I'm glad you had a good time! Talking with the people of the charity to see if you can volunteer with them seems like a great idea, you already passed the barrier of getting in touch with them, so that's out of the way, and you would be volunteering in something that interests you, mental wellness.
I don't think I've ever read about you wanting to start your group, at least not in this blog, but that also seems like a good idea.
It's funny you talked about feeling "overqualified" for the spaces you go into, because I've had the same thought about you. You have a lot of skills and knowledge that would be welcome in a lot of spaces, you're not delusional or narcissistic, you have things of value to offer.
Thinking about that, maybe starting your meditation group is a way better idea than I first thought. I get the feeling it would help you build skills that could translate to a fulfilling job.
1
Tobias 1104~3d
I appreciate that it's not just me that believes I have something to offer!
It's frustrating, because I probably could play an appreciated role in a well-paying job, but the bridge to get from where I am to there has never formed, either by a chance meeting or effort on my part. And now I feel so behind and clueless that I don't know where to start looking, or what would even be possible at this point considering my lack of employment history. I really wish I'd just started on the job path in my teens like most people seem to.
0
Davkett8~3d
I think you still have a lot of chances, first of all, there are a lot of people way older than you that one day just decide to pivot to an entirely new career path, starting from zero, and they do well.
And mind you, you don't actually lack an employment history, you're an independent worker, that's different. And you do have a lot of the qualities that make independent workers attractive to employers, like being able to problem solve without needing oversight, a wide array of skills (you're a programmer, writer, artist, composer, etc.), and the capacity to learn fast.
As an anecdote, when I finally got a "proper" corporate job, one of the things they liked about me was that I had worked as a freelancer before. It was nothing impressive, just making WordPress websites for small businesses and some translation work, but that was enough to get some interest.
The path to getting a "professional" job (contrasted to getting a job as, say, a cashier) would vary depending on what you want, if you wanted to stay in game dev or adjacent stuff I'd say your portfolio is impressive enough to easily get you a job. People constantly jump between being independent and working for a company in that industry, so no one would bat an eye at your experience.
If you rather would go into mental healthcare I'd say check with your university, the common path here (and I assume in most places) is that they would help you get an internship so you can build experience and use that to get a job (or stay at the place of your internship if they like you enough)
So, yeah, you're neither too old nor lack employable skills. If you're ever worried about what you would say in a job interview, make a list of all the stuff you have learned as a developer, not just technical stuff, but also about time management, problem-solving, creative writing, etc.
I don't think I've ever read about you wanting to start your group, at least not in this blog, but that also seems like a good idea.
It's funny you talked about feeling "overqualified" for the spaces you go into, because I've had the same thought about you. You have a lot of skills and knowledge that would be welcome in a lot of spaces, you're not delusional or narcissistic, you have things of value to offer.
Thinking about that, maybe starting your meditation group is a way better idea than I first thought. I get the feeling it would help you build skills that could translate to a fulfilling job.
It's frustrating, because I probably could play an appreciated role in a well-paying job, but the bridge to get from where I am to there has never formed, either by a chance meeting or effort on my part. And now I feel so behind and clueless that I don't know where to start looking, or what would even be possible at this point considering my lack of employment history. I really wish I'd just started on the job path in my teens like most people seem to.
And mind you, you don't actually lack an employment history, you're an independent worker, that's different. And you do have a lot of the qualities that make independent workers attractive to employers, like being able to problem solve without needing oversight, a wide array of skills (you're a programmer, writer, artist, composer, etc.), and the capacity to learn fast.
As an anecdote, when I finally got a "proper" corporate job, one of the things they liked about me was that I had worked as a freelancer before. It was nothing impressive, just making WordPress websites for small businesses and some translation work, but that was enough to get some interest.
The path to getting a "professional" job (contrasted to getting a job as, say, a cashier) would vary depending on what you want, if you wanted to stay in game dev or adjacent stuff I'd say your portfolio is impressive enough to easily get you a job. People constantly jump between being independent and working for a company in that industry, so no one would bat an eye at your experience.
If you rather would go into mental healthcare I'd say check with your university, the common path here (and I assume in most places) is that they would help you get an internship so you can build experience and use that to get a job (or stay at the place of your internship if they like you enough)
So, yeah, you're neither too old nor lack employable skills. If you're ever worried about what you would say in a job interview, make a list of all the stuff you have learned as a developer, not just technical stuff, but also about time management, problem-solving, creative writing, etc.