In spite of having a university degree and being reasonably intelligent I currently work in a low paid administrative/clerical job.
I seem to lack the confidence and competiveness required for sucuss in the workplace. In a job interview, when asked about myself I find it hard to be anything other than objective (listing both my skills and my faults). My lack of social skills affects how I interact with others at work (I can’t do the networking thing).
I'm very easily distracted and so find it hard to do a job which requires my full attention (I probably spend only about 60% of the day doing my job, the rest of the time day dreaming).
Quickduck, I'm a bit like you. The only difference is I spend more time than I probably ought to on stuff like tidying up and walking around at work and not as much time as I should at my desk. I get very distracted by noises around me but when it is quieter, I work very solidly, even when there is no supervision.
Sometimes I get to supervise others (when on the late shift).
This is mostly because there's nobody else around in the evening. And I've been doing my job far too long (so I'm supposed to know what's happening).
They're kind enough to let me supervise for status alone (don't get any extra money). Not all that bothered though (nobody can look over my shoulder while I'm in charge). Its also quieter in the evening (fewer distractions) so I can actually get work done.
P.S First time I've tried using a poll (answers are a bit too long I'm afraid).
Well, some bosses are simply assholes that seem to think anything even slightly out of the norm is unfit for a job. They'd probably apply a lazy TNT* with a Bachelor's but will turn down a person with a phD and a strong accent.
There has also been cases in which people with black-sounding names (Names such as Keisha and Junaid) get a lower callback than people with white-sounding names (Names such as Edward and Elizabeth). It is like suggesting that black people are automatically bad workers because of the colour of their skin. As long as they're good workers, who gives a crap what their name is?
*TNT - Typical NeuroTypical. Meaning lazy assholes who worship the norm. I made this abbreviation up.
Well, despite being low-paid, I'm quite good at saving. (And never smoke, hardly ever drink, and almost never go out.)
If I ever manage to get a decent amount of money without having to save for years, it'll be when I write my bestseller, or something. hehe.
I use to be good at saving for the same reasons nyanchan. But since marriage, kids and the mortgage came along saving isn't really an option.
I must admit I'm a little worried about my apparent inattention at work.
This is how my day usually goes:
I'll arrive on time. Do a bit of work. Get bored and spend half an hour writing a poem. Go to lunch. Come back, daydream for a while. Write down a couple of clever non-work related ideas that I've had. Realise I've fallen behind…catch up. Realise I've not talked to anyone all day…make an effort to be social. Stare out the window. Finish my work before everyone else. Realise I've worked too hard…and spend the next half an hour shuffling papers trying to look busy. Then go home.
Currently my boss rarely complains about my inattention as I get my work done.
Perhaps my job's too easy. But I seem unable to find more challenging alternative employment.
Job interviews are designed by NTs for NTs. They require the very skills aspies are likely to lack.
This is how my day usually goes:
I'll arrive on time. Do a bit of work. Get bored and spend half an hour writing a poem. Go to lunch. Come back, daydream for a while. Write down a couple of clever non-work related ideas that I've had. Realise I've fallen behind…catch up. Realise I've not talked to anyone all day…make an effort to be social. Stare out the window. Finish my work before everyone else. Realise I've worked too hard…and spend the next half an hour shuffling papers trying to look busy. Then go home.
I hear you! My last job was just like that. (And this one is rapidly becoming so.)
I think it can be difficult for Aspies to find well paid work.
Although I think it also ought to be noted that there are plenty of Aspies out there who do have some interesting and well-paid jobs, so I do sometimes despair when I read some 'advice' that Aspies are incapable of work, or are suited to stacking cans of beans on shelves in supermarkets. We're all different, there's no 'one size fits all' solution to how -- or for some, even 'if' -- we can earn a living.
I've had a lot of jobs over the years (I get bored very easily, won't take any crap off anyone); a lot of my jobs have been 'temp jobs'.
I used to think I was quite good at getting jobs (not so good at keeping them, although that was usually my fault through either resigning or sabotaging myself).
