Employment in Population of People with ASDs

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Hello WP!

I'm just wondering what the employment distribution for adults with ASDs (at least those who are on WP) is like.

For clarification purposes, if you are currently employed in a position that does not even require the highest degree that you currently own, then you are underemployed.

For me, personally, I am still in graduate school going for a Master's in Applied Statistics and seeking employment. Right now, I am only taking 9 credits. So I think I can handle my graduate-school courses and a full-time job (if I get one).

I know people in real life with ASDs who have Bachelor's degrees in Media/Film and the best jobs that they could find were either clerical jobs or manual labor jobs that don't even require a college degree.

I have made the poll options simpler than those in my previous polls in the sense that they are only 8 options instead of 18-20 of them.

Regardless of what you answer in the poll given, indicate the following information:

[1] Are you still in school?
[2] If the answer to #1 is Yes, then what level of education are you currently in?
(A) Associate's (B) Bachelor's (C) Certificate (D) Master's (E) Doctorate or higher
[3] If the answer to #1 is No, then what is your highest level of education?
(A) High school (B) Some college (C) Associate's (D) Bachelor's (E) Certificate (F) Master's (G) Doctorate or higher.
[4] Are you currently employed?
[5] If the answer to #4 is Yes, then are you underemployed as defined above?
[6] If the answer to #4 is No, then are you currently looking for work?
[7] If the answer to #4 is No, have you ever been employed?
[8] If the answer to #7 is Yes, then were you underemployed while employed?
[9] If you answered Yes to either [4] or [7], then what's the longest period of time that you have held a job?

Finally, one I can answer! Kudos on simplifying this one.

Yes.

I am employed.

I have no idea if I'm underemployed or overemployed, since I got a degree so long ago that dinosaurs were still dying out and I am in a field where you're only as good as the project you just finished. I'm also in a field where graduate degrees are not worth spending money on in terms of future earnings.

<--- Has no choice. Either he works or he's homeless on the street.

Slooowwwly working on a Bachelor's ... and scrubbing toilets (this is part-time job is my record in duration ... going on 5 years).

I am "still" in school, in the sense that I finished my first bachelor's degree over a decade ago, worked, then returned to uni to do another bachelor's degree in a different field.

I am underemployed and always have been. It's a source of great frustration to me and I am always on the lookout for a better opportunity.

The longest time I have ever been employed was 9.5 years. I never wanted to stay that long because I hated the job, but a series of health problems and an inability to find anything better kept me there.

I would love to be self-employed. I'm working on it!

I work full-time, and I'm underemployed.

1. I am not currently in school, but I hope to go to grad school for my Ph.D in the future.

3. I have my bachelor's in neuroscience. I self-teach myself a lot, so I really probably have a master's-level knowledge of neuro, but there is no such thing as a master's in neuro. You get your bachelor's, then you obtain a "master's" simply because you've completed the first two years of a Ph.D program.

4. Yes, I am currently employed.

5. Yes, I am very underemployed. My job only requires a high school diploma. But it's data entry and detail-oriented tasks, so that is why I am very good at it. But it certainly doesn't use my knowledge! I'm very overqualified for my current job, which is why I think I got said job. I looked for a job for over a year before getting my current job, and I don't think I've been accepted for higher-level jobs due to my social skills and such. This is why I self-teach myself on my own time by reading science textbooks, because I'm still able to increase my knowledge and have intellectual stimulation despite not getting to utilize my talents currently.

9. The longest I've been employed is my length of time at my current job: a year-and-a-half. It's my first job, so that's why it's the longest.

[1] Are you still in school? Yes
[2] If the answer to #1 is Yes, then what level of education are you currently in?
Bachelor's
[4] Are you currently employed? Yes (well, I have a job lined up for post-graduation)
[5] If the answer to #4 is Yes, then are you underemployed as defined above? No
[9] If you answered Yes to either [4] or [7], then what's the longest period of time that you have held a job? 1.3 years

1] Are you still in school? I was and plan to go back in 2014 and do a masters[2] If the answer to #1 is Yes, then what level of education are you currently in?
Bachelor's
[4] Are you currently employed? no
[5] If the answer to #4 is Yes, then are you underemployed as defined above? yes, I laways have been
[9] If you answered Yes to either [4] or [7], then what's the longest period of time that you have held a job? 8 years

[1] Are you still in school? No
[3] If the answer to #1 is No, then what is your highest level of education?
(D) Bachelor's
[4] Are you currently employed? No
[6] If the answer to #4 is No, then are you currently looking for work? No, we are working on making it possible for me to effectively work. I'm doing volunteer work, looking at a little bit of tutoring, doing a lot of therapy, applying for SSI, and wanting to work but not currently doing it.
[7] If the answer to #4 is No, have you ever been employed? Yes
[8] If the answer to #7 is Yes, then were you underemployed while employed? I'm not sure how to count it, but probably yes.
[9] If you answered Yes to either [4] or [7], then what's the longest period of time that you have held a job? about 2 months, (about 2 hours a day, 2 days a week) (Very minimal job, but technically a job)

Unhappilly employed. Doing part time distance course.

[1] Are you still in school? No

[3] If the answer to #1 is No, then what is your highest level of education? GED took a few college classes but ended up dropping out. Looking to go back this year though.

[4] Are you currently employed? Quit my job about a month ago. It was in Fast food which as some of you know in hell for an aspie. I toughed it out for as long as i could.

[6] If the answer to #4 is No, then are you currently looking for work? Yes if the job is one i can work happily at.

[9] what's the longest period of time that you have held a job? My longest job was 2 years. Ive had about 6 jobs in my life so far.

I finished my first college degree coming up on ten years now...I have been drastically underemployed for most of it, working in teacher aide type jobs mostly. I got my first "real" full time teaching job six months ago. Before that, the only job where I made a living wage was as a social security disability examiner, and was actively bullied by my supervisor into quitting after about 18 months. I usually only last around 18 months at any given position. Here's hoping the teaching gig works out...I'm horrendous in interviews, so finding employment that matches my level of education and experience is damn near impossible.

[1] No,
[2] Not applicable,
[3] High school
[4] No
[5] Not applicable
[6] No
[7] Once
[8] Yes
[9] About a month. I had to work as a receptionist in my mother's doctor's surgery. This was before I was diagnosed, and was bad in several ways:

- I am terrified of sick people.
- I am terrified of using telephones.
- I had to take money from people, which made me extremely uncomfortable.
- I had to be friendly, smile, and speak to the patients when they walked through the door. They would then attempt to have small talk with me, which are things that I am terrible at.

[1] Are you still in school? No (so Q#2 omitted)

[3] If the answer to #1 is No, then what is your highest level of education? (D) Bachelor (Honours) Degree

[4] Are you currently employed? Yes

[5] If the answer to #4 is Yes, then are you underemployed as defined above? I wouldn't say so... but it's hard to judge.



[9] If you answered Yes to either [4] or [7], then what's the longest period of time that you have held a job? Seven years, but I was damned inconsistent when it came to attendance...

Ah. A very pertinent question on which to ease myself back into WP.

1) I am still in school, but only until March. Then I am finished, hopefully forever.
2) I will receive a Bachelor of Arts degree.
4) I am currently employed.
5) I don't know that I am underemployed, as technically my job requires a Bachelor's degree. But I am not employed in the field I am trained in, I just have training that applies to the job (CADD).
9) The longest I have ever held a job is 4-1/2 years. I have held lots of different kinds of jobs, because aspects of lots of jobs interest me, and I have never had the option not to work, unless you call starvation and homelessness an option. I have always been underemployed, or darn close to it.