What Jobs are available for people with Aspergers?

[Testing_Manners]

Hello there. I recently just turned 19 years old. I am doing my English A Levels from home (I am probably going to start a couple of more later) - I would say I am quiet intelligent. People who know me well and hear what I have to say enough would say that I come across as articulate and eloquently spoken often.

 

Also my IQ is 125 which is above Average (But I don't think IQ necessarily determines one's intelligence). But I have some major issues directly linked to my Aspergers.

 

The main problem is the feeling of getting overwhelmed. It often happens that the lights are too strong, the smells are too strong & the sounds are too loud. To concentrate on what I am doing it has to be literally pin drop silence. If there is so much as a water tap not fully shut and it's as so much even dripping softly on the sink it can give me a really bad headache and make me completely drift away from my task.

 

This has of course always been a huge issue at schools in the past and to more of my frustration people have been very misunderstanding. At my last school which was a Private School just like in any other school the classes were just a group of kids talking really loud.

 

It was always really hard to maintain myself together in an atmosphere like this. Within minutes the many voices all fade into the distance and I kind of mentally block everything out - Due to this my grades were always pretty bad and I was never academically exceptional in anything.

 

If I told teachers they said 'Your clutching at Straws' or 'Your being Bone Idle'.

 

One time in Maths Class I was getting overwhelmed and the teacher was explaining something to me individually. I told her 'You know I can't concentrate because of the voices' & She Bluntly said 'Not Interested' - It's like they always thought I was making it up just to get out of work.

 

Since I have started studying from home I can't believe how much higher my comprehension and understanding is of material given to me.

 

I am hoping to go on to University after finishing my A Levels on a 3 year Degree.

 

Now after this is where the problem lies. Due to my problems such as not being able to work in loud atmospheres & having Aspergers itself I feel like I will be very limited in terms of career prospects. I have heard of working at home on the computer in which you can get a decent wage but I don't want that kind of life to be honest.

 

What jobs are there ideal for someone who has Aspergers and more specifically my problems? I'll definitely never be able to work in loud offices with loads of noise going on in the background such as typing, machine sounds Etc.

 

Thanks for any help in advance!

Edited February 13, 2013 by Testing_Manners

[Lyndalou]

Hi Testing_Manners

 

I really wouldn't rule out a number of potential job possibilities at this stage. There are all sorts of jobs out there that you might not have considered as yet andmany of them might fall into the category of 'right' jobs for you. I've done all sorts of jobs in my life and often only be doing them have I realised that I'm either not suited for them or that I enjoy elements of the job but not others and sometimes the job has taught me a great deal because I've found it frustrating/difficult/challenging.

 

I know you work in your parent's shop so straight away you probably have a number of skills that you may not have taken into account. Many skills are generic or transferable across different jobs and it can be a case of improving upon those skills and adding to those skills through experience. There will be people who walk into jobs or careers and excel in them right away, working their way up the career ladder but for the majority of people I would say that work life is full of ups and downs so I would bear this in mind.

 

What are your strengths and what is the degree you hope to study? You mention your interest in computing. This is a starting point and you might walk into a job which asks for the qualification you study for. I would suggest however that for many jobs today, you require something on your CV to show you are a 'well rounded' person and that your qualification isn't the only thing on it. It may be difficult for you and you might feel well out of your comfort zone but I would suggest that if you can do a voluntary job, do some activity or take part in some club over the next 3 years then this will be attractive to prospective employers.

 

Often, there are Careers advice places (definitely in bigger towns and cities) where you can do free of charge 'job searches' where you go through all your strengths, interests and qualifications and you are 'matched' with various jobs that (may) suit you. I accessed these when I was younger - I must admit that often it left me more confused than when I went in but for me I didn't factor in all the sensory problems or other issues I have because I had no real understanding of them but you do! You can also get advice on making up a CV and can have an interview with a careers advisor. I would also imagine you would get a similar service through the OU but I don't know for sure.

