I'm 18 with no job. Would like some advice.

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TheMostUnknown
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08 Aug 2014, 2:00 pm

I'm 18 and I don't have a job yet. I have Aspergers and ADHD. I'm not very good socially like, I'm not good with small talk. I feel weird and I sometimes I feel a little anxious when I try to small talk. I can get a job its just since I'm not very good with small talk I tend to avoid jobs like cashier. If I had a job that consists me of putting boxes in a truck or making sure the shelves are filled, I could do that job. Basically the jobs I'm trying to find right now are like stock. You know working in the back or something similar. My dad is somewhat helping me. He trying to get me to work any available job but doesn't he understands my condition. Since I got ADHD and Aspergers, I'm a little different. Am I the only person that avoid certain jobs due to my condition? If anybody can think of a job I could do, please tell me. Also do people with aspergers tend to avoid certain jobs?



1401b
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08 Aug 2014, 2:09 pm

Try college and get an advanced degree in something you're good at.
While at college you're likely to discover many answers to this question and to what might be adaptable TO you as you are.


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MissDorkness
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08 Aug 2014, 2:28 pm

TheMostUnknown wrote:
My dad is somewhat helping me. He trying to get me to work any available job but doesn't he understands my condition. Since I got ADHD and Aspergers, I'm a little different. Am I the only person that avoid certain jobs due to my condition? If anybody can think of a job I could do, please tell me. Also do people with aspergers tend to avoid certain jobs?


When I was trying to get a job, my Mom wouldn't let me work at the bakery because of the hours I'd be walking to and from there. :roll: Would've been perfect, working alone.

She talked to a friend of her's and got me a job at Hardee's... yeah, as a cashier. Cause cooks are boys and cashiers are girls. :-/ BLAH! Customers are horrible, and they smell weakness like a dog tracking a wounded fox.

I just worked harder than anyone else, didn't goof off and got promoted to supervisor... then I trained all my cooks to work the cash registers, so, if it got busy, I took the kitchen and they took the customers. Got guff from the Manager and GM about it, because they wanted girls on the front line, but, the guys were better than I was at dealing with customers.

Next after that, I worked layaway at a retail store. That was much better. It wasn't busy, so I spent more time than most reorganizing the stock or helping unload the deliveries or checking for missing price tags.



kraftiekortie
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08 Aug 2014, 2:45 pm

You should apply to a place like UPS. Probably the best shifts for Aspies are ones which are not 9-5, 8-4, etc.

Do you have a car? Do you have a drivers license? If so, maybe you could make deliveries using your car.

There are stock-type positions in all retail stores. They also have these sorts of positions at Costco (and you make at least $11 an hour at Costco).

Or, if you type, you could be a data-entry operator.

Or you could go to a temporary agency, and get a temp job doing all that I mentioned. The trouble: no health benefits. You might be under your parent's plan, anyway.



AardvarkGoodSwimmer
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08 Aug 2014, 4:46 pm

I've gotten both pretty good at small talk and also the zen thing of lowering expectations.

For example, when I lived in Las Vegas and tried to supplement my income playing poker (just barely broke even), I would sometimes go over to the sports betting area to watch a little TV. As I sat down, if there was a game on, I might say to the person next to me, 'How's the game going?' Keeping it very straightforward, and there's a hundred reasons the person may or may not be in a talkative frame of mind, very few of them having to do with me.

Even the very best conversations, even if we had things in common, twenty minutes was about the most and then it ran out of steam.

I also practice on what I've heard called gentle leave taking skills, or matter-of-fact leave taking.



TheMostUnknown
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09 Aug 2014, 7:21 pm

kraftiekortie says:

Quote:
There are stock-type positions in all retail stores. They also have these sorts of positions at Costco (and you make at least $11 an
hour at Costco).

You are right but unfortunately where I live at we don't have a Costco. We have a Walmart but I kind of don't want to work at Walmart because I don't like Walmart.



TheMostUnknown
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09 Aug 2014, 7:43 pm

1401b says:

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Try college and get an advanced degree in something you're good at.

I'm going to a community college. What I'm trying to do is work while I'm in school. I'm so sick and tired of sitting at the house everyday not doing nothing. I could and should be making money right now.



AspergersActor8693
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09 Aug 2014, 8:23 pm

I got a job at a local flower nursery basically doing grunt work. The owner of the place goes to my church and we knew him beforehand. He is always looking for workers each season and I got a job there and have been working there since 2010. It's good because he understands how I am and my limitations. Try seeing if any friends or family work at a place or know someone at a place that is hiring.

I agree with you on not wanting a cashiers job. I don't know how I'd handle it myself.

For extra money, I have also taken to buying stuff to resell on ebay. It takes A LOT more work than most people would expect, but it brings in some good extra money, especially during the winter months when the flower nursery closes until next spring.

I know I'm new but I hope I've helped in some way. I was in your position once, applying to any place that I could for a stockroom job.



