Best Employers for Aspies that do IT Work?

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Who's working IT for an aspie-friendly company? Care to share your experiences?

I'm in IT.

I've been given my own office even though the entire rest of the company is open plan.

They understand if I don't want to be at a social function, but they still prod me and encourage me to go. Their viewpoint is - you have to try but you can leave early if you need to.

They understand my weirdness and will give subtle signals if they think I'm being conversationally dangerous.

I've got a boss who goes to meetings - so I don't have to go myself.

I'm currently working in an aspie-hostile workplace and I'm looking to make a change. Is there a list out there of companies that aspies have been successful at?

I've never been aware of a list but I've generally had a lot of success in companies. I think the trick is how you begin and how you handle crises.

Where are you located?

Among many other jobs I do contract work for 2 similar companies, mostly installing/upgrading POS systems at a wide variety of locations ranging from Home Depot to Morgan Stanley to the U.S. Postal Service. They are nationwide.

Unfortunately, it's piece-meal work and can't be relied upon to pay your way full time. I might get offers for a dozen gigs this month, then nothing for the rest of the year. Especially for me since I live rurally. Urban centers have more companies and thus, more work.

But as a side-gig, it's been fantastic and I understand there are some who are self employed (e.g.; freelance web designer, which I hope to grow up to be someday!), and use these companies as supplemental income.

The Aspie upside as far as I've experienced:

- Client/Contractor relationship works way better for me than Employee/Employer relationship.

- Zero micromanagement.

- While the work at each site is similar, it's also a different site, different project every time. Sometimes I'm working solo, sometimes with one or more other techs. Different people as well. If I don't get on well with someone, no big deal since I'll probably never run into them again. If I do work especially well with someone we can each tell the company and they'll make a note of it so we might be on more projects together.

My Aspie-ness has hardly come up or been an issue at all in 10 years. Unlike most every other job I've ever had.

http://www.e-technicians.net/
http://www.go2itgroup.com/

Both countries contract nationwide (U.S.)

Otherwise, I find it's not necessarily the company but the local management. I've worked for fantastic companies but that one crappy supervisor makes it an Aspie-intolerable workplace. I've also worked for an evil corporate empire or two *cough*RadioShack*cough* but because I was in a quiet, small town store with one of those rare cool-managers and a cool coworker or two, it was a great experience.

Wherever you go ... good luck! And not to be too pessimistic, but I strongly suggest you always keep doors and options open. You never know when that evil supervisor will show up and spoil the party.

- Jo

I worked for some years in an academic research institute, which was quite good. I did not have my own office, but no one cared, if just appeared at 05h00 pm (sic!) and went home at 10h00 am, so it was very quite and could do my job.

Unfortunately such jobs are rare and - at least here in the UK - notoriously underpaid.

My husband is looking for work in IT and has some of the same concerns you do.

Since there is apparently no list, I suppose you could surf discussion sites and find out what people say about different companies. Recently there was an interesting article on why people quit Google. The info is out there.

Also, I think you need some qualifying questions in an interview, to find out whether they can accommodate your needs. I don't know what they would be, but I'm interested in the answer. Maybe some things about working alone, working uninterrupted, dress code, meetings. What precisely are the issues of your concern at your current workplace? Knowing those would help in formulating questions to screen out such problems at a new place.