But as I've gotten older, I've noticed that my peers were very, very good at career progression as compared to me. I've tended to move sideways a lot, instead of upwards (although having said that I'm a heck of a long way away from where I was 20 years ago -- although, having said that, it's just struck me that I'm still in a similar position, I've just been offered a much better job than I started out with all those years ago, but again, it's a bottom rung of the ladder job! I guess I've constantly been swapping one ladder for a better one, without climbing the ladder or necessarily getting anywhere).
I think the major problem with lack of progression, at least as far as I am concerned, is my problem with office politics. I'm not very good at it.
I can function to a great extent, make friends with colleagues, socialise at lunchtime and after work and so on, but whereas my colleagues seem to make deep and enduring friendships that they continue with after they've left a workplace and moved on to another job, I'm the kind of person that has very contextual, perhaps superficial relationships, I establish friendships, I guess more acquaintanceships really, but I can't seem to prolong them once the context has changed.
And I think that also goes for playing the office politics game. There's obviously something not quite right about my friendships and relationships in a work context that they don't usually turn into enduring friendships, and I think it's the same with the kind of office politics that people play in order to subtly find out who's performing in their role and is about to get promoted and will leave a vacancy, who's got the authority to hire for that vacancy, I don't have those subtle skills that might enable someone else to subtly figure out what kind of skills they are looking for and how I can make sure the person in authority knows I'm capable of doing that higher level job.
I think in some ways that for an Aspie (HFA), I'm particularly high functioning in that I can often recognise that other people are doing something that I'm not, but the problem is I can't always figure out *what* it is that they're doing. I wish I knew.
I think one of the key things though is to try and identify someone in your organisation who *is* successful and very good at that kind of thing, and try to analyse what the difference is between them and your other colleagues, and also between them and yourself. I have learned quite a lot about office politics from observing people who are masters at the game.
I do believe though, that I would have been more successful in my various careers over the years if I had known then what I know now. I didn't realise I was Aspie till mid-20s and it's not until my 30s that I've started getting my head round the idea of actively trying to compensate for some of deficits.
From the latter part of my 20s, I realised I was Aspie and just with hindsight I realised I had fumbled through and stumbled along developing coping mechanisms by accident or practising avoidance techniques (i.e. running away from problems!).
It's only know, after I've spent a good few years spending time and effort trying to get a formal diagnosis confirmed, and receiving that formal diagnosis, that I can actually do a 'stock take' of what my skills and deficits are, what my traits are, whether there is a problem with any of my traits, how I can compensate for the detrimental ones, and take advantage of the ones that can be 'spun' to positive effect.
I just really wish I'd known all this in my late teens and early 20s. It could have made such a difference to what jobs I could have done, how much I could have earned, what opportunities I might have been offered and taken advantage of. *sigh*
But at least I'm getting there now. Back on the bottom rung of another ladder but this time with a lot of self-awareness and insight.
Its amazing how depressing having AS can be, With threads like this floating around.
*TNT - Typical NeuroTypical. Meaning lazy assholes who worship the norm. I made this abbreviation up.
Ironic
I'm not very ambitious since making extra money above what I get now doesn't really motivate me into applying for promotions. The pay isn't much more and the responsibility is much higher.
I wouldn't say I'd never put in for a promotion but it's rather unlikely.
Well, I swore when I was thirteen that I would never sell my soul to any corporate ideal. If the sacrifice I have to make is never getting promotion, so be it. But sometimes it's hard to put up with people who condescend and patronise, especially.
Or who think that people who don't apply for promotions are lazy and uncommitted.
Yes, it seems as if we just need that little bit of help to get into the workplace and then a few accommodations to keep going.
this seemed worth posting:
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=475&a=4508
Background
It is estimated that there are about 332,600 people of working age in the UK with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), and of this number an estimated 259,506 are thought to be of average or above average intelligence. NAS research by Barnard et al (2001) has shown only 6% of all people with an ASD have full-time paid employment, and only 12% of those with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome had full-time jobs. This proportion is much lower than the general figures for the employment status of the 7 million people of working age with disabilities, where 49% were in employment in 2003, compared with 81% of people who are not disabled.
The estimated lifetime cost to the Exchequer of a person with higher functioning autism or Asperger syndrome is £750,000.
