Published on 12, July, 2020
I'd like to find a job that doesn't make me constantly overstimulated, overwhelmed and fatigued, but is also intellectually challenging. I absolutely love learning. Has anyone found a role that works for them?
I did a degree in Maths, Statistics and Operational Research.
I worked as an operational researcher which suited me as it was a desk job processing numbers with other number types. I did data analysis, artificial intelligence and risk analysis. Looking back it surprises me how NT these spaces were, but we were all busy number crunching so it was quiet.
I then worked as a university lecturer teaching this. That worked as you get an office on your own and there's limited meetings orexpectation to be social. Lectures are quite easy compared to classrooms, and it's easier being the lecturer than in the group. Universities are high stress environments though. I was ok cos I worked 2.5 days and spread it over 3 or 4 so I had lots of recovery time. I also didn't care about a career, status, promotion so didn't get caught up in the research game whete the stress comes from. Unis apparently have lots of ASs there.
Now I work as a manager for an Animal Freedom group. It's more tiring, but it's purposeful and a passion, and we seem to recruit quiet types! I think we're approx 50% or more undiagnosed, haha! There's lots of ASs in Animal Protection groups.
Hi, NicheMarket:
Regarding what you said, “I also didn't care about a career, status, promotion so didn't get caught up in the research game...”:
That really rang true and struck a positive chord with me. Thanks for sharing it. I felt liberated when I decided not to care about having a permanent contract (tenure) as a teacher here in our Canadian school system. I make the same money as tenured teachers, I have the same pension, the same benefits, etc. The only difference is that I work contracts of one year at a time. This decision has liberated me from school politics or working in fear, which a lot of teachers here do.
Elizabeth
It was a life saving insight. I'd been in post 2 years (permanent cos it's impossible to recruit in my area so tenure was easy) and I wasn't happy. I was ready to leave, there were too many conflicting and exhausting demands. I decided to not do my usual and leave and try and incremently improve it.
So I thought about who was happy in my job in my dept and I'd copy them. I went down the corridor one by one in my mind. No one was happy in the way I'd want to be happy, but out of 35 I felt 2 or 3 were doing well. I thought about them. What they had was that their egoes, maybe identities, weren't caught up in their role. I realised my problem was my ego, I'd got caught in the university politics power game. I had no intrinsic interest so dropped to 60% immediately, then 50% the next year, and then fought a difficult negotiation to move from the research track to the teaching track. I had to threaten to leave. But immediately in the teaching track there's no status, not an easy career, etc. I was blissfully free! I was happy for about 10 years but did lose interest as it was hard to find novelty without chasing status roles. Then I was inspired to do my new job.
It was odd how many people were envious of my bliss, would talk to me about it, about switching track, but they couldn't do it (except one). Are we more rational and can assess how to be happy better? Or does status actually mean something to them Elizabeth???
I feel that way, myself.
Austerity for those who want work, but Audis for those who want Benefits.
Now, I've declared myself unfit for work. Just in time for my next PIP form.
I thought that about the job too.
But it comforts me to remember that humans ARE predators. That's just how humans behave. That's why humans are on the top of the food chain and control the world. Humans have nothing that preys on us now, so we prey on each other. Or rather, those without consciences prey on other humans and can't control their predatory instincts.