The never-ending job search

TwiJack said:

I graduated with a Master's in Cultural Anthropology (2004)

TwiJack said:

I took up on an offer to pursue a PhD in Sociological Studies (part-time), graduating in 2013.

Welcome to the site.

These achievements are impressive in their own right but what sort of jobs do they relate to?

I can see them having application in research at universities in their own fields but I don't know what sort of companies outside of these arenas would use such specialisations.

If you could give us some info around these it would help.

Also, what autistic traits limit what you can do in the jobs? For example do you struggle in social interaction, experience demand avoidance, struggle to understand emotions etc - these could help us shape the suggestions further.

I have found that people who do not disclose their autism at interview stage have better chances of being hired (this is only my personal experience) but most do struggle with the pressures of a neurotypical working environment, with social interaction and resistance to change being the most common pressures for them.

Would you consider doing this? You can disclose the autism after probation is over and then request and reasonable adjustments.

TwiJack said:

should I just accept that the Disability Confident Scheme doesn't work for people like me, and stick with my current job until the inevitable mental breakdown?

As an alternative how about working on the causes of the mental breakdowns? A good therapist is a great tool to use for this and can teach you effective coping strategies to reduce the stressers leading to the breakdowns. This isn't a simple of sure fire solution but the skills you learn can be used the rest of your life to ease stress.

TwiJack said:

I graduated with a Master's in Cultural Anthropology (2004)

TwiJack said:

I took up on an offer to pursue a PhD in Sociological Studies (part-time), graduating in 2013.

Welcome to the site.

These achievements are impressive in their own right but what sort of jobs do they relate to?

I can see them having application in research at universities in their own fields but I don't know what sort of companies outside of these arenas would use such specialisations.

If you could give us some info around these it would help.

Also, what autistic traits limit what you can do in the jobs? For example do you struggle in social interaction, experience demand avoidance, struggle to understand emotions etc - these could help us shape the suggestions further.

I have found that people who do not disclose their autism at interview stage have better chances of being hired (this is only my personal experience) but most do struggle with the pressures of a neurotypical working environment, with social interaction and resistance to change being the most common pressures for them.

Would you consider doing this? You can disclose the autism after probation is over and then request and reasonable adjustments.

TwiJack said:

should I just accept that the Disability Confident Scheme doesn't work for people like me, and stick with my current job until the inevitable mental breakdown?

As an alternative how about working on the causes of the mental breakdowns? A good therapist is a great tool to use for this and can teach you effective coping strategies to reduce the stressers leading to the breakdowns. This isn't a simple of sure fire solution but the skills you learn can be used the rest of your life to ease stress.

Thanks for your response.

Ideally I would be looking at policy-based research. During my studies I looked into children's use of public space so to get an idea of how planning policies and childhood health policies could/should be adapted. Academic research is interesting too but the competition at universities is fierce and I don't like the uncertainty that comes with fixed-term work. On top of that, during my studies I was discouraged from publishing articles and this is exactly what you need now for academic work. It's the typical Catch-22: you need a track record of publications to get a research job, and you only get a track record of publications if you have a research job or two...

I find it very difficult to read human body language. I have no problem with reading equine body language, but with people I have to ask several times for people to be straightforward because I cannot read between the lines. Unfortunately, "being straightforward" is often being interpreted as "being blunt" and people don't want to do that.

Social interactions are therefore difficult. I dread the team-building days because of the multitude of voices when we sit with little groups at different tables in the same room. And no matter how much I want it, I cannot "switch off the autism" as a colleague suggested.

At the same time, I think my strengths are in this holistic view: I see patterns and links where neurotypical people don't see anything. Quick example: after the 2016 Brexit referendum and the ensuing toughening up of immigration policies, I repeatedly asked at university what their plans were if their financial income from international students would come down. My thoughts behind it was that the uncertainty of Brexit and the increasing immigration restrictions would make the UK less attractive to international students. It was all dismissed as "we cross that bridge when we get there". Well, we are at that bridge now, and instead of a bridge, there's a 8-digit deficit and "nobody could see this coming".

Quite often you hear that neurodivergent people have no empathy. I think that's wrong. I have buckets full of empathy, but it comes out differently: I can watch movies where the most horrible things happen to people, but the moment a horse is hurt (even though I know it's acting) I cannot watch it. It's why I never saw War Horse: I know what happened to most of the horses after WW1 (spoiler alert: they didn't back home). I tried horse-related jobs too but unless you land a job at a top yard it's very difficult to make ends meet with it.

Once - in an equine job - I did not disclose my autism. Long story short: lots of misunderstandings and I didn't make it through the probationary period. This is why I started to disclose my autism at the application stage (can only imagine what an interview would look like), so that I couldn't be blamed later for something I failed to mention before.

I have done several rounds of CBT, talked with occupational health, mentoring services, career service, and this is where I am now. I don't know if another round of therapy could help here.