what kind of work do people do?

I'm quite curious what kind of work do people here do? I've seen from some comments in other threads that there are social workers and teachers out there. The stereotypical autism job is computer programmer, which I think is really cool and requires lots of talent. There are also students on this forum (I'd be interested to know what you're studying). 

Also, what jobs do you think are well-suited for the autistic personality?

Parents
  • A vexed area in my family, i think.

    My husband was a teacher but really would have felt more suited to being a lighthouse keeper, an archivist, a weather station operator, anything solitary.  Househusband might ahve been better for his overall wellbeing?  Why not?

    And there were and are loads of other teachers in my family (coinciding, i think with the familial path of autism) but I mostly worked, mostly unhappily, as an accountant.  It took a lot of years to know myself and my actual diagnosis only came at the end of last year so much of this unhappiness was due to lack of awareness, self knowledge and insight.   

    So...  What would I have prefered?  Writer, artist, garden designer, psychologist.  I did eventually retrain as a counsellor, but by that time there were loads of other pressures within my family so felt it would have been unethical plus very difficult to continue. 

    Suffice it to say that work has proved to be extremely problematic for us.  The skills and qualifications taught at school turned out to be a very poor match for the workplace.  So, although academically quite successful, we struggled. 

    Well-suited?  I'd firstly suggest working for yourself to avoid difficult hierarchical situations.  Secondly, building up a portfolio of streams of income rather than relying on one because, if it's at all possible to do, this creates more stability and continuity should one venture fail.  Thirdly, don't listen to what society tells us about so-called "good jobs".  How are they good?  Do they assume we're chasing the largest salary or the most prestige?  How might they suit us over the years, bearing in mind our personailities and inclinations?  Are we all necessarily suited to the workplace at all and, if not, what's so bad about that?  Do we, and should we, all HAVE to work?    (Why can't we have a citzen's wage, for example, why do people always ask "What do you do?" first and foremost when they meet us, why is there so much judgement around working/not working etc?) 

    Beyond that?  Well, I'd say we're as individual as NTs so it's hard to be specific.  But I did rather better as a self employed counsellor (earning only a small wage) than as an accountant (a so-called "good job" with a decent salary).  In many ways I was contributing more to society too but it just wasn't reflected in my income.  

    I feel another thread coming on - the issue of work and conditions of worth.   

Reply
  • A vexed area in my family, i think.

    My husband was a teacher but really would have felt more suited to being a lighthouse keeper, an archivist, a weather station operator, anything solitary.  Househusband might ahve been better for his overall wellbeing?  Why not?

    And there were and are loads of other teachers in my family (coinciding, i think with the familial path of autism) but I mostly worked, mostly unhappily, as an accountant.  It took a lot of years to know myself and my actual diagnosis only came at the end of last year so much of this unhappiness was due to lack of awareness, self knowledge and insight.   

    So...  What would I have prefered?  Writer, artist, garden designer, psychologist.  I did eventually retrain as a counsellor, but by that time there were loads of other pressures within my family so felt it would have been unethical plus very difficult to continue. 

    Suffice it to say that work has proved to be extremely problematic for us.  The skills and qualifications taught at school turned out to be a very poor match for the workplace.  So, although academically quite successful, we struggled. 

    Well-suited?  I'd firstly suggest working for yourself to avoid difficult hierarchical situations.  Secondly, building up a portfolio of streams of income rather than relying on one because, if it's at all possible to do, this creates more stability and continuity should one venture fail.  Thirdly, don't listen to what society tells us about so-called "good jobs".  How are they good?  Do they assume we're chasing the largest salary or the most prestige?  How might they suit us over the years, bearing in mind our personailities and inclinations?  Are we all necessarily suited to the workplace at all and, if not, what's so bad about that?  Do we, and should we, all HAVE to work?    (Why can't we have a citzen's wage, for example, why do people always ask "What do you do?" first and foremost when they meet us, why is there so much judgement around working/not working etc?) 

    Beyond that?  Well, I'd say we're as individual as NTs so it's hard to be specific.  But I did rather better as a self employed counsellor (earning only a small wage) than as an accountant (a so-called "good job" with a decent salary).  In many ways I was contributing more to society too but it just wasn't reflected in my income.  

    I feel another thread coming on - the issue of work and conditions of worth.   

Children
  • I think I also have the experience that I did academically well in school, but struggle in real-life. It's so different.

    I agree that doing a job you enjoy is much more important than what society tell us are "good jobs". I'd rather have a job I enjoy doing with a live-able salary than a job I don't like that gives a high salary. 

    I do think that we have to work though. If no one worked, there will be no farmers to grow any food (then how will society feed itself?), there will be no construction workers (so who will build the house you are currently living in?), there will be no autism support workers or clinicians (so how will you get your diagnosis and support?). Since there are people working, and as a group, that makes everyone else's lives easier. So work is kind of like a duty, everyone who works will be also contributing to that role in society - to help improve everyone's life overall.

  • This is a really good point. Am I well suited to my job? That's a difficult question. Most jobs involve social interaction and people managing, which is difficult. I'm also not sure how well I'd get on if I worked on my own. 

    Why can't we have a citzen's wage, for example

    Ive also thought this would be an great idea. Give everyone £10k a year and scrap all benefits. logically it would save so much money on working out who is entitled to what. However, nothing ever works logically, and no one would agree to it and there would probably be just as many problems with it as there are currently. Just different ones.