what kind of work do people do?

In my last 'career' I dealt with HMRC legislation in relation to pensions law, but had several roles within the same organisation over several years dealing with many different policies and legislation, most of the time it was to decipher and extract relevant information, sometimes to challenge which would result in positive changes made to policy (particularly public sector). I worked with masses of information and for most of the time up until I left I felt I was doing something 'worthwhile', making positive change, contributing, making wrongs right, making a difference to those who were affected. 

In retrospect, it suited some of my Asperger's traits well, strong sense of justice, supernatural diligence, even the 'black & white' and 'rigid' thinking, focusing for hours on the same subject, love learning and gaining knowledge just for the sake of it, bit of an encyclopedia. In my personal life I amassed cardboard boxes full of research papers that I collected.

However, as a girl, I had 'tomboy' tendencies, like building go-karts with my uncle and loved working with him on his motorbike, or rather, watching as i wasn't allowed to touch anything, pleading with my granny to use my uncles chemistry set but after he set fire to the couch doing an 'experiment' the kit was banned. What I'm trying to say is that I was more 'practical' than 'academic' the latter seemed to come later and now the former isn't great, strange how things evolve....

Wish I could have my life over again knowing what I know now...especially with the Asperger's because maybe I could have told my teachers to teach me differently. I had a math teacher who I often challenged because I thought many math equations were overly complicated but I got told to be quiet and stop questioning everything just to accept what I was told, is that the worse kind of teaching or what?  Needless to say, I didn't do well at math and accepted the fact I must be rubbish at it and so avoided it.

Wow, the last three paragraphs sounds just like me!

I can also focus hours on the same subject and I loved learning and gaining knowledge! I am also a girl but had tomboy tendencies and did quite a few experiments growing up. I also felt the same way about math and had similar experiences with the teacher teaching too slow and discouraged students challenging them. I also wish I had know earlier about Aspergers and could have more support in school. 

Your experiences are amazing. I can relate to it a lot.

Wow, the last three paragraphs sounds just like me!

I can also focus hours on the same subject and I loved learning and gaining knowledge! I am also a girl but had tomboy tendencies and did quite a few experiments growing up. I also felt the same way about math and had similar experiences with the teacher teaching too slow and discouraged students challenging them. I also wish I had know earlier about Aspergers and could have more support in school. 

Your experiences are amazing. I can relate to it a lot.

Yes, I wouldn't just need some noise cancelling headphones.  The whole culture would need to change.  

Jenny Butterfly said:

'All too relevant to work, I think.  My own work experience has left me with the strong feeling that many workplaces are toxic and draining to me and that I need a long convalescent period after each one.  

The minor accommodations that most employers are able to offer wouldn't make much difference either as the stressors are embedded in the very fabric of these workplaces.'

Me too, this is so like me as well.

After everything that happened I also don't know whether I can cope with people at work.

It is true that it's difficult to even imagine non tokenistic accommodations for a person like me. How do you do adjustments for managerial prejudices, bullying and office politics?

Thanks qwerty, good to know I have a comrade out there in cyberspace if that doesn't sound creepy.