Do you work, study, etc?

What I used to find.......strange and clever to say the least, was when adverts would play with possessive adjective "your" and contraction of "you are" >> "you're".  Like "find your happy" on a holiday advert.

Speak for yourself !

I've done tons of jobs, most of which weren't for very long (but a couple of which were for a decade each), and all of which I've found stressful.

From a list that includes part-time and temporary work, here are some:

Waitress

Shop assistant

Chamber maid

Telesales person

Clerical assistant

Secretary

Legal secretary

Legal assistant/paralegal

Admin assistant

Medical secretary

Receptionist

Personal assistant

I've worked in interesting places including the civil service, law courts, various solicitors, various hospitals + GP practises, a newspaper and the Catholic Church.

I no longer work, luckily, as I was able to 'retire' early.

I think that's giraffes your thinking of. Easels have distinct markings that field painters use to 'spot' them in the, well, in the field.

They are both on the endangered list at this point.

David Attenborough might have done a special on them years ago: "Some have successfully bred with computer language but the resulting offspring are often sterile."

Uhane said:

I have been for the most part an easel painter

Don't all easels look alike?

out_of_step said:

Rebel

Rebel your face is a mess..

noun and verb!

me too!

I took the disability/assistance option in the 80's as I just could not do as you are trying. I did try. teaching English to prepubescent children was best because it lasted 2 hurs tops and then I had time to sit and rock and play a tin whistle till I came back to myself. I have been very happy with the disability benefits as I can regulate my time as the needs be. Right now I am wrting a sci short story, for example, but I have been for the most part an easel painter.

I've not worked in terms of paid employment since October 2021 but I have done freelance bits since.

That job in October 2021 was technically freelance too but I did leave the house for it.  

"Rebel"

You rebel 

Ben said:

Ian and Iain... I've only just realised there are two of you. I'm sure I've thought of you as one for quite some time. The difference a vowel came make, eh!

The clue is in the Avatar  (although it wouldn't be re me as I change them from time to time to keep people 'on their toes') ...

After I left school 2yrs back I thought of doing further studies to work with animals or in biology and science, all 3 appeal to me greatly...and science is my special interest. However, school was hard and it was a challenge finishing my final year due to the immense anxiety I got so I’ve never gone in to college or uni, purely because it will be traumatic and put me through intense pain and suffering lol. My plan is to write a novel, or a series of novels...in the meantime I do freelance writing, though I have been pain for doing a few articles and writing a script for someone else’s RPG game. Cool! Though I mostly write for the love of writing...I enjoy writing a lot, it like animals brings me comfort and peace. Ideally I would love to work one day, even more ideally...work for myself...but when I first tried working I had a mental health breakdown so I just write now, mostly freelance though I do get paid sometimes.

Well..... Ian and Iain... I've only just realised there are two of you. I'm sure I've thought of you as one for quite some time. The difference a vowel came make, eh!

Ben

I just about managed uni and got my degree in spite of being mostly absent. This was in the 80s and autism wasn't really understood so I had no idea the issues I had stemmed from this.

Work was easier as I was clever - managed to get into IT when desktop PCs first appeared and had a long career specialising in support even though it was terrible for my autistic sensitivities, but it paid well and I got to meet people I otherwise wouldn't have and develop social masking to the point I could pass for most;y normal.

I had been working towards getting out of the rat race for ages and after an unfortunate near bankrupcy (thanks to my wifes business venture) had to start from scratch and buid up slowly again.

For me the biggest improvement was getting out from working for other people. In IT there are so many managers with mental health issues it is scary so I built up my skills in property renovation and managed to make a lot of money this decade to be able to retire in my 50s and have since moved to Brazil and do the odd property renovation here to keep busy and build the retirement fund.

I'm a firm believer that you can only ever count on yourself so have developed a mental discipline to grow skills that are useful towards my goals and overcome the issues of autism that are holding me back. It all comes at a cost so the key is knowing when you need to use these skills and when to be kind to yourself.

I retired from full-time work seven years ago following a mild heart attack. I now work for myself as an Independent Social Worker and Practice Educator. I do some expert witness work, including independent social work assessments for EHCP appeals etc., and also work with several universities to support and assess social work students in placement, as well as occasional guest lecturing. I have recently started doing neurodiversity training.

I enjoy the professional aspect of my work, but hate all the administration around accounts and tax.  The best thing about having my own company is that I work from home and can manage my own working hours. 

I've only recently discovered I'm autistic, but have known about my mobility issues all my life, and a visual impairment since I was in my 20s.

