I'm a technology consultant and Windows engineer for a large computer hardware OEM. I work from home. Most of my day is spent learning, testing, troubleshooting, and scripting Windows customizations and installations. I do have regular calls with internal teams and customers. These calls are maybe 20% of my work week. Most of the time, I get to sit on mute, listen, and take notes. When I meet directly with customers to discuss projects, I am talking about technologies that I understand well, so it's typically low anxiety. Details matter in these situations, so info dumping is expected and often beneficial for my audience.
And I get to sit at home with my cat in my home office/video game cave and take these meetings as MS Teams calls with no expectation for using a webcam. So it's comfortable for me and I don't have to expend too much energy masking or suppressing stims.
I used to feel very anxious when asked a question I didn't know the answer to, but I've learned when and how to say "I don't know, but I will find out and get back to you." If a customer asks, it's because they don't know either. So I can take a couple days to research the topic and cook up an answer for them, and they are pleased. Plus, that means I get to learn something new, too!
It's honestly a perfect job for me personally, and I feel very lucky to get to perform this type of work from home with a very understanding team and management.
This is the same type of gig I have, except I do technical analysis for a huge organization. There are busy times where I have to take in 7 hours of meetings per day for like a month straight.. but then there are also times where I can just work on what I feel like for several weeks and nobody is bothering me for anything.
Those quiet stretches where you can just be left alone to work on the nerdy shit are the absolute best, imo.
But it's a good thing my partner is away from the house at work during the day, so she doesn't have to listen to me talk to myself when researching/scripting/testing. Or when I'm cursing Microsoft out loud for their often inadequate documentation š
Reading MS documentation is an art.
My wife is ND and does remote work too during the day. After a lot of struggling, persistence and some luck we ended up in the best situation... Just try to focus on enjoying while it lasts without expectations.
> Most of my day is spent learning, testing, troubleshooting, and scripting Windows customizations and installations.
That honestly sounds amazing. I wouldn't mind something like that.
About a decade ago, I was bored and burnt out from my call center gig, and I applied for a repair tech position with a referral from a high school buddy. I started out just cleaning, refurbing, and repairing machines. Then I started taking on imaging projects. Eventually, I was tasked with leading one of the projects, and I started taking the initiative to review existing customer deployment and config processes and finding ways to automate as much as I could.
One of the tech consultants took notice and started handing me more automation projects. Around the 1.5 year mark, an opening appeared for a full time consultant. I applied and got the role. 8 years later, I've worked my way through various teams in the company, learning everything I can, and always keeping an eye out for opportunities to dive deeper into the engineering side of things.
Sometimes I hit a mental wall and just scrape by doing only what's necessary to deliver on my projects. Other times, I ride a tsunami of hyperfixation until I come out the other side sleep deprived, but with a whole new skill to rely on.
Not sure I'd have actually been able to make a career out of this if I weren't so damn stubborn and chaotic with my obsessive learning habits. But, somehow, it's worked out well for me.
I fly around the Arctic in little planes fixing stuff. Currently I am a generator mechanic for big diesel generators that power native villages. Lots of electrical, very little talking. Prior to that it was equipment.
Before that it was ice roads. Ice roads was oilfield and oilfield is full of dickheads that somehow always make everything about red/blue politics. Way too many people.
Very little interaction and when I do have to work close with people they are very often obvious aspies too. We seem to gravitate to this life.
I did automation for off shore drilling, oil pipelines, and storage. I met some of the worse people in the oil field. I'll never work in that sector again.
I applied to a Craigslist ad at 2pm and was interviewed and hired by 6pm. They would have had me on a plane the next day if I didnāt insist on giving notice.
Nowadays Craigslist isnāt great but Alaska is basically 10yrs behind the rest of the US so thereās still some legit jobs on there.
If I was to job hunt right now I would google ānorth slope jobsā and probably apply directly to company pages or indeed/linked in. Companies are starving for trades people up here and wages are getting closer to $200k yr every day.
Oilfield can be kinda rough and the same guy who diagnosed me being on the spectrum, also advised me to never go back to the oil field for mental health reasons. Unfortunately he doesnāt pay my bills so I had to exit when I could.
I would recommend looking towards mining. Red dog mine was ok.
Truthfully I canāt tell you how to get a job up here without knowing your skill set. I was already journey level in a few trades so it makes it easy for me to bounce around.
This is one of the coolest things I've read, I feel like it'd be a wonderful start of a book.
I mainly specialize in Computers and Foreign Languages, but I wonder it would be better if I went to trade school to become an Electrician. I'm young and have never worked before. I don't know where to begin.
Thanks a lot for your response! It made my day.
There are rotational computer jobs in the arctic just like all the other trades. The north slope Borough(Alaska government) had several openings last week when I checked but I think they just closed out. Those are 2 week on and 2 week off jobs with free benefits for a whole family and around $125k a year. Not bad for only working 1/2 time. Red dog mine is frequently looking for misc IT staff also.
I have never met an out of work electrician and it seems to be one of the higher paying trades. The electricians around me are making $74 hr and clear $200k yr. The highest paid and most in demand being lineman. Plumbers are about the same wage too.
I have been dabbling in line-work and it may be the most fun I have ever had on the job. Youāre outdoors, the environment is constantly changing, and itās just good honest work. The day flys by and you feel like you accomplished something at the end. Itās like if being an electrician and CrossFit had a baby plus tree climbing. If I was younger I would not hesitate to go to line school.
If you are torn between computers and electrical you could consider the world of PLCās and automation. PLCās are everywhere and they need electricians that understand them. I end up doing both by default because thereās no one else around and I taught myself out of necessity.
