Strange Idea for A Job
So, I was diagnosed with AS 3 years ago.
But did I let that stop me from getting a job? NO WAY!
And can you guess where I got my job?
I'll give you a hint. It was the last place anyone could ever think of finding an aspie working...
STARBUCKS!!
Yes ladies and gents, I applied for a job at SBUX, and eventually, after bugging the manager about it for a couple of weeks they hired me!
And guess what... its like a form of therapy for me. You see, in working at starbucks I have had to force myself to adapt to a highly social enviorment. You are not a good employee if you dont try to be extremly friendly and personable. As a result of working there for over a year I have learned so much about NT's and all their ways. I've picked up several tools for interpreting people, and handling difficult situations, and while my job isnt completely deviod of awkward situations and difficult communications, I continue to get better with every shift I work.
So, if you feel like you are getting nowhere with your AS... if you feel like life is nearly impossible, perhaps you should do the most illogical thing of all time, and apply for a job where you are forced to be social. And dont give up on it!! ! Learn from every experience you have, and make conquering your AS one of your main interests. Take it from me, the results are extremely positive.
Just remember when working, to be yourself, be very nice, and extremly forgiving! If you do that, you will learn, and they (your coworkers) will begin to see the beautiful person inside of you. Not to mention all of the customers who will be charmed by your personality, and word choice
I've had several customers walk in the next day and compliment me either on my kind demeanor or my unending desire to make their starbucks experience the best it could possibly be. This is exactly what I've always wanted people to remember me for, and thus far, I've been successful.
With that Im out!
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Life's a wave, learn to ride it.
ive had jobs like that where ive been forced to be outgoing and i think it would have worked for me fine if i didnt haveto feel insecure and worry about my horrible relationship with my manager and coworkers. i really enjoyed working in retail, despite the fact that i never thought id like it. it was nice making small talk with customers and selling things. it gave me a feeling of accomplishment. i even opened myself to waitressing which scared the heck out of me but i did it for two years. all i can say is that at least i tried it.
Idk man. I'm working at starbucks right now and floundering hopelessly. Its not as much working with the public that's the problem but rather the whole entire learning all the terms dates and recipes for the drinks. You add that with the fact that you only get to talk to customers for a few seconds at most and most times they are extremely obnoxious when you are trying to get their order right. They become impatient and act like spoiled little brats for the most part. Its kind of like whip-lash going back and forth and my co-workers are trying so hard to work with me I feel like I'm letting them down. I'm a cashier and that's pretty laid back. You get to talk to customers for longer and try to make things work for them at a slower pace.
I love this outlook!
Years ago I was put in a small office space with a woman I couldn't stand. She was negative, she made up weird lies, she never pulled her own weight, and she didn't have very good personal hygiene. I made it my mission to get along with her, despite how stressful it was to be around her.
I wouldn't say I ever liked her, but I fooled her into thinking I did, and she was nice to me. That made all the things that bothered me not so bad.
I started with one positive thing about her and focused on that. She didn't have a lot of positive attributes, so I concentrated on "she doesn't know she's being negative" and "she can't help it." If there was no way to respond to her negativity, I'd say, "I see what you're saying" or "you should do that." Because she was going to have her opinions and behaviors no matter what I did. If she was going to tell me about it, I could make the conversation shorter and more positive by just saying something supportive.