What is your opinion on being a high achiever in your Workplace?

[SimplyWandering]

Some people are ok with being a store employee at Walmart (Edit: not that there is anything wrong with this, however it might not lead to higher employment) , some people need to feel they’ve achieved...

As autistics should we just accept that a Job is still a Job, and at least it isn’t causing us Anxiety?

I wonder if this feeling that I have of never being comfortable with just having a job and not a purpose is similar in Neurotypicals as well. For me achieving at work seems to allow me a get away from the other people and situations in my life. Maybe I’ll regret it later on.

your thoughts on yourself and such.

Kindly Yours,

Simply Wandering

 

[tree]

Who is to say that working at WalMart is not an achievement?

A competent WalMart employee is more useful/doing more good than an incompetent
[fill in the blank with any job title you care to choose....]

 

[Bolletje]

I don’t need to feel I’ve achieved, but I’m always a high achiever at my workplace because I’m a perfectionist and I work hard. I like feeling like I’ve done a good job and feel uneasy when I’m not 100% behind my work. I’m lucky in that I have a degree in a field I am passionate about and I am good at. That makes it easier for me to perform well.

 

[Judge]

I don't believe in the notion that a person or their achievements are defined only by what they do to make a living. Nor would I define anyone or their potential, based only on their autism.

Life is too short to let their work or neurology define one so profoundly. After all, we may individually be on this plane of existence for an entirely different reason.

The sort of thing that society at large could not possibly dictate.

We all have some kind of value, whether we or others understand it or not.

 

[Fino]

If I define "achieving" in my job as getting my students to be better at piano then that isn't my primary concern. I worry first about their well-being and then their piano playing. So when it comes to things like recitals, I feel as if I'm not interested in "achievements" in the workplace.

 

[Streetwise]

Some people are ok with being a store employee at Walmart, some people need to feel they’ve achieved...

As autistics should we just accept that a Job is still a Job, and at least it isn’t causing us Anxiety?

I wonder if this feeling that I have of never being comfortable with just having a job and not a purpose is similar in Neurotypicals as well. For me achieving at work seems to allow me a get away from the other people and situations in my life. Maybe I’ll regret it later on.

your thoughts on yourself and such.

Kindly Yours,

Simply Wandering

do you think you want a tryptophan fix or adrenaline ,for some people ,it’s adrenaline for others it’s tryptophan.
Id hope if I felt like that that Id realise I should start more intensive mindfulness, it may seem like I’m coming from an odd angle !but the rest of your body (apart from your desire )may thank you for it.

 

[Tom]

I never really sought such for itself. I don't necessarily like to stand out. But I tend to focus a lot on my work and was in a field where it was possible to think it as important, as bigger then yourself, so it did often happen. In the sense that it could mean more pay or job security I was glad when it did happen. It is also nice to have your work recognized.

 

[SimplyWandering]

Who is to say that working at WalMart is not an achievement?

A competent WalMart employee is more useful/doing more good than an incompetent
[fill in the blank with any job title you care to choose....]

I was actually going to put that in parentheses (not that there is anything wrong with that...) because I knew someone would say that. ^_^

 

[Autistamatic]

Achieving in the workplace isn't a priority for me. Continuing to get paid is
It took me many years to find my vocation - nearly 50, but I found it and it's not in my job.

The only thing I would say in a similar vein to the OP is that I've had several of my ideas appropriated by previous bosses of mine which have been great successes for the companies involved and gained the theiving bosses promotions and riches. One even sold "his" idea to the board using my PowerPoint slides. I don't covet the advantages they gained, but I do feel cheated and used.

 

[Aspychata]

Think of emoloyment in relation to a host of other concerns. If my life outside of work is pretty much normal, then l can handle a complex work environment. However, if l am handling physical limitations, or dealing with stupid situations that require time, apartment hunting, endless medical appointments, then a mindless position seems fine.

But if l love the position then l turn into a workaholic which is the problem with being on the spectrum. I love working in law offices because l can bury myself in tons of legalise paperwork and feel great at the end of the day. And people can't afford to bother me because l can bill you.

 

[Bolletje]

I never really sought such for itself. I don't necessarily like to stand out. But I tend to focus a lot on my work and was in a field where it was possible to think it as important, as bigger then yourself, so it did often happen. In the sense that it could mean more pay or job security I was glad when it did happen. It is also nice to have your work recognized.

This is so relatable. I don’t necessarily like to stand out, but I like to receive praise for the way I do my job. I recently got a contract extension of a year even though I’ve been sick for most of the year I worked at this job, because my supervisor and my manager were singing my praises on account of the quality of work I deliver. That definitely made me feel good.

