New Member, wanted to introduce myself.

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duffman767
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06 Feb 2013, 2:17 pm

Hi everyone.

I wanted to introduce myself and give a little bit of information, hopefully have some nice discussions on here. I'm twenty three years old, and a graduate from Bennington College in Vermont. I was diagnosed with Autism at a very young age. I was quickly put into ABA therapy at the Eden Institute in New Jersey, and after a couple of years went to a special education class at a local elementary school. After some more time it was decided that I could spend half my time in mainstream classrooms and the other half in specialized settings. As time went on I made the transition into mainstream full-time, until eventually nobody knew I had autism unless it was brought up.

However, despite the control I now have, there are still things I have a lot of trouble with. Eye contact and one on one conversations with new people, and even people I've known for a little while, is extremely difficult. I have trouble doing tasks involving my hands or labor-intensive work; it's not that I'm not fit, far from it, but its like my body and mind can't quite get into sync. I feel like I need guidance constantly, and am trying to break myself of that dependency. I have a lot of trouble saying what I'm thinking, and I often feel lost and overwhelmed, although I do a better job of not showing it.

Currently I am attempting to find employment in NYC, to very little avail. I try to go around and hand out resumes, but I get terrified and can't bring myself to do it, so I do a lot of online and phone applications. I have mostly done work as entertainment assisting, such as casting or editing, and also teaching and caring for special needs children. However, at this point I would be willing to try anything. So, if you happen to be in the NYC area and know of employment opportunities, I would be extremely grateful!

Otherwise, I would love to have discussions with people in this forum. I actually did a one-man show about being autistic, so the topic is something very near and dear to my heart, and something I'm working through all the time, as we all are. So I hope I am welcome and look forward to having discussions!



TenPencePiece
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06 Feb 2013, 2:46 pm

Welcome :)


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duffman767
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06 Feb 2013, 2:48 pm

Thank you, Tenpiece! The community here seems very nice, so I am looking forward to meeting new people!



redrobin62
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06 Feb 2013, 3:08 pm

Welcome to Wrong Planet. If NYC doesn't work out remember you have other options, as in different media markets like Chicago, LA or Houston.



duffman767
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06 Feb 2013, 3:10 pm

Very true, Robin. I was actually considering Los Angeles for awhile, but I would prefer to be closer to family in New Jersey. However, if opportunity presents itself, I'll have to snag it!



noxnocturne
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06 Feb 2013, 3:50 pm

*headdeskfacepalm*

Sheesh.



duffman767
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06 Feb 2013, 3:52 pm

What're you "sheeshing" Nocturnal?



hyksos55
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06 Feb 2013, 4:13 pm

Greetings and welcome to the WP.

Enjoy.


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mikassyna
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06 Feb 2013, 4:23 pm

duffman767 wrote:
Currently I am attempting to find employment in NYC, to very little avail. I try to go around and hand out resumes, but I get terrified and can't bring myself to do it, so I do a lot of online and phone applications ... So, if you happen to be in the NYC area and know of employment opportunities, I would be extremely grateful!
. . .
Otherwise, I would love to have discussions with people in this forum. I actually did a one-man show about being autistic, so the topic is something very near and dear to my heart, and something I'm working through all the time, as we all are. So I hope I am welcome and look forward to having discussions!


Hi!
I'm in NYC too. The route I took was to teach myself how to type quickly. It is something you can do easily in your own home and build up your speed by copying anything with text. If you know how to use a computer with ease, that's the first step! Go through tutorials in Word, which is what businesses use. Then when you master the speed of typing and the more advanced functions, apply to a Temp agency for Word Processing opportunities. I used to love going to those jobs because there was very minimal interaction with people. In fact, in law firms you sit behind a computer and basically just type and type and type. You would get a document, edit it or type it up from scratch, or do data input, and that's it. Once you finish one thing you get the next job. That kind of environment would require a little more knowledge of legal jargon but that can come as on the job training. Temping relieves you from having to know too much about the legal field, and they pay well. If you want more jobs you can train yourself in Excel. The tutorials teach you all there is to know. Some temp agencies even train you. Go to some, take their tests and see what kinds of things they throw at you, then go home and practice those things. If I could do it, I know you can too! Depending on your level of autism, I might stay away from the secretarial path. Dealing with lawyers is very challenging! They are allowed to have no social skills but expect you to have them!