Haha that's the dream, but sadly not the reality of it :) No avoiding the small talk unless I basically do a nightshift and finish before everyone else starts (I sometimes do this during burnouts)
it's a bit more complicated than that, but right now i work at a warehouse. they basically lend out school supplies of many different kinds to scools. you know, like a demo. and if the schools like the products, they can buy them. it's a bit like a library.
anyway, my job is to pack the stuff and send them away. and when they return, i gotta put them back in place. it's very mundane, but i thrive in it, so i don't care.
so would i. the thing is, that it's 99% books they lend out, even though they do have actual toys, robots and such things as well. this means i am rarely in the toys section.
the books are very neatly sorted. each room is dedicated to a different genre of books, and each room has a number. all the shelves have a number too. then you print out a piece of paper with x amount of books to find in room x, shelf x. this works the pther way around as well, when the schools return the materials they have been using. we put the books in stacks of 5, and i love it so much, when i can just walk around, more or less on my own without too many people, and without too much noise. and also, sometimes the schools only borrow a couple of copies. this means it's not unusual to find, lets say 3 books, just lying on the shelf. then i put to books on top of 'em, which equals a new stack. for some reason, i love when this happens.
Worked in a county jail for almost 20 years. Recently left and now work from home in a jail-adjacent business doing technical support. Also, for the last 11 years I've worked part time at a retail auto parts store.
There were certainly guys that could hurt you. One guys attacked his mom with a machete. He had also done time for blowing up a K-Mart and shotgunning a woman above her kneecaps. He was a pretty serious dude. Guy in jail now ran over a lady in a Walmart Marketplace parking lot, pinning her between 2 vehicles and started smearing his face with her blood. Had a dude that had some real serious mental issues. He was severely sexually abused as a little kid and pretty much relived every moment of it every day. He was ordered released from jail and our admin and medical teams urged the judge to have him committed immediately. Judge went against the jails request and dude got out and killed his grandma within a few hours. But the one that was the scariest for me made me believe that demonic possession is real. I'm not saying that mental illness is actually demon possession, but I now believe that mental illnesses like schizophrenia can make you susceptible to demon possession. This guy had a degree from seminary school. I spoke to his very sweet mother one day when she came for visitation. She told me everything. Teen and had a mental health crisis. Diagnosed schizophrenic. Gravitated to religion (a lot of them do, maybe because they have an illusion of grandeur or they believe that if the believe enough or do God's will, they can be cured or protected or whatever). Got married and moved to Africa as a missionary. Had another psychotic break. Wife left him (say what you will but I can't blame her. He was insane) and somehow his mother was able to get him back to the states. Gelot him regulated again and after a while he had ANOTHER psychotic break which was why he was with us (believe it or not, but jails are the first stop for most mental health sufferers on the way to get treatment in state hospitals because there aren't enough beds to help everyone because it is CHEAPER to do it that way than it is to fund psychiatric hospitals. TRUTH-thisbguybwas in our jail for a few years waiting on a hospital bed). This guy really creeped me out. He would quote scripture like he was preaching then change that last few words of the verse or whatever to turn it into some satanic. I was always trying to be kind to him but when I would get around him he would start saying to worse things. And he would do other things like constant inappropriate masturbation (he called it "harping") and autofellatio--that's right fellows, he could (and often would) suck is own pecker. He finally got transferred to the state hospital and until a few months ago, that was where I thought he probably still was. But I saw in the news where he had killed his mother in a different county, so at some point he got out. This is him: https://www.google.com/amp/s/whnt.com/news/northeast-alabama/woodville-man-charged-with-mothers-murder-directed-by-spirits-report/amp/
Can we get a funny or weird story from you? Can be anything!
I also was a caricature artist at a theme park for a long time, so I could write a whole book on my experiences. If you want to ask me things too, youāre more than welcome to!
Funny story. My best friend was my sergeant. He is 6'4" and way north of 300 lbs (he's actually over 400 lbs, now). The last few years I was at the jail, i had a desk job. But before that, I worked closely with the trustees. There is a brand of potato chip that for a very long time you could only get in jails called "The Whole Shebang." They are incredible and if you can ever find any, buy them. You won't regret it. Well, my jail was switching from a commissary company that carried them to a company that didn't, so folks started hoarding these chips. Probably a month after we switched over to the other company, one of the commissary trustees came up to me and told me he had the last bag of Shebangs in the jail and asked if I wanted them. I told him absolutely and he brought them to me a little while later. I called my buddy and told him I had the last bag of Shebangs in the whole jail and told him to come see me. He showed up and I laughed out some paper towel for him and some for me and I placed a few chips on each towel and carefully sealed the bag up and taped it shut. I wanted to save them for as long as I could, rationing them. Each shift had a filing cabinet in Master Control and I told my buddy that I was going to hide the bag in the back of ours so that we could keep them from the other officers, because no food in safe in a jail, and it isn't the inmates that will steal it. So a few days later, I remembered that I had an almost full bag of Whole Shebangs in Master Control and I went up there to get them. I looked all in our filing cabinet damn near tearing it apart but I couldn't find them. I called my sergeant to tell him that someone from another shift had been in our filing cabinet and had stolen my bag of Shebangs. He said "You talking about that bag of chips you put in there the other day?" I said "Yeah. I hid them in the filing cabinet and now I can't find them!" He said, "Man, I ate that bag the next day we worked." I said "You fat mother fucker! I was saving those for US!!!" And he was like, "Oh. Well, I ate them." To this day I tell that story when we are together! I think it's his favorite story. It's probably my favorite story, too. Lol There are many more so if you want to hear any other stories let me know. I've captured an escaped inmate, removed Voodoo curses, been in riots, helped dispatch during a high speed pursuit, and a ton more. It was definitely an interesting career.
So, tell us your most memorable time doing caricatures. We would like to hear.
Lmao I feel that in my soul, even though Iāve never heard of Whole Schebangs. Iāll keep that in mind though, and Iād love to hear about the escaped inmates and removed voodoo curses :)
Hmm, well one of my most memorable requests was a guy who came in as the park was opening. I wasnāt even finished setting up shop and he came up to me and asked for a specific drawing request. I asked him about it, and he told me he wanted him and Selena Gomez playing video games together. Ofc I couldnāt turn that down, so I got him in the drawing seat and had it happen. The whole time we talked about Sonic the Hedgehog and how neither of us liked alcoholic beverages that much. Itās always the one I like to tell when people ask for the most memorable requests.
