A list of suitable and unsuitable jobs

[Harrison]

Harrison is that a recovery truck for cars?

Cars and vans, yep.

 

[Judge]

I have to deal with the public but I've learnt to script virtually everything they can ask, but that can go by the wayside sometimes and I've just learnt to wing it.

I think that's one of the reasons I finally through in the towel in insurance underwriting after nearly two decades. The scope of issues you have to deal with in commercial lines underwriting is literally infinite. In personal lines it's definitely finite. After so many years you CAN master it. I know, because I did. But commercial lines....it was simply too dynamic. Every account was unique. You have to pretend to be a "Jack of all trades". Mentally exhausting. No way to script much of anything when it came to negotiating the risk and the price. Yeah- you just had to wing it.

 

[Progster]

Sounds like an episode out of grange hill, teachers or waterloo road (google them if you're unaware of them as a result of not being English). I assume accusing 'said influential staff member' of being unprofessional and childlike' didn't help, assuming you didn't just say that in your mind as oppose to aloud.

I don't know Waterloo Road, but I know Grange Hill

It wasn't until later when it was too late to do anything about it that I became aware of what had happened. Basically, she tried to cover up her own insecurities by bullying others. I wasn't the only person she did this too, but others were better able to deal with it and put her in her place than I was.

 

[Warwick C]

Cars and vans, yep.

I had never thought of that type of job for an aspie.

 

[Harrison]

I had never thought of that type of job for an aspie.

Works well, I also hold a pilots license and that used to be good too as I didn't have to listen to anyone but the tower

 

[Hopeless_Aspie_Guy]

Caveats? Gotta make sure I have hand sanitizer on hand at all times, especially this time of year

Why? Or are you referencing to an intollerance for sweaty handshakes lol?

 

[zurb]

Why? Or are you referencing to an intollerance for sweaty handshakes lol?

The answer was in the part of the quote you cut off. Because she's in retail, she's continually handling one of the things that many people consider as one of the most unhygienic things in our lives - even worse at this time of year (in the N hemisphere). Its one of the reasons cash is banned at many food courts. You should see the colour of some cash I've handled - you can barely see the original pattern. (edited)

 

[Hopeless_Aspie_Guy]

Because she's in retail, she's continually handling one of the things that many people consider as one of the most unhygienic things in our lives - even worse at this time of year (in the N hemisphere). Its one of the reasons cash is banned at many food courts. You should see the colour of some cash I've handled - you can barely see the original pattern.

I don't care where you are, it's winter and thats the end of it , sweat's not an issue.
Secondly you must sweat bucket loads to discolor money like that, eww you sweaty animals lol .
Banned at food courts lol, if you're american then you just made it seem even crazier/weirder than I already thought it was.
Four- Where the bloody hell is the message alert notification, grr it didn't flag up

 

[zurb]

I don't care where you are, it's winter and thats the end of it , sweat's not an issue.

Cough cough. Hack hack. Noone said sweat was a problem. cough cough. Excuse me while I blow my nose. Oh, here's your money.

Secondly you must sweat bucket loads to discolor money like that, eww you sweaty animals lol :

Nope not sweat. Finger grease, and whatever else they have handled lately - I'll leave it to your imagination. Often had a smell too, and not of ink. Where I was living, money was only taken out of circulation by disintegration.

 

[zurb]

Rescue/recovery patrol, I get to drive a nice truck fitted with the latest wireless rescue technology.

Reminds me of a job I saw once at the government job agency here. It was erecting signposts around the countryside. Maybe not so mentally simulating as recovery. But exploring the countryside by myself, bit of exercise, and take my camera with me seemed a dream job. They refused to refer me as they considered me overqualified. Grrrrr!

 

[AsheSkyler]

Heehee, that reminds me of how one time a woman handed me some money after pulling it out of her bra. Not sure which is more gross, boob sweat, or butt sweat after sitting in a wallet on a hot day.

