Being asked what you do for a living....

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Does this annoy anyone else? I'm always embarrassed to answer the question....I was unemployed for a long time, now I'm just underemployed. Either way, it seems people look down at me. You'd think in the current economy, they would be more compassionate, but nope they shun me.

You may ask why I'm bringing this up in the social skills forum instead of work. The answer is that I keep going to NT social events hoping to meet people, but the first question people ask me is always job/career-related. People are defined by what they "do" in this society.

Should I just stick to Aspie support groups since my peers on the spectrum likely won't be as judgmental?

i'm underemployed too. i usually include my past full employment when someone asks what i do, if i care about the impression i'm leaving. my past defined me for a long time, so i think it's appropriate.

I suffer from this, too..
Now that I'm 30, it's even more embarrassing (to be unemployed).
..I usually get nervous, and have to try my hardest not to (over)explain Aspergers, and the 88% unemployment rate with us.

My situation is a bit unusual given that I am very much focused on academics. So I never had any job outside of being a student and post doc, but since i never had gaps within my academic schedule either that doesn't look that bad. But at the same time, finding academic position is getting harder and harder now that I am beyond grad school. So it is quite likely that my term will expire without my finidng next position, which would then change the situation to worse.

I guess I have a gut feeling thoough that if I were to look for jobs I would be turned down. There is something about me that makes people overlook me or not invite me to interviews, at least this has been the case in academia.

So how about yourself? If you are not employed, how do you get supported? Are you saying you live on foot stamps or disability.

That's the thing.. aspies anywhere from a loser like me, to ones with masters degrees, ALL have a hard time getting work.

'I am leading a Civil Rights movement.'

'It's about Aspergers-Autism Spectrum and the right to be different in a way which follows.'

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We are all leaders. We are all followers.

We are all zen masters, we are all zen novices.

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Thank you.

Annoy? Yeah. I'm on SSDI and don't like to hear the standard response, "oh my brother-in-law is on that and is totally scamming it." There's also little that's more worthless than a male who is not making money in this society, and I don't care to be reminded of it.

The most amaizing thing is that people with Down's have much better chance at getting a job. Given that usually the employer evaluates the abilities to perform tasks rather than social skills it should have been the opposite, given that asperger doesn't affect the skills needed for job. Now lets assume that at least a good portion of employers are honest and they won't ''deliberately'' not hire someone simply because they ''don't like'' them. In this case the issue becomes their subconsciousness. There is something about Asperger that sends ''vibes'' that make employer actually think the aspie won't be able to do THE JOB right, even though this is cleary wrong. People with Asperger are more capable than people with Downs, everyone knows htat. But they manage to send ''vibes'' that falsely indicate otherwise.

I'm NT and hate the "what do you do" question too. I have too many good qualities and interests to be defined by my job. I'd imagine 99% of people don't have an interesting job, but they might having intersting interests. I think the question is just one of those go to conversation starters that some people use. I don't use it and never would. I've known acquaintances at my running club for years and I have no idea what they do for a living, but I know a lot about them personally.

I'm sorry that you've been shunned in the past, but don't let these instances exclude yourself from going to NT social events. Your state of employment or job is not something that somebody should be judgemental about. If someone was snooty like that with me, I wouldn't be inclined to talk to them anyway.

I feel a little embarrassed when I'm asked that. I have worked in the past but I'm on disability now & I'm trying to find a job. I don't mind talking about things here on WP but I'm a little worried that people offline & on other places online may think of me as a lazy leech who's a drain on the tax-payer or they may think I'm a helpless loser because I'm disabled

I just say Im studying which is true, people are pretty cool about that. About to do another TAFE course which will be my 3rd in a year. Im on the Disability Support Pension but at least Im doing something to help myself and Im not popping kids out my cooch this where there is alot of $$ wasted in Australia imo. When I tell people this they like me for my honesty and they feel better that their tax dollars aren't being wasted in this case.

I don't like when people ask me what I do for a living, because I don't rally know how to answer.

I am a little different. The other side of the coin.

I am a CPA & CGMA. I have six certificates on my wall at work in my private office and I am the only CPA where I work. I do get grief about it or feel some prejudice sometimes but I am proud of my accomplishments considering I did not finish High School the normal way. I am just odd but I have come to accept it.
B

I usually say "I'm retired" ... sometimes with the little finger quote marks.... I did used to work full time until a few years ago when I went on disability.


If I were any much younger and living the life I have today, I'd probably say I'm a researcher.

That's basically what I'm doing when I cruise around the internet half the day. Or at least, it's a euphemism for that. In my mind.

Haven't used it yet, but maybe I'm going to switch from retired to researcher. I think it's accurate enough.