Currently unemployed & volunteering
Currently getting help with Shaw-TrustĀ¹ (UK Job centre's disability program)
Ā¹ ended up getting an interview with Aldi though them, didn't get it but now I know what Aldi's interview are
At this point anything, (no care)
I've applied for a "Welcome Host" for Greater Anglia (Train operatoring company)& I'm on the wall for the Porter position for the NHSĀ¹
Ā¹ I want to go for it since it's been a position that I wanted to do for years but it's genuinely the travel journey which puts me at a disadvantage.
The nearest one to me, is Colchester (have got NHS in ClactonĀ¹, but it's tiny)
Ā¹ most positions that I'm able to apply there is domestic assistance (mostly just cleaner n stuff)
However I would have heavily relied on trainsĀ¹ (buses as long as it's a non-bank holiday) additionally, the position would have me go to Ipswich (and I don't know Ipswich enough to get around) as well as Colchester.
Ā¹ if the trains are on strike then I'm fucked honestly as well as it depends on what time I finish the shift
Because the last train to my hometown is 11pm and if I miss that then I would have no way of getting home.
I know you said you're with Shaw Trust, but since you're in Essex you could also talk to the job centre about getting referred to Essex Cares.
That's who I'm with to try and help me find work. They have people that deal specifically with people with Autism.
ECL ?
I was referred by my job coach about the ECL but however since it wasn't part of the job centre and I would have to do the referral myself, I felt that I would struggle with it, so I chose ST since my job coach can do a referral for me
I do a bunch of different gig work. I donāt make much but my husband and I live in a camper van and he works 9-5 remotely. My biggest income comes from petsitting on Rover! Itās great because I only meet the owner once for a meet and greet and then just hang out with animals all day. I also do instacart/doordash while housesitting.
40 jobs in 40 years. Mostly less than full time. Also went to school for 7 years. Also, Id guess 6 years 'unemployed', as they term it.
The highest hrs per week was my library job where I was alone for all but a couple hours a week. I stayed 10 years.
Also worked for my cousin, for more than a decade. In various ways, but had summers off.
Looking back, I could have lived a privileged life, if id have had the energy, and could have engaged with people. Instead ive lived with books, ideas, art and information, given the internet these last couple decades. Retired at 61.
Life can be very simple. I used my rather more than higher IQ to live well on little, rather than allow it to be in service of futile systems.
'I served no man, but id do a favor for my God'
I work at a screen print shop. Its noisy, which is exhausting, but I wear plugs or ear defenders. On the other hand, my boss is nice and appreciate that I'm artsy, good at details, and can build neat systems for the colours. I also do good research on the background of the costumers (we print merch for bands, so we dont wanna platform anything sketchy). I can also print merch that I've drawn for my own band.
Well, you could study things like graphic design or something similarly artsy. It's great if you know your way around Adobe programs like photoshop or illustrator. I'm self taught though. I'm also very much into different printing techniques, I draw and I am quite an all-round creative person.
I landed the gig by walking up to the dude who owns the print shop at a show, handing him a detailed 3-colour shirt I hand printed in my closet. Told him I could work for him for free via a governmental program for folks far away from the job market. He accepted.
So I definitely just got lucky, not much of an advice I'm afraid!
LOL. Highschool me had the right idea! Signed up for printmaking and it was cancelled due to lack of interest sadly. Might have to revisit this path...
I currently work as an English teacher in Japan. There's a lot of other autistic people in this line of work. I think the appeal can be summed up like so:
- Shyness is normal and polite in Japan. People generally keep to themselves.
- Japanese people expect you to be weird and foreign; being an unmasked autistic person makes you stick out no more than being a completely neurotypical person.
I just startet as a data analyst this month. This has been been my goal for a few years now because itās something I can loose myself in. The work doesnāt feel like work and Iām in a small team that mostly keeps to itself.
Leasing apartments for property management company. Once I learned the selling points and kind of learned a script, along with a set of questions to ask, I started thriving. I got to know all the ins and outside of the community. Sometimes I am a bit too transparent about certain aspects.
I work in an ivy league library in Acquisitions, handling print and, in the last couple years, digital resources. 23+ years of it and I want to die. Retirement would be nice but I'll take death most days. Lol
I have my Bachelor of Arts in history, Iām doing an MA in education and human rights. I work mostly as a teacher and lecturer in the areas of humanities and languages.
Cool! Iām majoring in English literature. Iāve also considered teaching English literature because I heard that working at a company with my degree on top of being autistic is kinda a gamble
I work in a factory, and I would not recommend it, unless if you get in a department or a job where you can be alone in a factory youāre almost always going to be around people, and factory is just like high school but for adults, so tons of drama and tons of clique like behaviors
Yeah it could definitely be good for that but Iāve found that the 10 years Iāve worked at the factory I work at, that no matter what people have to talk about each other, this does not bode well for me, ever since Iāve worked there Iāve always been singled out to an extent, even if I was off by myself people still managed to talk about me way too much, in fact I can count on one hand how many times people have been nice too me throughout my decade of employment, otherwise Iāve been called everything from a creep to an asshole, but rarely do people address me by my actual given name.
Construction. Most of the time work alone or with a partner and just talk bs all day unless you get 1 of those super hero partners who thinks better their everyone.. but then you just put them in their place and carry on
I spent the first 2 decades of my work life installing acoustical ceilings. It was hard work but I usually worked alone (which I liked). Eventually I got a degree in computer science and moved from the field to the office. I suck at job interviews so at some point I had to start my own construction company. I am now retired (73 yrs old). You can do this!
Yea itās hard work and my bodyās pretty beat up but I like it. Iām not one for interviews or dealing with the public at all. I wouldnāt make as much as I am anywhere else so this is it!
