Here's a bit of random advice that probably applies to everybody here:
You are much, much more competent than you think.
This is not because you have misjudged your own level of competence. You lot seem to be painfully aware of your own shortcomings. What you're less aware of, however, is a pretty simple fact.
Competence is relative.
Here's one thing to keep in mind when you peer out into American society: Stuff like Dilbert is not a hyperbole. People really are, truly, honestly, that stupid, lazy and ignorant. Sarah Palin is running for Vice President. You are pretty fucking smart for a human being.
This is something you may have to remind yourself of constantly when you find yourself repeatedly submitting substandard-but-acceptable work and find armies of suits furiously sucking your cock over it. The world sets its bar a lot lower than you do.
