My psychologist told me to work at McDonalds

Post Reply New Topic

It was suggested because it's simple and easy to get hired is he setting goals too low, or am i impaired enough that he believes it would be a good place for me too work?

How much past work experience do you have?

As a start, it's more symbolic than practical, the feeling of "I'm working" is more important, I guess

Not very much .. at all and im in my late twenties.

My sister worked in McDonalds in the 1980s, it's not easy and the pay is not commensurate with what they ask you to do.
But if you are using it as a stepping stone to get a better job then that's ok.

McDonald's seems like a terrible job for an autistic person.

Bright lights of the restaurant all day beaming down on oneself, the incessant chatter of customers and fellow staff and having to work speedily.

How is any of that conducive to a positive working environment for a lot of autistic folk? It isn't.

Ignore the psychologist in this case, I would say.

You gotta walk before you can run. Its good for you to get used to having to be at some place on time every day, and to start earning some money.

I dunno if McDonalds would be the best place or not for an autistic.

The Psychologist might have suggested it because it is seen as the prototypical entry level job. Those are jobs for people who don't have much work experience to gain work experience.

Probably didn't mean anything negative about your skill set.

Your psychologist's advice implies a higher opinion of McDonalds than I have. I fear the long hours and hard, stressful work would leave little time or energy to pursue anything better. I'd also have a moral problem about serving the unacceptable face of capitalism. I'd only do it as a last resort if a better way of getting support couldn't be found.

You say that your psychologist "told" you to work there. Psychologists can't often directly make people do their bidding, though they have some power of coercion through the risk that they might say things to benefits adjudicators that scupper the chances of getting State help, so it might be wise to avoid giving the appearance of rejecting the idea out of hand, if you're in that kind of danger. If you aren't, you might be able to have a more honest conversation with them.

McDonald's is one of the hardest jobs I could imagine.
The food service industry in general is very stressful.
I could never work in fast food myself as an autistic person.
It's too fast-paced with sensory overstimulation.
There's far too much social interaction too.

Finding an entry level job is good advice, but I question McDonald's as being suitable.

Maybe your psychologist thinks that the step from no job to any job is an important step, and he suggested McDonald's because it's typically considered an easy place to get hired and therefore an easy choice for a possible first job.

But it's not necessarily easy to get hired at McDonald's and you could find that they won't hire you, so don't let that throw you if it happens. When I was in my 20s I applied for a job as dishwasher in a restaurant and wasn't hired. But I was later hired for other more skilled jobs. (There were many jobs I applied for and didn't get, including very basic ones. I had a BA degree from an Ivy League university.)

As far as how busy it will be, it depends on the location. Some McDonald's are not that busy. And there are tasks you can be assigned, like cleaning, that don't have to be fast and don't require interactions. This is in reference to other people saying that McDonald's is too busy for an autistic. Still, I think Walmart or Target might be better choices if you're looking for a (possibly) easy-to-get first-time job.

Certain retail jobs are probably a better choice. But, it's going to depend on the specific sensitivities and environment. Ok the whole, I'm reasonable happy with bakery, but cashiering would drive me nuts.

McDonald's doesn't just hire anyone. McDonald's did not even answer my job application.

Your psychologist could have told you to work at McDonald's for plenty of different reasons. Strangers on the Internet are not telepathic. If you want to know why the psychologist said that you should ask the psychologist.

McDonald's sounds like a really bad place for autistics (or anyone else to work). Angry customers, crowded, hot, dirty kitchens. Uniforms and slippery floors

It appears to me that office jobs and even retail, are much better suited for autistics, than restaurant jobs. However things are not always the way they appear. Different autistics have different ideal jobs.

All things equal, it is much better to have a job, than no job. However, not all things are equal. Some jobs are bad for physical and mental health. But jobs offer a sense of belonging, not just a paycheck

Cost benefit analysis

McDonalds wouldn't be so bad if you're in the kitchen. It's basically an assembly line job.

They have that potential. I've seen both extremes - a given worker in a given job may feel like they're part of a good community, or if there's a strong mismatch they may get the opposite effect.

^^^ My sister would agree with this 100%
I would imagine a busy McDonalds (like the one my sister worked in) would raise excessive challenges. you need to constantly be busy and there are tasks like cleaning toilets or fry vats which were horribly gross. My sister said the shift manager was ex-marine and he himself said working in a busy fast food restaurant is like being in the army, She also had to put up with drunk men hitting on her, karens abusing her and the constant threat of physical violence from people not happy with their order. All for $10 per hour (early 1980s).