Career Options for Non-Visual Thinkers
I have reached the conclusion that if I do not improve upon my current qualifications (7 GCSEs, 2 A Levels & a distinction in an HTML course), I will never find full-time employment. My interpersonal skills are utterly dreadful and as a consequence I feel I need to find a career in which social interaction is minimal.
Unfortunately, however, I am not a visual thinker. I was a C grade student at school, and never truly found anything academic particularly interesting. Thus, my career prospects have never looked good. As my mediocre performance in school would suggest, I do not possess any great intellectual strengths. My biggest intellectual weakness - of the many that there are - is science, as I was at the bottom of my class in every scientific subject. I do, however, tend to score well on abstract, non-verbal and computing aptitude tests. But I always register poor scores on mechanical reasoning tests.
I have attempted computer programming, but I found that to be unbelievably tedious and the software was extremely frustrating to operate.
I am currently thinking about studying either accounting or proofreading - but I do admit that my grammar would need to improve significantly for me to successfully complete such a course.
The list below has been taken from Temple Grandin's website.
Accounting -- Get very good in a specialized field such as income taxes
Library science -- reference librarian. Help people find information in the library or on the Internet.
Computer programming -- Less visual types can be done as freelance work
Engineering -- Electrical, electronic and chemical engineering
Journalist -- Very accurate facts, can be done as freelance
Copy editor -- Corrects manuscripts. Many people freelance for larger publishers
Taxi driver -- Knows where every street is
Inventory control -- Keeps track of merchandise stocked in a store
Tuning pianos and other musical instruments, can be done as freelance work
Laboratory technician -- Running laboratory equipment
Bank Teller -- Very accurate money counting, much less demand on short-term working memory than a busy cashier who mostly makes change quickly
Clerk and filing jobs -- knows where every file is
Telemarketing -- Get to repeat the same thing over and over, selling on the telephone. Noisy environment may be a problem. Telephone sales avoids many social problems.
Statistician -- Work in many different fields such as research, census bureau, industrial quality control, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, etc.
Physicist or mathematician -- There are very few jobs in these fields. Only the very brilliant can get and keep jobs. Jobs are much more plentiful in computer programming and accounting.
But if I am being brutally honest, I can't envisage myself in any of those positions.
Hopefully the careers advisor I am meeting on the Monday after next can help guide me.
_________________
"Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. " - Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_thinking
Most people actually aren't visual thinkers--only 30% of the population falls into the visual thinking category.
How are your physically? Can you do work that involves physical, rather than intellectual labor? Can you move heavy boxes in a warehouse distribution center? You don't necessarily need to be big, just strong--I know a women about 5' 4 and of slim build who does that.
I am physically weak, poor with my hands, and I find working outdoors to be difficult because my circulation is dreadful.
_________________
"Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. " - Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks
It is likely that where you work is more important than what you actually do. Aspies have actually been canned or fired for doing too much--the other employees didn't want the performance standards to be raised so they got rid of the Aspie. There are places where this simply can't happen--you can be a total jerk on Wall street or even a car dealership, but it you can SELL, SELL, SELL, they won't get rid of you. Or if they did, you could walk into another business nearby and find a job instantly.
Selling may not require good interpersonal skills--sometimes you can just work from a script crafted by an expert.
The inability to connect may also help you in some situations where you really don't want to get too involved in what you are doing.
What you can do at 20 or even 30 doesn't have to limit what you can ultimately achieve. Look at Tom Brady--even though the Patriots lost this weekend he has achieved far more than what anyone would have expected when he left school. Think about how folks train to run the marathon--many folks who have done it have to gradually train their bodies.
Empathy
Veteran
Joined: 30 Aug 2015
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,548
Location: Sovereign Nation & Commonwealth
I am not a visual thinker. I was a C grade student at school.
My career prospects have never looked good but I always register poor scores on mechanical reasoning tests.
I am currently thinking about studying either accounting or proofreading
The list below has been taken from Temple Grandin's website.
Library science -- reference librarian. Help people find information in the library or on the Internet.
Computer programming -- Less visual types can be done as freelance work
Engineering -- Electrical, electronic and chemical engineering
Journalist -- Very accurate facts, can be done as freelance
Copy editor -- Corrects manuscripts. Many people freelance for larger publishers
Taxi driver -- Knows where every street is
Inventory control -- Keeps track of merchandise stocked in a store
Bank Teller -- Very accurate money counting, much less demand on short-term working memory than a busy cashier who mostly makes change quickly
Clerk and filing jobs -- knows where every file is
Telemarketing -- Get to repeat the same thing over and over, selling on the telephone. Noisy environment may be a problem. Telephone sales avoids many social problems.
Statistician -- Work in many different fields such as research, census bureau, industrial quality control, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, etc.
Jobs are much more plentiful in computer programming and accounting.
But if I am being brutally honest, I can't envisage myself in any of those positions.
Hopefully the careers advisor I am meeting on the Monday after next can help guide me.
Hello there. I take it you're living in the U.k. I have non verbal visual cues as a problem too.
For me the field of science or maths or music would be challenging to work in, and takes practice to identify yourself as any artist in the industry, so your best options are, to stay away from telemarketing or canvassing as they will use a quick thinking non verbal attributer like yourself and tear you to shreads.
They're only looking for someone they can use. Despite the fact you do look like a good doorsman, you would need to master the technique, which involves etiquette and above all, good standard protocol.
I have probably one level 2 and thats in Powerpoint Presentation. Which would only look good if I could master the arts of merchandising my own product. So I swerve from this.
I excel at other things though, depite my creative mindfield, I can actually process grammar on paper well, and proof reading and copy editing did excite me at one stage.
People are incubators for their own self pitying selves and look to others to secure them the standards in which they seek. The same issue for corporation tax. Who'd have thought, the smaller shops were going to fight back and land an off-shore investment in the Isle of Man.
A full-time career is pretty hefty and wouldn't be on the cards. Believe me. Take as much input as you can get.
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