Having autism and a career

IT is notorious for this. Its not just a problem for people on the spectrum. While you are young and full of ideas you're in demand. Past 30, and there's a whole pool of bright young things still coming into the business to do the interesting stuff. And the only jobs to move up into are management.

But it is bad if you are on the spectrum, as management means people skills. It seems pretty universal, we aren't any good at deputising, dividing up tasks between underlings according to what they are good at, sorting out personality clashes, being a good inspirational and motivational leader, and sooking up to the next level of managers.

There is a book I've tried using "Managing with Asperger Syndrome" by Malcolm Johnson, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2005 (ISBN 1 84310 199 8 - helps libraries and bookshops to find it). I've not read this cover to cover, indeed not much at any one time. It is way over biographical and too much about its author, and I don't feel he is that autistic - I may be being unfair. His world is marketing rather than IT. He does explore a number of the problems of trying to manage staff and relate to colleagues while on the spectrum.....just it didn't help me very much.

The other book that might help is Asperger Syndrome & Employment, which is in the Adults Speak out about Asperger Syndrome Series from the late Genevieve Edmonds and Luke Beardon from the Sheffield Centre for Autism (Jessica Kingsley Pub 2008 ISBN 978 1 84310 648 7). It is anecdotal - people's stories.

I had some relevant experience. The first part of my career was R&D (research and development) in industry. My problem was and still is, I'm a technophobe and my computing skills are not career beneficial - I can do bits, just not the right bits. I was great for many years when most of the technology was analogue (for those of you that don't know about this we are talking largely pre-digital (when equipment had valves in it).

OK my job was researching the ideas, explaining them to the IT team, getting them to come up with results, reviewing and presenting outcomes.

But I got old, and as I said, any work like this, old is thirties - increasingly nearer 30, I was nearly hitting 40 when I got "too old". You just find there are young kids out there who are smarter. And of course the world was getting more digital, more software - and believe me I was not computer whizz kid material. But neither could I manage.

My career ended in the slump at the beginning of the 90s and I turned to education. My naff IT was still a handicap, but life was a bit easier.

But I'm afraid that is the trouble. Life in IT, whatever you do, is short-lived. You get pushed into people management, and autism and people don't mix.

The only thing I can suggest is re-inventing yourself and keeping yourself novel. That's not easy either - you have to change your skills by taking on courses or teaching yourself.

Buit if you want better prospects beyond 27, start looking for new skills, new applications of what you can do, search websites, ask around people in your IT sector. You might get another five year break, then a three year break, but in the end, if you cannot manage, that's often it.

IT is notorious for this. Its not just a problem for people on the spectrum. While you are young and full of ideas you're in demand. Past 30, and there's a whole pool of bright young things still coming into the business to do the interesting stuff. And the only jobs to move up into are management.

But it is bad if you are on the spectrum, as management means people skills. It seems pretty universal, we aren't any good at deputising, dividing up tasks between underlings according to what they are good at, sorting out personality clashes, being a good inspirational and motivational leader, and sooking up to the next level of managers.

There is a book I've tried using "Managing with Asperger Syndrome" by Malcolm Johnson, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 2005 (ISBN 1 84310 199 8 - helps libraries and bookshops to find it). I've not read this cover to cover, indeed not much at any one time. It is way over biographical and too much about its author, and I don't feel he is that autistic - I may be being unfair. His world is marketing rather than IT. He does explore a number of the problems of trying to manage staff and relate to colleagues while on the spectrum.....just it didn't help me very much.

The other book that might help is Asperger Syndrome & Employment, which is in the Adults Speak out about Asperger Syndrome Series from the late Genevieve Edmonds and Luke Beardon from the Sheffield Centre for Autism (Jessica Kingsley Pub 2008 ISBN 978 1 84310 648 7). It is anecdotal - people's stories.

I had some relevant experience. The first part of my career was R&D (research and development) in industry. My problem was and still is, I'm a technophobe and my computing skills are not career beneficial - I can do bits, just not the right bits. I was great for many years when most of the technology was analogue (for those of you that don't know about this we are talking largely pre-digital (when equipment had valves in it).

OK my job was researching the ideas, explaining them to the IT team, getting them to come up with results, reviewing and presenting outcomes.

But I got old, and as I said, any work like this, old is thirties - increasingly nearer 30, I was nearly hitting 40 when I got "too old". You just find there are young kids out there who are smarter. And of course the world was getting more digital, more software - and believe me I was not computer whizz kid material. But neither could I manage.

My career ended in the slump at the beginning of the 90s and I turned to education. My naff IT was still a handicap, but life was a bit easier.

But I'm afraid that is the trouble. Life in IT, whatever you do, is short-lived. You get pushed into people management, and autism and people don't mix.

The only thing I can suggest is re-inventing yourself and keeping yourself novel. That's not easy either - you have to change your skills by taking on courses or teaching yourself.

Buit if you want better prospects beyond 27, start looking for new skills, new applications of what you can do, search websites, ask around people in your IT sector. You might get another five year break, then a three year break, but in the end, if you cannot manage, that's often it.