Job Possibilities

Hi there. You've pointed out a lot of key factors of how you would like your ideal job to be like and what possible difficulties that you may encounter if you do a PhD. I think these are all excellent points. Perhaps you can discuss your concerns with some professors at uni? 

I'm not sure if you have considered, or if you would like the idea, of doing a Masters degree or a couple years of Research Assistant before doing PhD? I think a Masters / RA jobs would be a lot less stressful compared to a PhD, and there is often a lot more support / structure. You can perhaps get a better idea of what doing graduate level research would be like, have more time to acquire technical skills, and decide whether or not this kind of environment is what you enjoy. And if you like it, you can apply for a PhD next year. There's really no rush, and the extra time you've taken to consider and learn other things may help in the long run. No one really cares about your age during the PhD. 

For your question about jobs after graduation. I think there are lots of research-related jobs if not staying in academia. Bio-tech companies, pharmaceutical companies, science parks, NHS research. I wonder if you might be interested in autism-related research? Your uni probably has a career service that you could consult with someone about your interests and see if they have any suggestions?

You are very talented. You are currently in a top uni and having good grades. Good luck! 

Unfortunately I can't afford to do a Masters, as there is no financial support for those. I've consulted with my uni service before, but all their suggestions required me to do a second undergrad degree, which again I couldn't afford. Don't you need some post-graduate experience to do a research assistant post?

My degree won't qualify me to work within an NHS post as it's not accredited, and the other options still require a PhD in my field although they are outside academia. Autism research interests me a lot, but I think I would be turned away because my diagnosis might introduce a bias working in that field, and as DragonCat16 has usefully stated, I think I would need to be honest about my condition if I wanted to find the right post for me. Plus, I think my issue is that any of these options would be too stressful or difficult jobs for me to do. My issue is that my good grades don't translate into me being a good employee because of my autism. I'm trying to think of a job that wouldn't be stressful. I was thinking about being a cleaner, but I'm scared of being turned away for being overqualified. I can't really think of any other options. Suggestions along those kind of lines, where there's no pressure or expectations, would be useful. 

Hi Aralez, 

I agree that funding for Masters is often harder to find, but it's not true that there is no financial support. It is possible to do a fully-funded Masters. For example, the Santander Cambridge Scholarship is specifically for Master students, and offers £10,000 to UK students. Actually, if you search on the Cambridge Trust website, and use the key words United Kingdom (I assume you're a UK student) and Masters, there are a few scholarships: https://www.cambridgetrust.org/scholarships/?country=United+Kingdom&degree=Masters&subject=&college=&submit=Search I'm sure other universities will have similar scholarships as well, you just need to search. It is also possible to consider going abroad to other countries where Master degrees are more affordable or if they have better scholarships.

I think Research Assistant is a good alternative for a Masters. It often involves related research, but you don't have the pressure of  having to write a thesis and you also get paid for doing the job. It is common for people in the United States to spend a couple of years doing an RA before the PhD, to get the experience, learn skills, earn money, and decide whether or not they like research. It could add an advantage when applying for PhDs as you will have more experience. I don't think you need post-graduate experience to do a research assistant post. In my field, "research fellows", "research associates" are often post-PhD, while "research assistant" can be either post-BA degree or post-MA degree, but other fields could use other terms. I think more searching would be required if you would like to find something like this. I've just did a search on some job websites and found a few that only needs an undergraduate degree.

If you're really interested in autism research, I think having Asperger's syndrome could be an advantage. Most jobs and graduate programmes are not allowed to discriminate you because of having a disability, so you would be eligible to apply. You may also provide new insight into the field that other people may not have noticed before. There's a large-scale research on late autism diagnosis in adult females lead by a PhD student that has Asperger's Syndrome. You can read about the news here https://www.anglia.ac.uk/science-and-technology/news/aspergers-student-leads-female-autism-study and here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/women_late_diagnosis_autism (scroll down to the second interview). 

I can definitely relate to all your concerns. I have the same troubles too. Just wanted to let you know that there is a big world out there with many possibilities, and whatever job you choose, whether it is going into research or being a cleaner, try to find something that makes you happy. 

