Some of my NT friends earn more than I earn

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Even though my academic qualifications are above average, even though I went to an above average university, and even though I majored in a subject that is challenging for a lot of people, I earn a salary that is below average for my line of work. The interesting part is that I have friends my age who went to bad universities, studied dumb subjects and ended up with GPAs lower than 3.0 (by their own admission), and now earn more than I earn; they also have cool sounding job titles and appear to love their jobs. Of course, they are all NTs. They are charming and good looking, and even though they are not overly articulate in writing or in speech, they communicate "well."

Being an aspie sucks, doesn't it? If I knew I was going to end up this way, I am not sure I would have bothered with college at all.

I'm working at 70% salary and directing the work of others who supposedly have more experience and get paid twice as much but am just glad to have a job, I can't do applications or interviews and rely on word of mouth and reputation for hard work to get the next position.

Try playing the job market. If you're like me, you have a hard time actually asking for things like raises and promotions. Often, if you don't ask, you don't get, and knowing what else is out there and what compensation you would receive elsewhere could help you in raising these issues with superiors.

There's always going to be slick MBA-type people who talk business and try to get all chummy with everyone, but they're not the only ones getting paid well. Also, how you did in college quickly becomes as irrelevant as SAT scores after you've actually got your first career job. /m

The reality is that grades and academics are not everything. You can be the "best qualified person" by resume and still not be hired. Employers are not only going to hire those candidates who are qualified, they are also looking for someone who will fit in their organizations and who will get along with the staff. The other unfortunate thing is that if a person is either overweight, unattractive, or both, employers will more often than not (per academic studies done on this subject) will not hire them as often.

My advice: hit the gym, work out, and work on your interview skills.

Yeah same here. I'm finding out that I can be making 30% to 40% more.

Finding another job puts me out of my comfort zones. I don't look for other work becuause I suffer from anxiety along with what I believe is Aspergers. But the potential money is starting to overcome that.

Not all NT's make more. Just the ones with a high b**sh** factor.

That sounds like good advice to me.

At some point I actually told this to an NT but he quickly rebuffed my argument; apparently he thought I was blaming my failure to find adequate employment on some abstraction instead of blaming it on my character.

I love aspies

education doesn't get you the good jobs or the high salaries, it just gets your foot in the door. On the job experience, and like someone else said, being a good bullshitter is what gets you the corner office.

It's not necessarily about being a "bull-shitter", but making better relationships and working well professionally with others. Most "bull-shitters" and "ass-kissers" are eventually exposed and hit a ceiling.

I think it feels good just to have a university degree. You know that only 27% of adults in the US have a bachelors degree or a higher degree than that. With costs of education going up and up, I don't think that percentage is going way up any time soon. So at least having the degree is something to feel good about, even if it doesn't translate into more money.

I can relate to what you are saying. My NT friends are earning more than me b/c they have many connections with those who introduce them to some well-paid part-time job. Mine is more limited thus fewer extra income sources. NTs are just more talented than us b/c they can deal with spending a lot of time and $ building and maintaining their social network. If you are like me in this aspect, I'd rather stay home reading, watching etc. than being around NTs.

Well coming from the other side of it i actually make a fair bit more than the guys i graduated with last year, I also have the best working conditions and most flexible boss. To top it all I make nearly double the UK average first year graduate sallery (and yes, i'm very pleased with myself, it was a lot of hard work ). Downside is i sit on a ship in the north sea for 5 months of the year.

How did i land this job? 1. I did a pretty specialised degree 2. I graduated first in my class 3. I have a miltary background which employers love and explains (they think) some of my stranger behaviour 4. I went and spoke to my boss after a presentation he gave at my university and basically asked for a job. It wasnt easy and i tore myself apart afterwards for everything i said which sounded even slightly dumb (which was everything in my head).

A year later when we start looking for jobs he doesnt even bother interviewing others he just takes me and the other guy who spoke to him (for 2 minutes!) after the event. The point i'm trying to make is yes, a friend of a friend does help sometimes but it's not the be all and end all, some jobs require someone who thinks differently, acts differently and i suppose i have been very lucky in my life to have found some of them.

If you really want more money maybe its time to find a job that fits you rather than trying to fit a job, at the very least you'll like your job more.

Wise words indeed!

I am going through my own little crisis of confidence at the moment, and realise a large part of it is because I've thrown out my own advice to be a job chooser in response to problems with previous jobs. My panicked selection of my current and previous positions have meant that I don't enjoy the work and have been saddled with many managerial tasks such as staff supervision, rather than giving me a job that allows me tuck myself away in a corner and research and write stuff, which is where I excel (and which was what allowed me to get into the mess I'm currently in). Hence, I'm performing very poorly in my job.

Yes, I'm earning a fair bit more money being at the level I'm at (c. $100 per fortnight more after tax; handy, but not earth-shattering), but the flipside is constant misery and stress.

mw99, provided the job pays a salary that allows you to live comfortably (NOT in the lap of luxury I might add, tempting though this may be), your main consideration must be whether you're happy with it. How much others earn shouldn't be a consideration.

In short, remember you're an Aspie: it's all about YOU!

what is it exactly that you do for a living? You command a cargo ship? And what do you do while you are not at sea?

Maybe i should have been clearer, those five months are spread throughout the year in 4 week blocks, and its not always the north sea, I may be off to brazil soon......

I'm a hydrographic surveyor. I run positioning and sonar systems on board survey ships, I work alone, pretty much unsupervised. Most people i speak to will be via e-mail or over radio with occasionaly a short request from a client on board rep or the offshore manager which will be face to face. I currently have 13 computer/video monitors around me (including the one i'm typing this on) Displaying data from 11 computers of various types. This is, believe it or not, a chopped down spread, usually i'd have more.

Can be stressful as time is serious money out here, but its usually short lived before things are fixed or so trashed we need support from the beach. When its all working it just chugs along without much interference from me.

Downside is lots of travelling, lots of airports, lots of getting places very early so i dont miss them. Oh and i'm away from home more than i'd like.

When i am home i run, do scuba dives which are way too deep to be healthy and try and make the most of my time off.

That sounds like an interesting job!

What is your education then? Are you an Engineer?