Jobs that aren't for Autistic people?

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Ganondox
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17 Jan 2013, 12:48 am

redrobin62 wrote:
I present to you, Oh Great King of Lists, the pros and cons of nursing.

PROS
If you don't cry and lack empathy, the sight of a dying man or bacteria-shrouded child won't faze you.
You'll make enough money to pay the rent live on your own so you won't be homeless.
Yes, RN's are having a hard time finding jobs these days, but it's still within the realm of possibility.

CONS
The amount of ass kissing you're forced to do is way beyond the normal human limit.
You have to bite your tongue when encountering superiors not even half as smart as your toenail.
If you're overly sensitive to bright lights, loud noises and foreign speech in all their cacophonous glory, stay far away.
The amount of disparaging smells within a 10 cubic foot area is more than what you'd find at a typical game farm.
Hopefully you have a strong shoulder as being low man on the totem pole requires it.


I'm going to stop you from the start, people with AS tend to not lack empathy and actually tend to be more distressed, so the first point is actually a con.


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Tyri0n
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17 Jan 2013, 12:50 am

btbnnyr wrote:
I know an autistic lawyer. Does family law, divorce, child custody cases.


Yeah, and Tort litigation like this is probably the least suitable legal for an autistic person, meaning that many other lawyer jobs are more suitable.

But the problem in this economy is getting a job. Employers will ding you for very superficial reasons when they have a gazillion qualified candidates to consider.



TheTigress
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17 Jan 2013, 1:23 am

daydreamer84 wrote:
A waitress or waiter or a fast food worker. It's faced paced , requires coordination in carrying things and not spilling, requires social interaction and customer service (must not offend customers) and requires a lot of organization and multi-tasking.


This. As a former Subway employee I can vouch for how awful it was for my condition. It was extremely stressful and it took everything I could not to go postal on the stupid/rude customers. (Sometimes I did verbally anyway because I don't have the ability to tolerate being treated like a slave)



cyberdad
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17 Jan 2013, 5:27 am

aspie_giraffe wrote:
Ummmm the only career i can see myself doing is being a doctor (neurologist) i can't see why i should be excluded from being a doctor if I'm aspie

I think autistic/Aspie people can do anything they put their mind to. In relation to providing health services APHRA is currently reviewing the issue of health practioners disclosing any medical conditions or mental health diagnosis prior to applying for registration. It shouldn't be too much to worry about. They may interview future applicants prior to giving full registration as a doctor. They only want to screen out people if the diagnosis may intefrere with them providing competent services and/or reduce their professionalism or conduct.



CyborgUprising
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17 Jan 2013, 10:22 am

I cannot honestly think of a job that a person on the spectrum cannot do based on having an ASD alone. Finding an appropriate career/job depends on what the individual excels at. My closest friend has Asperger's and works in a job that involves interacting with customers on a daily basis. He is also very social, whereas I am not, so such a job wouldn't suit me so well. The same holds true for normies.



CyclopsSummers
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17 Jan 2013, 10:30 am

CyborgUprising wrote:
I cannot honestly think of a job that a person on the spectrum cannot do based on having an ASD alone. Finding an appropriate career/job depends on what the individual excels at. My closest friend has Asperger's and works in a job that involves interacting with customers on a daily basis. He is also very social, whereas I am not, so such a job wouldn't suit me so well. The same holds true for normies.


I held a job once where I was serving customers every day, and I was told by the team leader that I was considered the friendliest in my interactions with the customers, compared to my 2 co-workers who both didn't appear to have issues in the social skills department in their private lives. I was surprised at this compliment.
I should say that it was not a very intense workplace with regard to how many customers visited; it was not a very busy place, though there were usually 2 peaks every day that could get a bit chaotic and disorienting for me. But I did improve significantly as I went on!


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Si_82
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17 Jan 2013, 11:57 am

I also used to work in tech support for one of the country's largest ISPs (who knows, maybe even the same one as invisiblesilent). Although I had to speak to many people over the phone, the fact that I was using my knowledge to systematically problem solve made it quite rewarding and I did quite well there. I even identified areas that needed improving and took it upon myself to write tools and software that would improve efficiency. There were difficulties of course: I was expected to record notes while on the actual call - no chance, afterwards every time. I also don't think I was particularly popular with other staff but I have always felt like an outsider so I am quite used to that.

Doing all these software development side projects has eventually led to me becoming a full time official software developer for a well known IT company - suits me much better than being on the phones.


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17 Jan 2013, 1:36 pm

I know there are people on the spectrum who do it but I would consider elementary school teacher to be a very aspie-unfriendly job, and this goes for aspies who like and get along with children just as well. It's chaotic, noisy, rigidly scheduled, and you're surrounded by hyper-social, conventional, judgmental coworkers and expected to deal with parents and all their incomprehensible expectations and opinions. Above all, you're supposed to be a model of normality and social skills, at least here in the US. Terrible job, just terrible.

I'd also second sales and customer service.



