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?
It was me who said about being a human being not a human doing.
I think theres a lot of pressure not only to work, but to do the "right" work, its often dependent on class and the social expectations that go with it, education plays its role in this too. How much education is encouraged or not, there's still a lot of people who discourage education and others who over value it, especially when they can't except that they're chid isn't that accademic.
I would love to go back to hairdressing, I love being in a salon, the smells of the chemicals, all the equipment and the feeling of making people happy, I mis the creative and artistic side of it too.
I would love to go back to university, I miss the discipline of study and the access to resourses that I just can't get anywhere else.
I do structure my days, with dog walking, shopping, cooking, reading, tv watching done at certain times and not others, I think it's important to dave structure when you're not working, as otherwise I find people sort of drift into aimlessness and depression.
I hate being asked 'what do you do?' Having been someone who's had a career tangent rather than a path, people don't know how t pigeon hole me, even when I worked in a shop it wasn't a "normal" shop, it was a wholefood co-operative and I'd spend my evenings explaining the business model of a co-operative or talking about peoples food issues. As a hairdresser I had people either tell me about who bad all hairdressers were or asking me questions and for advice. When I was a counsellor, people would tell me all sorts of things I didn't want to know. When I was working at a B&B abd Retreat house, running retreats and looking after those taking them, people would either give me a funny look and go away, or they'd start asking me questions of the sort they thought they could bully me over, they didn't because I didn't give them the answers they needed to do so. Some people were really interested, especially busy Mums who liked the idea of spending a week in silence, not having to listen to the constant chatter of small children and having the space to listen to one of their own thoughts from one end to another without interuption.
Hi Cat Woman, I understand what you mean about people trying to pigeon hole you - I think they need to work out what your identity is, which to them includes occupation, so they can assess whether you are "their kind of person", whether they want you in their circle, and whether you are above or below them in status. We of course couldn't care less what someone does for a job - we just might be interested in what it involves or whether they enjoy it.
I also agree with you about structure. Now I'm retired I'm trying to get that in place. I'm thinking of doing some open learn free online study with the open university - have you tried that?
Hello. I'm brand new here. I wasn't even going to post, I was just trying to distract myself from an anxiety attack, but I saw your comment about the Open University & felt compelled. You should absolutely study with the OU. I started out doing one of their free courses & ended up doing an Access Module with them.
With the free short courses I recommend you give yourself a schedule, otherwise it can be hard to stay focused & not wander off to another subject half way through.
The official Access Modules are free to study if you meet certain criteria, otherwise they cost £900. Each module is 1 year & there are 4 modules to choose from: Arts & Languages... Business & Law.... Science, Technology & Maths... Psychology, Social Science & Wellbeing.
I did art & languages as it was something I have always struggled with, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. I'm thinking of going back to do psychology next. It was mostly enjoyable because you have the freedom to study when it's convenient for you. You have an online account that shows every piece of work that needs completing & when it needs to be completed by. You get 2-3 hours of work per week but you can speed ahead if you want to. You get an essay assessment every few months but they explain exactly how these should be structured and what questions you should ask/answer. You get assigned a tutor who you can contact any time, but they will always book an appointment to call you so no social surprises. The OU also have a helpline which can advise on everything from further studies to housing issues, benefits, even help to pay for your WiFi whilst you study if necessary.
As you can tell, I'm very happy with the Open University. I love learning but I ended up dropping out of school, and then college, and then I've quit every job I've ever had, so to finally find somewhere where the system was autism-friendly by default, somewhere I could actually succeed ... It genuinely gives me a spark of hope on the tough days. If they can do it, maybe other sectors of society can too.
Sorry for the info dump, but on the plus side, my anxiety has waned a little
Hi Desmond, I know what you mean. I did the Accounting Technician level 3 qualification whilst working full time - I was around 40 at the time so had more energy than I do now, but it was still very intense and pretty exhausting.
Now I'm retired I just want something to focus on and help keep my mind active. The open learn courses have no essays or reports to write and no deadlines, so it's a relaxing way to learn, at your own pace.
However, if learning is not for you, you should definitely not feel you should be studying. We are all different and all have different abilities, needs and ways of coping. I hope you have your life structured to suit you now. Feeling content, no matter what we do or don't do, is the aim.
I have too many qualifications. And, now, I don't feel mentally capable of further study. Thirteen years ago, I began an Accounting Technician course; then suffered burnout, the following January. I quit the course, and my life went back into tailspin.
I can't cope with such intensity.