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I got a lot of good ideas for apps and startups. I have worked as a programmer for $150,000/year jobs and have multiple degrees. In 2003 I became disabled and too sick to work. I want to get back into working again, but I have this rare mental illness called schizoaffective disorder and it is misunderstood and has elements like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. I am also 45 years old now, and too old for anyone to seriously consider for a startup. I can write apps, but I am all by myself. No help, no support, no funding, and living on a shoestring budget. I have no criminal history no drug abuse, I don't even smoke or drink alcohol. I try to live a clean life so I can recover and get healthier. My local area, Saint Louis, has a startup community I have tried to join many times and been rejected for being mentally ill or too old. They claim to accept everyone, but that is not true. I've been programming since I was 12 on a Commodore 64, self taught. I've taken many classes on programming and also read countless books and know about 37 different programming languages, most of which are no longer used, but I can convert code from say COBOL into modern languages. I know Classic Visual BASIC for example, and there are still business apps in VB6 out there. Because I learned FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal, ADA, COBOL, C Language, 8088 Assembly, etc I know the root languages that modern languages are based on. It is much like knowing Latin and Greek to help with learning European languages better. It allowed me to learn C++, Java, Python, Ruby, Javascript, and many others. VB.Net was just VB6 modified with Java like syntax, and C# is basically Microsoft taking features from Java after they got sued over J++/J#. I used to develop Windows CE, Blackberry, PalmOS, etc apps before Apple had the iPhone and before Android, Inc was formed in 2003. But those are obsolete. I so much want to develop business apps for Linux and smartphones, but I know developing for Windows first is where you earn the bulk of your money. Apple has people thinking that business apps are creative content apps, but when I talk about business apps I mean apps that run a business with accounting, inventory, ledgers, accounts payable, accounts receivable, stuff that runs a business and does HR tracking of employees, and can be modified to suit a business' process like a glove and not a COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) solution that is inflexible. I mean yeah, create free and open source business apps to help a small business run their business without paying tens of thousands of dollars for a Windows Server (Use Linux and save money) and then tens of thousands of dollars for the MS-Office license to use Sharepoint and other proprietary stuff. I want to use OpenOffice/LibreOffice and have apps that can run on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, Android, iOS and can use a MySQL Database instead of MS-SQL Server, etc. Unlike most startups I can write a working business plan, I have prior business experience (I ran two small business PC repair shops that also did database and software work) I have over 25+ years of real world experience, and of course a computer and business degree with a 3.91 GPA. My mental illness has some things in common with asperger's syndrome like low social skills, so it is hard for me to network and make friends. It is hard to get social clues or jokes sometimes, so people discriminate against me for that. |
In your life, you should focus on things that you are in control, such as your desire and goals. You can't do much about things that you don't have control like people's opinions.
Start building, show what you are doing and probably, this people at Saint Louis will change their attitude. If they don't, you should not care at all. Some people will not understand how you feel until they get in the same your situation some day. Smile them back and try harder in what you love to do.
Have a great day!
P.S:Join some events like Startup Weekend, pitch your ideas or join other teams. It is a easier way to improve your social skills.