Aspies and jobs

Post Reply New Topic

Do any of you feel that holding down a job as an Aspie is difficult? I ask because I am in a difficult place in my life where I am not working and feel insecure with my ongoing education. (I'm 24, by the way, and a 1st year in law school)

I've never worked at the same place for over a year. The places I have worked I have not gotten along with coworkers. I have even been bullied and looked down upon while working more so than I was in high school, which is really saying something. The truth is I am terrified to find a job again, which is why I have basically been unemployed for 4 years. I know that once I start, I'll be confined with the same people everyday, who will be able to do those things to me again, and I won't even be able to slip away because I will have work-related obligations. The best case scenario I can see is one where I am invisible to my co-workers, which still leaves me the uphill mission of trying to succeed in a field like law without any networking.

I worry that intelligence is not enough when my social limitations make people think I am incapable. Normally, I don't give a crap what anyone thinks anymore. But this is work, this is where my livelihood is supposed to come from. It's not about them anymore, it's about what I need to survive. Do any of you have some advice on how to approach work-related interactions, or at least how to blend in with other coworkers?

Mostly you just have to keep everything very professional. This won't make you the most popular, but it will spare you a lot of the gossipy sort of office stuff that goes on. That's how I approach it anyway... although I haven't held a job for more than a year either.

Kirayng is right, just concentrate on your job. Don't worry too much about being liked and making friends. I've been at my current job for 12 years now and I did this without knowing I was an aspie. For part of this time I was bullied, eventually I had to speak with my boss about it and was stopped (without it being revealed I said anything...) Now years later these bullies and I get along well.

It might be hard but it can be done. It just takes patience and hard work.

[Moved from General Autism Discussion to Work and finding a Job]

A fair bit of this sounds familiar to me - I think that the importance is on WHERE you work.

For example my first job was wonderful, I loved the job and developed very strong friendships with most of the staff meaning that I was happy, my AS symptoms were far less of a problem and I did amazingly well in the job. The next job however was different, it was within a call centre which means lots of gossip and office politics, the environment is TOXIC for NT's let alone AS/ASD and so you do get bullied, looked over for promotion, and if you're not good with social skills you do get targeted for disciplinary, with all that your AS symptoms get worse and it's a vicious circle.

I'd say that yes concentrate on your job and stay professional...but be aware of your environment too, if you do work in an environment where social skills are valued over hard work or where it's all office politics and gossip you need to get out because no matter how well you work you'd get no where within that company. There ARE good employers out there, you need to value yourself enough to get out of toxic environments and find work places that value your work more than your social skills, within such workplaces you'll probably also find the people are nicer so easier to get on with and you can cope far better so can be a little more social.

I've had my current job for almost 3 years, but I think I'm about to be laid off since I haven't been scheduled in over a month. Even then, I keep my work relationships professional, and that includes customers as well. The problem is that I wasn't actually hired as a cashier, and since I'm a typical American who is only English speaking, I doubt they're going to bother training me, even if I were to take some Spanish classes someplace.

How come with a lot of us Aspies (myself included), the magical number with keeping a job is 1 year? I ONCE kept a job ALMOST 2 years, and I was so excited about it, and then I was fired. :/

I tend to do about 2-3 years in each job before moving on again. I keep thinking that the next one will be the one that I see out for a longer time but it never goes that way. Having said that, my average would probably be a lot lower if I didn't have 2 kids to bring up as I'm normally thinking about moving by the end of the first year but it always seems to take me a while to find the next thing to move on to.

For the past 5 years I did mainly short term temporary jobs in offices, and because they get such a string of temps in, I was usually pretty much ignored or people kinda found me a mild novelty.
One job lasted a year but I was basically told I should leave, otherwise it would go to disciplinary and they'd have to disclose it to future employers. I just could not get my head round the work, no matter how much people explained it to me. Plus, the others in the team were all fake tanned, designer clothes obsessed types who all went to awful pubs and clubs after work, and I never went along or socialised with them so I feel they were less willing to give me a chance..
I get on really well in my current job.. Its related to one of my special interests so I enjoy the work, and my colleagues find me odd and funny in a good way..

I'm almost 26, and didn't know I was an Aspie until I was 21.

I had worked various jobs, not for long periods of time... they ended quickly.
I finally worked at a call centre for nearly a year but it was very stressful, after I got fired, that led up to my diagnosis. I stopped driving and working at that time.

Now I am driving again, and have been working as a cashier for almost 2 years for Home Depot and like it.

Volunteered at an animal shelter for a year which helped my social skills.