I feel worthless, dumb, untalented, and boring.

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Apple98
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23 Jul 2017, 2:48 am

I feel so dumb and worthless and untalented compared to everyone I know! It feels as if I don't or ever will find a purpose in life! I do have a paying job. I work as a silverware roller at a restaurant. I work part time. But still that doesn't change how I feel about my self. Compared to my best friend, I feel really dumb, and untalented. He is Autistic like me. He's really smart. He knows a lot about geometry and mathematics and he seems very talented. I don't feel talented at all. I feel like my Autism is not a "gift" unlike other people who are on the Autism Spectrum. Sometimes I ask myself. "What is the reason of me being put on this planet?" I have no life. I work only three days out of the week and that's it! I don't know what to do with myself. I really wanted to be an electrician but my dreams of being an electrician are now shattered. That's because they require you to know geometry and I don't know how to do geometry! I remember taking geometry back in my junior year in high school. But I was never able to understand geometry. I honestly don't know what to do. I'm scared what my future will be! Should I keep going or give up? I'm about near the end of my rope.



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23 Jul 2017, 3:27 am

The only advice I have to offer is don't give up!

But I do know how you feel because I'm the same. I have Asperger's, but I am not intelligent either. I don't feel it is a gift to me. I'm not the sort of Aspie to get myself engrossed in a special interest. The only special interests I've had were over people and always got me into trouble or made me look like a weird stalker.
I work part-time too, 3 days a week. I would work more, but my anxiety levels mean I need days off in the week to "recharge". I feel like an old person, because everybody my age are working full-time without getting as exhausted as me. I find my job stressful too, even though I'm just a cleaner. I am made to do more than I can, and if I am unable to get something done I get into trouble and sometimes forced to stay after my shift until it's done. By the time I get home I am knackered. But I get along with all the people there and so I'm scared to leave and look for something new. My Asperger's and ADHD makes me do and say odd things, and luckily I work with people who like me for who I am, but unfortunately not all workplaces have nice people. :(


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23 Jul 2017, 4:02 am

Unfortunately this feeling seems to be really common among aspies :(


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23 Jul 2017, 4:33 am

Yup, I'm in the same proverbial boat as you all above.
To the OP though - if your best friend is talented in geometry, the very subject you need to brush up on to fulfill your dreams, couldn't he help tutor you? Otherwise, come at it gradually through a beginner class, maybe community college? It seems a shame to give up just because it's difficult.
If you can turn electrics into a special interest you might be surprised what you can accomplish.


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skiddlebugz
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23 Jul 2017, 5:59 am

I feel like this sometimes also but all I have to say is do not give up. Math takes a lot of practice so that's what I recommend you do, practice. Buy some Textbooks and practice the problems that are listed and explained in the book. If that's not what you feel comfortable doing then I suggest getting a tutor. Let me tell you this though, You are not Worthless, dumb, untalented, and boring! Keep on going, I believe in you! :D


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RetroGamer87
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23 Jul 2017, 6:55 am

In a way you'd be more boring if you were perfect because no one can relate to perfect people.

As the old saying goes, he who has no fault is all fault.


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24 Jul 2017, 4:59 pm

I have often had those feelings, too. There are a lot of people who like me, but I notice that, compared to most people, I lack life experience, although I'm working hard to correct that situation.



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24 Jul 2017, 5:12 pm

I'm not sure about this:

But I don't think you have to be good at relatively abstract geometry/mathematics in order to be an electrician. As I understand it, all you have to do is be good at, say, determining the area of a circle or something. Very concrete sort of math.

Correct me if I'm wrong.



TheSpectrum
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24 Jul 2017, 5:19 pm

I get these feelings of inferiority around some of my old friends.
If it's brought on by your own thoughts then just remember you are leading a different life from this person. You don't need their skill set to fulfil what you're doing and your career choices probably won't depend on them. Over time, you will develop new skills. Trust me, embrace that now otherwise you'll find yourself thinking you live in someone's shadow for a long time. But you're not. You've got your own path.

If they perpetuate this as a sort of competition then maybe consider hanging around with other people :)


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shortfatbalduglyman
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24 Jul 2017, 9:20 pm

RetroGamer87 wrote:
In a way you'd be more boring if you were perfect because no one can relate to perfect people.

As the old saying goes, he who has no fault is all fault.

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yes but what is so bad about being "boring"?

what one person finds boring someone else finds interesting/exciting.

some people do not enjoy much excitement. personally i tend toward Obsessive Compuslive disorder. routines. some people would call that boring.

some people seek thrills, risk and excitement. a lot. and a lot of it. while i call that Adrenal Fatigue. and fear. and uncomfortable.



anti_gone
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25 Jul 2017, 1:14 pm

Apple98 wrote:
I feel so dumb and worthless and untalented compared to everyone I know! It feels as if I don't or ever will find a purpose in life! I do have a paying job. I work as a silverware roller at a restaurant. I work part time. But still that doesn't change how I feel about my self. Compared to my best friend, I feel really dumb, and untalented. He is Autistic like me. He's really smart. He knows a lot about geometry and mathematics and he seems very talented. I don't feel talented at all. I feel like my Autism is not a "gift" unlike other people who are on the Autism Spectrum. Sometimes I ask myself. "What is the reason of me being put on this planet?" I have no life. I work only three days out of the week and that's it! I don't know what to do with myself. I really wanted to be an electrician but my dreams of being an electrician are now shattered. That's because they require you to know geometry and I don't know how to do geometry! I remember taking geometry back in my junior year in high school. But I was never able to understand geometry. I honestly don't know what to do. I'm scared what my future will be! Should I keep going or give up? I'm about near the end of my rope.


