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Career that works with autism, not against it

ElleF

Hello all.

I am struggling with income. I have never managed to have a career. I worked in an office basically doing odd jobs that needed doing and I would cry every day. I then did a photography course and started doing photography, shooting for small brands from home, but I struggled to earn enough money. I then completed a 3 year degree in nutritional therapy but ended up having a breakdown trigged by clinical work. I find working with clients/ patients one-on-one really stressful. I started having frequent meltdowns, then panic attacks and then a breakdown. It is the second breakdown I've had in the last 9 years. I was put on an antidepressant (which didn't help) and sent for CBT (which made me feel worse). Since I graduated at the end of last year I have struggled to find clients and make money.

I don't know how to earn money or work as a nutritional therapist without having meltdowns and panic attacks. I don't think I can go through another breakdown. And my mum says she can't do it again and that I need to sort myself out. I feel like a failure and a burden to my family.

I have tried to find support. I have been rejected multiple time for business support. I can't seem to find any suitable adult autism support - most is high needs, dungeons and dragons and art therapy.  

Is it possible to actually make a living doing things you enjoy? Things I enjoy: working out, health, skincare, being creative (writing, making guides, product photography).

How have you managed to make money/ have a career without sacrificing your health?

Would appreciate any tips.

Parents

  • Hi  

    I can empathise in lots of respects with your situation.

    I've been kicking around how to move on from the sort of impasse you describe for a little while now too.

    Here's a suggestion but for absolute open-ness I haven't got over the inertia to do it yet myself.

    You've clearly got skills and professional capabilities

    Maybe first get a picture of what a autism friendly job would look like to you and then consider is there any way you could leverage those skills in ways that get you that?

    Could working on-line and via e-mail etc in nutritional work or photography and weave the things in that you like to mean you can keep the environment and encounters and workload in the sort of "goldilocks zone"?  Therefore where you keep things so they're what the job looks like? 

Reply

  • Hi  

    I can empathise in lots of respects with your situation.

    I've been kicking around how to move on from the sort of impasse you describe for a little while now too.

    Here's a suggestion but for absolute open-ness I haven't got over the inertia to do it yet myself.

    You've clearly got skills and professional capabilities

    Maybe first get a picture of what a autism friendly job would look like to you and then consider is there any way you could leverage those skills in ways that get you that?

    Could working on-line and via e-mail etc in nutritional work or photography and weave the things in that you like to mean you can keep the environment and encounters and workload in the sort of "goldilocks zone"?  Therefore where you keep things so they're what the job looks like? 

Children
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