Why I have to be honest and disagree with some on this board

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I mostly agree with the OP but some people on the spectrum really are screwed. I'm an aspie that never out grew her meltdowns, and just one f**k up like that at a job pretty much guarantees that you're fired and you will never have them as a reference. It's why I've been through 18 jobs and have no references. If you lucky to have an understanding manager, dear god don't get fired.

I'm still surprised my last employer did not fire me when I had a meltdown in the store right as we were changing shifts. He did fire me shortly after for another reason, though.

The relativism is killing me....
"All forms of employment.... which are usually low level jobs that are often a little pointless and idiotic... are draining, soul-sucking experiences for me. I get nothing out of them. And how could I? What would a job at the bloody grocery store, manning a cash register and getting honked at by mindless, irate customers, possibly give me? What could it possibly ACCOMPLISH? How could it possibly have anything resembling importance?"
Well, what if no one did them? You might have a problem buying food. Think about it. People who work in the grocery provide a very important service.
BTW Shark: You joined WP on a Thursday. I don't know why, but I just felt like telling you. I joined on a Sunday.

For many people, yes, this is the case.

Perhaps I'm not phrasing things correctly (something I tend to have trouble with). What I'm saying is it's not the case for everyone. I, personally, would get zero sense of accomplishment for doing such things. Cashiering? Hell, a bloody machine can do it.... literally, because many stores are indeed starting to get more automated machines doing it. I dont need any help at all when I go to a store... I'm capable of finding things on my own.... it's not rocket science.... and the machines are dramatically faster to deal with than dealing with an actual register. And people have this idiotic assumption that if you do a job that is related to dealing with customers, you're automatically making their experience better. However, the legions of angry-for-no-reason customers who get ANGRIER simply because you dare to stand before their glory sort of point elsewhere.

On top of that, I *know* I wont like the job, I wont be good at it, and above all, I dont want it. I can actually accomplish more by NOT taking it: Because it allows someone who DOES need the money to take it instead. Me taking it would be a waste.

So yes, I would accomplish literally nothing by doing such a thing. This is something I've learned the hard way, after LOTS of different types of jobs.

Well, you'd be making money.
You joined WP on a Monday.

I have many stories from my life of figuring out how to do things that I wasn't good at or had a lot of difficulty doing or seemed to be disabled from doing at Time A, but reached a high level of doing at Time B. Between Time A and Time B was a year, several years, a decade, or my whole life so far. I am still young, so I still have more time to figure out how to do more things, but I am verry merry berry glad that I tried so much and so hard on so many things when I was younger, because it takes a lot of time to try things and figure things out, so my advice for young people is to try while you are young.

When you describe it that way I have found a lot of alternative ways to do things over time, and they do work for me, although the only thing that helped me in college was finding better ways to handle homework that made things significantly easier than in, say, grade 1-12, excluding 5.

For work, there was less of it, although I would say the things I came up with to handle writing did make it easier, but it was still very easy to hit my limit and keep pushing to burnout.

I have never had a paid job before (I'm 24) although I've done voluntary. However I am a university student and I would like to get into neuroscience research at PhD level when I finish my degree. I never want to stop learning.

I live with my sister and her friend. We're both on the disability support pension, only our friend works. It sucks at time. I really want to work but I struggle with quite a lot. It's more mental problems than autism. I tried for a long time to get jobs but people just didn't want me. I've only ever managed volunteer positions but that didn't advance into any paid work. I still do a bit of volunteer work but because it's more of a hobby for me and it's very competitive - people with paid work still do it - it's hard to come by any shoots. I do band photography and I haven't been to a gig in over 2 months.

I think there are some young people, not just autistic, who rather live off their parents. For me a big part is fear of change and routine disruption and not getting enough time on my special interests, as well as losing my sh** when I go through depression or mixed mania.

Well, my mood is lifted after a friendly cashier says a few nice comments to me. I usually just go to a local supermarket that's really small and I see the same people, they call me by name and I really like having the people know me.
You think machines replacing people is a good thing? More people will lose their jobs because of it. It's like when people complain about immigrant taking their jobs. I'm not saying they're machines, but they can be hired for less pay, and people just really complain about it. I suppose they're upset about losing their job but immigrants need those jobs too.

I wouldn't work as a cashier either. The sensory overload will explode my brain.

Oh, I know all that. I dont disagree with the bit about the machines. I merely use them as an example of why I think the job just isnt all that good or important, simply to help explain my thoughts on all this. If it's THAT easy to replace someone with something that essentially is a rather dimwitted device, that does one way or another say something about the job itself. Of course, not all companies do this, and some of them will, instead of REPLACING a worker with it, instead assign that worker to a different section that could use more help, since the machine has reduced the need for cashiering. THAT one I've seen before, because alot of big stores end up just not having enough workers to really cover each area, which of course leads to even more irate customers than usual.

The couple of times I had a job it just seemed so disruptive to my life. I once had a part time job for 5 weeks and I was exhausted all the time and it seemed like all I did was work and sleep. I don't even know how people manage to do full time jobs or multiple jobs.

I also don't like to leave the house much so I get tired of leaving my home daily to go to work pretty fast.

