Employment (or lack there of)

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I was just recently diagnosed, so I'm still wrapping my head around all of this. But for the first time, much of my life is beginning to make sense and in a way that's very comforting. There's something that I haven't been able to find much information on though and I thought maybe you guys could please help me.

My question is about employment. Since I entered the work force about 15 years ago, I've had maybe 20-30 jobs. I just cannot stay at one job very long. I want to - I get hired and think, "This time it will be different!" And within a week or two, I find the job unbearable for different reasons. More often than not I was fired because I took too many sick days. Almost all of them were part time jobs where I was overqualified for them.

Right now I work from home as a writer. I don't like writing fiction or fantasy, it's nothing like that. I write about stuff I need to research and study for a group of clients, and it's very relaxing for me. I've been doing it since Sept, so it's the longest job I've had in ages.

Anyway, could someone please tell me if this is a sign of AS or do I just have a horrible work ethic? I've always been in awe of ppl who are able to go to work everyday and always wished I could do it. Also, if this is part of AS, is there a way to overcome this so I can eventually work outside the home successfully?

Thanks!!

Yeah it sounds very AS to me. From what I know, It's a classic AS characteristic. I've only had a couple of jobs in my lifetime, one I stuck at way after I could really stand it through willpower alone. I wanted to prove to myself that I could. But I needed several years off after to recover, so I guess it's not to be recommended.

People's 'work ethic' is screwed up anyway, I think it's a hangover from religious ideas that were used to indoctrinate people into believing that 10 hours a day of back breaking toil is a good thing. Work is righteous, and sloth is sinful!

Nowadays, the crazy hours people work are expected, and if you don't work, or work to the same extent, the ones who drive themselves into early graves will despise you. Crab mentality. Often they can't see that abusive capitalist work practices are dictating most of how they live their lives. I say don't feel bad that you aren't able to endure the same pain that they subject themselves to.

If you can earn a living as a writer, that's awesome. I wish I could put my idiosyncrasies to work somehow.

I've read many posts similar to this on WP. It seems to be a common thing for people on the spectrum, to go from job to job and to be overqualified for whatever your doing. You shouldn't be so harsh on yourself. You are working. It shouldn't matter if your work is from inside or outside of the home, you are doing something to make money and it's something that you like doing - great!

Do you want to eventually work out of the home or would you prefer keeping your current job? If it's the former then sorry, I really can't offer advice because the only job I've ever had was a voluntary position. However, you could get the help of a social worker who knows about Aspergers. I know that here in NZ one of the things they help with people finding and keeping employment.

Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it.

Moog, I agree - the work standards are definitely outdated, that's for sure! My entire family is like this though, my parents went to work whether they were healthy or were sick with the flu, so my entire life I've often wondered what was wrong with me that I couldn't do this, kwim? BTW, I did the same as you...I pushed myself to stay at a job so long that it took me a very long time to recuperate from it....years even.

Brittany, I'm happy with working from home right now. My kids are home with me during the days anyway (I'm a SAHM) so working from home works perfectly. Sometimes I just worry that when they go into school full time (which will be this September) I'll have to get a job and it'll be a total disaster. Right now my plans are that I will continue with my writing though. I struggled badly with a few specific jobs in the past and they've kinda messed me up from being able to devote myself to another company or corporation like that ever again.

This is a common thing with AS people. I also struggled so much in jobs are was bored to death with most of them. I worked at around 10 different jobs between ages 16-30 and hated them all. The one that lasted the longest was the one where i got to work nights. Everytime I work at some job I feel as though I'm locked in a prison and someone has taken my freedom away from me. This type of attitude as you can imagine does not go down well with Nt's.

Becoming a mother with the sleep deprivation, night feeds and everything else that goes with it and especially being on my own was considered "hard" by most people. Little did they know that working in jobs was 100 times more harder than being a mother. Becoming a mother and everything that went with it was wonderful, there was nothing wonderful about showing up for a 9-5 job and putting up with bullying co workers.

In my own experience........hard work is relative.

Is the labour on a construction site more labourious that performing surgery?

Could be......but I bet the surgeon might disagree......they are both hard work for various reasons.

All things are relative. I really admire people who work with their hands and bodies. They seem so fit.

Yet admire a surgeon for their focus and skill.......I wish I had a bit of both.

I have also recently been dx at 36 years.......and have had many jobs as well with long breaks in between. My last job was in a pathology department in a major hospital. The job was wonderful......accuracy, procedure, dedication, precision......but some of the people I worked with directly where awful. I burnt out big time and had a 3 week stint in a psych hospital. I was very sad because I loved that job. I was there for 4 years. I could have happily got rid of the people and run the lab myself

I don't think you have to slog your guts out to have a good work ethic.......what your doing sounds great, and keeps your skills up. Why would you want to work with people?