PS Where did you do your performance? I had done some of my own on other topics, a long time ago.



duffman767
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06 Feb 2013, 4:30 pm

mikassyna wrote:

Hi!
I'm in NYC too. The route I took was to teach myself how to type quickly. It is something you can do easily in your own home and build up your speed by copying anything with text. If you know how to use a computer with ease, that's the first step! Go through tutorials in Word, which is what businesses use. Then when you master the speed of typing and the more advanced functions, apply to a Temp agency for Word Processing opportunities. I used to love going to those jobs because there was very minimal interaction with people. In fact, in law firms you sit behind a computer and basically just type and type and type. You would get a document, edit it or type it up from scratch, or do data input, and that's it. Once you finish one thing you get the next job. That kind of environment would require a little more knowledge of legal jargon but that can come as on the job training. Temping relieves you from having to know too much about the legal field, and they pay well. If you want more jobs you can train yourself in Excel. The tutorials teach you all there is to know. Some temp agencies even train you. Go to some, take their tests and see what kinds of things they throw at you, then go home and practice those things. If I could do it, I know you can too! Depending on your level of autism, I might stay away from the secretarial path. Dealing with lawyers is very challenging! They are allowed to have no social skills but expect you to have them!

PS Where did you do your performance? I had done some of my own on other topics, a long time ago.



Thanks a lot for the advice; I'm pretty good with computers, and I've actually done some administrative work. It's tough, but I think it's important to keep up talking, just so I can consistently improve at it. Both of my parents are lawyers too, so I know how difficult it can be! And to clarify, my level of autism is pretty high-functioning; most people wouldn't be able to guess it unless I had told them or hinted at it, so I do have it better than most.

Also, the performance is called "Where Are We Now" on youtube. I'd love to get feedback on it!



mikassyna
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06 Feb 2013, 5:09 pm

duffman767 wrote:
mikassyna wrote:
Thanks a lot for the advice; I'm pretty good with computers, and I've actually done some administrative work. It's tough, but I think it's important to keep up talking, just so I can consistently improve at it. Both of my parents are lawyers too, so I know how difficult it can be! And to clarify, my level of autism is pretty high-functioning; most people wouldn't be able to guess it unless I had told them or hinted at it, so I do have it better than most.

Also, the performance is called "Where Are We Now" on youtube. I'd love to get feedback on it!


If both your parents are lawyers they can certainly help. They may even have some connections at some law firms to help get your foot in the door. They could provide sample documents and/or scenarios and you can see if it's a job you might want to pursue. You could try temp-to-perm jobs. Many law firms offer great benefits, especially health benefits.

Although I am not officially dx'ed yet, my greatest challenges as a legal secretary are:
1) getting interrupted to do something else of greater importance when I'm already in the middle of a task (I get very very mad but mostly hide it very well)
2) feeling overwhelmed with work piling up, as I can't tolerate leaving work for the next day (low frustration)
3) multitasking (get very frazzled and stressed out)

I have to leave work now and go back to my chaotic home but I saw some of your video and I almost cried. It brought back so many memories of my childhood. My mother used to say to me, "You don't know what love is. You only come to me when you want something. I only exist when you need something."

I look forward to watching the rest later. Bravo!



duffman767
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06 Feb 2013, 8:17 pm

mikassyna wrote:
mikassyna wrote:


If both your parents are lawyers they can certainly help. They may even have some connections at some law firms to help get your foot in the door. They could provide sample documents and/or scenarios and you can see if it's a job you might want to pursue. You could try temp-to-perm jobs. Many law firms offer great benefits, especially health benefits.

Although I am not officially dx'ed yet, my greatest challenges as a legal secretary are:
1) getting interrupted to do something else of greater importance when I'm already in the middle of a task (I get very very mad but mostly hide it very well)
2) feeling overwhelmed with work piling up, as I can't tolerate leaving work for the next day (low frustration)
3) multitasking (get very frazzled and stressed out)

I have to leave work now and go back to my chaotic home but I saw some of your video and I almost cried. It brought back so many memories of my childhood. My mother used to say to me, "You don't know what love is. You only come to me when you want something. I only exist when you need something."

I look forward to watching the rest later. Bravo!


Thank you so much for your thoughts on the video. I can understand where you're coming from with the words of your mother, and it's a tough thing to even consider, let alone hear.

Also, I have a lot of respect for you in terms of how well you stick to your position, even with difficulties. Just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's worth doing, and I'm right there with you in terms of the checklist of frustration. Temp-to-perm jobs would be nice, we'll see what happens!



mikassyna
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06 Feb 2013, 10:55 pm

duffman767 wrote:
mikassyna wrote:
mikassyna wrote:

Thank you so much for your thoughts on the video.

Temp-to-perm jobs would be nice, we'll see what happens!


The video kept stopping at the 13:20 mark. I will try to watch the rest again tomorrow at my work computer. So far what I saw I really really enjoyed. You have a great delivery and I was engaged the whole way through (up to where I couldn't see any more). The script flowed great and you acted wonderfully.

Good luck on the job front! If you have any other questions feel free to ask me.

If you ever pursue more in theatrics/writing, you are in the perfect city to do so! And many actors and creative people I've known held "boring" day jobs to pay the bills. It is a good balance! Good luck to you!