Aspies For Freedom

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.

I hear you! My last job was just like that. (And this one is rapidly becoming so.)

Ah, I'm rather like that too. I get a fair amount of work done even so but feel if I weren't so distractible, I would get even more done. I feel compelled to get up and walk around quite frequently and there are always little "maintenance jobs" such as collecting mail and replenishing envelopes and forms to do, but they aren't considered high priority.

As I'm on restricted duties, it cuts down on the work I can do as I'm not currently supposed to make phone calls at work.

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.

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.