Damo, out of intrest, why didn't you ever go to university?

I was all consumed (my Asperger’s probably fuelled the obsession) with conspiracy theories for a good couple of years and it led me down a very lazy path. Thankfully someone bough me out of it and I’ve been on the path back to ‘normality’ ever since. Anyhow I’ve seen sense and I’m going to apply to do a journalism course next year. I could have applied this year but I want to complete this podcast project first and get my ‘act together’.

I’ve got two people who are really helping me with things so I’ll be fine.

Fair enough. I just wanted to see if you were using your aspergers as an excuse. I'm glad you didn't. There were a couple of great lads I knew at Trinity who got good degrees despite having it.

If you want to do journalism, I would say Leeds Trinity is perfect for you.

I went to Leeds uni, but attended trinity and all saints (as it was then for a few modules) thought it was a great university, seemed a bit more personal being fairly small, not as intimidating maybe as a bigger university and in nice setting

Poxy crap excuses

Just run this by me one more time...

You start a thread called "kick me whilst I'm down".

And then when people do just that, you start huffing and puffing and foot stomping ?

Have I got this right so far ?

Every person in the world has a tolerance breaking point. All I’ve done is ate up all the usual undue criticism on here and spat back out. I did things my way. However I acknowledge that I’ve been really immature about this and I’ve deserved every response I’ve got in this thread. Certainly one to forget.

A straight answer would be: Yes.

Well write this down in the notebook under your pillow - "don't ask people to kick me when I'm down unless I want to be kicked when I'm down, because, chances are, they'll kick me when I'm down"

Now have cake.

Victoria Sponge I think is in order on this occasion I'd say.

To be fair to Damo it is possible to apply for Jobs and just hear naff all back, few years back I was unemployed, got sent to one of those back to work were you just apply for jobs all day, in 3 months I applied for around 150 jobs (applied for 42 in one day once), every C.V, application etc was checked by the staff there, every one I was qualified for or could do, in total I heard back from about 20, got 2 interviews but no job (eventually got a job about 2 months later) so it can be hard.

BUT

What is wrong for me is saying "well I don't need a job because I'm working on this project", if you want to work on something great, but fit it around either looking for a job or your job. If want to write a book, I could quit my job, go on JSA and just spend all my time writing as hopefully in the end I'd be making a living from it, but that's not how it should work, I should do it in my free time around my work, or if I want to do it all the time finance it myself, as for doing menial jobs, one of my 2 interviews was for a cleaner at burger king and I didn't even get that.

Good point.

The following is not a dig but a bit of advice, if you don't want to hear comments about taxes and benefits then don't write in your opening post that you are going to spend £60 on alcohol when the people on here know where your money has come from to buy it and you surely know how people feel about benefits/taxes situation in the country, its just asking for trouble. It didn't need to be included as it added nothing of value to the post and it read in such a ''I don't care what you think'' way, and just stuck out from everything else there like a huge target for people to aim at.

I'm going to start my post on here in a more generic way than some have. I've had disagreements with Damo in the past about his lifestyle choices, but it's his choice to live like he currently does.

In general terms, society should be productive, and those who choose to live in society and not be hermits, should contribute. This contribution does not need to be in the form of paid work, non-paid work or charitable work is equally as "valuable", but contribution should be made nonetheless. For those who choose not to contribute in a positive and meaningful way to something that will better society and will add to the net value of the country (either tangibly or intangibly) then frankly, as a consequence they should expect not to receive the gratitude, comfort or thanks from that society.

Of course those who are physically or mentally unable to make such a contribution should be exempted from the above, and society should provide an acceptable level of care for them.

Those who consider that they can "exist" in society without contributing to the general development of that society should not expect to receive any gratitude in return for their philosophy.

Now for the more specific bit. Damo, I hope that you can find work, not only will it provide you with a little more money to do with as you choose, but more importantly it will give you more self respect which it seems to me (maybe down to your condition) you lack. There is an intense feeling of self satisfaction in receiving some form of payment for providing a service to society, and I genuinely hope that this is something that comes your way sooner rather than later. Of course work will not find you, and it may be a long and arduous path to reach the position you aspire to, but each step along the way is inevitably one in a forwards direction.

Some valid points made here by all parties.the big problem is we have lost our manufacturing industry. I really feel sorry for young people leaving school, college etc. to put it bluntly we do not make anything anymore.
I left school in the sixties in south Leeds, every factory was hiring also the construction industry was booming in Leeds.
All our class got jobs before we left.in fact we all had several job offers.all those factories have been closed. Don't laugh but Leeds city transport had permanent vacancies for bus conductors so anybody between jobs could always fill in there for a spell.
Also British rail always had vacancies for various occupations.
Sorry about the meander down memory lane . On reflection our generation was lucky so I am always reluctant to criticize anybody not in employment.