I don't know much about the US system but I guess you should be able to learn that geometry stuff somehow... it's totally normal if you study something that not everything will be easy for you and that you have to work harder in some areas. E.g. computer science, some people have problems with reading texts in English (if not their native language), some people have problems with the maths stuff and some people have problems with coding.

Also it's quite common people have problems with maths in high school and are still successful later on because they really want to do it. High school doesn't really count. You should at least try, I mean, what's to lose?



shortfatbalduglyman
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25 Jul 2017, 8:17 pm

anti_gone wrote:
Apple98 wrote:
I feel so dumb and worthless and untalented compared to everyone I know! It feels as if I don't or ever will find a purpose in life! I do have a paying job. I work as a silverware roller at a restaurant. I work part time. But still that doesn't change how I feel about my self. Compared to my best friend, I feel really dumb, and untalented. He is Autistic like me. He's really smart. He knows a lot about geometry and mathematics and he seems very talented. I don't feel talented at all. I feel like my Autism is not a "gift" unlike other people who are on the Autism Spectrum. Sometimes I ask myself. "What is the reason of me being put on this planet?" I have no life. I work only three days out of the week and that's it! I don't know what to do with myself. I really wanted to be an electrician but my dreams of being an electrician are now shattered. That's because they require you to know geometry and I don't know how to do geometry! I remember taking geometry back in my junior year in high school. But I was never able to understand geometry. I honestly don't know what to do. I'm scared what my future will be! Should I keep going or give up? I'm about near the end of my rope.


I don't know much about the US system but I guess you should be able to learn that geometry stuff somehow... it's totally normal if you study something that not everything will be easy for you and that you have to work harder in some areas. E.g. computer science, some people have problems with reading texts in English (if not their native language), some people have problems with the maths stuff and some people have problems with coding.

Also it's quite common people have problems with maths in high school and are still successful later on because they really want to do it. High school doesn't really count. You should at least try, I mean, what's to lose?

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"what's to lose?"

the time, emotional turmoil, & tuition cost. that's what to lose.

likewise, :evil: personal opportunity costs. :roll:

like during the time someone is at school trying to learn something, someone could be doing something more financially productive, useful, necessary, or fun.

:jester:

please do not put all of your eggs in one basket.

if you try and fail something, sometimes you end up worse off than if you were never to have tried altogether.

for example, in 5th year, flunked Structural Engineering BS. and wasted a lot of years. and a lot of $$. and now totally fear failure.

likewise, could've been doing something else during all that time i wasted flunking.



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25 Jul 2017, 8:33 pm

Apple98 wrote:
I feel so dumb and worthless and untalented compared to everyone I know! It feels as if I don't or ever will find a purpose in life! I do have a paying job. I work as a silverware roller at a restaurant. I work part time. But still that doesn't change how I feel about my self. Compared to my best friend, I feel really dumb, and untalented. He is Autistic like me. He's really smart. He knows a lot about geometry and mathematics and he seems very talented. I don't feel talented at all. I feel like my Autism is not a "gift" unlike other people who are on the Autism Spectrum. Sometimes I ask myself. "What is the reason of me being put on this planet?" I have no life. I work only three days out of the week and that's it! I don't know what to do with myself. I really wanted to be an electrician but my dreams of being an electrician are now shattered. That's because they require you to know geometry and I don't know how to do geometry! I remember taking geometry back in my junior year in high school. But I was never able to understand geometry. I honestly don't know what to do. I'm scared what my future will be! Should I keep going or give up? I'm about near the end of my rope.


Why don't you enroll in a geometry class at your community college and get a tutor? Sometimes it's easier to learn math in college because it's more systematic.



EverythingAndNothing
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25 Jul 2017, 8:40 pm

Quote:
Why don't you enroll in a geometry class at your community college and get a tutor? Sometimes it's easier to learn math in college because it's more systematic.


This was my thought too. I would enroll in just this one class first so that you can focus all of your energy on it. I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not pursuing your dream over just one hurdle. It may not come naturally to you, but I'm sure you can get through it if you get a tutor and you work really hard. I also think you'd regret it for years to come if you didn't at least try.



shortfatbalduglyman
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25 Jul 2017, 8:47 pm

EverythingAndNothing wrote:
Quote:
Why don't you enroll in a geometry class at your community college and get a tutor? Sometimes it's easier to learn math in college because it's more systematic.


This was my thought too. I would enroll in just this one class first so that you can focus all of your energy on it. I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not pursuing your dream over just one hurdle. It may not come naturally to you, but I'm sure you can get through it if you get a tutor and you work really hard. I also think you'd regret it for years to come if you didn't at least try.

______________________________________________________________________________

yes and look up Khan Academy online.

plenty of interactive computer programs/games involve geometry.

at some point, it makes sense to work harder. (perseverence)

at some point it makes sense to give up and do something else. (practicality)

only you can decide when that point is.



SubtleCow
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26 Jul 2017, 12:32 am

I know one thing you are! You are very brave :heart: ! Never underestimate the value of your endurance in the face of adversity!

It breaks my heart every time I hear someone talk about how 'they couldn't do X in high-school, so they will never be able to do X'. School is literally the worst place for people like you and me to learn anything, they only approach topics from one government mandated point of view. Then the teachers get apathetic because of the mandated curriculum. It's a recipe for disaster!

Seek the knowledge you want, and don't stop seeking different interpretations and teaching styles until you have your specific and unique eureka moment and everything starts to click. Whether that knowledge is a video recipe on how to cook pork and beans where the cook briefly mentions how to calculate the right amount of water in the pot, or the khan tutorials beginner geometry lessons. Everyone is totally unique and noone can know exactly what metaphor will make sense to any one person.

When you become the electrician of your dreams let me know, the wiring in my apartment is a total mess. :D