I hope for library work...

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So I have been doing some work adjustment stuff and did well with that, but the next step is getting some help into a new more permanent position. One of the people I am working with for the job stuff mentioned one oppurtunity at a v.a hospital...but that would involve greeting people and wheeling back patients on wheel-chairs. I mean I am not very physically strong so I worry I may not be able to do it plus social interaction with new people is hard for me...So I don't think I would give a very good experience, like it would be better for a more social person who can actually greet the patients and talk to them to make them feel more comfortable and welcome whereas I would just be stuck on what thing to say and probably make them feel even more awkward. But then to my relief next she mentioned potential library work, like starting out shelving books(in my head I was just stoked, thining OMG I would love so much to work at a library) so I guess she is going to look into that as far as openings and things...I just have to work on my resume to email her to see if its good or if I need a little help improving it. But seriously that would be wonderful so I am really hoping they can get me a position like that. Sounds like the V.A hospital position would pay more than the library one...but I certainly feel more comfortable with the library option as far as my capabilities.

I mean maybe with practice I could do the first one, but I don't want to 'experiement' on real hospital patients and potentially do emotional harm or something by not knowing what to say and making them feel unwelcome or something by being silent.

I thought about getting an information studies degree when I was studying some weird programming projects, I thought the same thing too.

Well college is out for me, I already tried it and all I got was debt...no degree. But through the program I am working with to help me get work, they may be able to get me a library position shelving books to start. And I would absolutely love that and this time it would be paid, I volunteered at my local library when I was around 17 and I enjoyed it aside from not getting paid. I did book shelving at that volunteer job so I could certainly do it again...but I also did some book processing where you put the check out stickers and such on them and I enjoyed that to. So I am really really hoping for the library opportunity, even if it means a long bus ride.

I think next time I talk to my voc rehab help people, I will certainly persist that I really want to work in a library. I mean today I had to call one of the people helping with my job stuff and she asked what I would want to do and I wasn't sure just because there are so many things and I am just kind of unsure about myself and my skills so I don't know what all I can do to be honest. But when she mentioned the library job that clicked, like that really is something I would like to do and being surrounded by books might help be get back into reading more as well.

Good luck! I think it sometimes helps to have a specific area to look for.

A couple of years ago I took a test for librarian job

There was a lot of competition

The library would be as good as it gets

Not formal. No tuxedo

Not as many angry customers as Starbucks

Not loud

Minimal socializing and manual labor


Did not get the job

Go for the library one. Life isn't worth living when you choose a job you may get anxious or "out of your depth" in, even if it pays more money. The library one suits you more, so go for it.


Back when I was unemployed I did think of working in a library, but here in the UK public libraries can be as noisy as supermarkets, because you get all sorts of people going into libraries, including parents who can't control their toddlers and let them run around screeching like it's a playground, all hours of the day. They even hold a daycare type of thing in some libraries around here, where babies aged 1-3 get dropped off for a couple of hours and are often shouting or crying, making the library no longer a quiet place.
But I don't think they let libraries get that noisy in the US. The UK is too much of a "family-friendly" place.

I'm glad you found something that resonates with you. I used to work in a library - volunteer when I was in school. I love libraries.

For someone without particular job skills, the library is "As Good as it gets"


Retail restaurant sales office

Dress up

Not government jobs, easy to get fired

Far away

The library is quiet

You don't have a sales quota

Not hot and cold like a restaurant. Dirty. Angry customers. Crowded. Get burned.

I've worked in a library for the last 3 years. It's very customer service focused and there have been a lot of sensory issues that I didn't expect for me to have problems with, but I do. Since a lot of library jobs are public sector positions, I find they are more accommodating to special needs, so there are ways to work around my sensory issues. Library staff, in particular, are very accommodating because of the nature of the work and striving for libraries to be accessible and inclusive to everyone.
For me, my biggest issue is noise. You'd think a library would be quiet, but the "quiet library" belief is considered outdated. Libraries are more of a community gathering place with some areas for quiet study. The library I work for is currently getting renovated and I am hoping that the acoustical problems get addressed once the remodel is complete, because that was my biggest problem working there.
I strongly believe autistic people are well-equipped to work in libraries because of their ability to be detail oriented. You would not believe how often I am able to catch shelving mistakes that a lot of my coworkers don't notice.
Back to the customer service part of the job, while my job has a lot of patron interaction, it's a lot less pressure than when I worked in retail. Library patrons often have a lot more patience than the customers I would deal with in retail, which is very nice.

There is a lot of competition for library work

At least there was when I tried to be a librarian


There are specific skills

Well it turns out with my lack of experience and such they haven't been able to find me a position at any nearby libraries, at least for now. They did say there were likely openings doing sorting and things at some of the ARC thrift stores, there is one close enough I could walk to it. So at this point something like that may be more realistic.

Mostly I just want to get something soon, I have gone this whole month without work and I am more than ready to get started with a position somewhere. So if they can get me a position at the thrift store with my current work experience then I am all for it.