Support in finding a job and interviews

I'm sorry to hear about your breakdown. This has happened to me and I can empathise. Just know that it is not a bad reflection on you that this happened. You were perhaps overwhelmed and probably under pressure and over worked. You probably didn't have the right support in place, so don't blame yourself. It's ok to have a breakdown. 

Speaking as some who had a career change quite recently, I can confirm that just because IT is all you know, it's not necessarily the only thing you can do. My advise is to shop around and she what's out there and then go with your gut about a job. Sticking with IT will certainly be the easiest but maybe something related or where you can see transferable skills would work too. 

Also, you don't have to make a decision about your entire future - you might try a different job and hate it and then another and then do IT again and that's fine. 

In terms of mitigating against future breakdowns, it's about finding the right environment and people to work with. For me, as soon as I enter a place I either feel uneasy or relatively relaxed and I listen to that. Then think about what you need in order to function well. For me, if I plan too many meetings in one day I will burn out. I'm lucky that I can work at home or in the office, so when I wake up I make an assessment about what I can manage that day, even if it differs from what I've planned - so again listen to your gut. If you can be honest about your needs, even better - it might be a simple thing like you don't want to sit next to a bin or where the light is or something as these small things build up until they're intolerable and sometimes we are just somehow programmed to suffer in silence.

In terms of interview - I just rehearse the entire thing (including smiling at whoever greets me and commenting on my journey or the weather or whatever)  Write down all of the questions I think will be asked and all of the answers and ask and answer them out loud. Invariably something will come up that you're not prepared for but these are usually in a minority. Telling yourself that you are bad at interviews is unhelpful. Instead think of all of the things that make you good to work with and list them and focus on that. When the chatter comes into your head telling you you can't do it, you're not good enough or whatever override this with that list you made about why you'd be good to work with or for. 

A test won't tell you what job is right for you because all autistic people are different, so different jobs work for each of us. Think about the things you like to do and are good at and the kind of environments you like to be in. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and be prepared for an unpredictable outcome. 

I'm sorry to hear about your breakdown. This has happened to me and I can empathise. Just know that it is not a bad reflection on you that this happened. You were perhaps overwhelmed and probably under pressure and over worked. You probably didn't have the right support in place, so don't blame yourself. It's ok to have a breakdown. 

Speaking as some who had a career change quite recently, I can confirm that just because IT is all you know, it's not necessarily the only thing you can do. My advise is to shop around and she what's out there and then go with your gut about a job. Sticking with IT will certainly be the easiest but maybe something related or where you can see transferable skills would work too. 

Also, you don't have to make a decision about your entire future - you might try a different job and hate it and then another and then do IT again and that's fine. 

In terms of mitigating against future breakdowns, it's about finding the right environment and people to work with. For me, as soon as I enter a place I either feel uneasy or relatively relaxed and I listen to that. Then think about what you need in order to function well. For me, if I plan too many meetings in one day I will burn out. I'm lucky that I can work at home or in the office, so when I wake up I make an assessment about what I can manage that day, even if it differs from what I've planned - so again listen to your gut. If you can be honest about your needs, even better - it might be a simple thing like you don't want to sit next to a bin or where the light is or something as these small things build up until they're intolerable and sometimes we are just somehow programmed to suffer in silence.

In terms of interview - I just rehearse the entire thing (including smiling at whoever greets me and commenting on my journey or the weather or whatever)  Write down all of the questions I think will be asked and all of the answers and ask and answer them out loud. Invariably something will come up that you're not prepared for but these are usually in a minority. Telling yourself that you are bad at interviews is unhelpful. Instead think of all of the things that make you good to work with and list them and focus on that. When the chatter comes into your head telling you you can't do it, you're not good enough or whatever override this with that list you made about why you'd be good to work with or for. 

A test won't tell you what job is right for you because all autistic people are different, so different jobs work for each of us. Think about the things you like to do and are good at and the kind of environments you like to be in. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and be prepared for an unpredictable outcome.