 

[Peter Morrison]

I've won awards at work, but I do my best regardless of achievement prizes or plaques of recognition. It's nice too be officially recognized, but I would be the same without an award. Some people find awards to be a form of validation. I'm proud of my awards, but all references to them are tucked away in a box. Having recognition awards for employment is a positive thing, especially for young people. It can be a source of continued motivation to try your best, and in doing your best, you are developing yourself professionally. Winning an award means you know what you are doing, and you are doing it well. It's like proof that you are a good employee - very useful when you next interview for a new job.

 

[Shamar]

Some people are ok with being a store employee at Walmart (Edit: not that there is anything wrong with this, however it might not lead to higher employment) , some people need to feel they’ve achieved...

As autistics should we just accept that a Job is still a Job, and at least it isn’t causing us Anxiety?

I wonder if this feeling that I have of never being comfortable with just having a job and not a purpose is similar in Neurotypicals as well. For me achieving at work seems to allow me a get away from the other people and situations in my life. Maybe I’ll regret it later on.

your thoughts on yourself and such.

Kindly Yours,

Simply Wandering

When I was doing exploration geophysics, I suppose I was a high achiever. I kept projects going under very difficult circumstances, I was always picked for the most difficult or unique projects, I was successfully doing things that had never been tried before. Then I came back thoroughly burned out from the Hell's Nightmare project. Because I was not able to do my usual work, they "let me go" (euphemism for "You're Fired). High achievement seems overrated.

 

[ghostie]

I don't believe in the notion that a person or their achievements are defined only by what they do to make a living. Nor would I define anyone or their potential, based only on their autism.

Life is too short to let their work or neurology define one so profoundly. After all, we may individually be on this plane of existence for an entirely different reason.

The sort of thing that society at large could not possibly dictate.

We all have some kind of value, whether we or others understand it or not.

I agree with this. I recently had to leave the multi-decade career I'd been building because my autism (which was undiagnosed until after I left my job) was not compatible with my working conditions.

I'm not 100% certain what I'll be doing next, but I do know that as long as it pays enough to keep me in my apartment, the only thing I care about is that it will suit my personality and let me be relaxed and happy. I don't care what people think about my job as long as I'm happy because all the job is for me, is a way to pay the bills. If people really want to judge me by my achievements they'd have to look into my hobbies (the things I actually care about)

 

[clg114]

During my working career, I guess I was considered a high achiever because I was pretty much left alone to do my work. There were customers that did not call the office for service, they called me. I turned in a lot of work orders to bill and kept busy, so the service manager left me alone. I was working with my special interest and working alone. It was the perfect job for this Aspie, I was having a good time.

 

[Rasputin]

During my working career, I guess I was considered a high achiever because I was pretty much left alone to do my work. There were customers that did not call the office for service, they called me. I turned in a lot of work orders to bill and kept busy, so the service manager left me alone. I was working with my special interest and working alone. It was the perfect job for this Aspie, I was having a good time.

That describes my work situation since April. Two people left for other jobs, and I just added their work to my workload. Weird thing is I do more work than the three of us did as a team because I don’t make mistakes.

 

[Shenandoah]

For me a feeling of satisfaction from an achievement at work or school wanes within 5 minutes after I completed the goal. I still do it based on internal motivation, but what I have achieved to date literally doesn't matter to me. I have had work projects spanning 5-10 years that were very demanding and successful, I have my masters as well a non-work related cont. ed. certificate program that took me 2 years of sleep shortages.
Do I care about or even think these things? Heck, no. might as well have never happened.
Not sure if it's an Aspie thing or not.

 

[SusanLR]

I never felt the need for high achievement in employment, unless it had monetary gain attached to it.

In every day life, I feel driven to perfectionism as much as possible strictly for self satisfaction.

 

[Thinx]

I have always done well at work, but with a lot of internal worrying on my part that I just thought was me, rightly in a way, except I didn't realise I had high autistic traits or Aspergers. I did a lot of therapy that worked well to help with issues around my upbringing but there were issues that never changed, social and communication issues that I later, much later, realised were due to high autistic traits or Aspergers. That realisation in itself helped, as I could abandon pointless attempts to improve and find strategies to cope with the way I was.

I have gained a lot of satisfaction and confidence from my work roles, and had high status in several jobs. However I mainly have motivation to work in order to have money to live on. But it's fair to say work has probably kept my self-esteem higher than it may otherwise have been, aswell as giving a structured way of mixing with others. I sometimes wonder what complete freedom from it would be like, but I still need money, albeit mainly for holidays and extras these days.

 

[onlything]

You can always have a job and a purpose outside the job. Job doesn't have to equal your purpose. You can work for charities in your free time or create independent art, dabble in politics even. Job can give you money but it's other activities that can give you purpose.