Im broke

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What can i do to make money as someone with aspergers?

My skills: computer programming, tech stuff.

I dont want to get a job.

I need a self employment opportunity which i can scale over time. Doesnt matter how much i would earn in the beginning. I can invest time. But not sure about what to do.

Please help me, this shouldnt happen to someone with high iq, this is not what i deserve.

Realistically, nobody WANTS to get a job - that's why they pay you to be there. Regardless of not wanting one, a job is still a perfectly viable option.

Out of curiosity, what exactly is it you think you deserve, and why exactly do you think you deserve it?

Simply having a high IQ doesn't magically entitle you to anything. You do know that, right?

If you're trying to become self-employed, and you're asking other people what you should do, you're already off on the wrong foot. Self-employment requires self-direction as well.

All that aside, I can't really make a suggestion, as "tech stuff" is sufficiently vague as to be meaningless, and could mean anything from calibrating an optical integrating sphere for total luminous flux, to setting the time on a digital clock. What kinds of "tech stuff" are we talking about here?

Think about what kind of person you are because of Asperger's. Right-brain "artistic" or "emotional" person (Leonardo DaVinci) or a left-brain "logical" person (Dr. Spock / Leonard Nimoy)? How does Asperger's affect you?

(It has been said that Steven J. Cannell, who wrote TV episodes from "The Rockford Files" to "21 Jump Street", could not name the months of the year in order without writing them down on a piece of paper first. I also heard that Albert Einstein's wife had to remind him to stop eating dinner every night. So how Asperger's affects us can be incredibly varied.)

Many times I cannot "see the forest for the trees". Many times I ASSUME you feel the same way about a subject as I do. This affects every conversation I have with you. I am not good at LISTENING to what you are really saying and what your needs are. So I am not good at SELLING.

I cannot SELL myself at a job interview, or PERSUADE you to let me do the accounting books for your aunt's hair and nail salon, or your cousin's veterinary practice. I wasted years of my life getting that Bachelor's degree in Accounting (June 1997), because, pre-internet, we didn't know why I was the way I was, and this thing called Asperger's.

First, you must examine who you are as an Asperger's person, and how you perceive the world, and how this ADVERSELY affects your interactions with others (like I just did above). Even if you don't like what you see in the mirror -- the truth hurts sometimes. But knowing yourself can help your choice of career, and speed up your rise in earnings. You can save the years I wasted on my poorly-suited choice of Accounting with tough self-reflection.

(Finally I got lucky and worked 12 years at Amazon, where I never offended customers because they just went to the website; I picked and packed the orders. Only about halfway through did I begin to "unravel" Asperger's and my lack of people skills, thankfully the internet arrived and helped.)

Second, I'm sure "the IT field" encompasses a lot more than I realize -- maybe more than you realize too. What parts of this broad field do you enjoy? Concentrate on those. Thankfully, IT offers lots of "remote work" opportunities. And don't be afraid to "think outside the box". Thinking "outside the box" let "affiliate merchants" team up with Amazon (an online store), and it gave us "just in time" inventory for manufacturers, social media, ad-banner empires like doubleclick, and specialized "vertical" software that automates booking rooms and ski lift tickets at your great uncle's mountain ski lodge. (I'm leaving out Google because Google ripped off the VERONICA search engine, and of course Wikipedia, which adapted paper encyclopedias to the internet.)

Use the internet -- research the IT field, and "network" with friends who do the aspect of "IT stuff" that you enjoy. And, of course, give special attention to "work from home" opportunities. In addition to scalability, remote work may give you the schedule flexibility to attend classes or take exams to get recognized credentials.

In summary, first, look inward ("tough love") at how your Asperger's hurts relations with other people, and counteract flaws as much as possible. Second, examine the IT world with the same attention you gave to Asperger's. Do these things and you'll maximize your chance at a great life.



You do deserve a great life. But you will have to "sell yourself" to go out and make it happen. I'm sorry, but Asperger's people have a harder time doing this than most (took me LITERALLY DECADES to figure this out). But by breaking down how we see the world and how it sees us, we get started on the career. Then, skills and schooling let our career blossom. Not all of us have "genius" skills like Steven J. Cannell's TV writing, or Ben Carson, the KING of brain surgery. I, for example, was a "C" average accounting student who literally couldn't figure out why a simple "gosub/return" loop was not working. But I "clerked my brains out" at Amazon without offending customers or co-workers.



You need a job. Early job experience now can help you avoid unemployment when times are tough. And the cost of everything is only going up.

When I accidentally "fell into" my job at Amazon (which does not call for selling or lots of people skills), I moved out on my own, paid off my 3-bedroom house in 7.5 years, and put together pretty decent retirement savings (mid 6-figures!). You don't want to get a job? You need a job. Seriously, I can enjoy life now, having moved out of my NAGGING mother's basement.

Start making online content about subjects you are knowledgeable about, decide how many times a week or month you are going to publish it, be regular and persistent, start gaining followers and then monetize it. It can be a YT channel, a blog, website, FB page or Instagram profile.

Next, if you are creative start making a product or few of them and selling them online.

Or do freelance job as a programmer, search online who is looking for them on part time basis or as freelancers.

Start a profile on sites where people get gig work in the tech/programming sector and take on one small contract project at a time until you build all sorts of skills and a reputation/"star rating" (or however they measure people).

IIRC there are sites like fiverr, e-lance (something like that), upwork (something like that - google) etc where programming types connect with business people and every day people with programming projects they want to contract to someone. Agree on a scope of work, timeline, price etc and get to work, deliver, get paid. Rinse and repeat. Learn things about contract work, pricing/value, competitiveness, sales, service, running a small business etc etc.

Some things are not very lucrative due to overseas competition that work very cheap, but tasks and projects can be completed vert quickly by someone with specific expertise and thus might be quite lucrative/hour if it's a flat fix rate price.

You could use multiple sites like these for lead generation. Then start a LinkedIn profile and showcase your successes for others to see and inquire about contracting you for other work. etc.