Unemployment Statistics

[abby normal]

I always had a tenuous hold on employment, at best.

 

[Robby]

Someone needs to do a study about adults with mild autism who can function but have needs and due to the difficulty finding employment, severe depression that results. Being unemployed has become my full time job. I wouldn't waste my time volunteering if I am going to work, I'm going to get paid for it. Problem is, there just aren't many jobs that are well suited to people with varying types of autism. Like me I am pretty verbal but terrible at math and science and putting things together. Others may be great at math or putting things together or whatever.

 

[Xenocity]

Someone needs to do a study about adults with mild autism who can function but have needs and due to the difficulty finding employment, severe depression that results. Being unemployed has become my full time job. I wouldn't waste my time volunteering if I am going to work, I'm going to get paid for it. Problem is, there just aren't many jobs that are well suited to people with varying types of autism. Like me I am pretty verbal but terrible at math and science and putting things together. Others may be great at math or putting things together or whatever.

They definitely do.
There just is a massive lack of funding at every level of government in the U.S., UK, Canada and many other developed countries.
The full ASD barely gets recognition in the U.S.
To make it worse mental health is barely funded too.

Nearly everything is aimed at young children and once you become an adult you age out and are lost to the world.

I'm definitely going to talk to my case worker to see if i can into Autism research when i talk to her about jobs (we aren't at that stage yet).

 

[abby normal]

my skillset/aptitudes don't match the requirements of America's workforce, it seems.

 

[DC1346]

my skillset/aptitudes don't match the requirements of America's workforce, it seems.

I think many of us would have made GREAT lighthouse keepers back in the day ... I mean think about it ... we'd be in aspie heaven ... a reclusive lifestyle and a set schedule with the added bonus of fresh air and a great view!

Teaching CAN be a good job if you have well developed scripts. We generally follow a set schedule and classrooms tend to be very structured. Our vacation is also the envy of the private sector. There are very few jobs out there that offer 2 months paid summer vacation, a week for Spring Break, 4 days for Thanksgiving, 2 weeks for Christmas, and at least 1 day off per month.

If you can't handle the stress of teaching, why not work at home?

If you're certified - get a job with an on-line school. If you're not certified but are reasonably intelligent, look for a job as an online tutor.

If you're fluent in English and at least have a bachelor's degree but are not certified, look for an on-line ESL or TEFL (English as a Second Language or Teaching English as a Foreign Language) school. There are several on-line schools that will pair you with students. Some schools will require you to go into a learning center where you'll be connected with a student who could live anywhere in the world. Other schools will allow you to work from the privacy of your home.

Medical billing is another job where you can work from home.

If you have a really good grasp of the English language, you could look for a job as an editor or proofreader.

I once knew a woman who worked from her home for Amazon. She worked in customer care so she got to deal with ticked off customers. That probably wasn't fun but at least she didn't have to deal with them in person. You don't have to work for Amazon. There are lots of companies that employ home based agents like Bluefly, Spiegel, American Agents, Hilton, Best Western, HSN, and 1-800-FLOWERS. Pay runs from $8 to $18 an hour.

You could evaluate search engine companies like google or yahoo. Check out leapforce.com for employment opportunities.

Lawyers are always looking for virtual juries to see how they'll react. Check out jurytest.com

Usertesting.com will pay you $10 per review of websites.

Chacha.com will pay you to answer questions. People on the go who need quick answers to relatively simple questions will pay the company 99 cents per question. You only get about 20 cents per answer but if you're reasonably quick and have decent internet and typing skills, I'm told you can make $9.00 an hour.

Focusforward.com or 20-20Research.com will pay you to be part of a virtual focus group to review commercials or consumer products. Depending upon the project you could make $20 to several hundred per group.

I know at least two people who run eBay businesses. They go to flea markets and garage sells and buy stuff cheap to sell on eBay. Since everything on eBay is about your reputation, they also sell things on commission for people with no eBay backgrounds.

There are all sorts of things you can do if you think about it and do some research.

 

[abby normal]

when I was briefly a coder, I LOVED IT unfortunately, shrub laid me off along with several thousand other civil servants. drat that man.

