enlisting as marine or army IEDD
I was in a relationship with a young lady who I believe was an undiagnosed aspie. Later on, she joined the military, but back then ASD (apart from diagnosed, more-or-less obvious symptoms) was probably not something they would have looked for (plus the military was having some trouble attracting recruits at that time). I have often wondered if she would have had trouble had she tried to enlist nowadays.
I’d absolutely go on noticed, they’d just think I’m shy and weird. People are shocked when I tell them I’m an aspie. Which is what makes my problems harder, as people just think I’m lazy or creepy. The military is all about structure, policy,routine. It sounds like heaven. They’d provide me a bed, regular food, tell me where to go and when, provide me with social guidelines(saluting, proper conduct etc) scheduled activities. Probably why many aspies have thrived in the military including navy seals.
The military can be extremely chaotic and unpredictable. Not to mention loud.
I was nearly tossed out after getting DXed with ASD.
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Ichinin
Veteran
Joined: 3 Apr 2009
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,653
Location: A cold place with lots of blondes.
If you live outside the country that everyone assume you live in, there are options.
However, have you checked if you are cut out for that type of life? Do that before applying for such a job.
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"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring" (Carl Sagan)
I spent over 10 years in the Army, as a forward observer (13F E-6) and later became a Warrant Officer (153A rotary wing aviator), then spent another 3 years as a DoD contractor at the Army SERE School. I was not diagnosed until after I was out. However, it was the perfect environment for me. Tons of structure, I didn't have to think about what to eat, wear, etc. Social expectations were clearly codified; for example, you greet an officer with a salute from a set distance, and you stand at parade rest around superior NCO's. There were endless volumes of manuals about doctrine, procedures, etc. I absolutely excelled as a Soldier, my identity and value was based on merit and adherence to the rules and values of the Army. Plus, I got paid to blow things up and fly helicopters. You can't beat that with a stick. I had a really, really hard time adjusting to the civilian world, which ultimately led to my diagnosis. If it weren't for other health factors beyond my control, I'd probably still be in and happy as a lark. There were some occasional issues with authority, and sensory problems, but I learned more about how to overcome those challenges in the Army than I ever would have outside it.
Ichinin
Veteran
Joined: 3 Apr 2009
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,653
Location: A cold place with lots of blondes.
I had a mixed experience as a civilian employee. I had 2 good managers and 2 really crap ones. Major problem i had was that people with no skill in a specific area started meddling with what i did because they wanted to do compliance checkbox ticking. Also, most military people were totally unable to grasp that cyber security has no analogues to bullets flying around, their brains are stuck in the physical world.
You can't just bomb the s**t out of someone who may be hiding behind a number of hosts in a few unrelated countries to cover their tracks. When you work with IT-security operationally and see s**t going on and are surrounded by compliance idiots who never even have fired up TCPDump, you get more and more tired. Eventually i left because i didn't want to eat Atarax for the rest of my life...
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"It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring" (Carl Sagan)
I am a retired Master Sergeant. I very much enjoyed my time in the military. Keep your ASD to yourself and you should do fine.
And remember, if you are EOD and see your coworker running, try to keep up.
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When I lose an obsession, I feel lost until I find another.
Aspie score: 155 of 200
NT score: 49 of 200
IEDD is short for Improvised Explosive Device Disposal. I can see this occupation at one of the extremes of stress. If you can handle extreme stress, have learned to become fearless and are good with your hands, this might be a good occupation. But most Aspies might find these traits fairly challenging.
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