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I am at a crossroads.. I am 54,, working in education which i would like to leave eventually. I was considering several options,,, but im concerned about age issues combined with aspergers,, which would make it very hard to get hired,,

options

looking at IT but i hear there is a huge age ceiling in that field..

looking at dietitian,, probably not aspie friendly and four years of school

getting an official diagnosis and going on disability but, i do better at current job then i would on that and might not qualify do to lifelong work

starting own business,,, plants and other salable items

doing what im doing, accepting that im very underemployed and taking art,,cooking and music classes for fun

would like to be a chef but sensory and joint issues may not allow that,,

passion is cooking,,,,if that helps also extensive knowledge on education and disability issues,,considering paralegal but apparently age isan issue there as well..

any suggestions?? Will it be possible as an older female.white with aspergers to even get hired or am i wasting my time?

It would be helpful to know what level of education you have (degree/major) and what specifically you do in education. Why are you looking to leave that field, and how are your social skills?

What type of cooking do you do? There are a number of people who have been able to get book contracts after having a cooking blog for a number of years. This is a good option if you can write reasonably well and also can make some videos.

I have a bachlors degree,,liberals studies,,minor in child development,, I also hold two technology certificates,electronics and electrical technology and a teaching credential in special needs.

my social skills are typical aspie,, I misinterpret social signs, cannot read faces or remember faces and usual somehow get NTS annoyed at me.. I work as a sub teacher aide for the present but I would like to leave that profession,, I have been unable to get interviews for permanent positions,, I am very qualified, have good references and 20 years of experience but never get called back. I dont like dealing with people that misunderstand me. I have a way of offending or irritating people without meaning to.. which was an issue in my last major job.. subbing is working for now as i don't have to work if i don fee llike it and im not in anyone site long enough to get on anyones nerves.. often im handed a schedule and expected to follow it for the day.

my writing skills are passable,, nothing to write home about.. I am into all types of cooking,, read cookbooks and culinary arts books..

it bugs me as im capalbe of making so much more money then this job pays..

Ive discussed this with my nt friends and the consesous is that I should just keep doing what im doing,, take some classes in my passion areas and use the job to start a small out of the house business.

Since you want to open your business, have you thought about opening a child daycare center and you could then hire assistants to help you.

Or what about going back to school for more education and then teach special education such as to students on the autism spectrum and others.

Recently I have read that employers respect older workers and their experience so you have a good chance of gaining employment.

Good luck.

gazelle,,i taught special needs kids for four years,, autism ones included,, my lack of social skills and inablity to be a team player resulted in a not rehired situation,,which rather throws a clog into finding another teaching job and Imnot at all sure i wanna go back and deal with narcissistic power hungry nT administrators..The job is NOT aspie friendly, and I really dont want that stress all over again.

I have considered advocacy work for the disabled and autism people,m, getting a paralegal certificate and doing that area..and i was told in my district its impossible to get hired if ur older as you wont be putting into the system as long for retirement and they think we get stuck in our ways and don't want to use the modern teaching techniques,, which aren't working anyway but no one seems to notice that.

it just seems I have three strikes against me..aspergers,, age and white female.

I have similar AS traits in terms of dealing with people. I've learned that the best thing for me is to excel in my job and people will put up with my idiosyncrasies. But I work in engineering and science, where people expect people like me. I do think cooking is an area you should explore (since chefs are also expected to be idiosyncratic), as well as the electronics stuff. Do you tinker with Arduino or anything like that?

The best thing you can do is to get your name out there with a blog or something that highlights your skills. It takes time, but after a few years you will get noticed. Any woman doing electronics will surely get noticed, but you have to establish yourself as an authority and connect with people in that field. I don't know how much experience you have in it, so I can't say how realistic it is for you.

I am in the same boat as you are. I think the combination of age + Aspergers can be difficult to surpass. I think setting up your own business is probably the best option. This is something I am considering (but, as of yet, have no clue what business to go into).

You mentioned disability. My understanding (based upon very limited information) is that it is quite difficult to get onto disability. Even with a diagnosis.

rocket,,thanks
fortunately I am employed and not in financial difficulities,, but i am under employed,, and unless I make a change will stay that way,

I have a small bit of land,,enough to run a small nursery operation out of for plants,, looking into exotic fruits and trees,,i live in south fla.. so its warm most of the year,,

I am inclined to think that any field i get into is gonna have that aspergers and age issue,,,,,the general consensus so far has been to keep doing what im doing, use it to help finance a business and take fun classes in areas of obsession,, which for me are cooking,, music and arts,, and some tech,,

days out,, have to put up fencing,, and fix up house to code.. to expensive at this point,, and im thinking of getting out of dealing with parents and state licensing agencies.