 

[handbanana]

Surprising engineer came up, currently going in to that and melted down bigtime last semester due to still being undiagnosed. Loved the material, hated the swarms of people, loud noises, and bad smells which was school.

Not sure what a non-visual thinker is, maybe its verbal? I always say the number as I read it.

 

[dragonwolf]

OK I'm really surprised no-one has mentioned the following as jobs aspies can't do, and certainly (still undiagnosed) I can't do.

Any job involving sales where you have to sell attachments and warranties etc as the main kpi, telesales, door-to-door sales- these all involve having to be pushy and being totally inconsiderate of the people you're pushing the sales pitch onto, I am the opposite of being unempathetic in that I'm too overly empathetic perhaps and am anxious (so afriad to annoy people by being pushy and then blaming myself).

Also any job that'd involve pestering strangers (i.e getting people to sign up to things) or perhaps a job based heavily on building relationships with a client.

I'd be able to do some or most of the jobs listed as 'bad for aspies' too. But I'm a very slow learner to begin with.



I would've thought it'd have been hard more so because you're the centre of attention (especially in secondary school) of 30 kids (some of which misbehave), you'd be self-consciouse and might question your actions towards someone.



I found that to be as interesting as it was strangely humorous

Regarding your first one (attachments, warranties, etc), that depends entirely on how you were trained and the warranties you're selling.

One of my favorite jobs was when I worked at Best Buy. I worked on the Geek Squad, which required a lot of up-selling of things, but Best Buy, at the time, did it right -- the stuff they really wanted you to sell were pretty easily rationalized as "necessary," or there were enough of necessary things that they were easy sells.

Granted, I've seen salespeople upsell customers to the point that they came in looking for a computer and walked out not only with a better computer than they originally looked at, but also a digital camera and all the accessories. I couldn't go that far, but I could throw my weight around as a tech in order to talk people into the warranties that covered screen breaks (which actually is worth it, because it's not usually covered under the stock warranty; I did it by telling them true stories of people who came in with cracked screens and were disappointed when they found out they had to shell out a few hundred dollars). Other high-profit things like cables, extra printer ink, etc., were low-hanging fruit, too (printers don't come with USB cables). I could do it all without being pushy and inconsiderate about it, too (in part because I didn't tend to go overboard and wouldn't do something like taking them down the camera road, unless there was a clear opening), and like you, I'm always paranoid about annoying people.

 

[dragonwolf]

I think the short-order cook one depends a little more on the kitchen setup. I actually did well as the sandwich maker during my short stint at Burger King, because the orders came up on screen and there was a process to it. I'm also a good cook and can multitask like a fiend in the kitchen. I can also mass-make some things like you wouldn't believe, because I can work out a process to maximize production without tripping up.

Waitress or register, though? Hell no. That's a disaster waiting to happen. I can't do input (listening to orders) and output (ringing the orders up) at the same time like that, and I sure as hell can't remember the table systems waitstaff do. That's not even getting into the whole "dealing with the general public" thing all the time and being the face for people to rage to when their order isn't exactly what they want or fast enough.

 

[atrocityexhibition]

If you're a relatively high-functioning aspie, taking one of the "bad" jobs early on in your career can teach you a lot. And if it's a trainwreck, then oh well, at least you tried. I realize this not good advice for those of us who struggle more with social function.

 

[Effy]

What about a blog? With some research, it's easy to get started. Idunno, working from home seems to be my best bet.

So... "professional blogger"?
Pros:

• work from home/control your income/sell what you know
• no face-to-face communication if such is undesired
• work according to your preferred schedule, as often or as little as you'd like
• can control own work environment

Cons:

• requires self-motivation to continue going
• can be difficult to get started
• requires managing own income, taxes, etc., unless you hire an accountant/assistant/someone to help you manage things

I think I've taken to it simply because I can't handle the stresses of a work environment. >.<

I'm a cashier at walmart and there's definite good and bad points about it. I'll list them for reference.