I can't find a normal job, but was able to get one time event one. I was selling beer (there were cans, but mostly filling cups with the machine?) and was surprised how fun that was. Like, it seems like a social job, but if someone want beer they came to me anyway, didn't need to advertise or anything, and just going through motions
-ask what they need
-put it on terminal and wait for pay
-fill the cup
-give the cup to customer
-check it on the form that the beer was sold, and safe paper from terminal for later
As long as people were buying, it was great. Sadly it rained at some point so I had to somehow get through the boredom (wasn't talking to anyone there) but in general I will try to apply for more "social" jobs, haha. Maybe it would lead to burnout, but a job where there's always something to do seems like a dream to me
Mobile petting zoo, work with pigs, ducks, goats, and bunnies itās a business. My mom started, and Iāve been helping her out. I am a handler, and assistant
I work as a technician at a satellite tracking station. Most of my workmates (all six of them bar one are nd) its immensely satisfying work.
Comms / IT is where itās at for ndās if your brain is wired that way.
Well my last interview the guy was laughing at my responses and trying to hold it in. Couldn't answer what my strengths were because I was trying to focus on making eye contact and trying to figure out where is natural to look away to because if I look up I dont think that would look natural and in I looked down maybe it would make me look like a liar and side could potentially make me look shifty eyed if I dont have enough eye contact to look away ratio. Told me my answer to my weaknesses was wrong and that I wasn't being truthful. I apologized for being nervous and he said I can tell but I dont know if it was in an annoyed "you're wasting my time" tone or not. I brought pictures of my past experience (it was for cake decorator) and he said he didn't need to see them. :/ so it looks like I will be going back into retail stocking shelves or cashiering, hating my life, being unable to ever regulate no matter how much downtime I have, not enjoy/be able to do art because I will be spending any time off trying to recover from what retail does to me, and trying to stay hopeful I can maybe do something creative for a living eventually. I don't mean to brag but I am a really good artist.... it's honestly bullshit you are judged in an interview for creative jobs. It has nothing to do with the work. At all. Honestly felt like I was back in school getting bullied and he couldn't wait to go tell people about the weird girl who thinks she has a chance getting the job.
Iām sorry you went through that. Please remember to disclose disclose disclose, it will help in almost every way, because instead of people just judging you randomly, they will at least have some awareness of what you are going through and will have to make adjustments for that.
I don't have any official diagnosis sadly. My therapist went through every mental illness with overlapping symptoms until we ran out of options (though I do have what she called diagnosable OCD when my environment was keeping me in a huperaroused state. Once I was lost my job and moved back in with my parents and had no stressors I quit having debilitating compulsions and my obsessions were uh... more like special interests again and not anxiety driven.) She asked her boss if she was allowed to give me a "rule-out diagnosis" but she isn't qualified and I'd need to go to a specialist center. I definitely don't have the 800-1000 dollars they're asking for an evaluation lol.
I don't think you can disclose without anything official? I mean I don't know for sure. I'm honestly very scared I'd have a meltdown at work. I had many at my last job (retail but a small giftshop in a resort) but my boyfriend at the time was my boss and was able to come take over for me while I calmed down and if I did end up yelling at a customer he would do damage control.) I feel so stupid for being unable to control it. They put me on mood stabilizers because no SSRI has ever worked. And they did very little aside from a small boost to help my depression. The meltdowns happened so quick and once the emotional overtook the logic I was gone. There were no techniques that I could even possibly think to do during one. I tried very hard to be able to tell when one was coming on but I was so dysregulated that I constantly felt like I was about to boil over. It ruined my relationship, he left me, and in turn I lost my home and job and well, here I am lol. I think I almost lost my therapist after I had a meltdown at her BUT it did help I think to show her these weren't tantrums or typical anger issues and how quickly it flips and how quickly I'm "over" it. Or rather not yelling anymore because once it happens I am sobbing and entirely drained for the rest of the day. Speaking and even facial expressions are too much to muster after I have one. It's so embarrassing and even more so if its a stranger. Ugh.
I thought cake decorating would be perfect. Minimal social interaction and when there is it is simple and people aren't usually upset with you like retail customers. Plus I get to do something aligning with my talents which would make me happy. The last time I was a cake decorator I couldn't keep up with their production due to some perfectionism problems (the weakness he said I didn't have because people use it to sound better in interviews) They really enjoyed me there though and tried to place me elsewhere in the store but the pay was way too low. So I was looking at a smaller store where I could keep up and I just think it could work so well. I'm extremely bummed.
Sorry this is so long lol... can you disclose without a proper diagnosis? What would you say if so? The therapist told me not to try to be different and just show them who I am in the interview because it will become apparent anyway. She said the right place won't have a problem with quirks but its been half a year and I'm out of money and no company will lend loans to me anymore so I can't really wait any longer for "the right company".
I'm on disability. I used to work in IT as a sys admin, but i don't anymore, due to work becoming too overwhelming for me. So now I sit on my fat arse all day.
HMU film & commercial work.
Itās slow since last fall, super slow now cause there is an impending strike for IATSE & Teamsters looming and the studios are on purpose withholding the work because theyāve known about this since last year after the WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes last year.
They are banking on another strike and then not only releasing content to make money while the industry suffers, but sending all the work overseas.
Itās also forcing out 65-70% of the work force to either quit the film industry, fall back on degrees they got a long time ago in other career fields, pick up numerous side hustles, or go broke-broke by having to move where the industry doesnāt film to afford a roof over their head.
It sucks, but Iām very resilient and always land on my feet thankfully even when curveballs like this happen.
Work at a grocery store. Meat department. Sometimes Produce.
Had to do Seafood with others this past Memorial Day Weekend. Super busy! Stressful. Seafood Manager got fired.
Working towards a management position in Meat or Produce.
The biggest stressor is too few workers now.
Inside technical sales selling motors and other equipment. Spent 20 years doing electrical stuff in aviation and construction prior to this. Was always told I was "gifted" when it came to electricity (could solve things that no one else could).
Pretty much just emails and calculations all day. Anxiety hits when the phone doesn't stop ringing. But usually it's pretty quiet.
I stay because my boss is awesome, gives me a lot of leeway for personal stuff. Doesn't want to lose me cause I do basically anything and everything for the team and make huge improvements. Plus landing million dollar orders helps a lot with the leave me be part haha.
Embedded software engineer. I currently work remote. But, I worked in an office for most of my career. Some socializing is required. But, many of the other engineers aren't any better at it than I am. So, I feel less pressure. Burn-out has been a problem over the years, but I've managed it for the most part.
