Fitting in to the mainstream? experiences with employment?

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I'm an IT support guy for the local county.

I have had only a few jobs. I worked retail for six years doing everything from clerk, to unloading truck, dept. Manager, and IT for a local manufacturer.

I think more of the aspies that grew up before the diagnosis existed were in more of a sink or swim situation.

You overcome your difficulties when you gotta pay rent and the electrical bill...

yes. i think that is pretty true.

Its lack of courage that causes people to commit suicide. I was lacking at one time I don't lack it now and because as you said 99.9% of the time someone who announces it doesn't do it. So think as you like.

I don't work well for others, I am my own business owner and it's great Though you have to be comfortable with talking on the phone with some of the things that I do. In an ideal world, those under the spectrum would focus on their field of expertise (or obsession), take some marketing courses and create their own business. But unfortunately as we all know... that is not an easy thing to do. It's not cheap and you still have to be comfortable dealing with others.

Same here. What also helped me was that I started therapy at 25, and most of the therapy consisted of my talking about the abuse that had happened to me, and the therapist(s) talking about how none of it was my fault, what a wonderful, intelligent, compassionate, strong person I was, etc. I got a lot of good support from that, along with the illusion that I could overcome all of my problems. It wasn't a bad illusion in terms of getting things done, and the support was vital to my ability to work and create a life for myself.

Had I been told I had AS in addition to the abuse issues, I'm not sure I would have handled it well. I have a lot of respect for the younger people who have to deal with both up front. That's a lot to carry at a young age.

I am currently self-employed..i help run a small business with my partner and we also have our venue we are trying to get open.
In the real world, I have an extraordinarily hard time getting normal jobs. My last 'normal job" I held for a week and a half.
I have had lots of little jobs. The longest full-time job I had was working as a switchboard operator for 2 years. My boss made it clear to me that I was hired because my dad worked for the company.

I've had one job, working at a thrift store. I quit once, then managed to weasel my way into working there again since I thought I could handle it the second time around and not freak out or hide in the bathroom as much... but then I walked out a few days later because I decided to take a train to Nebraska.

Nebraska of all places...are you being serious? I would take a train out west.

I have a real job. I'm a library technician.

But I wish I didn't work full time. For one thing, I'm not all that interested in the job at this point in time (although this will probably change - my interest fluctuates) and for another thing, it just takes too much energy to be around people all day. Luckily I don't have to talk to people all the time, but I have to be ready to talk all the time. If I get to keep my job after the contract is up, I'll ask to work part time. I don't care if it means less money - I just need free time. And when I've finished my qualification, I'll get a job in a big library where all I have to do all day is catalogue stuff. That's the plan, anyway, because I don't think I'll be able to cope in the job I'm in long-term.

I went to join the army, but the army wouldn't have me (they didn't like the label).

That's as far as my experience goes with trying to "fit in".