Take care,

Mics

Problems for Aspies in the world of work are understandable. The individual often has little control over their working environment.....what could be worse for an Aspie, but to constantly have to do things according to somebody else's unenlightened prescription? I've revealed my diagnosis to my employer, but AS is so poorly understood that practically every day I still have to cope with all kinds of Aspie-unfriendly situations:

Interruptions

Sudden changes to what's expected of me

Crowds of people standing in my way

Distracting noises

Being expected to work with and be among people I don't know

Being given more work than I can do in the day - so my choice is to either work longer than my contracted hours for no extra pay, to go and remonstrate with authority figures about it, or to just leave the work when it's home time

Compulsory sharing of work spaces

Unclear instructions

Presence of authority figures


Basically, you are the square peg, the job is the round hole, and the boss is the hammer. If you want to be able work properly, you need to have a lot of control over your working environment....a lot more than the average employer is likely to grant willingly, unless you can convince them that you'll make it worth their while. Heck, it's hard enough for neurotypicals to keep their heads above water, so what chance do we stand?

Not that I think it's impossible - I held onto my last job for 18 years, and the current one for 20, and I'm still alive, though I'm itching to escape as soon as I can afford to. I've never worked in the private sector - I suppose the State sector is slightly better, as it's usually harder to fire people on a whim, and there might be better procedural agreements for dealing with disciplinary matters, bullying, etc.

My pattern is to find a job that doesn't require a lot of formality and hang on for dear life. Job hunting is so stressful and terrifying for me I virtually shut down. I have a low level job now, cleaning offices but I can work alone and set my own pace. I've been doing it long enough that no one is breathing down my neck. Still if I work more than 6 hours a day I am completely wiped out. I think people with AS are lucky if they can turn a special interest into a career or have a marketable talent.

Switching jobs frequently is also characteristic of ADD, which is often co-morbid with AS, so when you go looking for some advice, looking at materials created for adults with ADD might be helpful.

Well, there are some other options that could help with sensory and whatnot. Here's a list of jobs ive done (ive been able to maintain them for 2-4 years each so far).

Historic Site: Very first job and is often quite slow going but low stress (save for some special event days, but even then it was manageable).

Pizza Buffet Restaurant: This was a bit harder given the mealtime rushes, but i was able to enter a mental "zone" that made it easier to handle. Also liked figuring out what kind of pizza dispensing procedure to use given the crowds (had to maximize pizza production so we didnt run out or have too much during meal hours).

Retail (the BIG one): This was an odd scenario. On one hand, i liked working in the particular dept, but the people involved often made the place more uncomfortable. I enjoyed getting to learn the merchandise and helping the more understanding customers with the products, but the management and the random jackasses tended to make life demeaning.

"Utility Worker": Current one, its a bit more physically demanding, but im not really required to interact with the customers that much, and the co-workers are pretty fun(ny) at times. Its easily done at my own pace, and its a rather peaceful atmosphere (save when my sensory to light and sound tend to spike, but its not meltdown material).

The only issues ive had with these jobs is that they dont often meet my intellectual needs, and Ive been trying to get into a research assistant, or lab technician jobs lately (given my AS degree in Biotech). But, its still been a bit of a hassle given the economy. Since you like writing, you could probably find something like a transcriptionist (individuals email you a audiophile and you type it down word for word . . . and many places pay money/word, which tends to add up quite well), or perhaps a historical research assistant. Just some thoughts. Good Luck.

I have had many jobs in the past. Over qualified for all of them. I graduated Art School with a Bachelors Degree. I also have diplomas. Retail is hell because of all the social interaction. I have worked in FX and Costume shops which was also a little uncomfortable because of lack of instruction and bad communication. I work Part time at a library. I like it here. There are many people who work here with issues and the staff make allowences for that. We have a schedule to follow so our day is structured. We are also given special assignments that we do at the same time each day. And if we are unclear our supervisor will guide us through it. I wish the job was fulltime. I try and pick up odd jobs to make extra money or sell my art or used books. I walk the neighbours dog during the week and cat sit for my other neighbour.

I am having a hard time coming to terms with the posibillity of having AS. I feel it has prevented me from accomplishing a lot of things. I am 34 and I can barely support myself.I wish I could afford a diagnosis and get some help. The only person who knows about me having this is my boyfriend who is trying to understand. It's tiring to hear all the time "what's wrong with you? Why don't you talk" or "you need to be more assertive".