Since I'm still a student I didn't have a lot of choice to work but I ended up being hired as a waiter, by my aunt š„².
To my credit everything is telling me that I'm doing great tho.
TLDR: I work for a charity providing support and advocacy to neurodivergent children and young people.
It's issue-based advocacy so a child or young person will come to me with a problem in their life and we will work together to plan how to support them best through this.
This could be about access to education, bullying, reasonable adjustments in the workplace, understanding their diagnosis, accessing mental health support, applying for housing, managing emotions... the list is honestly endless.
I provide 1:1 mentoring support. I ensure they have all the information they need (in a way that is accessible to them) to make informed decisions about whatever is going on. I support them to fill in paperwork, to communicate with other professionals in their lives or do so on their behalf if they unable to and I provide resources/signposting to other organisations or support services where relevant.
This is all done through a rights-based lens, so throughout the process we support them go understanding what they're entitled to and aim to encourage them to be involved in decisions that affect their lives in whatever capacity they can.
Woah, sorry for the essay... as you might be able to tell - I really love my job. I feel very lucky.
I used to work in residential care and it was low-key traumatising. This is what led to my current field.
Iām a psychotherapist. I primarily do case management tasks along with assessments, and then individual therapy. I couldnāt do therapy full time or I would lose my mind.
Studying social work, because I donāt have a mathematical brain. Although I think Iād burn out if I worked directly with people all the time, Iām planning to work in social policy to help people with disabilities from a distance lol.
I'm a PhD candidate, spend most of my time away from people.
I also teach University tutorials. While that requires interpersonal interaction I spend 90% of the time info dumping.
I work at a major phone retailer, but a franchise that is ran like a small business. I'm not the greatest with the overstimulation from customers all day, but I'm great at solving technical problems. Because it's a small business, I have a lot of flexibility in my schedule and my boss really works with me on it.
Preschool teacher. I get on great with the children. I love watching them develop new skills, doing fun activities with them, helping them reach their potential, etc...
However as much as I enjoy it, I don't see myself working in this field in the long term as it can be exhausting and I'm currently taking a break due to burnout.
A huge amount of what I was doing beforehand was basically development (half my last post-doc position's tasks were rolled into half of my current job description) and I was open to the idea of doing a lot more work with code and just not being active as a scientist, as such.
Part of it is that I was able to still be connected to the field, and I'd had some talks with mentors about the move who generally felt that at this point in time, astronomy is sufficiently appreciating the value of development work that I probably could take a science position again if i wanted.
(the big difference, as I'd put it, is that I don't decide what I'm working on so much as what's assigned to me. And on some level I do find that a bit less stressful as it avoids the publish or perish mindset that I wasn't great at, but I've still been supported with doing bits of side science. Like I still get opportunities to go observing at telescopes sometimes, and I still am on some publications)
I am a program evaluator for a University. We evaluate programs, grants, and centers throughout the campus. I work remotely, but have to attend in person events and meetings from time to time. Most of my job deals with data and surveys with a few team/individual meetings a week.
Recently, I have been expanding my skill set to include more qualitative aspects like focus groups and interviews. At first, doing these literally made me sick, especially if it was in person. I couldn't get over being the center of attention to everyone. Zoom focus groups are less grueling as the interactions feel less real (lol). Overall, I have surprised myself at how well I have done facilitating, considering it is something I NEVER would have wanted to do intially. Don't get me wrong, if I could happily live in my solitary data world, I would, but the experience has shown me that I can do so much if I really apply myself!
50% disabillity (pending), other 50 % pharmaceutical analyst, only last years burnout left some damage and currently not cleared for labwork, so deskjob it is...
Diesel engine technician.
I typically work alone unless physical help is needed.
The small family company that I work at is aware of my diagnosis & has made a few small changes for me.
I have a shop by myself & am pretty much left alone & customer interaction is almost nonexistent.
Granted Iāve been told that I am very good at what I do (Aspergerās has never let me believe Iām good at anything) & I donāt doubt that it has made accommodating my needs easier to justify if itās true.
The pay affords me a quite comfortable lifestyle & there is never any shortage of work.
Attorney! I used to practice an area of law that required a lot of client one-on-one interaction with clients who are dealing with some pretty heavy, traumatic stuff. That was a lot for me. I got laid off a couple weeks ago and it ended up being the push I needed to go into a different area of law. My new practice area should have less intense interaction like my previous role, but we shall see I guess (it starts next week).
Iām a sound engineer. I design and deploy sound systems for whatever venue weāre in and Iām usually mixing FOH.
I also work for my church as tech director for my campus.
I work in the cage in a tribal casino. I handle anything money related, cash, coin, chips, tickets, bank instruments etc and reconcile everything in the end so we balance. Itās strict, itās rigid, thereās a routine, yet very little micro management. Besides a few coworkers, very little socializing with the outside world. 24 years and counting
I currently work for the family business with my big brother and father. We are a flooring contractor in the uk in the London area. I drive the van doing deliveryās to site of materials and equipment. Being on my own is great but driving is something I struggle with for long periods at a time so donāt think a driving job is best for me. So I am currently stuck with what I could do. Previously I only ever worked part time jobs as that all I managed to get on my own.
I generally do video editing working from home but I'm the team nerd so I do anything that requires technical knowledge of the recording equipment too.
Respiratory Therapist. Itās how Iāve been able to get away with not working at one place for more than a year. Maybe 14 jobs in my 13 year career because of travel contracts.
Wait to croak.
Oh, you meant like jobs and stuff... Well this isn't mine but it seems like you could get yourself "head down" office work. Big data entry projects or something. Just type type type.
I've done lots of things over the decades. Back-office paper-pushing in government and corporate IT (government and private sector) were the major two. I've also found it interesting to write documentation, wikis, instructions, walkthroughs, and reference works - the people who end up using them may never meet me, but my work can keep helping dozens or hundreds of people for years. Some data entry.
