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arkityp
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21 Jul 2008, 9:48 am

try as a might, there are some aspects of my job that i simply cannot do, or find very difficult to do and experience consequences because of doing them (i.e. panic attacks).

i have been working there since october. over the past few months, my boss has really been pushing me to do things that are "outside" my box. he doesn't know about my AS, nor do i think he has any idea what it is.

i get yelled at a lot because i always point out the details of work and it comes off as "negative"; i fail to see the "big picture" - i.e. i am not money motivated and i don't work in the interest of exploiting other people (i work doing creative development at a marketing firm); i have had to make it clear that i need people to email me if they want something as opposed to telling me because i forget within minutes and then i get blamed for not listening; i am not good talking on the phone with clients and he just keeps pushing me to interact with everyone on a NT level.

a month ago, my boss asked me to do a storyboard for a video marketing campaign he wants to market for our company. initially, i researched viral marketing, and went back to him with a ton of information (fyi - researching is one of my fortes). he told me he didn't want information and he wanted me to draw a storyboard of a conversation between two people.

how am i supposed to fabricate human interaction if i don't even understand it!? i feel so frustrated and emotional about this, and if i told him he would probably think i was a big baby. i am worried that i will lose my job, which i cannot afford to, if i don't either tell him about AS or figure out some way to get through this, but the deadline is in two days. :(



Zsazsa
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21 Jul 2008, 10:23 am

How did you obtain this job in the first place? If you cannot do the job, you will get terminated. However, that may be a blessing
rather than something bad.

It might be best for you to re-evaluate your career aspirations and abilities and look for a job that is more compatiable than what you are doing now. After all, why inflict so much stress on yourself by trying to do a job that causes you so much anguish?

Best of luck to you!



arkityp
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21 Jul 2008, 10:27 am

Zsazsa wrote:
How did you obtain this job in the first place? If you cannot do the job, you will get terminated. However, that may be a blessing
rather than something bad.

It might be best for you to re-evaluate your career aspirations and abilities and look for a job that is more compatiable than what you are doing now. After all, why inflict so much stress on yourself by trying to do a job that causes you so much anguish?

Best of luck to you!


when i started working, my duties were very basic. i had the option of keeping to myself and focusing on a single task. as more work came in, people started dropping piles of work on me, expecting more of me and giving me more responsibility than i could handle. i had a breakdown, and consequently was diagnosed after i sought psychological care.



MariaRenee
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21 Jul 2008, 10:48 am

It sounds to me as if you are valued at work, despite the problems you're having. I doubt that your boss would continue to assign increasingly complex projects to you if you were not considered to be talented.

Here is what I am going to suggest: Tell him about your AS without telling him. Re-frame the issue.
An employer who would not likely understand Asperger's will understand something trendy like the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). Instead of trying to explain autism, why not go to him and say, "I really love my job and I care about performing. I want to perform this job for you. But, you understand personality differences, right? And you understand that some things are simply hard-wired, such as introversion versus extroversion? Well- I have these personality and learning differences...etc. ect."

And then explain that because social interaction is a real weakness, you either need to be slowly eased into it with baby steps, or you need to be re-managed so that you are using your strengths in this job and not weaknesses.

A competent manager will understand that he or she needs to assign people to tasks that use their strengths and not weaknesses. Of course, there is always the possibility that he or she is a stupid and incompetent manager and will not listen.

But I think this is your best strategy for a good outcome. Good luck.



arkityp
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21 Jul 2008, 10:52 am

MariaRenee wrote:
It sounds to me as if you are valued at work, despite the problems you're having. I doubt that your boss would continue to assign increasingly complex projects to you if you were not considered to be talented.

Here is what I am going to suggest: Tell him about your AS without telling him. Re-frame the issue.
An employer who would not likely understand Asperger's will understand something trendy like the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). Instead of trying to explain autism, why not go to him and say, "I really love my job and I care about performing. I want to perform this job for you. But, you understand personality differences, right? And you understand that some things are simply hard-wired, such as introversion versus extroversion? Well- I have these personality and learning differences...etc. ect."

And then explain that because social interaction is a real weakness, you either need to be slowly eased into it with baby steps, or you need to be re-managed so that you are using your strengths in this job and not weaknesses.

A competent manager will understand that he or she needs to assign people to tasks that use their strengths and not weaknesses. Of course, there is always the possibility that he or she is a stupid and incompetent manager and will not listen.

But I think this is your best strategy for a good outcome. Good luck.


i think i am valued at work, but it seems to be as a mule as opposed to being able to express my creativity in positive ways (and essentially do the job i was hired for). i'll try your approach - thank you!