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Work

Autistic Not Alien

The older I get, the harder work gets. This is probably the case for most people, but I think workplace challenges tend to be bigger and more intense for autistic people.

According to the UK government, fewer than three in ten autistic people are in work. I’m not surprised. I crave consistency, clarity, and calmness, but I’ve found that these things aren’t universally valued. When I reflect on previous jobs I’ve had, I see that being autistic has been incompatible with environments in which the most important things seem to be egos and hierarchies.

In this Autistic Not Alien video, I reflect on some lowlights from my employment history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot7rXUzzqvA

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  • Yeah it's the same for me.

    Autistic Not Alien said:
    I crave consistency, clarity, and calmness, but I’ve found that these things aren’t universally valued.

    Exactly.

    Autistic Not Alien said:
    When I reflect on previous jobs I’ve had, I see that being autistic has been incompatible with environments in which the most important things seem to be egos and hierarchies.

    Exactly.

    It is an uphill struggle that never goes away, and I feel like I become less able to cope with it as I get older, despite having more experience and coping strategies.

    I'm continually trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, and just as I find a way to do that (or at least imitate it), an extroverted manager comes along and finds a way to change everything. It takes me so long to adapt and get used to something, and I always feel like I'm trying to catch up, despite already being behind.

  • in reply to Paper

    I'm sorry to hear that you are also struggling. I would have thought that, having worked full-time for most of the past 20 years, I would be better at coping with workplace challenges, but the reverse is true. I'm just more and more tired and confused. 

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