Bad points:
- really bothers sensory issues if you're hypersensitive to noise like me.
- constant interaction with strangers, the customers.
- lots of supervisors that come and go who you may or may not be able to read who may or may not know how to deal with you, diagnosed or not.

Good points:
- Clear routine. Very clear routine. And expectations.
- About the noise, i can get around that issue most of the time by hyperfocusing on my current customer.
- About talking to said customers, i can get around that by scripting the entire 'conversation' with them. No small talk, just relevant, necessary questions plus a greeting and a farewell.

When I worked there, I got lost in the noise/routine and screwed some things up. Legally, they cannot fire you for any mental illness, and they have to accommodate you as best they can. When my managers and boss found out about my Asperger's Syndrome, they became about ten times more pressuring/rude to me. I eventually quit Walmart... I just couldn't take it anymore. >.>

It's also a horrible place to work if you've life-threatening allergies, as they don't exactly care if someone's bag of peanuts ripped open and touched the belt. Blah.

 

[Anon88]

I definitely agree with the computer jobs. I'm majoring in IT and I just got a tech support internship as well. But jobs where I have to interact with ppl are horrifying. I remember when I used to work retail and I'd be so sweaty from the anxiety attacks I had. Now I work graveyard security so I can be all alone and do my homework. I'll have my A.S. Degree at the end of this spring semester and move on to a state college and hopefully one day I'll have an actual career in IT and never have to work another job like retail again.

 

[Warwick C]

What about a blog? With some research, it's easy to get started. Idunno, working from home seems to be my best bet.

So... "professional blogger"?
Pros:

• work from home/control your income/sell what you know
• no face-to-face communication if such is undesired
• work according to your preferred schedule, as often or as little as you'd like
• can control own work environment

Cons:

• requires self-motivation to continue going
• can be difficult to get started
• requires managing own income, taxes, etc., unless you hire an accountant/assistant/someone to help you manage things

I think I've taken to it simply because I can't handle the stresses of a work environment. >.<

When I worked there, I got lost in the noise/routine and screwed some things up. Legally, they cannot fire you for any mental illness, and they have to accommodate you as best they can. When my managers and boss found out about my Asperger's Syndrome, they became about ten times more pressuring/rude to me. I eventually quit Walmart... I just couldn't take it anymore. >.>

It's also a horrible place to work if you've life-threatening allergies, as they don't exactly care if someone's bag of peanuts ripped open and touched the belt. Blah.

I am glad you have found some thing you like doing Effy

 

[red_dog]

I tried teaching too - and the university degree took me forever - so challenging with my anxiety etc.

I hated teaching secondary school students,with many of Progster's comments being true for me too. Was so stressful, especially classroom management & staffroom politics.

However I have had more success working in kindergartens. I am able to relate to the children quite well, though have had challenges interacting with parents & am still working on the finer skills of staff interactions. The advantages of kindergartens are that they are a relatively small work environment, so fewer people to interact with than at a school. Also quite clear routines & procedures to follow throughout the day (at times I follow them too closely & others think I am being pedantic). May not be the best job for an Aspie, but certainly doable with the right support.

Also have had Aspie friends/family in Engineering - civil, electronic, mechanical. Can be a suitable job as can focus on engineering problem & not require much team work or dealing with the public. Avoid management or supervisory roles.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I tried teaching too - and the university degree took me forever - so challenging with my anxiety etc.

I hated teaching secondary school students,with many of Progster's comments being true for me too. Was so stressful, especially classroom management & staffroom politics.

This is precisely why i chose not to go into teaching elementary. That was my other idea, one that my mom to this day continues to try to push onto me. Its because, me being a good babysitter to two children for two years now, she thinks i'd be a great teacher too. I"m like HELL NO. I used to babysit four kids sometimes, and every time i'd do that i'd hate it and come home stressed as ****. If i couldn't manage four kids how the hell would i manage a class full?! So i knew right away teaching kids is a no go, even if i have yet to convince my mom of that. SO instead i'm going for a psychology degree to teach at the college level.