Intelligent in the classroom, stupid in the real world!! !! !

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As a teen I had no common sense at all bu eventually I gained it little by little I still have very little common sense except if it is a logical sitution

Both myself and my AS husband have found that for a happy fulfilled worklife the only answer is to work for yourself. We have studios at home where we run our business and still have to go out for some face to face stuff but thankfully it's not every day.

I'm the happiest I have ever been doing what I love, for people I like, and working from home. I always knew from a young age that the traditional workplace was not for me. That's why I used every job I took as training for working for myself, and always had a 'just passing through' attitude.

Things that are seen as weaknesses as an employee, become strengths when you're the boss

I can relate well with all these stories; I did well in the classroom, at least once I discovered in college that I really enjoy learning (after a false start at another school, which I dropped out of after a single semester, then a four year hiatus before I could get myself together enough to try again), but until recently was never able to find better than menial jobs which didn't fit me well at all. Right now I'm actually enjoying the "real world", as opposed to life as a student, at least now that I've landed a job that seems to be working out, and have a fairly good idea about the direction I want to go in professionally. I still occasionally upset the people I work with because of my lack of social awareness, but I know that some of them value me as an employee, and for at least a few, as a friend.

I was hired as an "information systems analyst" which is the most professional sounding title I've ever had, although I've found that it doesn't mean anything very specific, but all I'm really interested in now is becoming a professional programmer. Its unfortunate that I didn't discover this interest much earlier in life, because at nearly thirty, I could have been well on my way if I had gotten an earlier start. As it stands, if I am to become a developer for my current employer, they first want to put me through a period of "training", which is understandable, but I see my case as being different in that I do best when I'm given a problem, then am left to my own resources to solve it. Receiving training doesn't seem necessary when picking up a new technology is something that I'd be doing with my free-time anyway, whereas for the other developers, my impression is that they do this just because it happens to be their job. Maybe this is a difference between an aspie's "perseverance" and an NT's profession. In any case, I'm hoping that once I've got a few years of experience behind me working in the IT field, and have taught myself enough of the technologies that are in demand, I'll be able to find a job where I am working directly with the technologies, and their applications, that are so interesting to me.

One thing I think about is what my employers' reactions would be if I straight-out told them that I have Asperger's; would they become more understanding, and be willing to accommodate my weaknesses, or would they have no idea what I'm talking about? And for future employers (because I certainly don't plan to stay where I am forever), would it make sense to mention this in an interview, just so they know from the start what my situation is, or would this be sabotaging my chances of getting the job?

Also, I think you're right on, MsBehavior; working for oneself seems like the best situation for an aspie.