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17 Jan 2013, 4:20 pm

TheTigress wrote:
daydreamer84 wrote:
A waitress or waiter or a fast food worker. It's faced paced , requires coordination in carrying things and not spilling, requires social interaction and customer service (must not offend customers) and requires a lot of organization and multi-tasking.


This. As a former Subway employee I can vouch for how awful it was for my condition. It was extremely stressful and it took everything I could not to go postal on the stupid/rude customers. (Sometimes I did verbally anyway because I don't have the ability to tolerate being treated like a slave)


I got fired from Tim Hortons after 2 months......I was the worst employee EVER!



daydreamer84
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17 Jan 2013, 4:23 pm

stevenjacksonftw7 wrote:
daydreamer84 wrote:
A waitress or waiter or a fast food worker. It's faced paced , requires coordination in carrying things and not spilling, requires social interaction and customer service (must not offend customers) and requires a lot of organization and multi-tasking.


I have a friend with moderate Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder who actually does quite well as a waitress since she enjoys multitasking more than anything. She's still awkward while greeting people, but this has taught her some social interactions and a bit non-verbal social cues since people with Asperger's Syndrome or Autism often learn them through doing jobs or tasks like this that require them to socialize.


Well I would agree that there's no job someone on the spectrum just categorically couldn't do.......we're all different...and I'm sure there are some on the spectrum who'd be good at waitressing but I would think this would be a poor choice of job for the average ASD person because of the requirements I listed in my first post. I have a lot of problems with mutli-tasking and prioritizing in jobs......I was a miserable failure as a fast food employee.



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17 Jan 2013, 4:36 pm

daydreamer84 wrote:
Well I would agree that there's no job someone on the spectrum just categorically couldn't do.......we're all different...and I'm sure there are some on the spectrum who'd be good at waitressing but I would think this would be a poor choice of job for the average ASD person because of the requirements I listed in my first post. I have a lot of problems with mutli-tasking and prioritizing in jobs......I was a miserable failure as a fast food employee.


I think you're making some good points in your opening post with regard to your reasoning behind why some jobs wouldn't be fit... for the average autistic. But it's perhaps also nice to point out that some of the occupations you list are also not considered jobs that the average person in general would either go for, or would be found qualified for. The police force, for example, that's not for everyone. Depending on the specific job within the police force, one would need quite a strong composition to be able to handle the responsiblity and the stress that comes with it.
Professional sports also require lots and lots of stamina, lots and lots of hours of your life devoted to training, always keeping fit to strive to break those records. The competition there must be murder. Also not for everone.
Airline pilot also has a lot of requirements for its candidates. Curiously, I've met someone with mild autism who used to be an airline pilot, but who had to stop doing it because of reasons UNrelated to his autism.


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kirayng
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17 Jan 2013, 4:36 pm

stevenjacksonftw7 wrote:
daydreamer84 wrote:
A waitress or waiter or a fast food worker. It's faced paced , requires coordination in carrying things and not spilling, requires social interaction and customer service (must not offend customers) and requires a lot of organization and multi-tasking.


I have a friend with moderate Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder who actually does quite well as a waitress since she enjoys multitasking more than anything. She's still awkward while greeting people, but this has taught her some social interactions and a bit non-verbal social cues since people with Asperger's Syndrome or Autism often learn them through doing jobs or tasks like this that require them to socialize.


The combo of ASD/ADHD is really great at my job too, helps me be a good line cook. I can never do just one thing at a time and my ASD actually makes me finish things I start because I always remember what I was doing (even if I get distracted and forget for a little while). I work best solo at my station on the line (broil); when I work with someone else they have to lead or I get lost trying to do things the way they'd expect them to be done.

Also, having ADHD, need a lot of stimulation to concentrate, so a busy lunch or dinner rush is just what I need to move more quickly and get more work done. If it's slow, my ASD takes over and I get more perfectionist on prep work and cleaning, which makes it take forever. 8)



Aspire_J
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25 Jan 2013, 1:15 pm

I really believe that there is no job an aspie or autistic person cannot do. The original poster mentioned politics. Someday I may aspire to become a politician. I might climb up the ranks and become the next Obama. Not at this point though, I just want to educate politics to people for now. I know that AS has a potential to damage a political career, but I'm equally capable to work through these obstacles.



kamiyu910
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25 Jan 2013, 1:19 pm

I actually know an Aspie in the US Air Force, and they know about his condition. He fought hard to get in and there are some things he can't do, but he's still in.


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Zaswe12
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25 Jan 2013, 1:24 pm

kamiyu910 wrote:
I actually know an Aspie in the US Air Force, and they know about his condition. He fought hard to get in and there are some things he can't do, but he's still in.
Wait, it's hard to get in the military if you have AS, what the heck.



blue1skies
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25 Jan 2013, 9:05 pm

I think being a dentist or hygienist would absolute hell for me. Having to be so close to people physically, put my hands in their mouth, reassure them, and make small talk incessantly? No way I could handle that