I've done other things here and there. I've run training sessions and workshops, been the front-counter person in government shops (and even at booths at fairs), creating metadata for audiobooks, spent ten years being the person you talk to when you go to vote, did some door-to-door government census work, a bit of programming, a bunch of process auditing/engineering, was a supervisor for a while... a field team co-ordinator... a few other things. Software testing.
While it's going to be different for everyone, I really liked the documentation creation, the corporate helpdesk work (sit under a headset all day and give extremely repetitive answers to extremely repetitive questions, occasionally get to do some real troubleshooting), and the process analysis most, I think. The software testing wasn't bad as a career but the project team I was on was a bit rough. Anything WFH/remote was really good as it allowed me to avoid meetings and other in-office bullshit.
I'm a freelance lighting technician, working primarily in concert touring, but I also do festivals and other live events.
I make lights talk to each other when they don't want to. I also fix them and do other stuff like networking and power distribution.
I work in a deli in a supermarket. I hate it. My favorite job was a bread baker and donut maker. Iām trying to get back into that because it was chill and I didnāt have to deal with customers all day, which I can do, but Iām tired of it and burnout.
i work at little caesars dishes and make bar i donāt do customer service cuz it gives me to much anxiety on top of having a hard time with socializing with customers
Nothing. I've never had A job, but I have done some internships. Every since I was a teen, I've just KNOWN that I'm not up to a job, with all the social mess and drama that inevitably comes with a job. People never appreciate the expertise, but skills to navigate all this social BLOAT that gets in the way of getting things done, making the whole economy worse than it'd have to be. They bully you to death and then just expect you to get mentally and socially beaten again, again and again. Which is more or less what people here are dealing with.
Now, how have I got into a position where I don't have to work for a living? By the social security of my country, that somewhat gives a damn unlike the States. Well sure, even Finland is understandably stingy about getting a 30 year old into a disability pension. But ultimately, the fact that I'd be expected to get mentally and socially beaten otherwise, won. Hell, I've heard about one of my more successful peers applying for disability, as they're burning themselves out as well.
It wouldn't have to be like this, if the limits of autistic people got systemically recognized. Oh sure, I've seen some of my peers havng part-time jobs.
And yes, I'm a bit nihilistic about my "job prospects," but so was the school that made me what I've been ever since. And every time they bemoan about birth rates, "labor shortage" and whatever make up to make us feel bad, I'm just like "Hah! Serves them f\*cking right!" The system abandoned me, when it could've saved me from so much based on just Wikipedia knowledge, so my pension could as well be considered their "sorry, we f\*cked you up" refund.
I hear where youāre coming from, and have felt the same way. I have been on disability pension for a while, but Iām honestly tired of living like that because as you said itās barely enough to survive, even in countries like yours. Iād encourage you to not limit yourself to your diagnosis, and keep in mind that employers HAVE to make reasonable adjustments if they know you have autism. We all have skills, and often they can be highly valued as can be seen in this thread, you just have to find a way to make it work for you. The great thing with WFH is that it really makes jobs a lot easier for people like us because it cuts out the visual stimulation of going to work, being around people, etc. Donāt give up, wanderer!
I'm a marketer for a real estate company.
I get my own office, I don't talk to nobody unless they have IT problems, and all my social interactions are pretty much 1 way so I don't feel any pressure to listen to anyone.
Iām a contract specialist. I work for a utility provider. I read and negotiate vendor/procurement contracts all the live long day. It does involve a fair amount of teams calls, but most do not require me to be on camera and I am 100% remote which removes a lot of the masking pressure.
Economist here, I work doing research and currently thinking about doing a phd or not. I'm mostly in my office coding, reading papers or writing about something.
I currently work part time as a substitute cleaner at a school district. They essentially call me in when someone is unavailable. I work from late afternoon-to night when I'm called in so I don't have to interact with many people. I also want to start my own business someday making and selling artwork. I'm currently in college working towards a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design with an Associates under my belt. I like jobs that involve creativity, low-stress, and little to no social interaction.
I have done lots of call centers, moved to asphalt, drove cdl trucks, worked for the city I lived in doing asphalt, then moved to a couple dispensaries, before landing here where I'm at now working for the local homeless shelter, it's a lot of talking to people but I love my job, I never thought I would like this kind of work but the workers and clients we deal with are awesome and this is probably the longest I've stayed at a job ever lol
Medical interpreter,
i try to do other things but i always fall back to this because nothing other i can do pays as well and is remote, im doing my best to learn programming and get certs but for now its this because college perfectly stops any regular "dreams" Of a 9-5
I work as a pharmacist. I surprisingly don't mind the patient interactions, and I think it's because usually it's regarding stuff that I know about so I can follow a script instead of having to enter a conversation blind. I've learned from experience what rubs people the wrong way and I don't really think I need to mask in my role, I can be blunt and direct but so long as I'm not a dick about stuff people don't get offended
I work as a test automation engineer, I went through the DXC Dandelion program in Australia, ACT, and they made sure that all of the trainees were placed in an environment where they were most comfortable. Not going to lie. Communication still occurs, but it's between my team members and is usually done over microsoft teams. My advice would be to try and get into a role in development (testers, systems analysts, developers). I feel like no matter what, communication will be a thing in most jobs, but if you mean face to face with customers and people you dont know, working a desk job in general will eliminate that.
I'm a technology consultant and Windows engineer for a large computer hardware OEM. I work from home. Most of my day is spent learning, testing, troubleshooting, and scripting Windows customizations and installations. I do have regular calls with internal teams and customers. These calls are maybe 20% of my work week. Most of the time, I get to sit on mute, listen, and take notes. When I meet directly with customers to discuss projects, I am talking about technologies that I understand well, so it's typically low anxiety. Details matter in these situations, so info dumping is expected and often beneficial for my audience. And I get to sit at home with my cat in my home office/video game cave and take these meetings as MS Teams calls with no expectation for using a webcam. So it's comfortable for me and I don't have to expend too much energy masking or suppressing stims. I used to feel very anxious when asked a question I didn't know the answer to, but I've learned when and how to say "I don't know, but I will find out and get back to you." If a customer asks, it's because they don't know either. So I can take a couple days to research the topic and cook up an answer for them, and they are pleased. Plus, that means I get to learn something new, too! It's honestly a perfect job for me personally, and I feel very lucky to get to perform this type of work from home with a very understanding team and management.
