Autism, aspiration, enterprise.

Hi there, very sorry to hear your current job makes you feel like you don't belong. It's really hard to fit in with people so unlike ourselves and to find colleagues we can connect with. If I'm in too small a team I feel under too much scrutiny, if I'm in too large a team I just feel lost. 

Let's hope that in the near future there will be more autism friendly work settings so we can pursue our interests, use our talents and realise our potential. I'm really pleased some IT and techie companies are beginning to recognise ASD strengths. We need autism awareness and acceptance to diversify into other spheres of employment too.

Your interest in music production sounds really positive. I hope you find a way of overcoming all the challenges so you get to do this one day. The creative industry has lots of opportunities that would be a good match with autistic strengths. We just need a massive change in thinking among employers and recruiters. 

It might be worth exploring what advice support and funding the Co-operative Hive can provide, see: https://www.uk.coop/the-hive/ 

Richard Wolff talks about the Mondragon co-operatives in Spain.  You can find info about them on google - richard wolff mondragon.  But there's still a co-operative movement in the UK as well.  I think co-ops might provide capitalism the competition it needs to keep it honest.

The USSR way was corrupt. Read Cancer Ward of Solzsenitskin, for example and yes I have forgotten to spell his name.

There is an excellent book called The Spirit Level which quietly and humbly examines the effect tabof large-scale inequality and might, just might be done about it. The trouble with Marx was that he became yet another all-knowing guru. Human nature and all that? But he still pinpointed what alienation actually means. The Spirit Level suggests more big companies need to become cooperatives. Nice to know any anecdotal stories on whether or not that might work

In every case, somebody has to be the first success story.  One of the main things about being entrepreneurial is overcoming all the obstacles to make your idea a success.

Well, I don't think the USSR was actually a Marxist but rather a "Communist" state for some definition of Communism.  But actually I agree with your wife.  My hypothesis is that the various "dogmas" tried so far - e.g. feudalism, capitalism, communism - none of them work well when taken to the extreme.  The sort of democracy we have now, in it's various extant forms such as parliamentary representative monarchy, republicanism, etc. also has deficiencies. 

After all Winston Churchill said "Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…"

I'm in somewhat stable work, albeit temporary as its from a temp agency, but past financial mistakes mean i can't apply for funding for setting up my own business not that i have an idea to work from anyway. I was thinking something like music production since its something I could do from the comfort of my home but it's a risk, it might not lead to something worthwhile as there are things like content creators on youtube that you have to contend with etc. which the same goes for any other thing you can think of, just someone else has already done it on youtube or seen a market for it and might not have worked out in the end.

The way this might be relevant with regards to asd and employment is my current job was a fluke and i can already tell i don't belong in the workplace having worked here for 2 months on a temp basis, having had a few meltdowns and not as perked up as i started, e.g. i see people strike up conversations randomly, and everytime i try, it ends up in them not understanding a word I say or i get feedback saying i'm too quiet.

Outside of work, I am seeing awareness like certain businesses hiring aspies into specalised fields most commonly IT or data entry with an emphasis on analysis and logic where other 'NT' companies would force social interaction on you.

I'm in somewhat stable work, albeit temporary as its from a temp agency, but past financial mistakes mean i can't apply for funding for setting up my own business not that i have an idea to work from anyway. I was thinking something like music production since its something I could do from the comfort of my home but it's a risk, it might not lead to something worthwhile as there are things like content creators on youtube that you have to contend with etc. which the same goes for any other thing you can think of, just someone else has already done it on youtube or seen a market for it and might not have worked out in the end.

The way this might be relevant with regards to asd and employment is my current job was a fluke and i can already tell i don't belong in the workplace having worked here for 2 months on a temp basis, having had a few meltdowns and not as perked up as i started, e.g. i see people strike up conversations randomly, and everytime i try, it ends up in them not understanding a word I say or i get feedback saying i'm too quiet.

Outside of work, I am seeing awareness like certain businesses hiring aspies into specalised fields most commonly IT or data entry with an emphasis on analysis and logic where other 'NT' companies would force social interaction on you.

