The real reason why Aspies are often unemployable.
As much as I might find that proposal personally advantageous, I could never get behind it ethically. I don't want anyone to hire me to meet their ASD employee quota.
I want to be considered on the merits of my skills and overall suitability for the job. Of course I have similar problems in the social skills department as others here have described, which has always been an impediment for me. I've lost count of all the "career-limiting" (to quote a former boss) faux pas I've made in the corporate world. I've learned enough NT-speak to fake it most of the time, but I still step in it from time-to-time. I've been characterized as "direct" (which presumably is not a valued trait), and told I wasn't a team player when I was trying extra hard to do just that.
On sort of a side note, I don't recall any point in my working life where I have consciously sought to "advance" or be promoted. A raise is always welcomed, but I'm not interested in being promoted to something I won't enjoy doing. I've always tried to find jobs that relate to my special interests, and all I've ever wanted at work is to do what I enjoy and make money at it. A job is just something that provides the basics I need for life, and a way to subsidize my special interests during my off-hours. Given my habit of speaking my mind when I shouldn't, I guess it's a good thing I'm not looking to advance...
Admittedly, there's a huge element of luck that I've been able to land and keep decent jobs as an adult. I've somehow stayed on the good side of most of my managers where others may have found themselves out of a job.
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Formally diagnosed with ASD at the age of 43 (2014), I am the author of "Never One of Them: Growing Up With Autism," available through Amazon and most popular ebook sites.
My Official Facebook Page
I have some contacts from past jobs, but I don't understand the value people place on it. I had a LinkedIn account years ago, but deleted it when some issues about their privacy practices came to light (I don't remember the specific issue now). I never was all that enthused about the site, anyway. I refuse to get one now, even though I know a number of people who swear it's vital to have today.
The Aspie in me in always annoyed when I get those generic emails, purportedly from people I know, that "I would like to add you to my professional network... blah, blah blah." I know full well that the copy of these identical emails wasn't actually typed by the person mentioned. Most NTs don't seem bothered by that, but in my mind if feels like a lie to attribute words not actually written to a contact.
_________________
Formally diagnosed with ASD at the age of 43 (2014), I am the author of "Never One of Them: Growing Up With Autism," available through Amazon and most popular ebook sites.
My Official Facebook Page
I could not find sustainable employment and I became dependent upon welfare. Applying for thousands of jobs and no responses but the thanks but no thanks response was hard to accept. Never having a car license made it hard to get around in my isolated city to do the low end jobs like: cleaning, factory, bakery assistant, labouring, etc. Do you have a car license was one question when applying for recruitment agencies, ticking no to that and I never heard from them again.
We have this thing called work for the dole forced labour to keep welfare payments. It is humiliating doing that work and have no experience to get real jobs: you paint rocks, dig holes and fill them back in, pick up rubbish, clean graffiti of walls, weeding, etc. I have seen the same people on workfare for years on end. We have our issues: homeless, drugs, alcohol, no car license, lack of education, lack of experience and mental health issues that keep us unemployed.
I was unemployed for 6 years out of college. Now I have one and I'm still not happy because I know I only took this job because no one else would hire me. We were both desperate..they would take anybody and I can kinda see why. I mean I don't get yelled at by my boss. She actually told me I'm on the list of people she doesn't want to leave. But I feel very unappreciated. I admit that I'm not very good at showing up on time but I'm usually within that 15 minute window and I do try to make it on time. I always clean up after myself and I don't try to leave early but they don't care about that. Most of the time I don't get in trouble but if they're worried about the big boss that is usually when I get scolded about when I showed up. I've seen evidence that people don't clean up after themselves so many times. They never get told about it. The person having to clean it up just sighs to themselves and that is all. I feel like I'm always just a bit late for everything. When I go to concerts I worry I'm going to miss parts of it because usually we get lost finding the concert hall. I have no idea why it just seems to happen to me that I'm late for things. I know that's not why I had trouble getting hired. It was my lack of work history and I think I was on time for the only job I had in high school. I rarely take sick days but I take one sick day and I didn't get it. My boss told me I was supposed to call corporate and claim it the day of. No one told me how to do it. I kept asking her to help me with it. She takes all that time to tell me what a coworker told me. I figured that's what it was but I didn't know how I could have claimed it the day of and the fact that my boss didn't tell me that when I asked I was wondering if there was a way to do it later. The coworker didn't help me with it either. She said she didn't have time. I admit I haven't tried but the fact that she said it had to be done then I figure it's a waste of time and I'm at the point where part of me doesn't care cuz it's never enough money to matter anyway. Boss tells me I'm doing great when talking to me about other people but I constantly get forgotten when it comes to things like that. When we get to leave early I'm rarely ever told and then when I come back to the employees only area someone says something like "get your butt back here".
I know I work hard and I suppose I have picked up on how to do some things but I still don't really "fit in". I either get bored or overwhelmed sometimes to the point I at best feel fatigued.there seems to be no in between. I don't feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing so I'm miserable.
1. Executive function difficulties
2. Anxiety issues
3. Trouble multitasking
4. Communication difficulties
5. Mediocre attention span
6. Not very good conversation and social skills
I've only gotten two interviews in the last eight years, and didn't get either job.
Yes I have the first one big time. That actually goes back to the thing about leaving early too. I see everyone else leaving so my brain is like well maybe I'm supposed to leave but I stay put because I remember a time I left when it seemed everyone else was leaving and that didn't go over well. Logically I should not have took that into consideration because it wasn't even my boss that was yelling at me it was a coworker that a lot of other people don't get along with. But I mulled over it after thinking I bet I was supposed to leave but still I froze in place.
I'm not articulate at verbal communication whatsoever..maybe verbose but articulate I am not. So it's definitely a factor in not getting a job because even when I know I am good selling myself is difficult when I also have the obstacle of lack of job history and references. It's still pretty messed up because I'm willing to take an entry level job in fields that I am passionate about and you can tell I'm passionate about it. It's also not like I'm a mute. I can communicate enough where you could ask follow-up questions but they just don't care. I also am willing to accept help in getting the job but whenever I had a coach they just told me to lie or omit truths. They didn't help me find something to say that my brain would be okay with. I felt like I was reading a script and I never would have been able to confidently say what they told me to say.
One reason why I have executive function and sometimes even issues in conversation is because I look at things at all angles. Making decisions especially is the hardest thing because I ask "what if?" It's too easy to poke holes in a plan or idea I have. There are all these outcomes I have to consider. The sad part is this doesn't just affect me in jobs it hits me the most personally...in accomplishing big dreams or goals. I'm the biggest overthinker and there's no way to stop it because it is all realistic outcomes that I worry about. The PTSD probably makes all my challenges magnified too. It was hard enough before but now it's ridiculous.
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