Yes, I agree with the possible stress associated with a Masters. I just thought it could be another possibility, to serve as a transition between now and a PhD (and maybe a backup plan). But it's good that you know what you want. The PhD does have higher chances of funding and more time to settle down. I wish you the best of luck with your PhD as well as future job applications 

Thank you aralez for what you said about me, I really appreciate that and like you, I appreciate honesty and clear speaking, even if I don’t agree with it, it makes it easier for me to understand so I used to get baffled when people didn’t like my honesty and straight talking. I often come across as aggressive, insensitive, selfish, argumentative and even last week, I was thrown out of an art gallery! Lol! But we can work on our communication skills but not in an attempt to ‘fit in’ but in an attempt to create harmonious relationships where people can communicate and get on, despite the differences.  

Yes, I understand that some of your challenges will be related to autism and mental health problems and you’re already addressing them, which is great. 

As far as the minimum wage thing is concerned. I’m not saying don’t go for minimum wage, because there’s nothing wrong with that at all, I’m just saying frame it slightly differently. For example, I will get paid a wage that meets my abilities and needs at that time - which could be the minimum wage but it might not be but by saying it this way, you open yourself up to more opportunities. 

I’ve given up talking to my parents, because as you say, they grew up in different times and their experiences could not be repeated now. But it’s great that you have such good role models in that despite their lack of formal education, they still successed to bring home good incomes and have a nice life. 

You sound like a wonderful person with a very balanced outlook on life. If people don’t take the time to get to know you then maybe they weren’t the people you need in your life. 

And trust me, it’s your birth right to be motivated by money. Not in a way that says oh, I can earn lots of money and that will mean I’m great, but in the way that you should be paid for the quality and value you bring to the table and in a way then enables you to have a nice life. You weren’t put on this earth to be denied experiences and money enables us to have those experiences. 

Honestly, you sound like a lovely person and if there’s one thing in life that I’ve learned, it’s that we absolutely have to have at least one person in our lives who is committed to helping us reach our dreams. We have to get clear on what we want and have a plan to bring it into reality. We need help with that and there is help out there. 

I see what your saying. I still think it's a part of my mental health problems though. Although I'm getting professional help with that so hopefully I'll begin to think in better ways soon.

I suppose I'm scared to aim for more than the minimum wage because it looks bad to be motivated by money. Plus, if I aim for more and don't get it, I'll be disappointed with myself and mourn what I can't have more than if I just go on the assumption I'll never have it.

I find I express myself well through written words. I have very poor verbal and physical social skills though. I come across as rude, awkward and negative, but I don't mean to be. It's just I don't know how to act because of my autism. I like people really, but getting them to like me is so difficult.

It's sad that some think that, I think you are just honest, and I like that because I can understand it easily.

I think it's just because I try to talk to my parents and they're so out of touch. They've suggested things like zoo keeper, vet nurse, accounts, not understanding that you need a specific degree to do these jobs in our generation! They've both done many different jobs without ever having any qualifications and are now on good salaries, but that's due to the world they grew up in. My poor brother has decent grades and work experience and can't even land himself retail or factory work. It's a different world now.

Your advice is good! And it's so nice that you've taken the time to reply to me in such length :)

You’ve already got a really positive mindset aralez and like I said, I think you’re doing great, you just need some support to help you figure it all out. 

As I said, you’re asking all the right questions and you’re doing all the right things, reaching out etc so please give yourself tons of credit. 

I wasn’t referring to your challenges with autism or mental health, but rather your mindset, which underpins everything. Our words hold a lot of power. For example, somebody might say, I want to loose weight. Then they loose some weight, say 1 pound, so they have achieved their goal yet they’re unhappy because now they want to loose more weight but they didn’t specify that in the beginning, they just said they wanted to lose weight and then they got all unhappy when they didn’t  keep on losing it. 

We create our realities by what we think and believe and the by the decisions and intentions that we make. You’re limiting yourself by saying you want to earn the minimum wage. That instantly cuts you off from the possibility of a great job that pays over the minimum wage which might be more suitable to you. 

There is a part of the brain called the reticular activating system that filters out the things we don’t want (a job that pays more than the minimum wage) and enables us to see only the things we do want (a job with minimum wage) so you have to be careful with how you use words and intentions etc. And you can see the reticular activating system in operation when, for example, you decide you want a new red car and all of a sudden, you begin to see red cars everywhere. This is the reticular activating system doing its job. 