Unknown said:

He describes himself as a Socialist/Marxist Economist.  (Marxism it seems, at least according to Prof. Wolff is not what we were brought up to believe as children of the Cold War.)

Coincidentally, the person I know best that grew up in such an environment (USSR then Russian Federation post perestroika) - my wife - is the staunchest advocate of how a socialist/Marxist state is great in theory but can never work in practice

Unknown said:

What I'm thinking of would need some tech, but also many other things such as graphic design, finance, logistics etc. going forwards.

I think this is where the conversation Sunflower and I were embarking on would help.  The basic idea being that there is a parent organisation (NFP/Social Enterprise/ETC) that is able to provide core services to each and every "child" organisation (ICT/Merchant Services/Promotion/ETC).

How I would see this working would be that each "child" organisation could be run however that person chooses to run it - NFP/Social Enterprise/Capitalist/Limited Company/PLC/ETC - but each owner would form part of the conglomeration of the "parent" organisation - each with an equal say etc.

With this model, cost for each "child" organisation can be reduced without differing opinion or market strategy affecting the whole.

(am I making any sense here?)

Perdu,

The sort of thing I'm thinking about would involve trying to minimise the necessary outside investment as much as possible.  I'd be happy with grants but I wouldn't be wanting to sell any of the company equity, because once the money men are into you bang goes the ability to control your own destiny.  So it would be built from "sweat equity" but then nobody else can take control off of you.

What I'm thinking of would need some tech, but also many other things such as graphic design, finance, logistics etc. going forwards.

A big YES to this! I much prefer working according to proper systems and processes even though I'm not in IT. So much less stressful and much more efficient. Haven't had the opportunity to work systematically for a few years now (NTs seem to like things being inefficient and chaotic!). 

If you're interested in worker co-ops Sunflower, take a look at stuff by Richard D. Wolff - Professor Emeritus (Economics) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  He describes himself as a Socialist/Marxist Economist.  (Marxism it seems, at least according to Prof. Wolff is not what we were brought up to believe as children of the Cold War.)

I think I can see the appeal of Co-ops, but I can also see the appeal of a certain amount of controlled benevolent dictatorship.  I really wouldn't want to create a PLC because then you are having to dance to the pipes of the shareholders etc.  The real reason I'm keen on something tending towards non-profit is that I think it could bring some badly needed competition against the current business orthodoxy.

I'm not against profit per-se, but I'm against profit for the sake of profit, or maximising profit at all costs for the enrichment of the board and senior management and shareholders at the expense of pretty much everything else.  I can see there are advantages for that type of organisation - for the people who are pretty much money motivated, it gives them a motive to innovate in order to extract profit.  That can have beneficial outcomes if it drives down prices and spurs innovation.  But I think those organisations need competition (like for example Freeware/GPL software in the IT sphere) in order to stop them getting complacent and keep them on their toes.  I think Co-ops and social enterprises could provide that competition.  The business types can't really argue because they claim "we're all about competition."

In terms of general management style, I'm interested in the Kepner Tregoe stuff:

The New Rational Manager - An Updated Edition for a New World.  Charles H. Kepner, Benjamin B. Tregoe.

The Thinking Manager's Toolbox - Effective Processes for Problem Solving & Decision Making.  William J. Altier.

Agreed processes for dealing with problems, making decisions, assessing potential problems/opportunities, working out what needs to be done and in what order.

Everything clearly written down, everybody can have engagement in the things relevant for them and it's clearly documented why things are done the way are, and where things are "parked" if they've been decided not to proceed with yet or have been binned for whatever reason.

I work in IT.  Pretty much two of the most fundamental things in Computer Science are the concept of an algorithm, and the concept of processes.  But the norms who are paid and supposedly professionals in this area have no buy in to the idea of processes except when they are useful to them to use to beat people down with.  But the moment they're not immediately convenient to them, at that particular moment in time because they'd actually have to do something, they go straight out of the window.  And they can vary the processes to suit them, but you can't vary them to suit you.  How can you work in IT and not believe in the value of processes/algorithms and understand why they work?  AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!

