This is the killer awesome job for an aspie or HFA that loves computers with a autistic's unique focused passion. I know because I have one. I love this job because where else can I enjoy all my autistic quirks. I make weird noises when thinking. I do the finger flapping and odd things when walking they help me stay connected and keep me from crashing into things. Staying connected to this typical reality is not easy for me. You can dress pretty casual if you are part of the IT depertment. Usually lots of Lonewolves in the IT department so the big bosses tend to ignore the lapses of dress code in IT people. A person who has odd quirks outside IT might be considered a non-conformist trouble maker. The same non-conformist trouble maker in the IT field is a highly respected if very excentric computer genius normally strict management people just let pass. I have seen this double standard more times than I can count on the job.
When you are third level computer technical support in a nice large federal agency and are very good at your assigned job life is hard. The pressure is never too much for me because, the work is constant. The cool thing is I get to figure out problems by myself in the lab. So thats perk #1. I get lots of alone time in a nice lab just me, a computer, a computer related problem, the operating system and the challenge of resolving the problem. Perk 2 I get to deal with motivated people who want desperately to get back to work soon as possible so they are always happy to see me. I have a solid reputation for being able to fix problems so people do not care that I have odd autistic quirks and clothing preferences. Perk 3 I get to travel. Perk #4 I get paid pretty good money for doing a job I enjoy so much I'd do it for free.
If there is one single bit of advice I'd give any autistic person looking for a job is take the best paying job related to your extreme fascination or interest you do well. Mine was computers. I love computers even when I am hope I play on computers. If you can find a good paying job where you work is like play you will never get tired of your job. You will learn to teach yourself to tolerate the people and social demands just to have the positive opportunities to work with computers. Taking a job where you have to do too much changing of yourself to be a success is a far more risky challenge. I have heard some people say bad things about me and before I could open my mouth to set them straight other people have come to my defense often being more harsh that I would have been. When you can fix someone's computer you become their hero and others will protect you from office bullies.
As a computer geek eventually all the office bullies will be in a situation where you are the very computer nerd with the special skills they will need to help them meet a vital deadline. You could screw them over but that's not how to win for good thats just a got-cha which keeps bad things going. Naw if he is respectful to you then treat that bully like a king, fix his system so it rocks. Let him see you are a better man than he has been to you and its been my experience them former bullies become your biggest defenders. I have found that when you get a job where everyone will need you in time that you make lots of allies. The key to surviving in the workplace is cultivating allies. If you work in an office where you have allies they will explain your disability to new people as they come in. If you build allied relationships at work people will often stand up with you on things you need.
In the office politics plays a big part in doing well. As an autistic I do not play their games well so I let my allies play my office politics for me. Oh yeah more of why IT jobs are good for aspies, you are indoors, you earn good money, you might get to travel, you are a respected professional after you earn your place based on hard work. The work is stressful but most aspies should be able to adapt in a few years, they just have to hang in there till they get used to the patterns of stress at their worksite. You get to work with geeks and nerds who will likely talk intelligently about the things you like.
31 Dec 2007, 10:47 am
