Employment and Autism

[TheSaltyStray]

After being dismissed from another job, I have came to the solid conclusion that 20 years in customer service has not been ideal for me. It requires so much "camouflaging" and people seem to be harder and harder to read and please as I get older. It all leads to *extreme* exhaustion, dysregulation and overload. It takes a huge toll on my mental health as well. As a whole, since I struggle with autoimmune issues, it also takes a physical toll. My immune system tanks and I physically work through too much pain because I am a committed hard worker that enjoys being physical rather than social. I obviously need to realign my occupation to what suits me and something I can strive/thrive at. How and where did you find an occupation that embraces your mind and strong points?

 

[GadAbout]

For me, customer service was okay. But I could equally be happy doing other things that required medium computer skills and was desk-bound. (I have a disability.) Maybe you could look into picking and packing at a distribution center? It involves minimal customer contact and is somewhat physical. In fact a friend of mine said she lost 30 pounds at a job like that, just from running around the warehouse!

 

[Aspychata]

Warehouse jobs are a predominately male industry if you are okay with that. Maybe something a little less demanding? Basically all customer service workers put up with a lot, so finding a outlet to release tension is one way to deal with it. Maybe swimming? Or martial arts?

Finally, maybe move to a place that you have a better chance at better jobs. The economy is a tough dish right now. The recent college grads are struggling, ecommerce has tighten the amount of available jobs, and the population has aged leaving the bulk of customer service jobs in restaurants, medical care, personal services. If you think there might be something in that area to try to apply for. We have a lot of certifed personal care workers here, and a huge amount of assisted living homes. This also causes a huge demand for food servers and nurses etc. Memory care also has a lot of jobs. The work is somewhat mundane but seeing a older person come to life because of your interaction is always pleasing.

 

[TheSaltyStray]

I've had a warehouse job and enjoyed it. I pretty much had the whole, small, warehouse to myself and the inventory system was much like the Dewey decimal system at a library. It all made sense and the only time I had issues sorting was when I was overly tired or stressed. That is understandable for any human.

As far as stress outlets, I have a few and do enjoy martial arts and swimming. I have a makeshift bo staff that I am self taught in and I am good at it in my own ways. I am just coming to a pivotal point where something has to change. I considered logistics but have issues (mostly like dyslexia/dyscalculia) with numbers and letters that require me to be in a quiet environment to be in "the zone" to focus and be accurate. I hate being in loud, distracting, environments but also hate being tethered to a desk day in and day out. Having a desk job was a small version of intellectual and mental death for me. Maybe I was focusing on the wrong desk based tasks but I found no joy in what I was previously doing at a desk.

I've thought about pursuing a job in cybersecurity since I love investigative work and details that need to be tied together.

 

[Rasputin]

After being dismissed from another job, I have came to the solid conclusion that 20 years in customer service has not been ideal for me. It requires so much "camouflaging" and people seem to be harder and harder to read and please as I get older. It all leads to *extreme* exhaustion, dysregulation and overload. It takes a huge toll on my mental health as well. As a whole, since I struggle with autoimmune issues, it also takes a physical toll. My immune system tanks and I physically work through too much pain because I am a committed hard worker that enjoys being physical rather than social. I obviously need to realign my occupation to what suits me and something I can strive/thrive at. How and where did you find an occupation that embraces your mind and strong points?

I worked in both public accounting and in industry as an internal auditor for about 20 years. Then changed careers and have been in IT for the past 20 years. If you are willing to invest a year or your time and approximately $12K, you might be able to train for a computer programming career.

 

[clg114]

Figure out what your main special interest is and try to find work doing that. It will not be easy to find work doing that, you may have to create you own work. The benefits would be big though, you would not have to work another day in your life.

 

[paloftoon]

There are FT job programs for higher functioning people out there in which you get treated respectably and these programs aim at maintaining independence, and you would have a really good chance to get something TheSaltyStray.

If you want to PM me to discuss building a referral, feel free.

 

[Bolletje]

I worked as a medical doctor in a hospital. It was my dream job in terms of intellectual stimulation and fulfillment, but I was swamped with work due to a lack of doctors and I was constantly hindered in my work by bureaucracy and non-medical paperwork. I had to work extremely long hours (half of them unpaid) with very little supervision. And during the night shifts I was the only doctor in the hospital for non-surgical problems. I worked my first night shift within two months after receiving my medical degree, which was really hard because I was so inexperienced.

So while I loved my job I had to call it quits after half a year when I started having panic attacks and crying spells on my way to work. I’m still mourning the loss of this job because it was everything I wanted and I would have been a great specialist if working conditions had been better. But they aren’t and they won’t be anytime soon.

Anyway, after taking some time off I started working as a medical doctor for the government. I do medical assessments for people that have been sick for a while and I determine what they can and can’t do with regards to work and whether they’re fit to work in any job at all. It can be a difficult job sometimes, because I don’t always agree with my patient’s view and I have to adhere to very strict rules, which means my patients don’t always get what they want. I can’t make everyone happy, but I try to make sure people leave my office feeling like I’ve really listened to their story and I’m doing my best to do justice to the current medical situation.
Plus I get to work regular hours, I get to determine how many patients a day I want to see, there’s no medical emergencies and I get pay more while working less hours. I miss the excitement, intellectual stimulation and fulfillment of the hospital sometimes, but I actually get to see my boyfriend and have a social life now. Plus I hardly ever get stressed out or overstimulated at my current job because I spend most of my time at my desk in a quiet office. It’s not the most glamorous job, but it’s a good fit for now.