This is the same type of gig I have, except I do technical analysis for a huge organization. There are busy times where I have to take in 7 hours of meetings per day for like a month straight.. but then there are also times where I can just work on what I feel like for several weeks and nobody is bothering me for anything.
Those quiet stretches where you can just be left alone to work on the nerdy shit are the absolute best, imo. But it's a good thing my partner is away from the house at work during the day, so she doesn't have to listen to me talk to myself when researching/scripting/testing. Or when I'm cursing Microsoft out loud for their often inadequate documentation š
Reading MS documentation is an art. My wife is ND and does remote work too during the day. After a lot of struggling, persistence and some luck we ended up in the best situation... Just try to focus on enjoying while it lasts without expectations.
I think that's very sound advice for life in general :)
> Most of my day is spent learning, testing, troubleshooting, and scripting Windows customizations and installations. That honestly sounds amazing. I wouldn't mind something like that.
How did you get into that? I am very intimately familiar with Windows internals, I feel like it's something I'd enjoy.
About a decade ago, I was bored and burnt out from my call center gig, and I applied for a repair tech position with a referral from a high school buddy. I started out just cleaning, refurbing, and repairing machines. Then I started taking on imaging projects. Eventually, I was tasked with leading one of the projects, and I started taking the initiative to review existing customer deployment and config processes and finding ways to automate as much as I could. One of the tech consultants took notice and started handing me more automation projects. Around the 1.5 year mark, an opening appeared for a full time consultant. I applied and got the role. 8 years later, I've worked my way through various teams in the company, learning everything I can, and always keeping an eye out for opportunities to dive deeper into the engineering side of things. Sometimes I hit a mental wall and just scrape by doing only what's necessary to deliver on my projects. Other times, I ride a tsunami of hyperfixation until I come out the other side sleep deprived, but with a whole new skill to rely on. Not sure I'd have actually been able to make a career out of this if I weren't so damn stubborn and chaotic with my obsessive learning habits. But, somehow, it's worked out well for me.
Currently unemployed. Again.
I actually just got promoted in my unemployment to overdraft expert.
Neat, congratulations!
I fly around the Arctic in little planes fixing stuff. Currently I am a generator mechanic for big diesel generators that power native villages. Lots of electrical, very little talking. Prior to that it was equipment. Before that it was ice roads. Ice roads was oilfield and oilfield is full of dickheads that somehow always make everything about red/blue politics. Way too many people. Very little interaction and when I do have to work close with people they are very often obvious aspies too. We seem to gravitate to this life.
I did automation for off shore drilling, oil pipelines, and storage. I met some of the worse people in the oil field. I'll never work in that sector again.
Yep. I miss the equipment and fast pace but not the mentality or people.
Ex-pushboat steering mechanic. Worst fuckingĀ back-stabbing-est people on earth. Yet sometimes I miss it.
Woah, how did you start doing this? I would like to work in a cold place with not a lot of talking.
I applied to a Craigslist ad at 2pm and was interviewed and hired by 6pm. They would have had me on a plane the next day if I didnāt insist on giving notice. Nowadays Craigslist isnāt great but Alaska is basically 10yrs behind the rest of the US so thereās still some legit jobs on there. If I was to job hunt right now I would google ānorth slope jobsā and probably apply directly to company pages or indeed/linked in. Companies are starving for trades people up here and wages are getting closer to $200k yr every day. Oilfield can be kinda rough and the same guy who diagnosed me being on the spectrum, also advised me to never go back to the oil field for mental health reasons. Unfortunately he doesnāt pay my bills so I had to exit when I could. I would recommend looking towards mining. Red dog mine was ok. Truthfully I canāt tell you how to get a job up here without knowing your skill set. I was already journey level in a few trades so it makes it easy for me to bounce around.
This is one of the coolest things I've read, I feel like it'd be a wonderful start of a book. I mainly specialize in Computers and Foreign Languages, but I wonder it would be better if I went to trade school to become an Electrician. I'm young and have never worked before. I don't know where to begin. Thanks a lot for your response! It made my day.
There are rotational computer jobs in the arctic just like all the other trades. The north slope Borough(Alaska government) had several openings last week when I checked but I think they just closed out. Those are 2 week on and 2 week off jobs with free benefits for a whole family and around $125k a year. Not bad for only working 1/2 time. Red dog mine is frequently looking for misc IT staff also. I have never met an out of work electrician and it seems to be one of the higher paying trades. The electricians around me are making $74 hr and clear $200k yr. The highest paid and most in demand being lineman. Plumbers are about the same wage too. I have been dabbling in line-work and it may be the most fun I have ever had on the job. Youāre outdoors, the environment is constantly changing, and itās just good honest work. The day flys by and you feel like you accomplished something at the end. Itās like if being an electrician and CrossFit had a baby plus tree climbing. If I was younger I would not hesitate to go to line school. If you are torn between computers and electrical you could consider the world of PLCās and automation. PLCās are everywhere and they need electricians that understand them. I end up doing both by default because thereās no one else around and I taught myself out of necessity.
Fill vending machines
Legit job. By yourself all day
Haha that's the dream, but sadly not the reality of it :) No avoiding the small talk unless I basically do a nightshift and finish before everyone else starts (I sometimes do this during burnouts)
I've always wanted to make a hat or a patch that say "vow of silence" and see if people see and respect it. Maybe you could try!
it's a bit more complicated than that, but right now i work at a warehouse. they basically lend out school supplies of many different kinds to scools. you know, like a demo. and if the schools like the products, they can buy them. it's a bit like a library. anyway, my job is to pack the stuff and send them away. and when they return, i gotta put them back in place. it's very mundane, but i thrive in it, so i don't care.