Sometimes I think about applying for jobs but then I can't even think of any places to apply other than maybe a few fast food places where they probably wouldn't hire me and I probably couldn't do the job because I don't want to have to talk to customers all day. The only interview I ever had in my life was at a fast food place and they didn't hire me. I also have to worry that if I did get a job that I'd lose my Medicaid. The crummy jobs I'd get (if I could even get one) probably wouldn't give insurance and even if it did I'd quit or get fired and not have it any more.

Why should people be coerced or pushed into doing something? It does not benefit someone who will not or cannot for whatever reason do that which they are being pressured to do. It would be no different than saying a nonverbal Autistic like myself chooses not to apply themselves enough to talk. I have - it did not work. I have for almost 30 years and nothing.

If someone is not comfortable with working, why make them? You will just have failure and be unhappy in the end.
I do not much care either about who is financially supporting them either. As long as I make enough money at the end of a day to live comfortably, I do not mind giving it to help someone else. I think this might be more of an Extreme Right Ami thing though (why do they hate people who are on public assistance?).

Some of this does seem to be a generational thing. At least for people who could do a job like cashiering but don't want to, and because they don't want to and wouldn't find the job fulfilling, they think they shouldn't have to do it. I'm 29, so I'm just on the leading edge of the millennial generation, and there is a huge difference between my generation and older generations in terms of how we view work. Older generations were more grateful just to have a job and have money coming in. It didn't need to be fulfilling. It could be a boring, horrible grind. But they did it, because that was what was expected. Nowadays people my age and younger think they should have work that they find interesting or fulfilling or worthwhile, and they don't accept that sometimes, work is just work. You do it because someone needs to do it, and you need money.

That is part of why people tend to dislike this generation. If the WWII generation is called the "Greatest Generation," I refer to my generation as the "Least Generation." The stereotype of us is that we are spoiled and don't know how to work. And I think in some ways that is true. This is probably the first time in history when people have had the luxury to say, "No, I won't do that job, because it's not worth my time." For all of human existence people have had to do boring, drudge tasks all day, with little leisure time, simply to survive. We are gifted with so much leisure time now, so much more than previous generations had. We don't have to card wool, spin it into thread, weave it into cloth, and then sew it into clothing. We just buy clothes. We don't have to manually scrub that clothing, or even use a mechanical wringer. We just throw it in the washing machine and go do something else. We have so much technology that saves us so much time, that we are able to spend more time on self-fulfillment than any other generation in history (and then we complain that we don't have enough time). And we view all this like it is our right- a right to spend our time how we see fit, with as little drudgery to our day as possible. But this is really all very new, very privileged thinking. Anyway, this turned into kind of a rant, but I agree with the OP that there is a generational gap here in how people think of jobs.

Disclaimer: I am not referring in any way people to people who are genuinely unable to work. Just to people who refuse to take jobs they think are beneath them because they are able to get money from the government or live off family members. Also, I'm obviously talking about 1st world countries here.

Tl;dr Work is not supposed to be fun. Millennials are spoiled and that is why no one likes us.

To be honest I am a little offended by some of the generalization in this thread not only by the op but some of the other posters as well. First and foremost I think it's great that the OP was and is able to hold down long term employment, but to say that others who can't are just lazy is beyond words. First and foremost you have no idea the issues that others suffer, and to say in one broad generalization that all are lazy is well stupid. I have spent 11 years actively seeking employment, I have been fired, almost arrested over outbursts, and shamed beyond words.. Don't you dare call me lazy pal, I am on disability yes, but I'd give my entire being not to have to be. Do you honesty think living on 700 a month is somehow living in luxury? Try it once bud and then come back here and tell me how spoiled you think we all are.. I live my life trapped most of the time in four walls, I barely have food, I never have money to do anything fun. Let me tell you what I'm just having the time of my life pal.. NOT... But regardless of what or anyone thinks I refuse to be homeless just because your upset. I tried damn it, but after years of failure, outburst, restraining orders, and embearesment I finally had to except this crap reality of poverty for life.. With that said you have no idea about others situations, nor are you even remotely qualified to judge them.. In closing remember this pal there are many including my self who would give anything to be where you are at, but life is not always that fair is it..

As long as its not in the heaven, everyone is free to write his oppinion towards other members. So if you see someone mentioning, to be told by his doctor to describe for disability help, you are just as free to advice this person to further seek a job, just as anyone else is free to comfort that person. There is nothing that WE should, and there is no right or wrong in this. Just say your personal oppinion about what you think, what might be of help to an person. Thats what the forum is about.

Let me state this clearly I am well aware that there are many Autistic people who will never be able to hold down a job and I think those of us who do work have a duty to pay taxes to help people who are stuck in those situations get by.

I have no doubt that there are many genuine people on the spectrum many of whom are probably reading and replying to this very thread.

To the genuine people THIS THREAD IS NOT AIMED AT YOU.

For people that can work especially the younger generation they have got to realise the world does not owe them a living.

People are correct in saying I can not be sure how somebody's home life or functioning level is.

I can only base my opinion on what is written and the above quote screams to me that this kid needs a good boot up the backside to get moving.

He has no motivation to study or work and worries about loosing his free thoughts.

A society not willing to pay for and tolerate this attitude might be the motivation he and others will get and by that point it may be too late.

There may be more to this story but WHAT IS WRITTEN does not come across well to me or sit right in my head.

I have seen my sisters children with this attitude the oldest is 20 now nerotypical and is a lazy useless lump with no motivation but yet feels free to find fault in others.