Career Changes

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Hi all, sorry for the long post,

My SO and I recently self diagnosed myself as Aspie. The revelation has explained almost every problem I've ever had with school and career. Anyway, armed with this new knowledge at the ripe old age of 35 I'm tying to make some career decisions and would like some feedback.

Background:

I never did well in school unless the subject interested me. My report cards where usually A+'s and D and F's. Tried college a few times, but just couldn't handle the social scene at a four year school or get through the general ed classes.

Most of my previous career has been in IT, server and networking etc. However I always found that I was really good at designing new systems and networks, but after they moved into maintenance mode I would get bored and things would fall apart. I'd always find a new job before I got fired. During the .com bubble this worked fine since my skills were in high demand and by switching companies I worked my way up to a highly paid senior management position with a startup. The company executives who were my bosses were all bulling sales people types who demanded long hours and constant adherence to the social rules of the power structure (ie. kissing ass), and I found supervising large numbers of people stressful and isolating. This of course was a nightmare. Anyway, when the .com bubble burst I was "laid off" when the company downsized. However I knew I was really fired for not kissing up or supervising the employees properly (ie. not working them to death and handing down idiotic edicts). The sense of failure was intense, but tinged with relief at not having to go to that job anymore.

I found myself sort of checking out of the working world after that and becoming depressed (despite the generous unemployment benefits ). I sort of drifted into starting a business with my SO in an industry that I was completely ill suited. I think when your depressed and Aspie you tend to sort of let things happen rather than taking deliberate steps. The business has been up and down and extremely stressful, but has managed to eat a truly astounding amount of my money in the process. I also find working at home or a small office isolating and makes it hard to stay on task.

Now, knowing that I'm an Aspie I understand why my path was what it was and why I can't make the business work. My SO and I have decided that I need to go back to work for someone else and turn the business over to her for better or worse. I'm now faced with trying to decide what I want to do.

Question: What should I pursue given the following ? :

- I found I really enjoy the planning and design aspect of things, but hate maintenance.
- Obviously being Aspie, jobs in sales etc. are out. I can compensate socially when I need to, but find it exhausting and hard.
- I've always been good at visual problem solving. When I problem solve I think of how all the parts fit together visually. (Designing IT systems I used to get obsessed by the data center rack layout )
- I enjoy things with a good sense of clean aesthetics. I always thought I could be a good architect but getting through 6 years of school just to be a draftsman for 10 years didn't excite me.
- I like seeing how things flow or how networks work. Ie. computer networks, traffic, transit etc.
- I want a career where I can make good money. Starving Artist just isn't an option for me.
- No 80 hour a week jobs.
- Relocation isn't an option since I love the activities where I live, but it is a larger city with a good job market.
- I'd be willing to go to school or training for a couple of years if I didn't have to take courses that didn't apply to my career.
- Something that will allow me to socialize a bit at work, but doesn't require it all the time.
- I'm not sure I want to go back into IT, although I have had a phone interview from a famous tech company that starts with the letter "G".

Any and all ideas no matter how off the wall appreciated.

I sympathize, the jobs for us are vanishing. I was a product buyer store level at Tower Records before they closed, and have been floundering ever since. I'm trying to get back into school to study cognitive science, since I study it in my spare time anyway. I am a musician and artist, but that doesn't pay the bills.

But your question is a good one, and I had an idea earlier that I was hesitant on asking, but maybe it's a good idea. It's easy for us to get lost in the shuffle, and get scared by changes and details. But I was reading about "The Secret," and though I think it's bunk, I do believe in the idea that if you preoccupy yourself with negatives, you won't see the positives. So instead of saying "I don't want to fail at work," we should be saying " I want to succeed at work."

So the idea is, to get an objective voice, if we start a forum thread where we put up our strengths and weaknesses, and objectively narrow down our logical choices and opportunities, and act as a support system/motivational system/asskick when needed.
Set each other up with a plan, goals, i.e., find your field, locate local companies, write/call/visit one a day with resume and gameplan, etc. Something like that.

And thoughts, ideas, suggestions?

Have you considered a career field like Radiologic (X-ray) Technology which focuses on computer skills, math and physics...,
it requires only two years of training and allows one to make a fairly decent income with little training? Of course, you can also
advance into more specialized training like Cat Scan technician, MRI technician, or Nuclear Medicine. You work mostly with the
equipment once you position the patient for a diagnostic medical procedure...and if one is critically injured and you work say, in a
Cat Scan Department, your patient MAY be unconscious...meaning little personal contact but, you need good technical skills and
the ability to tolerate "bloody," critical, and often "life-saving" situations.

I worked in Radiology for ELEVEN years and loved it! A Radiologic Technologist ONLY needs TWO YEARS of education.

A Radiologist is a Medical Doctor with at least twelve years of education, including medical school...there's a difference and
people get confused over these two careers in Radiology.

If you like computers (now x-rays are becoming digital), math and physics...good pay and having the ability to find a job after just TWO YEARS of training, check out schools for Radiologic Technology. Also, admission to schools is highly competitive.

Sorry all things medical freak me out, so I think this is out.