my future, part III

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I need desparate help here. My brain is overheating because I am worried sick about my future. I want to be a successful accountant when I grow up, but my parents might not let me get my bachelor's degree. They think it might be too hard for me because of my Asperger's, which has caused me trouble with schoolwork at times.

But, if I get my associate's degree, then go into the working world, then I might be stuck in a entry-level job, and having to save up a year's salary just to afford stuff other people take for granted.

Mom and Dad are always making things difficult for me. In my freshman year of high school, I wanted help finding friends to hang out with, and when I complained to Mom about it back then, I was usually met with,"I'm busy," or,"Please try to calm down." Yet, she wouldn't help me. In my senior year of high school, I tried to have fun, and get together with kids I met, but when I got invited to a house party, she said no, and did one time say that since I have asperger's, parties are not suitable for me. Today, when I complain about not having enough friends or not going to parties, I'm emt with,"I didn't go to parties when I was a kid."

ANyways, back on topic. I think my parents just want me to get out of the house. They want to see me be stuck in a low-paying job, struggling to make ends meet, having next door apartment neighbors harassing me about my stereo being too loud, etc. This is all because I struggle with schoolwork and studying. It's not fair!! ! I wish I were smarter. Meanwhile, my sister can pretty much put in as little effort into her schoolwork as possible, and yet, she's still allowed to go to a state college, she's still allowed to have a computer in her room, etc.

Just needed to vent here.

I struggled to get an associate's degree in my early twenties. I went back to school for a while in my early thirties and worked full time while taking two classes each in the fall and spring. It was MUCH easier. I think concentrating on one thing OR the other for too long worked against me. Maybe if you get the associate's degree and use a job as a money-making break from school, you can take the rest of the bachelor's degree courses a couple at a time. It does take longer, but that's becoming the norm these days.

There are also online colleges to finish four-year degrees. Some offer post-grad degrees, too. Some employers will help pay for tuition in exchange for staying with the company for a couple of years. How much they pay depends on grades, but as you mature you'll do better. It doesn't have to be the end of the world.

There is *no way* your parents can stop you from getting an education. You need to make Plan A (with parents' help) and Plan B (on your own). Please do not think it's impossible, although without the esteem of your parents I'm not surprised you feel low about it. Plan B can involve a delay. You might get a school counselor in on it. Sometimes a university gives free tuition if your day job is on campus. Please remember this: you can't see it from here. You won't find out till you get there. But never give up.

Where I live, there's RGA (registered general accountant) and then there's CA (chartered accountant). CA is definitely a degree thing. RGA is a program but I don't know which one, it's less than CA.

I worked for years with a woman who went twice a week to evening classes. It was a sort of forever thing in my mind. She worked for me so what registered is that I mustn't ask her to work late on Tues and Thurs. Then one day she walked in and quit - she had her degree and a new job as an accountant. No more word processing for her!

Come to think of it, word processing is a terrific filler job - good pay, low fuss. You'd need to learn whatever programs the offices are using, which is Word these days, I think. And it has night shifts.

To answer your question, you might not actually need an entire BA or MBA, depending where you are. You need to ask Job Counseling at school or maybe at university (what are requirements to become accountant).

Here's some info I found, it's from Australia, you may want to google for your own country

http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/students

Worrying about the future is a waste of time, and if that's how you live life, success will always be out of reach. Live your life the best you can day by day, don't worry about days that may never come, and you will have a rich and satisfying life. Trust me, this is the most valuable advice you will ever get.

One thing to consider about financial aid is that you're expected to take a full load of classes which is often 12 units at most colleges.

With Asperger's, you would likely qualify for the disabled students center where you can get extra time on the tests, and even take them in the center. Another benefit to that is you'll get priority registration which makes it easier to get the classes you need in order to graduate.

As far as accounting goes, not all positions require a BA, it's something you could look into.

Definitely check the requirements wherever you are. Here in Texas, in order to become a CPA you have to have a PPA degree (150 semester hours- roughly equivalent to a masters) to sit for the exam. But I'm sure there are other bookkeeping-type jobs that don't require that much education. I also suggest taking accounting classes at your community college and get a bookkeeping job for the experience. Then transfer to a 4-year school later on. Good luck!

I was originally an accounting major but decided it wasn't for me and switched to Management Information Systems. Ironically, my first job after graduation was programming accounting software.