80% of aspies fail out/unemployed after 4+years of college

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At least college worked out for some aspies, but I am afraid I am not a good artist.


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It may be impossible to get back up when you have $50000 in college loans and no job.



Many aspies have their parents pay for college loans, rent, health insurance and the car, but it is totally worth it to seek out support groups and aspie organizations.

I'm not trying to say it's easy, far from it, but it can be achievable. You may not be good at art, that doesn't matter, most or at least many Aspies will have some strengths, some core skills that they really care about and are really good at - what I'm trying to say is use your strengths, whatever they might be. It's never impossible to get back up unless you're dead (although Jesus might have a thing or two to say about that [joke ]). I had student loans to pay off, which I managed eventually but it did take years. And I didn't always have my dream job, I worked as a security guard for a while as I was trying to get into the profession I really wanted to be in. Working as a guard kind of suited me because I was on my own a lot of the time and people didn't expect me to smile or be chatty, quite the opposite and I made enough to just about scrape by.

Good luck, it is tough, but it is possible.

Oh I see. I think I will just be content with whatever I have.

Hi Everyone,
I'm glad you're going to an AS group, but it sounds like it may be really depressing to be there. I graduated a bit late from college, went to tech school to get some marketable training, volunteered in order to get a temporary job, looked for work, and am now returning to school in fall. (I have a blog on this, but since we can't post links, search "nld musings" to read it if you want.) Anyway, here's my advice, for what it's worth:

-Never give up. I have a post-it on my computer that says: "I'm going to find the best job for me."

-When you think positively, life improves. It may take awhile, but it will.

-Major in something marketable if you're still in college. Add that major to the one you're already working on. There's no rush to graduate in this pathetic economy.

-Volunteer and/or intern as much as possible.

-See about getting "supported employment" from an organization that works with people who have LD issues.

-If you're unemployed, remember your strengths and talents. Own and use them.

-Find a mentor in your field and maybe volunteer to help them.

-Keep your friends and make some new acquaintances, but don't overdo the social stuff because it does get stressful.

-Here's a small list of possible fields that may appeal to us (AS, et cetera people): -veterinary technician, -paralegal, -rehabilitative psychologist, -disability specialist, -social worker, -lawyer, -guidance counselor for kids with disability issues, -college counselor (for those who love talking about colleges), -animal behaviorist (perhaps a trainer of service or therapy dogs), -translator, -editor or journalist, -disability advocate who consults with employers, educators, therapists, and others who work with LD-impacted people, -researcher on topics of interest

-Again, don't give up!
Thanks,
-hannahcamille

yep, I agree with a lot of that. I'm High Functioning Autistic and am facing many of those same problems and thoughts right now, and am on the verge of possibly dropping out of college because I can't pass half the stuff I need to get a degree. I think the idea of "going to college to get a better job" is just a fluke right now with the way the economy is. Only 50 percent of college graduates right now are actually finding jobs related to their degrees, or even finding A JOB in the first place. And the ironic thing is they get stuck with minimum wage jobs and are making the SAME amount of money or LESS then the people who have jobs right now that didn't go to college.

[quote="Learning2Survive"]In my aspie group, 80% of high functioning aspies are unemployed, living at home or parents pay for rent, and all went college and have either:

1) Fail out of college junior year,
2) Take semesters off, fail, and graduate 2-3 years late
3) Graduate but are unemployed

These guys have been set up failure. They were sent to college without

1) Study skills/Home work habits
2) Social skills/Office etiquette/Team work skills
3) Realistic view of job market
4) Support for depression/anxiety/loneliness


That's right. HOW BOUT MY PARENTS WHO BULLIED ME TO GET A JOB, GET A JOB, EVEN AFTER I HAVE HAD 45 JOBS?! That's right.. make it 46.. .this week I took a telemarketing hell job , same type of work i was doing 22 yrs ago . YOU CAN'T BE A VICTIM. GET YOUR OWN HELP. That is what I had to do. NO one was helping me.. my parents abuse me to this day, in my 30's. I keep telling them that so many asperger people on here have NEVER worked, and I have worked for over 10 yrs out of 20.

[]

Haha. The attempt comment was good!!

There isn't much out there for my son. His only chance is to take it slow and try to find success on his own terms or nothing. What pisses me off is that when my aspy husband was young, there weren't any good computer science classes so he and a lot of other people who knew computers did their own thing, learned organically about physics, electronics, all the stuff they needed to learn on their own, mentoring each other. Few of them got degrees but they got good jobs, learning on their own terms. They were allowed to be themselves and they were very good at what they did.
we'rsting, entertaining brains.[/quote]

I still made my own jobs, worked for myself, and learned on my own. Was reading at 9th grade level at age 9 in school. It CAN be done. WAIT YOU ARE A PARENT WHO ACTUALLY HELPED YOUR ADULT CHILD WITH SSI FORMS AND ACCEPTED HIS PROBLEMS?! How about my mother', who refused repeatedly to fill out the information forms and medical info that soc security needed , all the time harassing me to get 'an income' or 'disabililty payments'? She was shown the paperwork of my results. So, because my parents refused to help or admit problem, it was all left to me.. this meant messed up forms, delays, miscommunication at work, school, with forms, etc. AND I STILL GOT 46 ( mostly crummy) jobs in my life! On my own, without any leads from anyone. I worked the jobs that no one else, even the poor, would take. That's 46 job offers. People have no idea what I go through , not knowing what to say at work, how to say it, whether or not to tell employer of 'disability', the flourescent lights that are in every single office.. it is torture, on top of the usual work stresses 'normal' people have. Average people are so stressed when learning a new job.. imagine I , who had to learn 45 new jobs and rules!! !