 

Personally, I wouldn't make the mistake of thinking there is a 'perfect' job out there for you. Maybe there is but it might not be for 5, 10 or 15 years. If you look at a lot of people who have done well, they've done a lot of not so glamorous or very low paid jobs in the early years. As I say, I've known people who've done well from the off but it's best not to compare yourself to other people as you can waste a lot of time and energy doing this!

 

Btw, I've still not found my 'perfect' job.

 

Lynda

[matzoball]

I work in the IT industry - there are a LOT of people like us who work in it.

 

Earplugs at work are a must, also there are reasonable adjustments you can ask for in your working environment that your employer when you have one, must provide by law. These are things like a quiet area to work, working with your back to the wall, printed or written instructions if that's how you process information. Those kind of things.

 

Lynda is right in that people in high paid, high level jobs work to get where they are. I have actually seen people go for the high level jobs right out of uni and find themselves unemployed months later because they were too inexperienced, and also did not ask for help. Which is important. Start as you mean to go on in the field related to something you actually enjoy and work your way up.

 

Also get in contact with your local NAS, and ask to be referred to Prospects. They help a lot of people on the spectrum find, and keep work. They do have waiting lists, so bear that in mind if you do contact them.

[Mike_GX101]

The trouble is that people with Asperger's are people with rights too and to pen them into a scope of 'particular' jobs could mean denying people with Asperger's with the right to choose what they want to do.

 

So what you have to do is visit a careers service/website and look at all the different types of jobs available and match your particular skill set and aptitude with that list and maybe see which ones would be better suited to your sensory issues. But be careful because the last thing you want to do is select something which serves to help your sensory difficulties but ends up being something you actually hate and end up stuck with for the rest of your life.

 

Another thing you might be able to try is to immerse yourself in noise and chaos and find ways to deal with it. Go to a busy train station, sit on a bench and read a book as perhaps one possibility. At first it might be difficult to do and maybe even frustrating. But the more you do it the more the neural pathways in your brain required to do such concentrating will fire up and the more able you will be to concentrate in jobs that require concentration in noisy environments. It is a hard thing to do but the more you do it the more able you'll be to close off distractions and focus on the object of your concentration such as a book.

 

Good luck!

[Sa Skimrande]

Good advice Mike !!!

[matzoball]

Mike - I'm not saying he should stick to IT or anything like that. That's just where I've ended up and there's a lot of us there which is kind of cool

 

But Mike is right - you need to find something that matches your skills and also something you are actually interested in for a career, and see if you can stand it sensory wise.

 

You will always be able to ask for reasonable adjustments to help with them, but it's a really good idea to see what you can actually cope with and find ways to cope better with the things you can't. Occupational Therapy is a great way to build those mechanisms up.

[Sa Skimrande]

 

 

But Mike is right - you need to find something that matches your skills and also something you are actually interested in for a career, and see if you can stand it sensory wise.

 

 

 

Finding jobs that ticks all the right boxes is one thing, finding an actual job in that profession is a completely other thing as has anyone noticed at all jobs are scarce out there and there is another problem fit yourself up with a narrow profession and you might find the future very difficult due to the lack of opportunities in that field of expertise, there is two highly qualified people around here on the dole because there are no jobs in their field of expertise and they have been told they are over qualified for the jobs they have applied for so menial work is out of the equation.

 

The key is as Mike said learn to cope with you currently can't and then the scope of employment opens up to you.

[mbellis]

I find it necessary to have ear plugs at work (in an office) - sometimes I have an inner sigh of relief as I put them in!

 

With English and the need for quietness, the obvious jobs that spring to mind are librarian and author, but I wouldn't want to pigeonhole you - take time to choose.

If you add History or a language then there are wider possibilities. If you like the outdoors then maybe archaeology!

 

I suggest you have a recording device for your lectures so that you can catch up back in your room, where you can concentrate better, in case you miss a point.

Have ear plugs for sleeping too, as students and loud music often go together!

 

Mark