Work hard and you'll get a head, what a crock

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It's all something i'm considering. But I would worry about about memorizing
alot of facts, rules and procedures since both my semantic and procedural long-
term memory seems pretty bad and deficient in some rather unusual ways. I have
no outside confirmation of this as all the memory scores on my neuropsych evals
have been normal or better. However, there is reason to believe the standard
memory tests on these neuropsych evals are quite limited in terms of what they
can ultimately determine about one's LONG-TERM memory. Still...with the right
memory strategies and maybe with the help of diet, exercise, nutrients (like
Omega-3) I think I might able to manage something in the medical field.

I know nursing school doesn't require that much math...certainly nothing beyond
college algebra and maybe not even that in some nursing programs. I know an
older RN who didn't even known what "squared" meant. I asked her if she ever
even took algebra at all in college. She said no and apparently it wasn't a
requirement at all for most nursing programs a few decades ago.

I don't know how nursing students ever get through chemistry though if
they never even took algebra. I can't imagine chemistry wasn't a core
requirement for nursing students even 50 years ago. I've looked at alot
of the math questions on the NCLEX though and they look pretty formidable
by my standards.

I have to agree with Willard. What gets you ahead is ass-kissing and knowing how to play the game, unfortunately.

Not everyone here on WP is a math wiz with a great job. My disability has more to do with chronic fatigue than AS, but I haven't had a job in 15 years, and when I did I had to work part-time retail jobs, even though I graduated from an ivy league university. My degree would not get me much of a job in any case (it was in art and literature), but between being too exhausted to make it out of the house and too weird to deal with people, I'm pretty much up s**t's creek.

I'm in no way making light of your challenges, which from your descriptions I would grant are probably much more difficult than my own. Just letting you know you're not the only "loser" here on WP.

Even intro algebra doesn't seem too straightforward to my most uncooperative
brain.

Again....I admit I didn't exactly put the kind of effort into it that some people do.

Took it twice in college and dropped it...never sought ought any tutoring
or accommodations.

I've heard plenty of others on WP and elsewhere claim they took it 5 or more
times WITH tutoring and/or accommodations and some still haven't passed it.

I'm going to give it whirl again and this time i'm going to ace it if
it kills me. If that requires tutoring and accommodations of god
himself....so be it.

I know exactly what you mean; been there done that. If I knew the answers, I wouldn't be in the same boat as you. One thing you might try is going into business for yourself. If you are good at communication, you might try sales. Just hang in there and try thinking like a buddhist ~ we are all here so our souls can learn and grow in this incarnation. Be optimistic. You never know, things could suddenly change. If all else fails, play the lottery and hope you win, but don't overdo it. Luck and peace be with you.

I know.....in fact there's likely just as many here who are terrible at math.



There's also plenty who don't have great jobs or jobs at all as well.


It's just that my own "challenges" seem much more all-encompassing and
the mystery of why this is so drives me insane. As i've said countless times
before....NOTHING on the five IQ/neuropsych tests i've had would suggest
i'm substantially different than probably millions with NVLD/AS. I have no
outside confirmation whatsoever in respect to any of my "challenges" beyond
those people with NVLD/AS often experience. I won't compare crosses with
anyone. Therefore....i'm not prepared to say my challenges are more difficult
than your own or if for reasons I can't begin to understand, i've unintentionally
MADE THEM OUT TO BE more difficult than most people's with NVLD/AS.

Just when I was thinking about attempting some kind of career, I go and read this thread.

I'm just damn lucky that my "special interest" has always been physics and math. And that there is a place (academia) for someone like me. I could never have a "real job".

And because I'm in academia, it occurs to me...have you looked into lab tech work too? A lot of it isn't much more than just taking care of a lab, keeping things clean, and following written instructions on how to do a variety of tasks. We have a former salesman who decided he was sick of his job, quit it, and signed on with us to be a lab tech. No experience at all. No math skillz. And he's one of our steadiest techs these days. Good guy. And most importantly, he feels like he is contributing to something important (and he is!)

but if you're into biology/medical technology, a lab tech job is a nice starting point to build up the skills you want to move into health care later on.

Just some thoughts. Take care, and keep us updated.

Hard work does NOT pay off the way other people like assume/pretend it does. It's about connections. Lots of successful people got where they wer simple because of who their parents wer or because they went to the rite college & they met people there who set em up. George Bush would of never become presdient(Bush pronounced it like that) if his dad had not been a president as well. Miley Cyrus would of not become a teen idol if her dad did not sing Achy Breaky Heart Both examples are very successful people who got where they wer because of their family backgrounds

Do you think it would be possible for a very manipulative aspie to get ahead in the world by faking it?
like the character anton from the movie Gattaca?
p.s he wasn't an aspie but he was genetically inferior

I'm sure hard-workin' George Bush and Miley Cyrus believe they deserve every penny
they've got. Just like millions of rich Americans who truly believe they've worked harder
than the agricultural laborers, roofers, steelworkers, etc....

I'm 43, and my 'career' until now has been similar to some of the people who've posted, i.e. years of underachievement and frustration. However, I've recently landed a fantastic job, albeit one that won't start until next year. There was a lot of luck in this, but it wasn't just luck either. I'm very good at something unusual, and I went out and found someone that needed my skills.