 

[wanderer03]

I'm unemployed right now but will be working with a state funded program that might help. In the mean time, I'm looking forward to volunteering at a cat welfare clinic starting next weekend. I'm sick of feeling useless and being idle. Sometimes simply doing work for work's sake does wonders for self-esteem.

 

[abby normal]

^^^helping cats is a pretty good deal all around!

 

[wanderer03]

^^^helping cats is a pretty good deal all around![emoji2]

It's good for the soul....meow

 

[abby normal]

I wished I lived in a city instead of out in the sticks where there is nothing. see lots of feral cats out here.

 

[wanderer03]

I live in the sticks but it's a short train ride to the city and the adoption center.

 

[DC1346]

^^^helping cats is a pretty good deal all around!

Amen to that! Some of my best friends are cats! Bob (pictured as my avatar) is a Manx cat ... hence his name because he has a bob-tail. Bob has tolerated me for 15 years and with any luck he'll be with me for a few more.

Pictured below are my cats. I used to have four but Jasper Baby (whose leg is lying on top of the tuxedo cat) passed away last year. JB was Bob's brother.

Bob and JB came from what is now a defunct cat rescue shelter in central Texas.

Scraps (the huge gray with tiger stripes) was a rescue kitty. Some idiot parked outside my home in Pennsylvania and emptied a box of 6 kittens. By the time I was able to get to the sidewalk with a camera to take a picture of this jerk's license plate, the pickup had sped off and the kittens had scattered. I later found one of the kittens under my neighbor's porch. He was screaming, "EEEEE-OWWWW" at the top of his voice because it was cold and wet and he was hungry and afraid.

When I knelt beside the porch and reached for my flashlight, he threw himself at me and clung to my winter coat with all four claws. I took him home where he got a very cold reception from Bob and Jasper Baby. I isolated him in a guest bedroom and gave him warm water to drink as well as a small bowl of dried cat food. The poor little guy gobbled up the food and promptly threw up because I had overfed him.

It was my original intention to nurse him back to health prior to taking him to a shelter ... but ten years, two states, and six moves later and he's still with me.

The tuxedo cat is Princess Tabitha Panda Kitty Toe Biter ... but I mostly call her Tabitha (or Tabs) for short. She is the only female in what is otherwise an all male household and as such, she is universally adored ... hence the Princess honorific.

 

[wanderer03]

Amen to that! Some of my best friends are cats! Bob (pictured as my avatar) is a Manx cat ... hence his name because he has a bob-tail. Bob has tolerated me for 15 years and with any luck he'll be with me for a few more.

Pictured below are my cats. I used to have four but Jasper Baby (whose leg is lying on top of the tuxedo cat) passed away last year. JB was Bob's brother.

Bob and JB came from what is now a defunct cat rescue shelter in central Texas.

Scraps (the huge gray with tiger stripes) was a rescue kitty. Some idiot parked outside my home in Pennsylvania and emptied a box of 6 kittens. By the time I was able to get to the sidewalk with a camera to take a picture of this jerk's license plate, the pickup had sped off and the kittens had scattered. I later found one of the kittens under my neighbor's porch. He was screaming, "EEEEE-OWWWW" at the top of his voice because it was cold and wet and he was hungry and afraid.

When I knelt beside the porch and reached for my flashlight, he threw himself at me and clung to my winter coat with all four claws. I took him home where he got a very cold reception from Bob and Jasper Baby. I isolated him in a guest bedroom and gave him warm water to drink as well as a small bowl of dried cat food. The poor little guy gobbled up the food and promptly threw up because I had overfed him.

It was my original intention to nurse him back to health prior to taking him to a shelter ... but ten years, two states, and six moves later and he's still with me.

The tuxedo cat is Princess Tabitha Panda Kitty Toe Biter ... but I mostly call her Tabitha (or Tabs) for short. She is the only female in what is otherwise an all male household and as such, she is universally adored ... hence the Princess honorific.

