Finding a minimum wage-type job that fits me

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Hi. I'm 20 years old, male, diagnosed with Asperger's. I need a minimum wage-type job that isn't fast food, waiting tables, pizza delivery, etc. I'm really surprised there isn't a sticky for this type of thing already.

I flipped burgers at McDonalds for a summer, did landscaping another summer, and this past summer I cashiered at a grocery store. I'm more than socially competent enough to interact with customers, but when I switched to full-time, 40 hours a week, at the grocery store this Fall, I was unable to handle it. Working part time at McDonalds was worse than working full time at the grocery; it was hell. Landscaping I didn't mind so much, aside from the fact that I'm physically too weak to work quickly.

So basically, I don't want a job with zero social interaction, but I can't keep track of several things at once AND put up with constant commotion and beeping AND interact with customers all day; it's exhausting. I'm also tall and weak with poor posture, so I'd rather not have a stiff, sore back from bending over/lifting things, as I did with every past job. My interests are music and videogames, but the local music shop isn't hiring nor is the local GameStop. My plan is to save up to move to LA and try to find a job in the music industry if I can.

Any ideas? Maybe I could be the "Can I help you find something?" guy at Best Buy. I at least want a job where I can interact with coworkers; I don't want a lonely job. My social skills are more than adequate for any job if I'm not juggling several other difficult-for-an-Aspie mental processes at the same time.

The other problem is, I'll probably have to move out of my parents' house, and since there's nobody my age where I live, I'd like to move 30 minutes away to the city, which would either mean getting a job here and quitting a month later, or getting a job in the city and commuting a long distance every day until I have enough money to rent a place.

Right now I live in a place with NO small businesses, only strip malls with major retail chains, but I'd have the option of applying to little niche shops if I moved/commuted to the city.

One thing to be aware of are companies in your area with a good reputation towards employees. For example, in the northeast, we have Wegmans grocery stores, which are recognized nationally as exceptional employers. No, they are a supermassive chain; they employ about 40k total, as I understand it, but their benefits and flexibility can make even irritating positions tolerable.

I am in a similar situation, and I wound up packing eggs at a local (family owned/run) supplier. It's somewhat physical, but I'm reasonably up to it, and they are also good to their employees.

I personally have concluded that there is no job that does not require education (or a network) that suits me. So I'm a full time student.

Apera: Well, I worked at Giant Eagle, which treats their employees pretty well (I think they're top-ranked for that too), but my back was constantly extremely sore. I've heard that some Aspies like "packing and sorting" type tasks but I couldn't tolerate something so mindless. Also, I'd request to only be given shifts with an even number of hours, meaning more/closer spaced breaks, and I'd get a perfect schedule the following week, but then the week after I'd get all 7 hour shifts, with two 15 minute breaks instead of two + a 30 minute unpaid lunch. That was not cool; I start to make mistakes and become lifeless/not vibrant with customers after a while.

psychegots: And how are you paying for that education?

I see. Well I live in the U.S. Free college is not a thing here, not for me anyway.

I'd love to be a full-time student, but I did poorly at college in the past, so my dad is unwilling to pay for community college unless I live at home, but living at home depresses me to the point where it would be hard to motivate myself to do good work, and my dad is abusive, especially when he catches me smoking/vaporizing weed. Cannabis is keeping me sane, but he'd rather I take pills. I took ritalin from 5th grade to 10th grade and those years are a complete blur; I was a depressed ritalin zombie, and from what I read/heard, SSRIs make you emotionally numb. No thanks.

You might be able to work in a mail room of a medium or large company.

Another option might be to see if you can find work in an industrial park--maybe you can find housing and work that is very close by.

I was lucky enough to find housing only a mile from my first job--I walked to work every day--took me 20 minutes, even in the worst weather. I didn't realize it back then, but taking a walk after work every day was one of the smartest things I could have done--reducing my stress level--as opposed to driving, which raises it!

If you don't have "driving" issues, consider long-distance trucking. You'll have to go through a bit of training to get to the point where you're employable, but it would be a minor speedbump, would enable you to spend most of your day in solitude (possibly enhanced by an iPhone or Android phone & nearly universal wireless internet connectivity along even the most remote stretches of interstate highways), and will let you make several orders of magnitude more money than you'd make doing most comparable jobs with comparable educational requirements.

Also, if you've never tried Adderall or Dexedrine, consider giving them a try. Lots of Aspies who hated Ritalin end up liking amphetamines a LOT better. As an added benefit, IR dexedrine is dirt cheap -- as in, $2-3/day, vs $3-7 per dose.

Maybe you could enjoy working in a cell phone store. A small one, not one in the center of the shopping mall. The Sprint store here never has more than three customers in it, always has at least two employees, plays non blaring music, is very clean, and if you enjoy video games maybe you could also study up on the phone technology so that when you did have to interact with a customer, it would be more like reciting your knowledge of the phones than having to have a stressful conversation with them with no script of what needs to be said next.


Just a thought. I would do something similar but I am too overwhelmed by having to make a personal decision on which phone to upgrade to, much less advise anyone else on it.