What I'm trying to say is that people with ASD will often struggle to establish a successful mainstream career, even if they have a high IQ. The trick, therefore, is to think outside the box, and try to design your own non-mainstream career. At the risk of sounding patronizing, there's a whole world of possibilities out there. If you're intelligent, can write to a high standard and you have some sort of useful talent or skill then I'm sure there's SOMETHING interesting you can do for money. It's simply a question of brainstorming and perservering for opportunities.

Again, not wanting to sound patronizing, but I bet some of the frustrated people on this thread haven't fully explored every NON-MAINSTREAM possibility.

And hard work DOES pay off, but it has to applied smartly, e.g. you won't break a rock with your fist, no matter how many times you hit it, but that doesn't mean rocks are unbreakable!

I don't know what "good" money is, but for me it is enough to meet my needs and put money in the bank. I am female and I drive a semi truck across the US. I felt like a defective person in the past, since racking up lots of student loan debt I still had trouble with jobs and advancement. You can be overeducated in general, and specific-educated in bery little. My job took me 4 weeks to train free, and I'm having a blast. Beats being underemployed. I think jobs that are a bit odd are sometimes good choices for aspies. I am alone most of he time, watching the world outside my windshield. I only deal with people on a marginal basis and I amassing a great deal of knowledge about the country. Odd jobs are niche jobs, and they aren't for everyone so they may pay well. If one suits your abilities/deficits, then it can pay to be odd : - )

Horus good sir, I think one of the biggest problems you may have is you're depending on others for your happiness; that right there is a losing battle, good sir.

I recommend looking for work you enjoy doing...possibly even doing something on your own. What omnipotent being decided you were required to work for others? None that I know of.

A.) That would require some amount of capital, which I don't have and can't access.

B.) I believe I have alot of neuropsychological problems which just haven't shown up my neuropsych/IQ tests. This has been my observation after 40 years of constant self-scrutiny. This would include severe neurologically-based problems with long-term memory.

C.) Thanks ONLY partially to A and B....I am profoundly depressed at this time
and I have no capacity to enjoy ANYTHING.


You may very well view these things as excuses.....and perhaps you're right.

Still....my situation is extremely complex and unique (even for those with AS/NVLD) and I don't even understand it. The psychologists can't tell me much more
than they already have either.


I've tried to explain it all to the best of my ability here on WP, but I can
only explain so much. If you wish to view all these things as excuses and
that i'm merely lazy, unmotivated, etc....that is your right and I truly wouldn't
hold it against you.


Because for one thing....you may be right. I'm not lying when I say I don't
know if you are though. That's how confusing my situation is, I really have
no clear ideas in respect to the origin/s of my fundamental problem/s. All
I have are a million theories and no conclusions.

Are my problems neurologically-based and could my life be no different
no matter I did differently?

Maybe and maybe not. I am in the process of trying to find out more
about my brain than the psychologists i've dealt with thus far have been
able to tell me.

And....none of this will stop me from trying to "better myself". I am planning
to go back to college here very soon, though i'm not sure for what yet. But as
far as starting my business is concerned, I wouldn't know where to begin as I
have no capital whatsoever and no access to any. Maybe i'm not creative or
imaginative enough....maybe i'm incapable of "thinking outside of the box"...
but I can't really think of anything I could do in terms of self-employment
which would require $0.00 investment.

well, before investing your money, you might wanna have some idea of what you want to invest in, and you said you're beyond confused, so at the immediate moment that may not be the best course of action til you have a better idea.

Definitely figure those things out before taking that next step.

That's essentially what I was trying to say.



I'm trying to access some further and *deeper* evaluations which
hopefully will include an MRI/fMRI.

With the right type of MRI/fMRI.....I MAY be able to find out something about
the origins (and/or what can be done about them...if anything) of the long-term
memory problems I believe I have.

I'm waiting to hear back from the autism research study at the University of
Pittsburgh for one thing. The study includes MRI's, but i'm still not sure if they'd
be the type of MRI's i'd require. Even if they're not.....i'd still be willing to participate
in the study because for one thing, much of my immediate family lives in Pittsburgh
so travel expenses/lodging would be no problem. For another....at least i'd be
dealing with professionals who probably know alot more about ASD/NVLD
(and neuropsychologly in general) than the ones i've dealt with thus far.

They still need to let me know if i'm eligible or not though.


I'm also waiting for my OVR case worker to send me a letter authorizing further
psychological testing. Now none of that in itself will probably tell me anything more
than all the other neuropsych evals already have. But considering I have alot more
ideas and information regarding my issues now than I did when I was last tested, I
might be able to convince this psychologist that an MRI would be warranted in my
case. If I can.....he would recommend in the report he sends back to OVR. My OVR
case worker told me they might cover the costs of an MRI if a psychologist
recommends one.

So that's basically where everything stands for me at the moment. It's all a waiting
game. I may not be able to get MRI before I plan to start college in Jan and I may
not be able to get one at all. I certainly can't afford one on my own and my
insurance would never cover one for something like this. It would just be nice
to find out something more about my brain, the memory problems, etc...I have
before I make any final decisions about college. I don't want to get into to
something which I have no chance of success at. Sure I may never know until
I try and if I can't find out anything else, i'm going to try anyway. But still....it would
be nice to have more insight into my brain and learn something more about what
i've been dealing with all these years.