Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone!
I have just joined this community after completing yet another online self-test for autism.
So far, every online test that I have taken has suggested that I am probably on the spectrum and should consult with a professional about that possibility.
But its only now that I actually feel motivated to do that.
November 30th 2020, will mark four years of unemployment for me.
That's the longest I have been out of work in my entire adult life. I am 47 years old now.
Although there are neurodivergent people who are conventionally very successful in various jobs or business enterprises, I understand that the unemployment rate for people on the spectrum is much higher than that for the general population.
I am hoping that a diagnosis may ultimately lead to a strategy which would get me back into gainful employment.
But not into another call centre!
Been there, done that, don't see myself doing it again.
Although I have developed strong technical interests in my free time over the last couple of years, any job in tech would present precisely the kind of problems which I feel ill equipped to manage.
Working as part of a team, reading social cues, taking and giving feedback in a tactful way, etc.
In my youth, I feel that I was good at "masking" my oddness. But now, in my late forties, I feel that life is too short to pretend to be someone that I am not.
Hello Friendly Alien. I have not worked now for over 11 years. I worked for the DWP, and was on a last written warning for all my sickness time taken. I eventually thought it would be best to resign, rather than getting the sack, with a view to future employment chances. I was working in an open-plan office with over 100 others = no relief from stress, ever. It was only after I stopped working that I went back into mental health services, who suggested assessment for Autism. So in a way, I look back and have to think that it helped me not being in work at the time.
If it might be possible, maybe you could think about finding a future position where you could work from home? It seems these days everything (well, most things) are done online, so might be worth considering?
Take care and best wishes