My brain wants to talk. I have all kinds of things to say. But when it come out of my mouth it's all scrambled blabbity blahs.

Sounds like the situation you've got right now is perfect, I would looove to find an opportunity like that. Work from home, set your own schedule, be your own boss, and play the keyboard all day - Kewl!

In just over 30 years, I went through 29 jobs and was fired from 24 of them; spent about half my 'working' life unemployed. I was fortunate enough to find a career that meshed with my obsession with recorded music and allowed me to spend most of my workday in a room alone, talking to myself - even so, I couldn't keep a job for much more than a year and a half. After about a year, I would gradually begin to implode from the stress and my Aspergian quirks and differences would literally cause me to self-destruct - it seemed that that was about the maximum limit on the amount of time I could fly under the management's radar.

And the firings were never about the quality of the work, or things not getting done. It was always about not being able to work within the structural mold: I can't conform to a traditional work day, because instead of sitting around socializing, I actually work - therefore I get my work done in a fraction of the time it takes the rest of the crew and coworkers have a fit if you come later, leave earlier and still manage to outperform them. And just try to explain to your boss that six hours is the longest you can stand to work around other people without time off to decompress.

Of course in those days I had never heard of AS, but my experiences since diagnosis convinces me it wouldn't have changed anything. Employers would have discriminated and used the handicap as a reason to abuse and terminate me anyway, and the legal system would have turned a blind eye.

Jobs outside of that career, that involved more mundane tasks not affiliated with my special interests, never lasted more than a few months at best. They made me stress so bad I would get physically sick, and I could never really focus on them enough to do them well. I was always nervous as the proverbial 'cat in a room full of rocking chairs', watching the clock and trying not to go insane from the noise or the Muzak.

Thanks for the support, everyone. It was really helpful to read about your struggles and successes with employment and where you are now. I appreciate you guys sharing what you did.

I've worked for many different companies, and even worked in the public sector for awhile. I guess that line of work (government) was better suited for me because the ppl who worked there were moody so I didn't have them talking to me all the time like I did at the other places. It was quieter too, and of course the hours were shorter. When I worked for the call centers for the huge corporations, it would be so hard because I'd hear noise CONSTANTLY. Chatter, phones ringing, people walking around, the microwave "dinging" (following with the gross smell of totally burnt popcorn or day old salmon being reheated) was just too much. I would get stressed, the stress would trigger my OCD (something else I have to deal with ) and then I'd wind up taking too many sick days and getting fired.

The thing is, I really like people - I think they're interesting. But I can't have them talking to me constantly. I don't want them in my personal space - which I really need like 10 or more inches away from them (at least). And the touchy-feely ones freak me out...I can't stand it when they touch my back, or put their hand on my arm.... AHHHHH! I love communicating via my computer, either through IM or email. When someone writes something to me, I have time to figure out tone, etc. It's so nice.

While my writing job is a blessing, motherhood's the perfect career choice for me though - the best job I could ever ask for. I make my own schedule with them, and if I feel like I have to get out of the house, we do it together and make a day of it. We go for walks, trips to the park, etc. It's great having little ones, and their needs keep me from focusing too much on myself - which I'm struggling with right now. Mix a brand new diagnosis with OCD and it's pretty nasty. So it's nice to be able to break away from my thoughts and take care of them.

Anyway, thanks again for all of the responses. It's kinda shocking to look back at my life now and see all the things that I thought were strange that actually make sense to me now.

I think it is, it is certainly my history. That and trying out different degrees, I've only completed one certification, which was practically obsolete by the time I got it, I've been in school for paralegal and nursing and whatever, I just haven't finished, some reason I realize it isn't going to work... my work history is all over the place, one reason is I 'take to heart' the things that happen with coworkers whereas most people don't, I don't understand that middle level of 'nothing is real/nothing matters' to me it is all real and it all matters, which apparently is abnormal. I am hoping to start school for computers in the fall.

I know I have had as many jobs as you and I have had about 15 different addresses too, if not more. I haven't moved in the last almost 7 years because I am stuck financially. If I get a job after I get done with school I am going to move ASAP.

I've never had a job, so consider yourself lucky.
I have however done work experience and it was exhausting and confusing. I never understood what was required of me and I just 'winged it' - did the job how I thought it could best be done, which was the wrong way because you've got to do it the EXACT way your employer says. I also got a lot of head spins. Sensory overload?
I don't understand why I never got paid employment. My photographic portfolio is stunning for a small town photographer. It looks similar to those type of portfolios a person from the city will have. I guess I just did poorly in interviews. Too nervous they said. Pfft, that was just me being me. Then the non- photographic jobs I applied for I probably didn't have enough skills or enthusiasm for them.