If you like programming and have an aptitude for it, you have a gift. Not everyone can be a builder, and those of us who are derive great satisfaction and joy f

If you like programming and have an aptitude for it, you have a gift. Not everyone can be a builder, and those of us who are derive great satisfaction and joy from it. Do not be afraid of programming or math. They will challenge you, but you can move at your own pace. There has never been a better time to learn these, with all the educational resources out there on the web and YouTube. If programming/building things make you happy, then hack away! Everyone deserves to be happy. If other's judge you, it's their loss. As for the practical realities of finding work and dealing with race/gender/etc, there are options there too. You can start with simple self-projects, little vanity websites or apps, to build your repertoire. You could leverage these as experience to do work online, rent-a-coder or craigslist gigs. If you want to get a 9-to-5, say that you took some time off to work on personal projects or do some consulting, and point to anything notable you've built. If you get stuck trying to build something or grow a consultancy, ask here or on one of the StackExchange sites. Lots of people willing to help.