BY THE WAY , I DO A RADIO SHOW 'DAY JOBS' THAT DESCRIBES MY MANY WORK EXPERIENCES AND STRIVES TO HELP ASPERGER PEOPLE AND OTHERS MAINTAN EMPLOYMENT. BlogTalkRadio.com/punkprincess. My parents, to this day, don't get excited when I get a job offer, AND I WAS UNEMPLOYED FOR ALMOST A SOLID YEAR! FInally got a job offer, and 'mother' said 'I don't get excited anymore'. That's really encouraging! Parents must educate themselves about how to help their adult children maintain employment, not just get a job.

Be lucky you can come home. Some have no parents. I often say the streets would be a lot more full of people sleeping on them and a lot more full of bike riders and not cars if everyone had 'parents' like mine who did absolutely nothing to help with the aspergers and related difficulties. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT I WORK TOO HARD AND THAT I 'MAKE THINGS TOO HARD' ON MYSELF BY EMPLOYERS, TEACHERS, ETC. I also had a psychologist for soc security tell me that I should be 'grateful' that my abusive parents 'let' me live in their home. The way she talked down to me would be enough to make anyone take any job.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/mods/bbcode_ ... s/bold.gif
He [b]was no different than a person with aspergers who thinks differently, although he must have worked in 'scientific' terms that scientists could point to and say 'yes, that's a lovely theory, but now back it up with scientific proof'. BTW: a Ph. D well known physicist called my theory and reasoning of what dark matter in space is as 'very interesting'. Again, people who like space and science are considered geeks or strange because most people are concerned about what goes on in their world, their little social circle, on THIS planet. Then again, why are the Star Trek and Star Wars films so popular?! Hmm, it's a puzzler, isn't it? People just like to gulp the air and not figure out all the chemical changes and scientific reasons of what makes air and atoms.

'so that his parents didn't 'have to''' Ha ha! My parents hate me for having to financially support ME! That would be the DAY that they would support my husband and kids! If I had any.. I'm not married, no kids. Where do people get off assuming mommy and daddy will support their procreation and marriage and life choices?! I don't think so. Oh, by the way, as a single person, the Cnty Dept of Welfare worker in Ohio told me my parents 'DON'T HAVE TO' support you.

[quote="ruennsheng"]Don't scare me! Lol. But yeah, I repeated my junior year just last year. And I am still in high school.

Well, I know my problems are not in academic work, in fact they are quite manageable, but the main issue in me is coping my relationships with other classmates. I suck at it. I still have problems even after 13+ years in school but I know I am coping better. Perhaps when I get into college, who knows, when similar changes come, I am better equipped with the skills and the know-how learned from the extra year in school to survive through college?

But well, sometimes, let's take another approach into this issue.

[quote]

Here is how I excelled in high school socially: I hope this helps. Block out the people around you by imagining yourself surrounded by a grey film or wall. in order to concentrate on your subjects. Their noise sounds just like 'la la blah' if you do this. If someone would speak to me, I might answer. Other than that, I was very outgoing at other times and was friends with over 150 people out of a school of 1000.

[quote="ruennsheng"]Don't scare me! Lol. But yeah, I repeated my junior year just last year. And I am still in high school.

What the hell does 'academic' mean anyway? Reminds me of academy or basic, meaning academic. So it doesn't fit. My words are taken literally, and I like literal things. Because after all, things should be as they say. Hence my high score on asp. test. Anyway,
LEARNING IS NOT ACADEMIA OR SCHOOL . I laugh to this day at my family and friends who had to go to college, graduate and get advanced degrees to read the subjects, broaden their learned thinking, and have the info that I had from age 5 and on. I remember being about 6 and reading a children's book on the life of Martin Luther King, for instance. I ran to my 'mother' to tell her about this fascinating guy called M Luther King.

[q
A lot of NT kids are being pushed into college with the same deficiencies, and they are facing the same outcome in increasing numbers. The difference being that people with NT are better suited to adapt on the fly and avoid a negative outcome.[/quote]

I hate buzz words-- to me, NT means 'normal transmitters'.

[qck up and keep plugging away.
[/quote]''

It may be impossible to get back up when you have $50000 in college loans and no job.

[quote]
You don't take $50k in loans! Get grants! Especially if you are over age 24 and have basically no real income. Grants will largely help you go to school. When they do not cover all costs, you must work or get another source of income. Do NOT fall into the loan trap . Look at all the millions around you suffering horribly with bills now because they took loans. Yeah, it's tough, it's beyond tough, but I know people who WORKED full time and went to SCHOOL full time, and when I tell them that is not realistic for me or an asperger person, they say 'too bad, get another income'.

[quote="Learning2Survive"][quote="general_piffle"]Well, if it's of any


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Many aspies have their parents pay for college loans, rent, health insurance and the car, but it is totally worth it to seek out support groups and aspie organizations.
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"HAVE" their parents pay their loans? Excuse me?! Where are these parents? My cousins are certainly not huge social beings, as a matter of fact, they never spoke at family events for many yrs, and their mother told me, on the day of the youngest's college graduation, that they gave them 'some' money to start out. .and the rest of the time, they worked their way through college. They now have no loans. They worked full time and went to school f time SIMULTANEOUSLY. I myself, being on some spectrum, took two buses to college daily, then left around 1 pm for work.. also worked 11pm 7am in the morning. Can u imagine the noise on those buses and what it did to my nerves to get outta night school at 9 pm at night to all that noise?!