People who are young and in college

[Kirsty]

I'm 29. At college today the tutor asked me to explain something that I was struggling to say in class on something I wasn't sure about. The way she said it was quite aggressive and I felt my face going red and found the words to come out hard, but I managed. I'm so sensitive. She wasn't rude. I've always struggled to 'explain' myself throughout my life, particularly in educational environments. All part of my autisticness...

 

[Pyrola]

I don't really interact much with people at my school, I get quite nervous there for some reason. Surprisingly, my awkwardness doesn't really hurt my working life. I work as a substitute instructional aide, the kids I work with really like me and I don't feel shy around them at all. I do feel shy around other staff members though, but most of them seem to like me anyway because I am a hard worker.

 

[Licorice]

For the most part, I do fine in college because there are less expectations (at least where I attend classes) when it comes to student social life. In high school and some colleges, people may see it as a social opportunity more than an educational one.

I talk mostly to my instructors who are in their 30's and 40's, and occasionally to classmates to help them with a problem or share parts of the notes my lab partner forgot to take. He's kind of absent-minded, but seems to be taking it more seriously now that he's fallen behind once or twice.

 

[Cali Cat]

How do your social skills interfere with your life? Do you have a job?

When I was young, my lack of social skills interfered with a lot. I ditched my way through junior high (still passing each grade), and then dropped out after 10th grade. When I finally went to college and university, the pressure to be social wasn't there. Some people liked me; others thought I was strange. In either case, if they wanted me as a study partner, they had to at least be civil to me. Working was difficult for me due to my social anxiety. I hated customer service jobs and answering the phones. I tried to get account clerk jobs where I didn't have to interact with customers. As long as I could keep to myself, I was an excellent employee, and most employers put up with my oddball traits for my productivity. One employer even loved the fact that I never talked to her or co-workers during work. Now, I'm self-employed, and I allow myself to get away with murder.

 

[KwiSpen]

How do your social skills interfere with your life? Do you have a job?

My alone time always comes first. I try to schedule a healthy amount around my school and study schedule, delegating the rest on the fly. I do have a circle of friends that I eat with and used to go out with, but I stay cordial with everybody. What bugs me is that some people sort of pity me because I'm either emotional, asocial, or lonely. It's not the worst thing in the world--I'm becoming closer with another social group because a member reached out--but I question whether or not the mean justifies the end. One thing I tend to stay away from is partying, even at the expense of my social standing. I'm starting to branch out a bit more with it, attending larger social events and the like, but it's a transition, sometimes at the expense of schoolwork, but usually not.

In answer to your second question, I do not have a job.

 

[Etzelaire]

No job, few friends. I do not find people like me and the jobs I could be good at require things I cannot provide.

 

[ThatSkyWing]

I've been in college for one year, and I haven't spoken a word to any of the other students, out of shyness and a lack of interest in talking to the idiots I shared classes with. I often feel very lonely when I'm at school, but it's no big deal, I have my books and my schoolwork to do. No, I don't have a job yet.