Barriers to employment
People with ASD have difficulties with communication, social interaction and social imagination. Consequently, both finding out about job opportunities and retaining a job can present problems for many people with ASD. The problems arise from the lack of available information, advice and practical support that is ASD specific. In many instances ASD is a hidden disability; other people not aware of the nature of the person's disability may easily misunderstand them.
Overcoming barriers to recruitment
For a person with an ASD the Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) in a local Jobcentre Plus office is often the key person to contact about training and job opportunities. They know the law about disability and some of the difficulties that all people with a disability face in looking for a job. The Department of Work and Pensions has an
Access to Work programme, which aims to meet the additional employment costs resulting from disability, for example the costs of making reasonable adjustments in the workplace. Employees and employers may apply through the local
Access to Work Business Centre or the DEA.
But see http://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/showthre...?tid=14260 .
Employers may find that changes could easily be made to their current practice in recruitment. Job adverts often contain confusing jargon, or stipulate unnecessary qualifications or exceptional communication skills which are not needed for the job. Clearly worded adverts listing only the skills/qualifications that are absolutely essential would be better.
Most employers use an interview for selection. This relies on communication and social interaction skills, areas of difficulty for a person with ASD. A work trial instead of a formal interview might be a fairer alternative. Where interviews take place, it is possible to adapt the format of the questions to make them easier to understand. Basing questions on past experience rather than hypothetical situations would draw out what the person already knows, rather than asking him or her to imagine how they would deal with a situation not yet met. Some people with ASD have problems in processing information and would benefit from extra time in selection tests.
Adjustments in the workplace
From 1 October 2004 the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 will be extended to include employers of any size (except the armed forces) and all employers will have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities. However, managers may not realise how readily and economically reasonable adjustments can be made which would accommodate a person with ASD among their workforce.
People with ASD may process information more easily if written down rather than spoken, so learning the job can be made easier by supplying written guidelines rather than verbal ones. Clear guidance on what is expected of the employee is essential. Many people with ASD prefer a timetable indicating what to do when, and a plan of the order in which tasks should be done.
Some other examples of effective adjustments that might meet the needs of particular individuals with ASD are structuring the job by breaking it down into parts, providing clear and structured training, and being flexible with work times. A plan of who sits where in the office could be helpful. Giving regular feedback that includes the positive experiences, as well as advising on how to do things differently is important.
Provision of a mentor to discuss problems or a job coach for support in the workplace can help. The Government's Access to Work scheme could make job coach help available. A mentor or manager could give guidance on the social or unwritten issues/rules in the workplace, as these could cause much confusion to someone who does not pick these up intuitively. In some people ASD can be a hidden disability, and the difficulties in communication and social interaction they have could result in others misunderstanding them, so training in disability awareness for colleagues is a good idea.
Benefits to the employer
Employers can benefit from the skills and qualities a person with ASD might bring to a job in their company. People with ASD are reliable, hard working and motivated. Their attention to detail is very good; they can maintain a high level of accuracy, and consistently good performance on repetitive tasks. Their approach is straightforward and honest. They may have technical skills of a high order and a good knowledge of facts and figures.
A sound business case can be made for employing more people with ASD. The firm gains reliable and effective employees, progresses towards meeting its commitment to diversity and raises awareness of diversity among its staff. Managers who have gained an understanding of the communication difficulties people with ASD experience have commented that they have learned to communicate with their whole team more effectively. By becoming a socially responsible employer good internal and external PR is also achieved.
ASD-specific employment services
Employment services for people with ASD have proved very successful. For example, statistics from the Prospects Employment Consultancy show that 67% of their clients between 1995 and 2003 found work, 56% on permanent contracts, with a job retention rate of 68%. Other Prospects clients have gone on to higher education or further training courses. 98% of Prospects clients placed in employment were satisfied with their jobs.
The total saving to the exchequer for all those clients who were employed during the period 1 April 2000 to 31 January 2003 was £494,686.
81% of employers had no understanding of autism before Prospects became involved, an indication of the awareness raising needed. 47% of employers using Prospects were large private companies, 32% public sector, 11% small/medium sized companies and 10% charities.
Jobs held by Prospects clients are in different fields: administrative, IT, professional, technical, warehouse and sales support are the main areas. Other jobs individual clients have taken are scientist, journalist, artist, writer, postman, proof reader, seamstress, librarian, customer services clerk and statistician.