Earth_Intruder
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09 Aug 2014, 10:27 pm

Have you ruled out production work? I am going to start a production job Monday. My biggest concern is that I won't have the stamina or necessary speed. But then, I'm 43 and have been pretty sedentary for the past few years. But I love the idea of working with things, not with people. I don't think I could ever work with people (customers) again. Most of my experience is in customer service. I've had a lot of sickness due to the stress of these jobs. I will do everything in my power to avoid having to do this type of job again.

I think every Aspie is different, but I know that some of us have sensory issues. Some factories are louder than others, or parts of the factory will be louder than others. Be aware of that. Also, some factories don't have great temperature control. They can get very hot or very cold. I can't deal well with that. The size and layout of the building is going to be challenging for me at first, but I am confident I will get a feel for it. I'm terrible with directions and get turned around easily.

If you do go with manufacturing and you think that you have the attention span to drive a forklift without running into something or someone, request the training or agree as soon as it is offered. It will make you that much more useful and versatile to the company. It will also come in handy if you switch to another plant. They offered me the training, but I declined. At 43, I'm still not that comfortable driving a car, so it's just not going to be my thing.

Food for thought.... Good luck!



MakaylaTheAspie
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10 Aug 2014, 1:07 pm

kraftiekortie wrote:
You should apply to a place like UPS. Probably the best shifts for Aspies are ones which are not 9-5, 8-4, etc.

Do you have a car? Do you have a drivers license? If so, maybe you could make deliveries using your car.

There are stock-type positions in all retail stores. They also have these sorts of positions at Costco (and you make at least $11 an hour at Costco).

Or, if you type, you could be a data-entry operator.

Or you could go to a temporary agency, and get a temp job doing all that I mentioned. The trouble: no health benefits. You might be under your parent's plan, anyway.


I agree with the UPS thing. I recently quit, but that's because I got another full-time job and I wouldn't have been able to do it right afterward.

UPS is basically loading packages into trucks. They put a lot of time and effort into making sure you can succeed, and they give you a month to adjust to their work environment. Out of the two months I worked there, there was only one person I didn't like.

You can give it a try here: https://upsjobs.managehr.com/

As for being picky about the type of job - don't be. Any job you can get is a job you should try to hold down and keep, especially when you only really qualify for entry level jobs right now. I'd also agree with the college thing. The more education you have under your belt, the more likely you'll be considered for a higher-paying job.

By the way, UPS looks really good on a job application. ;)


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muslimmetalhead
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20 Aug 2014, 5:20 pm

TheMostUnknown wrote:
1401b says:
Quote:
Try college and get an advanced degree in something you're good at.

I'm going to a community college. What I'm trying to do is work while I'm in school. I'm so sick and tired of sitting at the house everyday not doing nothing. I could and should be making money right now.


Similar situation. What I had was a employment agency. I had the fortune for them to go through my school. We had a tour at a local repair shop (they're online, called RepairClinic) and as soon as we get necessary paperwork sorted out, starting in 3 days.


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DragonKazooie89
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28 Aug 2014, 3:38 pm

Don't worry about finding a job right away, I'm 24 with a degree in Game and Simulation Programming and I just got my first job a little more than a month ago working in the deli at my local Super Wal-mart. Just practice those social skills either by volunteering or communication face-to-face with friends and family as often as you can and ask on how you can improve or even some therapy if you can and never give up!



TheMostUnknown
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28 Aug 2014, 5:18 pm

DragonKazooie89 says

Don't worry about finding a job right away.

I'm 18, I'm in school (community college majoring in computer science) and staying with parents not working. I need a job. I can't just sit around the house not doing nothing. That is so boring. My step dad told me earlier that I need a job by the middle of next month. I assume that if I don't have a job then, he'll kick me out the house. He don't understands my Aspergers. My mom understands. Anyway this is just hard because nothing is happening to improve my Aspergers. So right now I'm trying to find a therapist and of course a job. I'm trying to see if I could work at the local Y because I'm good working with kids. I just need a job.



bobchaos
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26 Aug 2017, 9:52 pm

Working with the public is terrible work, but it's great at teaching basic interpersonal skills so you can start looking at bigger stuff. Having 50 short conversations (and often conflicts) per day with customers over the phone helped me pick up the social skill I needed to get a good career in IT even with autism and no education past high-school. They allowed me to navigate the internal politics of the organizations I work for/with.

I guess I'm saying you shouldn't look exclusively at jobs that keep you away from people. "people jobs" are hard, but they're extremely valuable experience to us.

1401b wrote:
Try college and get an advanced degree in something you're good at.
While at college you're likely to discover many answers to this question and to what might be adaptable TO you as you are.

Or ignore me and go for what he said!



ailuzhin
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28 Aug 2017, 4:41 am

I would go with a two step solution. Short and long term.

When I was 18, I didn't have a job either, so I speak from experience. However, your mileage may vary!

Start off with something straight forward. Stock, packing, etc. It is unpleasant, but it is fairly easy and you will improve your communication skills with everybody always making the same conversations.

Long term: study something (as you are) that you have a passion for. See if you can get a job around this field, or even make one. The Internet is awash with possibilities