Sorry
@Misery, but the job that
@ezcare describes is the one I am currently in. I just started job a few weeks ago in the It field. And they don't discriminate women being part of the team. In fact they seem to have a knack of finding aspies. Here in the states people are woefully under-diagnosed. About a third of the people on my shift are more than likely aspie, based on their commodities of health issues, quirks, stimming, and social awkwardness that I connect well with.
Hmm, that's not quite what I meant to be honest.
Jobs like that will indeed tend to attract people that are "into" whatever field the job is. What I specifically was going for was the idea that even though there might be plenty on the spectrum who would want IT work... there are even more that wouldnt go anywhere near it. Our interests are simply too diverse, and it's rare that we step outside of those interests.
But it's not just that. Some of it is VERY dependent on not just the company you get the job with (as some companies are EXTREMELY bad), but also the specific field, and the ROLE within that specific field/project.
I've done game-dev work, for instance. Never thought I would, really. Had always wanted to when I was a kid. A developer I know (as in, not a major company, but instead an indie dev with a small team) gave me the opportunity to work with him and his team for a couple of games (as a contractor). And it wasnt low-level work, either... I was given alot of authority over the project because reasons. I had alot of control, so there wasnt going to be any frustration over disagreements with "management", that sort of thing. As a rule, nobody questioned whatever I felt like doing at any given time. Which was good since I'm impulsive tended to just do whatever seemed like a good idea. The whole thing went quite well and the final product was well-received.
But holy heck if the job wasnt FRUSTRATING. I swear the majority of it consisted of me trying to control the constantly boiling rage and the urge to just throw the bloody computer out of my window. The idea of that job sounded perfect. The REALITY of it was not. I swear if I have to go bug-hunting just one more freaking time, I'm going to go stab something. And often, unexpected things would pop up. There's ALOT they dont tell you about game development. And of course there's also the idea of ALOT of communication with the team. It was common for me to wake up to 50 bloody emails (yes, actually 50. Daily. And that's not counting dealing with community forums or the bug tracker)
Note, this is with a developer who I'd gotten to know over a couple of years. This wasnt some faceless corporate overlord. And they were very willing to work WITH all of my screwball problems instead of trying to force me into a box. I only did about 15 hours per week, for instance (and that's all I needed, really) as I cant handle more than that.
But those entering the gaming industry are likely to find that for most jobs... the reality is *nasty*. Really, really nasty. The big publishers/developers are notorious for being VERY abusive to their employees. "Crunch" time is a reality and a freaking nightmare. Wanna work 90 hour weeks? Getting into that industry is a fast track to doing that. Everyone has this preconception that game-dev work is all, well, fun and games. It isnt. For MOST people that work in it, it's the direct opposite. On top of that, creativity is not only frowned upon, but outright against the rules with many developers (because that's not what sells or focus-tests well for the publisher). And I mean that *literally*. You follow the plan, the contract, which may be brain-meltingly stupid and soulless, or you're out the door. They dont care about you. They care about profit... and nothing more.
My point is, there are certainly jobs/companies/groups that are compassionate and nice, and caring, and willing to work with you. As you have found, and as I found. But there's also a ton of them that are the opposite. And it sure as heck aint just the gaming industry, as tech stuff goes. And even when a good one is found... the job itself may clash with the individual's personal style. I was *very* lucky to have been able to work with a developer that allowed my chaotic style to work, and a job ROLE that also allowed it (I wasnt doing like, direct engine work). That's not the case even for most indie devs.
My experiences over like 2 bloody decades of dealing with developers in various ways, and learning inside things about the industry, have taught me alot of things, not all of them pleasant.
And I tend to think that this is one of the reasons why many on the spectrum cant handle jobs: Because alot of them run into the bad companies/jobs, instead of the good. And often, when trying to GET a job... there may be no other option. I dont work, myself (outside of that contracted thing, and random testing when I meet other devs and feel like helping out), but there was a time when I DID work (probably 15 years ago, I think?), and it was *awful*. It was ALL bad companies and uncaring managers. There werent other choices. So I tend to have a rather cynical view.
Sorry, dont mean to be so rambly here, I dont really do "concise". But also this is one of those topics I've pondered quite a bit. I hope I didnt sound aggressive or mean or something, some people seem to think I am when I'm not (no idea why). Not trying to step on anyone's ideas or opinions here. Anyway I'll pipe down now, you can all return to whatever the heck was going on before.
