How to deal with an overabundance of technical skills

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avlien
Hummingbird
Hummingbird

Joined: 22 Oct 2015
Age: 44
Posts: 21
Location: Asheville, NC USA

20 Jun 2017, 4:38 pm

I know 8 programming languages, I have 25+ years of experience in computer hardware & software, I am a very competent live sound engineer as well as a studio recording engineer. I have been a semi-professional photographer for over a decade. I am a skillful visual designer, web designer, web developer, & I can learn just about any technical skill in a week or two.

An example of the last point: I taught myself everything about HVAC condensate mechanisms in about 12 hours last week just because I didn't feel like waiting two days for a repair technician to become available. I can really honestly teach myself to do things most people can't even comprehend very quickly & easily.

None of this really matters though because I am currently vying for the title of "world's most overqualified part-time Uber driver".

Something always seems to go wrong whenever I start trying to find a job, usually it is to do with communication. I rarely answer my phone anymore because of the mind-
boggling prevalence of telemarketers & my email accounts don't fare much better. I cannot process all of the "static" in common communication channels. Don't even get me started on "social" media, it's like neuroatypical kryptonite.

I'm just wondering how other NaTs deal with this.

The other issue I have is speed. I will always take a bit longer than an NT (with similar proficiency) doing the same task, but I will produce infinitely superior results. This sounds like an asset to some people, but employers often want "just enough effort".

This has gotten me into trouble with website design jobs before because people have very "lowest common denominator" expectations for their website. I realize a hair stylist doesn't need their own social network on their site, but I can't bring myself to "half-ass" a project that I'm putting my name on.

This leads to "why not just Squarespace the thing" debates from clients. I'm guessing that other neuroatypicals have similar problems. It wouldn't be a problem if everyone who wanted a website wanted it to be an amazing work of art. They don't though, & often it will put them off to suggest improvements even if they do not affect the cost of the project.

So, my big issues are:
1) communication
2) difficulty not exceeding expectations (it even sounds weird to me).

A smaller facet is that I never really know which skills to list on a resume. It always starts to read like a laundry list & I often wonder if people doubt that I actually have the skills that I list. After all, NTs like to "fluff" their abilities to "get a foot in the door". Don't ask me how they deal with actually being asked to produce said abilities.

Humans make me insane with their constant misrepresentation of themselves & the world at large. It's so bad that they constantly expect it of one another. Honesty is a bigger handicap than any other atypicality.


_________________
"Hello, friends. I am a perfectly normal human worm-baby! You have...absolutely nothing, to fear from me."
Invader Zim - [S01Ep01 - "The Nightmare Begins"]
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note: for the purpose of this conversation "human" = "neurotypical"


BTDT
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2010
Age: 61
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,415

20 Jun 2017, 4:58 pm

Over the years I've gotten better at sidestepping the fact that the customer is often wrong. Proper business practice is that you never directly inform customers of that fact. Similarly, Japanese custom is that you never say something isn't possible or can't be done.

I've also honed the skill of being able to listen to someone and create something concise to say in reply.