Published on 12, July, 2020
I have recently retired from work. It was long awaited and I have not missed the job at all ( the people I worked with were nice, but the job itself had become a mixture of stressful and tedious)
I have never particularly enjoyed working. I have got some sense of satisfaction from doing a job well during certain periods of my working life, but in most jobs I had there were people - mostly managers - who I really did not enjoy spending my days with. I get bored quickly and so jobs became mundane in a short period of time, and if I put myself forward to do higher level tasks (that I was capable of) I was either refused the role or ended up doing the higher level stuff without getting the extra pay for it. And I've suffered burn out from time to time due to the stress of work making me exhausted.
I know that a lot of autistic people are unable to work but would like to, and that many people get a sense of self worth from working and a better lifestyle (due to having wages) But I feel that society may over value work in some ways, and that maybe it programmes us to think that not working is lazy or unproductive? However there are some wealthy people who do little to no work and nobody calls them lazy. I heard a saying somewhere that I like: "we're human beings, not human doings". Perhaps that's a good answer next time someone asks - "so, what do you do?"
I just wondered what everyone's views were about working?
If you currently work, would you give up working if you became financially independent?
If you do not work but would like to, or want a career change, what would your dream job be?
If you do not work and have no wish to, or are retired or cannot work due to health reasons, how do you structure your days?
I'm so so tired. I do not know if it is boredom or burnout. I have not been working in my profession for over a year. My manager says nice things then stabs me in the back. I now know I am not wanted in the profession I have spent over 30 years learning and using my experience to be as good as I can be. I am told that I am incapable and need to be redeployed.
So what now?
I do not know what I want although I need to work at something. I find the thought of a momentous change to be terrifying. I am in my early fifties and wanted to be financially in a position to retire around 60 ish. This was a pipe dream now I am worrying because I have read that autistic people generally die around 10 years younger that NT's.
What am I going to do that is the question that is constantly in my head.
Being in my 50’s myself I do empathise - During Covid and just before my later in life diagnosis in 2021, I discovered that I lost all 4 state and works pensions in both Ireland and here in the U.K. - I’d previously worked (not by choice) in supermarket retailing for 30 years in Ireland and the U.K. (23 years) before my redundancy after 17 years in Sept 2019 and tried working for a year in a hotel for just over a year before it became too much - I’d been on UC for about 2 years during Covid and given my experiences of supermarket bullying, I’d been terrified of going into another bullying situation - I really could have done with a post-diagnostic assessment to establish my level of autism and identify appropriate autism support going forward, which would enable me to know what reasonable adjustments that I’d need and appropriate types of work given my condition and relevant work experience, as I’d also expect to be working well past the normal retirement age, which at age 53 now, could very well increase to age 75 by 2035 regardless of any physical health conditions (if the U.K. economy and the U.K. benefits system even lasts that long) - there does not appear to be the correct level of understanding regarding autism and other hidden disabilities among many U.K. employers and although I have heard many horror stories re benefits, it would appear that the DWP take a more compassionate approach to benefit claims when disability issues are involved