And who says you’ve got inept social skills? You’ve got excellent social skills. Most people get offended by what I say, they take what I say personally and as an insult or they take it the wrong way then they not only go on to defend themselves but to attack me as well. You did none of that. You’ve got great social skills. But like me, you probably aren’t at your best in the mix of this fast paced society, that often values money etc over people and where people are often too busy to take the time to really give attention to the person they’re talking to. You only have to look around to see how inept the greatest number of people are at social skills. We wouldn’t have so much conflict and war in the world if people had better social skills. Please don’t compare yourself against neurotypical people’s social skills because really, are they really that great? Would the world be like it is today if the majority of people living in it had great social skills? 

You say it’s hard to consider other options in this current climate - things have never been better and even during the times of the great depressions, people were able to amass great fortunes, despite the depression. We are living in astonishing times and we have so many more ways of making an income than we did a hundred years ago. You just need some support. Somebody to sit down with you, one to one, and talk this through with you and come up with a plan. We can’t do that by ourselves. Nobody can, autistic or not. You need somebody on your side, who understands and appreciates your challenges, and who has the ability to help you work through this to help you create a wonderful life for you, whatever that may look like and regardless of what anybody else thinks. It isn’t easy and I’ve got 51 years of experience behind me. I’m not saying it’s easy and I’m not saying you’re doing anything wrong, quite the opposite, I’m simply offering my support, from my perspective, and if it helps, great, if it doesn’t, that’s still great, just leave what I’ve said but still know that I’ve got your back, I want to support you as best I can and my support might not be the best for you. I won’t be offended if what I say makes no sense to you or you just don’t like it or whatever. There are people on this site who can offer far greater support and advice etc than I can but that doesn’t mean I can’t try, I help some people some times. But I don’t think anybody can figure this stuff out by themselves so I absolutely recommend you get some support to help you work your way through it. 

@BlueRay

I want to earn the minimum wage after university, then work up to £30k a year maybe by the time I'm 40. It's true that right now I'm struggling with multiple mental health problems on top of my autism, that are caused by my inept social skills, so this is probably what you are getting off me. 

I'm really glad you've found support that is helpful for you. I think what you say is a more positive way to look at the situation, and I'll try to take that on board. I think that's why I made this post, for suggestions of new things that I might be able to do that's not what's currently in front of me. It's just trying to consider other options is so hard in this current climate! Everything requires previous experience, a degree in a relevant field, networking etc. Hopefully NAS will come up with some suggestions for me. 

@BlueRay

I want to earn the minimum wage after university, then work up to £30k a year maybe by the time I'm 40. It's true that right now I'm struggling with multiple mental health problems on top of my autism, that are caused by my inept social skills, so this is probably what you are getting off me. 

I'm really glad you've found support that is helpful for you. I think what you say is a more positive way to look at the situation, and I'll try to take that on board. I think that's why I made this post, for suggestions of new things that I might be able to do that's not what's currently in front of me. It's just trying to consider other options is so hard in this current climate! Everything requires previous experience, a degree in a relevant field, networking etc. Hopefully NAS will come up with some suggestions for me. 

Thank you aralez for what you said about me, I really appreciate that and like you, I appreciate honesty and clear speaking, even if I don’t agree with it, it makes it easier for me to understand so I used to get baffled when people didn’t like my honesty and straight talking. I often come across as aggressive, insensitive, selfish, argumentative and even last week, I was thrown out of an art gallery! Lol! But we can work on our communication skills but not in an attempt to ‘fit in’ but in an attempt to create harmonious relationships where people can communicate and get on, despite the differences.  

Yes, I understand that some of your challenges will be related to autism and mental health problems and you’re already addressing them, which is great. 

As far as the minimum wage thing is concerned. I’m not saying don’t go for minimum wage, because there’s nothing wrong with that at all, I’m just saying frame it slightly differently. For example, I will get paid a wage that meets my abilities and needs at that time - which could be the minimum wage but it might not be but by saying it this way, you open yourself up to more opportunities. 

I’ve given up talking to my parents, because as you say, they grew up in different times and their experiences could not be repeated now. But it’s great that you have such good role models in that despite their lack of formal education, they still successed to bring home good incomes and have a nice life. 

You sound like a wonderful person with a very balanced outlook on life. If people don’t take the time to get to know you then maybe they weren’t the people you need in your life. 

And trust me, it’s your birth right to be motivated by money. Not in a way that says oh, I can earn lots of money and that will mean I’m great, but in the way that you should be paid for the quality and value you bring to the table and in a way then enables you to have a nice life. You weren’t put on this earth to be denied experiences and money enables us to have those experiences. 