View attachment 20842

I swears our feline friends can cure society's ills [emoji3]

 

[DC1346]

I swears our feline friends can cure society's ills [emoji3]

We could learn a lot from cats ... or other animals for that matter.

• Since cats don't hang out in packs like dogs do, they're selective in bestowing their friendships. You have to EARN a cat's trust because it isn't freely given.
• Cats live in the now and enjoy the present.
• Cats know that there is ALWAYS time for a nap.
• Cats are aware of what's going on. They take the time to observe the world around them and to listen.
• Cats have high expectations ... literally ... you should see how my Tabitha can leap from the floor to the top shelf in my walk-in closet.
• Cats are honest. They don't lie. If they're happy, they purr. If they're angry, they hiss. If they want something from you, they'll tell you what they want ... often ... and loudly (sigh)
• Cats don't discriminate on the basis of color.
• Cats judge you on the basis of your character and actions.

 

[wanderer03]

I've always said cats are more human than humans.

 

[abby normal]

around my sister's very skittish cat, I had to learn to move as imperceptibly as that guy on "kung fu." otherwise it runs and hides.

 

[Bruce Stern]

I don't have the misunderstandings I have with humans. Pets are awesome. I have two cats and two dogs. One of my cats sleeps beside me and meows at me from the top of the stairs to come to bed.

 

[DC1346]

I don't have the misunderstandings I have with humans. Pets are awesome. I have two cats and two dogs. One of my cats sleeps beside me and meows at me from the top of the stairs to come to bed.

Scraps is the only cat who sleeps with me. Bob and Tabitha will visit but with Bob getting along in years, he doesn't like the window mounted A/C that I have in my bedroom. I like sleeping in a cool room ... so after our nightly visit which includes petting and brushing and kitty treats, Bob will sleep on the floor beside my bed in an electrically heated kitty bed that feels like one of his favorite sunny spots.

Tabitha who is my adventure kitty, uses the coolness of the night (since I live in Nevada which is quite warm), to prowl the backyard.

I have a pet door that gives my cats access to a fenced back yard. The boys like taking the morning air but given how hot it gets at mid-day, all of them prefer to lounge about in my home from late morning through mid-evening. On weekends when I'm home, they hang out just to see what I'm doing and will casually follow me from room to room.

They're great companions and having cats to talk to and to care for helps offset any feelings of loneliness that I might otherwise have had. Even though I am a reclusive introvert, I think people still have a need for some degree of contact. Being social appears to be part and parcel with being human ... but since I am gainfully employed, I get all of the social interaction I really want or need at work. The cats take care of the rest.

My only regret is that they can't be trained to do housekeeping. Other than using a litter box, they're really quite indolent. They are the Lords and Lady of the house ... (sigh)

 

[wanderer03]

Scraps is the only cat who sleeps with me. Bob and Tabitha will visit but with Bob getting along in years, he doesn't like the window mounted A/C that I have in my bedroom. I like sleeping in a cool room ... so after our nightly visit which includes petting and brushing and kitty treats, Bob will sleep on the floor beside my bed in an electrically heated kitty bed that feels like one of his favorite sunny spots.

Tabitha who is my adventure kitty, uses the coolness of the night (since I live in Nevada which is quite warm), to prowl the backyard.

I have a pet door that gives my cats access to a fenced back yard. The boys like taking the morning air but given how hot it gets at mid-day, all of them prefer to lounge about in my home from late morning through mid-evening. On weekends when I'm home, they hang out just to see what I'm doing and will casually follow me from room to room.

They're great companions and having cats to talk to and to care for helps offset any feelings of loneliness that I might otherwise have had. Even though I am a reclusive introvert, I think people still have a need for some degree of contact. Being social appears to be part and parcel with being human ... but since I am gainfully employed, I get all of the social interaction I really want or need at work. The cats take care of the rest.

My only regret is that they can't be trained to do housekeeping. Other than using a litter box, they're really quite indolent. They are the Lords and Lady of the house ... (sigh)

At the moment I am unable to have a cat. The next best thing I guess will be volunteer work with them. You're correct about human beings needing certain amounts of socialization. I'm hoping the volunteer work will give me some "meow" time and some socialization.