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What do you do for a living?

Erwin_

Erwin_

New Member
Hello everyone,
I am wondering what everyone does here for a job as I am currently unemployed and trying to figure out what I wanna do in life that feels fulfilling for me; I am curious about what everyone does here for a living. I know some people with ASD won't work or can't work and I haven't held a job before in my life but I am getting to the stage in my life where I want wanting to do something fulfilling.

But I am stuck between trying to find a job or becoming self-employed, which I heard is good for some people with ASD, I have an interest in computers and photography but I strive at physical tasks more than non-visual tasks.

I look forward to hearing what some of you do as a living, hopefully, this can give me better insight into what I wanna do and help me decide.
 
Having ASD/ADHD/anxiety afflictions means you have to focus more on looking for a job with suitable hours and policies for your personal needs more than focusing on what you actually want to do. Well, I don't think that applies to all but it did me.
I'm only good for cleaning jobs really. But due to my inner ear issues I think it's about time I got a job working at a computer, where I'm sitting more. But my dyscalculia can really make office work difficult, even though the computer does the math for you it's still challenging for someone like me to face any sort of math. Often numbers jump around and I can't read them right away.

What I really want to be is a stay-at-home housewife. If I were rich then I would be.
 
Computer programming

It's a fair point about worrying about working conditions and times more than what you do exaclty.
 
I'd like to work with children (age between 2 and 5), just being an assistant in a preschool, but I have severe emetophobia (fear of vomiting), so I'd likely go into work every day feeling anxious that an outbreak of norovirus might start going around. It's why I had to leave the care home I used to work at, because I couldn't stand illness. I don't mind germs if I can wash them off but I can't stand airborne germs like viruses, and usually they circulate in places like schools, hospitals and care homes.
 
In the past I have done:

* Maintenance work for a developer taking care of their model homes
* Retail clerk in a hobby shop
* Warehouse worker and truck driver for an electrical parts company
* Commercial/personal property and casualty multi-lines insurance rater and underwriter
* Website designer/webmaster for a software gaming entertainment publisher/developer
* Private investor in the stock market using my own capital

Now happily retired...

Of course the cold reality is that these are all jobs I was able to get and hold. Often a far cry from work I would have preferred to do, with perhaps one exception. When both good- and bad economies often dictate what we do and for how long.
 
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Hey @Erwin_ , have you considered doing something in the tech world? Almost anything in tech comes with a great job, benefits, awesome salary and --the best part-- you mostly get to work alone. Depending on who you work for, the corporate environment in the tech world can give you a lot of freedom in setting your own schedule and your own pace (so long as you get your hours in or projects finished!). Many tech jobs are done from home these days.

If you're a visual person, you may also want to consider something like website design. After you have done this a while working for a company (perhaps remotely?), you can eventually take on your own clients and build up your own at-home business.

There's a whole world out there--sometimes just taking a step in one direction can lead you to a happy and unforeseen destination.
 
I think finding something that allows you to pursue a special interest, if possible, is probably the most satisfying.... as long as the work environment is agreeable. I do research part time, sometimes biochemical: running assays and processing samples in the lab (my favorite because it involves less people), and sometimes clinical: collecting data and samples from patients
 
Software engineer. I am an industry expert in my field. It was doable because I was deaf/nonverbal and there was not any expectation of anything social. When you can't hear or can't talk and are basically living in a cubicle, it removes 99% of the difficulties, I think.

When speech-to-text became a thing and I could participate more, my career rose quickly in a very short period of time, but I also began drinking and I began getting reported to HR regularly. A few months ago, my therapist finally identified me as autistic.

So now I'm a sober, autistic mess pigeonholed in a role I never really could do. Not sure where to go from here, but I have options and that's what counts.
 
Misty Avich said:
Having ASD/ADHD/anxiety afflictions means you have to focus more on looking for a job with suitable hours and policies for your personal needs more than focusing on what you actually want to do. Well, I don't think that applies to all but it did me.
I'm only good for cleaning jobs really. But due to my inner ear issues I think it's about time I got a job working at a computer, where I'm sitting more. But my dyscalculia can really make office work difficult, even though the computer does the math for you it's still challenging for someone like me to face any sort of math. Often numbers jump around and I can't read them right away.

What I really want to be is a stay-at-home housewife. If I were rich then I would be.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't have dyscalculia but I know what it feels like when characters are jumping around the screen. I have dyslexia and I often get that when the page is white or it's on white paper. I have to use a blue overlay or set the page background to a light blue if I am on word.
 
GypsyMoth said:
Hey @Erwin_ , have you considered doing something in the tech world? Almost anything in tech comes with a great job, benefits, awesome salary and --the best part-- you mostly get to work alone. Depending on who you work for, the corporate environment in the tech world can give you a lot of freedom in setting your own schedule and your own pace (so long as you get your hours in or projects finished!). Many tech jobs are done from home these days.

If you're a visual person, you may also want to consider something like website design. After you have done this a while working for a company (perhaps remotely?), you can eventually take on your own clients and build up your own at-home business.

There's a whole world out there--sometimes just taking a step in one direction can lead you to a happy and unforeseen destination.
Click to expand...
I have tried getting into programming but this was when I was younger around 14 years old. Perhaps I will re-look at web design as I have never really looked into that before. something in the tech sector is what I would want.
 
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jsilver256 said:
Software engineer. I am an industry expert in my field. It was doable because I was deaf/nonverbal and there was not any expectation of anything social. When you can't hear or can't talk and are basically living in a cubicle, it removes 99% of the difficulties, I think.

When speech-to-text became a thing and I could participate more, my career rose quickly in a very short period of time, but I also began drinking and I began getting reported to HR regularly. A few months ago, my therapist finally identified me as autistic.

So now I'm a sober, autistic mess pigeonholed in a role I never really could do. Not sure where to go from here, but I have options and that's what counts.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a good career choose, I have never looked into software engineering though one of my friends is one of those and he says it is exhausting and very time consumering.
 
Just mess around. Was bartender and made great tips. My favorite job was paralegal, pushing paper, looking for details. And l have been a successful career counselor and a successful mom of a nerdy geeky young lady who is learning python currently.
I say apply for things, lots of employers are willing to train if you ace the interview. That's why l was hired for paralegal.
 
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