Computer programmer Brendan Tammy earned ￡55 000 a year by designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a check card. Instead, he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18. He works for a small company in Liverpool, where most young people of his age are looking for jobs. Brendan's biggest headache is how to use his money. Though he has high payment, he cannot drive a car, or get credit cards (信用卡). Brendan got his job four months ago, a year after leaving school with six O-levels (普通考试科目) and working for a time in a computer shop. 'I got the job because the people who run the company knew I had already written some programs,' he said. 'I suppose 55 000 pounds sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than that this year.' He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother 20 pounds a week as he lives with his parents. But most of his spare time is spent working. 'Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school,' he said. 'But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway. I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement (退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.' Why is Brendan so different from other young people of his age?