Curious, What's your occupation?

Post Reply New Topic

I've always been curious on how people with aspergers decide on what job is right for them.
I work in a childcare centre and I find being with children all day is fun and rewarding, and acting like a weirdo is acceptable for children. I also get the brain stimulation from working in the office on the parent accounts. The only down side is the talking to parents. I can't talk to the parents because it's confusing and I never know what to say. I'm suppose to build a rapport with families but I don't know how to.

So What is your job and are you coping in your job?

I work at a remote fishing lodge in Alaska, during the 4 summer months we are open I am the generator and boat mechanic. during the winter I am the caretaker (red rum) 8 months of the year alone well a few friends from the closest village stop out every other month or so. It is fly in fly out only, 45min by snow machine, 2h by boat. During the summer I don't really have to deal with anyone, my boss was the former winter caretaker and we get along well, as for the rest well they just think I am odd. During the winter I am like a kid in a candy store, I just tend to get to many projects going.

@angelbee: It's great to hear that such an environment works well for you! I just got home from an interview with an acquaintance who is the Programs and Training Coordinator for the Child Development Center on the military base where I currently work. I was very keen on the atmosphere of the place, but it's reassuring to know that another Autie thrives in a similar position.
I find the "fake it til you make it" strategy is working quite well for me, in regards to building rapport. Just make a concerted effort to remember just one face a day, connect details of personality to something tangible about the person. I have studied memory strategies in order to use my visual and olfactory memory to my advantage. It just takes a bit of practice, and it's important to embrace successes over dwelling on awkward moments. It's hard for us to put ourselves in the place of another, but EVERYONE is awkward, and more frequently than we recognize from others.
To build rapport, one must learn to seem genuinely interested in the kinds of things brought up in small talk. Those things, as unconcerned as one might be with the family dog's recovery from bladder surgery, it shows the person that you are invested in their lives, if only slightly. You don't have to care about the dog, or anything, but knowing that the end result is that NTs will be nicer to you for your asking makes it well worth it. It just amounts to paying attention to the details of these people who are essentially a pseudo-boss, and showing them you have a vested interest in them by asking them about these little things.
I find that if I spend a bit of time each day, maybe 10 minutes, rehearsing some conversations with people I think I'll see that day, it helps me act more genuinely interested. People like to have their egos stroked, so even the smallest things are valuable. Also, people like to talk about themselves, so looking engaged is more important than genuine interest.
As you can see, I'm still in the "fake it" stage... But I'm seeing results.

I'm currently a custodian, seeking another job because of a terrible boss and the thankless nature of the job. My coping strategies have been somewhat unsuccessful, until I hit the reset button by having a meeting with my boss and her superior to get the air clear and make her more accountable for her habit of demeaning me in front of others so constantly. It is working quite well, so far. But I tried and erred on so many other "techniques" before I got there. I listen to Get-It-Done Guy's podcast, in addition to some Slate podcasts, to help me with efficiency, organization, dealing with difficult people and situations. Putting it into practice is the hardest part, though.

I just read as much as I can about issues that are vexing me, so as to allow better understanding, thereby reducing frustration. It just takes a bit of initiative, and more when I'd rather have my nose stuck in linguistics books all day than be around people.

I do closed-captioning because I am great at grammar and spelling, and have the ability to hyperfocus. When I'm time stamping, I play back the shows at double speed because I can read and listen that fast . I like what I do, but I'd like to do it somewhere else. I've worked for a religious broadcaster for over 15 years now and I'm getting burnt out.

In the Factory, I do metalwork using lathes and milling machines.

I work in fast food, Taco Bell. Right job? Ha. It's probably the worst job imaginable for someone like me, Aspurger's and Mobius Syndrome... But the only place the would hire me. I've been there 5 years, and some days are really good, I have regular customers that love me, and I love them too. But then... there are the OTHER ones... Look at me and talk to me like I'm stupid, and it's REALLY annoying (...And sometimes humorous If I'm in a good mood... but it's rare) when THEY don't know what they are talking about and think they do, while THEY are looking at ME like I'm stupid.

