Jobs for teen Aspies?

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I'm 16, and really interested in getting a job right now, but I realize I'd absolutely dread going to somewhere loud and overstimulating and spend hours standing on end with very little resting time. What are some typical jobs (and if possible, state the names of stores and the like) that are good for Aspies?

Some ideas:

Library
Dental or medical office- filing, cleaning and such- I did that as a teenager.
Any quiet office setting where you won't have to deal with customers/clients too much.
Book Store


I would suggest something that caters to your interests. Even if it's in a place where there is noise and customers, if it's something that interests you, you may like it and find the setting more tolerable- such as Blockbuster if you love movies, Music store if you love music, etc.

I love music, so when I turned 18 I got a part time job at a music store. I met some people with some similar tastes, and made a few friends. Part time turned into full time, which turned into dept supervisor, then assistant manager, then store manager. All by a few months shy of 20 years old.

I quit at 22 and returned to college. Those years working retail were invaluable teaching me about 'how the world works' and use the knowledge gathered there almost as much as what I learned in college.

But I remember how scared and nervous I was the day of my first interview at 18!! And I ended up running the place. I guess it was basically because I loved the music, being surrounded by it, opening the boxes off the truck and holding so-and-so's new album in my hands before anybody else in town. So I second the suggestion of trying to get a job in a field that interests you and sustains that interest. Show up. On time. Be nice to people. Remember to smile. Do some favors. Make friends. You never know.... There's a huge advantage in starting at a company at an entry - level position.

Good luck!

I don't know what kind of stores you have, so I can't suggest a particular place, but I can say which jobs I like having.

My best job ever was doing data-entry, typing in barcode numbers - I was a temp, and the boss was away, so I got his office all to myself - just me, the big leather chair, the computer and the numbers. Bliss. It's hard to find data entry jobs which don't involve reception/phone work though - eeek phones!

I like gardening jobs - the one-off weekend ones for nice families with too much money and garden, and not enough time. They're not regular, but they generally pay well and are pretty quiet, with no boss looking over your shoulder.

Also, I think a library shelver (sometimes they have jobs just shelving at big libraries) would be perfect for me - I like putting things in order, I pay attention to detail, and there's no customer service needed - just a good knowledge of the Dewey system.

Do any of these sound like good possibilities for you?

go 6th form

Yeah, my passion has been music for quite some time. If any of you are SoCal locals, I'm thinking of going up to Amoeba for an application. That'd be a godsend, even though it's a long commute. Either that or some record store in Long Beach.

My kid fully intends to get a job either at a Lego retail outlet or at a Lego Land. All of the employees at our local Lego store appear to be spectrum.


2

Amoeba rules! But that SoCal daily commute would drive me insane within a week. The redline has a drop off at Hollywood & Highland, then it's what, a 3 block walk to Amoeba at Sunset & Vine?

I think to get a job at Amoeba you have to have 1) facial tattoos and/or facial jewelry and 2) weed-wacker haircut.

Good luck!

animal caretaker. :D it's what I do. I love that I don't have to work with so many people.

I wouldn't say library...I worked there and what if you don't work fast enough, put things away right, know where something goes, are asked a question or a million about stuff...

If you can drive, I'd give delivery driving a shot. It pays better than most entry level jobs (I averaged $20/hr) and requires limited contact with the customer. Most of the job is spent in the car, listening to tunes. When I first started, I used to jokingly say it was like the game Grand Theft Auto, with less shooting. One caveat though; I wouldn't recommend working for Pizza Hut, Domino's or Papa John's, known to delivery drivers as the Big 3. They don't treat their employees very well, and the stupid regulations may drive a logical aspie nuts. A local independent would be better, they tend to operate like families once you've been there a few months.

i liked working with animals. a lot of places are pushing animal care specialists to also be sales people, but some places may still be interested in care-only - ie: vets, animal hospitals, boarding facilities, etc.

How about working in stock at a local department store? I've done this before, and while the early hours can be difficult, it's a job that doesn't require much interaction with other people and is often performed either alone or with only one or two others. Aspies can often be good at organizing/systemizing things, so the job can definitely work.

When I was quite young, I opened a bicycle repair shop out of my (actually, my parents' ) home. Worked quite well, because the only time I had to talk to people was when they described the problem and when they paid me.

Then, I bought a lawnmower and organized all the kids around me to do yard work. I'd go out in the pre-dawn hours and leave flyers on doorsteps and then take the jobs which came in to the kids who worked for me. Mom ran the telephone and I collected and gave the kids their cut.

I worked as a freelance photographer when in high school, wandering about looking for human interest pictures to sell to the newspapers and kiddy pictures to sell to parents. Didn't pay very well, nor very regularly, but it sure was fun. Take a picture of some kids playing in the front yard, get it developed, take it to the front door and look woebegone. Worked (almost) every time. My picture of the fireman on the ladder with a hose at full blast went national and earned me a buck from every newspaper which ran it throughput the nation.

I started and ran several businesses during my life. I worked for myself much more successfully than I ever worked for other people. However, after about 50 years of working for myself, I decided I would never work for that SOB again. Burnout! I went to work for the school district, driving school bus. From isolation to 60 or 70 kids wiggling 'n' giggling behind me as we rolled down the road! It was great, until my hyper-focus started to return in strength and I had to retire.

The point is you can do work you enjoy, if you can control or master your environment. Will power, detirmination and effort are what pay off. But only if you want to do that job.

Good luck and don't be afraid to try something. The only true failure is to not even try.

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Pops

I would suggest the typical teenage jobs like newspaper delivery or lawnmowing. I was going to suggest errand running jobs like some hospitals have, but they require someone be 18 and have a highschool degree. Also you can go to temp agencies, tell them what you want and have them find you a job, but I think you need to be 18 for that too.

I worked nights at Toys'R'Us for a few months last year. It was heaven.
I got to rearrange things all night long. I usually worked with one or two other people, but often worked on my own.
I got to play with toys and ride bigwheels.
Since it was night and the store was closed, they didn't even mind if I came to work in my comfy pajamas. =)

Daytime jobs there probably wouldn't be bad either, they are usually huge stores with few customers at one time.

*edit* - I forgot to mention that most of the main employees turned out to be 'gifted kids' as well!