My reflection on what got me through all of it, was pacing, and having a backup plan. To know yourself best. So I've always known I have to limit myself socially, I made the choice to live on my own. I have a lot of 'down time' at home, and get most of my social interaction at work and a small amount of things I choose to do. I learned to drive in my 20s, so have the option of taking the car if I feel I will be overwhelmed on public transport. I have a blue badge for my mobility issues, so parking is a bit easier with that.

At home, I batch cook in the slow cooker a lot, mostly things I can throw in the pot and eat 6 - 8 hours later, freezing the leftovers. I have a home help to help with the things around the house I can't do. Shopping, deciding what to eat, then getting it home, preparing it, cooking it: I don't want to eat after that, so I always have something I can just microwave for the tired days. I also tried an 'exclusion diet' - eating a basic diet then introducing food back in one at a time to find out what I was sensitive to, or what made me feel bad. I try not to eat those things, but know what the consequences are of eating them.

In terms of work, finding the right environment is crucial. I worked in IT for a while, and found it a good environment for me. Reasonably predictable, everyone's role is clear, you can share ideas and be proactive without people feeling threatened by your problem-solving skills, and I think a lot of (undiagnosed) autistic people work in IT so there's not so much of the neurotypical challenges I've experienced elsewhere. 

I recently retrained into a more people-focused role, to try using my highly sensitive side, and the work is great, but the neurotypical managers are not. They don't want all the things that were valued in IT, they want you to follow their nonsense rules and not question or try and make things more efficient. So I'm currently working out if I can stay in this, or have to change. Maybe I just need to be more familiar with them...

It boils down to knowing yourself - what gives you energy, what drains your energy, and what is fairly energy neutral. Balance the day or the week, so if I have a busy week at work (I work 3 days, Monday Wednesday Friday, and have the option to do my admin from home if I need to) I have plenty down time to recover. If you want to have a very social life, consider doing work from home that limits your contact with others. My job gives me a decent enough lifestyle, but I don't go on holiday much (well, all those problems with unknowns, busy places, people....) so others my age think my lifestyle is meagre/strange. I don't care, it suits me.

I also study part time, doing research for a PhD, doing a little on Tuesday/Thursday and occasionally the weekends. I wasn't good at school, I had to figure out what they wanted me to learn and then teach it to myself. I find it better having learning objectives now, at least they tell you what they are going to assess you on. I enjoy the variety of doing 2 quite different things, so if one is going through a boring spell, the other might not be. So don't rule out having 2 or 3 different things to do!

Don't be afraid of trying things to work out where you fit. As a recruiting manager, I only got suspicious of people job-hopping if they weren't willing to give reasons why. E.g. new graduate trying different temporary jobs out to see which part of IT suited them best, moving to a different part of the country because of family needs. You don't need all the details and explanation, just a reason. Self-awareness is a great life skill to demonstrate at interview, as it bolsters your appearance of a reliable employee.

It might just be my age, but I rarely have crises these days, as I mostly know what I can cope with. Apart from someone I trust lying to me, but there's not much I can do to prevent that one!

Good luck in trying out things to see what works for you.

I work full time (although currently off long term sick due to mental health treatment), and I have done since I was 18 (I'm now 33). I'm in a lucky position that I work from home, which makes it a lot easier. I find work incredibly stressful and depressing, and I would say has been a contributory factor towards my negative mental health. However there are things I like about work, mainly the routine, earning money (of course!), and having a focus and completion of tasks. I would love to have the guts and go self-employed as a web designer, but the money situation keeps me from doing this. 

There are a few factors to consider. One of them is your physical and mental health. Many people with autism have food sensitivities, allergies, and also restrictive food habits (like eating the same kinds of things over and over again). So food can that can cause digestive issues can be draining on the body. Some foods seem fine, but will cause digestive issues down the line. 

Also anxiety about your basic survival, like how you're going to live, where you're going to live, can be stressful as well. There are many ways to make a basic income. I think that if you're at a place that you can do the work quietly on your own, that allows you to sit down once in awhile, that might be less draining than the type of work that requires you to constantly talk face-to-face with people, or constantly walking everywhere. So a place that can accommodate your needs would be an exceptionally good place to work. 

If you could secure a job that gives you basic income, that's a good start. I would then suggest that you get a credit card from your bank, to build up your credit score, even if it's just to buy a cup of coffee. If you have used you're credit card and paid it off every month, for at least 6 months, it will start building up your credit score. If you ever wanted a place of your own, the landlord will check your credit score, and the reason behind that is just to see if you are good at paying back what you owe, and if you are, then you're more likely to be good at paying for the rent as well, than someone with a bad credit score.

I work a full-time job. It gives me enough income to pay for the basics (rent, bills, food), and then on my spare time I just study whatever seems interesting to me at the time. Sometimes I play games. 

I really hope that you get a position to work and finally earn some income, so that you can support yourself and help your parents. But take one step at a time. Those steps build up over time.