Like, One short rant, I could go on and on with them, but just one.

We have at Taco Bell, The "Party Pack" and the "Variety Pack." Both have 12 Tacos, but the Party Pack you can get any combination of Crunchy and Soft Tacos, where as the Variety Pack, has any any combination of Crunchy, Soft, or (Either) Doritos's Taco (We have Nacho Cheese or Cool Ranch)

The Variety pack costs a dollar more because it can have the Doritos's Tacos.

So, Twice in one day, this happened.

Customer: "I want the Variety Pack"

Me: "Okay, how would you like that?"

Customer: "All Soft Tacos"

Me: "...Okay, Just so you know, You asked for the Variety Pack, but that's for the Doritos's Tacos, what you want is the cheaper Party Pack."

Customer: "THAT'S WHAT I SAID."

...I gave up on explaining. I don't bother explaining anymore, and call me bad if you want but, I charge them what they ask for

Accounting. I hate it. I got a business degree so I'd be able to get a job. Even though I wasn't interested, I could still get amazing grades in business school.

I regret not going to music school. Worst mistake of my life. Even with a degree, I am making $12/hr because of the economy and have $25K in student loans to pay back.

I am going to music school as soon as I have the means. Music is my obsession/special talent.

GO WITH YOUR INTERESTS. Don't end up unhappy like me.

Military engineer (draftee) as second lieutenant, thanks to the conscription law in my country.

Biochemical engineer, I love it and couldn't be happier!

I am a software engineer working with farm models (eks fasset.dk)

Accountant too....

Didn't go into it until my thirties when I went back to school. I don't mind it and I am doing okay at this job [only been here seven months] but I'm only now convinced that I can find a place in this field. I was ready to give up for a while there---got fired from my first accounting job and was out of work for three years before finding this job.

I am the opposite of "go with your interests." My interests are not really marketable--I studied writing/literature as an undergrad and ended up very lucky to find a job for the post office, otherwise I would have probably not found a job at all or had to do menial type stuff that I wasn't good at. I worked in a bookstore for a while and did not like it---it is not really about books, it's about waiting on people.

I do not live to work, so for me a job I can tolerate that pays well enough for me to be able to enjoy life during my time away from work is as good as it gets. I do somewhat envy people who are able to have a job that also involves working with their interests, but that has never been feasible for me.

Yes, there are interests that aren't marketable. I agree with that. I have a strong interest in philosophy and took a lot for electives in Uni. I got perfect scores and always felt tempted to go for a Philosophy major, but there is nothing I could have done with it. You can use it mainly to get into a Master's program, but not to get work...

I think I meant "go with ONE interest if you can make a career out of it." I make the mistake of worrying too much about money only to make hardly any and I'm miserable at the same time.

My situation is a little unique in that my health problems make working agony. I think if I had gone to music school, I would have been much happier. Still not making much as part of an orchestra, but at least happier. Right now, there is nothing really urging me to work. My pay is not enough to offset the struggles I face every day. I had to move back in with my father because I don't make enough to live on my own.

It's just so complicated. I wish it was as easy as "go to work, get paid, do things in my spare time". I thought it would be this way, and therefore I could tolerate a job I didn't absolutely love. But then all these variables got thrown into the mix...

I think if my health were better, I'd be able to tolerate work I don't love. So I don't think my point of view doesn't relate to ASD much as it does a person with health problems.

Currently I'm a "Sandwich Artist", and I really dislike this crappy job. I may be employed as security at the Molson Amphitheatre (in Toronto, Canada) during this summer though, and hopefully I'll be getting into the Army Reserves next September, as an Armoured Recce trooper. After university I'll either join the army full time, or keep working in security until I can get on a police agency.

Electrical engineer in the transportation industry.