Having trouble maintaining a career

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jlhotard
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Joined: 6 Jan 2018
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 2

06 Jan 2018, 9:19 pm

Hi all,

I have a degree in graphic design, but I also really think I have high functioning autism that's undiagnosed. I think this might be affecting my ability to maintain a job in this field based on what I've read about symptoms/qualities of autism.

Organization is definitely a learned skill for me and I can get overwhelmed very easily, for example. (Maintaining a normal social life has also been a headache since middle school. This is what made me look into whether I have autism.) I have been diagnosed with ADD, too.

Right now I'm stuck at a menial job that thankfully has a semi livable wage. The 'semi' part is what is pushing me to figure out how to get a job in what I went to college for. The menial part is also driving me crazy too.

I came into this field because interest and personality wise, its one of the best fits for me. The organization and stress coping issue is a huge problem for graphic design though.

Has anyone here ever successfully learned how to overcome an obstacle like this?

Thanks for everyone's time.



ok
Deinonychus
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Joined: 30 Jun 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 371
Location: Denmark, EU.

10 Jan 2018, 3:11 pm

I studied to become a librarian, but it turned out that the unemployment was too high, and the libraries are hostile towards autistic people. The jobs are few, and the high demands of being a librarian are not something I can live up to.

I'm still applying for librarian positions, but by and large, I don't have the skills and experience needed. There is a better chance that I get some sort of mundane "autism friendly" office job, such as software testing or data entry. And it's boring and poorly paid, but the world is a hostile place for us aspies and there is no hope for us.

Stick with whatever job you have and make graphical design something you dream about. Sorry to be so bleak in my writing, but aspies have no future on the job market, and the only thing you can do is to keep working for as long as you can, and then get fired. Welcome to the impossible world of autism.


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Dark Fairy
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Joined: 15 Feb 2018
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Posts: 7
Location: Sydney Australia

26 Feb 2018, 9:10 pm

ok wrote:
I studied to become a librarian, but it turned out that the unemployment was too high, and the libraries are hostile towards autistic people. The jobs are few, and the high demands of being a librarian are not something I can live up to.

I'm still applying for librarian positions, but by and large, I don't have the skills and experience needed. There is a better chance that I get some sort of mundane "autism friendly" office job, such as software testing or data entry. And it's boring and poorly paid, but the world is a hostile place for us aspies and there is no hope for us.

Stick with whatever job you have and make graphical design something you dream about. Sorry to be so bleak in my writing, but aspies have no future on the job market, and the only thing you can do is to keep working for as long as you can, and then get fired. Welcome to the impossible world of autism.

Sounds like me. I did library studies because I have a passion for books and research. Unfortunately jobs are scarce and the modern librarian is more like a glorified receptionist or corporate project manager. A role that needs much higher levels of communication and executive function. The old shelving, cataloguing roles are gone and the modern library is no longer the safe space of introverts or kids who need to develop a love of reading or research. I would love a job where I can read books or look for research material about my special interests