Honestly, you sound like a lovely person and if there’s one thing in life that I’ve learned, it’s that we absolutely have to have at least one person in our lives who is committed to helping us reach our dreams. We have to get clear on what we want and have a plan to bring it into reality. We need help with that and there is help out there. 

I see what your saying. I still think it's a part of my mental health problems though. Although I'm getting professional help with that so hopefully I'll begin to think in better ways soon.

I suppose I'm scared to aim for more than the minimum wage because it looks bad to be motivated by money. Plus, if I aim for more and don't get it, I'll be disappointed with myself and mourn what I can't have more than if I just go on the assumption I'll never have it.

I find I express myself well through written words. I have very poor verbal and physical social skills though. I come across as rude, awkward and negative, but I don't mean to be. It's just I don't know how to act because of my autism. I like people really, but getting them to like me is so difficult.

It's sad that some think that, I think you are just honest, and I like that because I can understand it easily.

I think it's just because I try to talk to my parents and they're so out of touch. They've suggested things like zoo keeper, vet nurse, accounts, not understanding that you need a specific degree to do these jobs in our generation! They've both done many different jobs without ever having any qualifications and are now on good salaries, but that's due to the world they grew up in. My poor brother has decent grades and work experience and can't even land himself retail or factory work. It's a different world now.

Your advice is good! And it's so nice that you've taken the time to reply to me in such length :)

You’ve already got a really positive mindset aralez and like I said, I think you’re doing great, you just need some support to help you figure it all out. 

As I said, you’re asking all the right questions and you’re doing all the right things, reaching out etc so please give yourself tons of credit. 

I wasn’t referring to your challenges with autism or mental health, but rather your mindset, which underpins everything. Our words hold a lot of power. For example, somebody might say, I want to loose weight. Then they loose some weight, say 1 pound, so they have achieved their goal yet they’re unhappy because now they want to loose more weight but they didn’t specify that in the beginning, they just said they wanted to lose weight and then they got all unhappy when they didn’t  keep on losing it. 

We create our realities by what we think and believe and the by the decisions and intentions that we make. You’re limiting yourself by saying you want to earn the minimum wage. That instantly cuts you off from the possibility of a great job that pays over the minimum wage which might be more suitable to you. 

There is a part of the brain called the reticular activating system that filters out the things we don’t want (a job that pays more than the minimum wage) and enables us to see only the things we do want (a job with minimum wage) so you have to be careful with how you use words and intentions etc. And you can see the reticular activating system in operation when, for example, you decide you want a new red car and all of a sudden, you begin to see red cars everywhere. This is the reticular activating system doing its job. 

And who says you’ve got inept social skills? You’ve got excellent social skills. Most people get offended by what I say, they take what I say personally and as an insult or they take it the wrong way then they not only go on to defend themselves but to attack me as well. You did none of that. You’ve got great social skills. But like me, you probably aren’t at your best in the mix of this fast paced society, that often values money etc over people and where people are often too busy to take the time to really give attention to the person they’re talking to. You only have to look around to see how inept the greatest number of people are at social skills. We wouldn’t have so much conflict and war in the world if people had better social skills. Please don’t compare yourself against neurotypical people’s social skills because really, are they really that great? Would the world be like it is today if the majority of people living in it had great social skills? 

You say it’s hard to consider other options in this current climate - things have never been better and even during the times of the great depressions, people were able to amass great fortunes, despite the depression. We are living in astonishing times and we have so many more ways of making an income than we did a hundred years ago. You just need some support. Somebody to sit down with you, one to one, and talk this through with you and come up with a plan. We can’t do that by ourselves. Nobody can, autistic or not. You need somebody on your side, who understands and appreciates your challenges, and who has the ability to help you work through this to help you create a wonderful life for you, whatever that may look like and regardless of what anybody else thinks. It isn’t easy and I’ve got 51 years of experience behind me. I’m not saying it’s easy and I’m not saying you’re doing anything wrong, quite the opposite, I’m simply offering my support, from my perspective, and if it helps, great, if it doesn’t, that’s still great, just leave what I’ve said but still know that I’ve got your back, I want to support you as best I can and my support might not be the best for you. I won’t be offended if what I say makes no sense to you or you just don’t like it or whatever. There are people on this site who can offer far greater support and advice etc than I can but that doesn’t mean I can’t try, I help some people some times. But I don’t think anybody can figure this stuff out by themselves so I absolutely recommend you get some support to help you work your way through it.