'm 27 and i have like 3 years of experience but they are from different fields. engineering n then writing.

i feel like a failure. i tried a hand at writing novels but failed. wrote 3 novels. all failed.

this exam going bad was a terrible setback. any advice, or maybe any inspiring stories of your career struggles?

What was the exam for?

Engineering is a great field to have experience in, and writing is going to be a terrible field for anyone including talented writers. The most popular journalism sites require either too much or not enough experience and result in this huge gap of talent. You either have terrible writers or great ones with tons of experience. Lets also remember that most writers are not famous.

What are your novels?
What are your strengths (things you did well in hs or college/ B and above)?
What are your interests?
GPA in hs or college?

I feel like there is a lot of information missing in this post that would allow someone to actually help you. Breathe. If it makes you feel any better, I have been delaying taking my GRE in fear of failure. Anxiety sucks but it will pass. All things do.

What was the exam for?

masters of electrical engineering. so i could study for two more years in engineering.

What are your novels?

my novels were on depression and addiction. didnt work as english wasnt my first language and well learning the craft wasnt easy.

What are your strengths (things you did well in hs or college/ B and above)?

creativity i guess.

What are your interests?

i dont know really. like to travel. be alone.

GPA in hs or college?

i got 71% in engineering college which is quite good. but that was 6 years ago.

it was a good chance to get my career on right track. next exam will be a year from now.

I would suggest to study for the exam starting now and take it in a year. Until then maybe spend time doing stress relieving activities when possible. If anxiety is a problem, ask you doctor if they prescribe a non-addictive substance for that. Someone once recommended beta-blockers. It relieves all of the physical symptoms of anxiety.

thanks for the reply. maybe its the anxiety. a lot of it. i have another option of going to germany to study but i dont want to go. i just dont want to go anywhere. its like i want someone to hold my hand and rescue me. and i know thats not responsible on my part. and i come across as very irritating but i...

Hi, Jaus. You know how they say "Those who can't do, teach," right? So here's my 2 cents...

For what its worth, you have an education in progress that can provide some sort of stability economically speaking. It would make practical sense to stick to THAT and take more writing and publishing classes on the side either in the meantime or when your class load lightens up.

As for writing as a living, almost nobody is successful their first 20 tries professionally. As the author you're very susceptible to a pro self-bias opinion, much like people who go on t.v. to have what they think are priceless antiques appraised...only to find out they are junk. Peer reviews and having mentors are great resources for honing your style and using your creativity to edit and publish more effectively and efficiently. Network with people for opportunities to freelance, reread your old material with new eyes.

If you really love to write, it will come to you naturally. If not, then you'll still have an income electrically.

Starvin_Marvin wrote:Hi, Jaus. You know how they say "Those who can't do, teach," right? So here's my 2 cents...

That's offensive teachers who do an often grueling, low paying, and thankless job. I've known a few brilliant ones including a member of MENSA and someone who postponed Harvard Law to do TFA - and stayed in it. It's not recommended for people whose hearts aren't really in it.

I think your best bet is to:
- Take a personality test or career aptitude test. Figure out your strengths and weaknesses if you aren't acutely aware of them already.
- Brainstorm what really interests you.
- Find the cross-section between your strengths and interests.
- You said you had experience with engineering which implies you have some ability for digesting science and numbers. This is really your best bet money wise. Could you switch to another area of engineering, so maybe not chemical but electrical or water, etc?
- Contact the Career Center of you university and ask them for help. If you've figured out what you want to do, they can link you up with contacts for internships or help you find a job in the field you're interested in. Or they might be able to help you figure out what job to pursue.
- Take a GMAT prep class online or in person, or find a tutor (easy to find online) and take it again! As many times as you need to in order to get the score you want. Why should a little test get in the way of you achieving your dream?

Good luck!

LydaRain wrote:That's offensive

......I was referring to myself as not being able to do, then offered advice. I've known a number of people who wanted to write for a living and that's basically the same way they all got started.

......I was referring to myself as not being able to do, then offered advice. I've known a number of people who wanted to write for a living and that's basically the same way they all got started.

Oh, what do you teach?

LydaRain wrote:Oh, what do you teach?

At the risk of further derrailing this thread, I do not teach and did not imply that I do. I had loosely applied an old adage. A way of saying, wryly, that I have not much experience myself but have anecdotal references perhaps beneficial to jaus tail's situation.

If this has been an issue of grammatical comprehension, then I apologize.