It’s out there, but only in a small way.

https://phys.org/news/2016-08-autism-silicon-valley-asset-social.html

https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/autism-hiring-initiatives-tech

https://njbmagazine.com/njb-news-now/employees-autism-workplace/

From a HR perspective.

http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/the-challenges-of-recruiting-and-employing-people-with-autism

from the UK government.

Even the UK Government is beginning to take notice of this untapped workforce. In 2012, Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform made a speech about the benefits of employing people with autism; not just from a skills perspective but from the point of view of employers addressing the way companies think of themselves as a whole.

All small breadcrumbs and not a cohesive strategy... just that some people, albeit “get it”, some may want to, others never will.

this company is based in Newcastle recruiting aspies in the IT sector.

Have a read of page 5 and 6 in particular. 

http://www.autismworks.co.uk/images/downloads/seedetail_Brochure.pdf

There isn't, honestly. I wrote this hoping to find anyone with a success story to break me out of this despair.

I've been trying a long time to find a way to gain independence; true, sustainable independence. I know how to do it, but there simply isn't the political will to live up to the empty rhetoric.

They like harvesting us for ideas or using our skills to push their agenda but as far as empowering us to create our own industry, forget it. Thats why we don't have a booming tech sector.

You might not have noticed but i use quotes a lot, when we digest these nuggets we find we ingest another humans wisdom from a lifetimes experience (I'm not talking random quotes), one of the ones that has resonated with me my whole life is the following.

“You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?”

― George Bernard Shaw

I'm not one of those who sits around daydreaming and never tries to create any of these ideas; I've done allsorts of weird n wacky stuff, generally with great success. We don't live in a world that makes any of that possible anymore, you are either the oppressed or the oppressor.

A guy i used to do some stuff with is now a billionaire, his platform is very well known and rakes in god knows how much. Difference? He's American. Investment is much easier to secure. 

With the right support (with my medical stuff sorted) i could create something pretty epic that feeds my all encompassing interests, creates revenue, creates employment and more importantly for me fosters that independence i need, the business enterprise people look at me like i have 3 heads, because they don't understand tech.

When i was young i had a career, it would cost you £30,000 a day to hire us, more at full tilt, i went from being the lowest on the totem pole to a rising star of the next generation - the digital revolution was me all over. The owner died, the lesser partner fucked the business up and it collapsed. I never recovered, i went from swimming in a pod of blue whales to a tiny tank of sharks. The sharks ate the aspie kid. I had no social game, just skills beyond the sharks, they don't like that.

It's unlikely i will ever get back to the level i was at, the industry has changed too much and with it the whole 'scene', i still have the skills, and then some, but soon with the house situation, progress i thought i had made will be knocked back 10 years. I had been hoping to just maybe get well enough to be able to clean up some of the crumbs in the tank.

Sorry if this is rambling theres so much going on right now my ADHD is everywhere, thoughts flying allover.

The solutions to everything we need are already out there, we don't even need to fight for legislation; It exists, we just need the political will.

I have started reading up about different enterprise models. Co-operatives look interesting too, and there's support available to develop ideas and get established. 

It looks like we could be onto something here...

My thinking has been going in a similar direction.

Straight self-employment is a tough option. It's rare for one person to have all the necessary skills. In successful enterprise 'collectives' people's talents and resources are combined. 

A Community Interest Company could be established to function as the umbrella organisation, supporting and connecting a wide 'spectrum' of ASD entrepreneurs.

There would be potential for a range of shared services (market research, web development, marketing, bid writing, accountancy, virtual PAs).   

Self-employment is a good option for many of us and this approach would help more people get established. There would be scope for some interesting collaborations too.  

Just ideas...  

Sunflower,

I really don't think that a lot of NT's would cope anywhere near as well as most neurodiverse people have to - just to get through the standard day.

A prime example would be the line manager at my last place of employment - he wouldn't have a clue; especially as it was ALWAYS that had to adjust, change the way I spoke to people, managed my workload etc etc etc