Autistic academics give their thoughts on university life

Post Reply New Topic

http://theconversation.com/autistic-academics-give-their-thoughts-on-university-life-72133

Interesting read, but admittedly depressing at the same time. It just saddens me to know that people like myself are discriminated, even in workplaces. You'd think a workplace would be a discrimination-free environment, but no. Some people apparently just refuse to grow up at all.

I had a long laugh at that one.

It's so true. In my first professional jobs I worked alone in a room--fantastic. Everyone loved my work and the fact that they could give it to me, leave me alone and then find it done.

Later all the offices went away and we had high walled cubicles. Ugly. Less private (heard to many phone calls I could not shut out) but still OK, and finally low walled cubicles or open desks. AAARRRRGGGHHH! I tried to get my work done before 9am or after 6pm.



I don't know what university would be without those things. Tenure. Funding. Support. Maybe there are a few technical subjects that focus on the pure work and allow people to progress without learning the unwritten agendas, influencing friends, undermining foes and other power games.

I couldn't deal with it at all.

Hm, I had to drop out of my first uni due to illnesses, but I did watch as everyone who was just as new as me started forming their little groups, bonding... I'll never forget it. To this day it's the most poignant example life's thrown at me at how... easy... some people find it to make friends. Agreed that forming all these social ties is one important benefit of uni if you can do it, but it is still about the work, the skills.
Just not the social skills in my case, in some cases I really do advocate distance studying. It takes the social awkwardness out of the equation and just leaves you nice, blissful work and solitude.