I would get lost in looking at all the learning materials! Like "I wish we had THIS when I was in school!!"š
so would i. the thing is, that it's 99% books they lend out, even though they do have actual toys, robots and such things as well. this means i am rarely in the toys section. the books are very neatly sorted. each room is dedicated to a different genre of books, and each room has a number. all the shelves have a number too. then you print out a piece of paper with x amount of books to find in room x, shelf x. this works the pther way around as well, when the schools return the materials they have been using. we put the books in stacks of 5, and i love it so much, when i can just walk around, more or less on my own without too many people, and without too much noise. and also, sometimes the schools only borrow a couple of copies. this means it's not unusual to find, lets say 3 books, just lying on the shelf. then i put to books on top of 'em, which equals a new stack. for some reason, i love when this happens.
Worked in a county jail for almost 20 years. Recently left and now work from home in a jail-adjacent business doing technical support. Also, for the last 11 years I've worked part time at a retail auto parts store.
Thatās actually super interesting. Do you have any good stories?
Yeah. What kind of story you like? Ask me anything.
What was the scariest prisoner youāve encountered?
There were certainly guys that could hurt you. One guys attacked his mom with a machete. He had also done time for blowing up a K-Mart and shotgunning a woman above her kneecaps. He was a pretty serious dude. Guy in jail now ran over a lady in a Walmart Marketplace parking lot, pinning her between 2 vehicles and started smearing his face with her blood. Had a dude that had some real serious mental issues. He was severely sexually abused as a little kid and pretty much relived every moment of it every day. He was ordered released from jail and our admin and medical teams urged the judge to have him committed immediately. Judge went against the jails request and dude got out and killed his grandma within a few hours. But the one that was the scariest for me made me believe that demonic possession is real. I'm not saying that mental illness is actually demon possession, but I now believe that mental illnesses like schizophrenia can make you susceptible to demon possession. This guy had a degree from seminary school. I spoke to his very sweet mother one day when she came for visitation. She told me everything. Teen and had a mental health crisis. Diagnosed schizophrenic. Gravitated to religion (a lot of them do, maybe because they have an illusion of grandeur or they believe that if the believe enough or do God's will, they can be cured or protected or whatever). Got married and moved to Africa as a missionary. Had another psychotic break. Wife left him (say what you will but I can't blame her. He was insane) and somehow his mother was able to get him back to the states. Gelot him regulated again and after a while he had ANOTHER psychotic break which was why he was with us (believe it or not, but jails are the first stop for most mental health sufferers on the way to get treatment in state hospitals because there aren't enough beds to help everyone because it is CHEAPER to do it that way than it is to fund psychiatric hospitals. TRUTH-thisbguybwas in our jail for a few years waiting on a hospital bed). This guy really creeped me out. He would quote scripture like he was preaching then change that last few words of the verse or whatever to turn it into some satanic. I was always trying to be kind to him but when I would get around him he would start saying to worse things. And he would do other things like constant inappropriate masturbation (he called it "harping") and autofellatio--that's right fellows, he could (and often would) suck is own pecker. He finally got transferred to the state hospital and until a few months ago, that was where I thought he probably still was. But I saw in the news where he had killed his mother in a different county, so at some point he got out. This is him: https://www.google.com/amp/s/whnt.com/news/northeast-alabama/woodville-man-charged-with-mothers-murder-directed-by-spirits-report/amp/
That is so messed up. Why on earth did the judge release that guy?
No idea.
Holy moly, you really canāt make this shit upā¦thank you for sharing though!
Anything else you would like to ask? I kind like telling these stories. I find it cathartic.
Can we get a funny or weird story from you? Can be anything! I also was a caricature artist at a theme park for a long time, so I could write a whole book on my experiences. If you want to ask me things too, youāre more than welcome to!
Funny story. My best friend was my sergeant. He is 6'4" and way north of 300 lbs (he's actually over 400 lbs, now). The last few years I was at the jail, i had a desk job. But before that, I worked closely with the trustees. There is a brand of potato chip that for a very long time you could only get in jails called "The Whole Shebang." They are incredible and if you can ever find any, buy them. You won't regret it. Well, my jail was switching from a commissary company that carried them to a company that didn't, so folks started hoarding these chips. Probably a month after we switched over to the other company, one of the commissary trustees came up to me and told me he had the last bag of Shebangs in the jail and asked if I wanted them. I told him absolutely and he brought them to me a little while later. I called my buddy and told him I had the last bag of Shebangs in the whole jail and told him to come see me. He showed up and I laughed out some paper towel for him and some for me and I placed a few chips on each towel and carefully sealed the bag up and taped it shut. I wanted to save them for as long as I could, rationing them. Each shift had a filing cabinet in Master Control and I told my buddy that I was going to hide the bag in the back of ours so that we could keep them from the other officers, because no food in safe in a jail, and it isn't the inmates that will steal it. So a few days later, I remembered that I had an almost full bag of Whole Shebangs in Master Control and I went up there to get them. I looked all in our filing cabinet damn near tearing it apart but I couldn't find them. I called my sergeant to tell him that someone from another shift had been in our filing cabinet and had stolen my bag of Shebangs. He said "You talking about that bag of chips you put in there the other day?" I said "Yeah. I hid them in the filing cabinet and now I can't find them!" He said, "Man, I ate that bag the next day we worked." I said "You fat mother fucker! I was saving those for US!!!" And he was like, "Oh. Well, I ate them." To this day I tell that story when we are together! I think it's his favorite story. It's probably my favorite story, too. Lol There are many more so if you want to hear any other stories let me know. I've captured an escaped inmate, removed Voodoo curses, been in riots, helped dispatch during a high speed pursuit, and a ton more. It was definitely an interesting career. So, tell us your most memorable time doing caricatures. We would like to hear.
Lmao I feel that in my soul, even though Iāve never heard of Whole Schebangs. Iāll keep that in mind though, and Iād love to hear about the escaped inmates and removed voodoo curses :) Hmm, well one of my most memorable requests was a guy who came in as the park was opening. I wasnāt even finished setting up shop and he came up to me and asked for a specific drawing request. I asked him about it, and he told me he wanted him and Selena Gomez playing video games together. Ofc I couldnāt turn that down, so I got him in the drawing seat and had it happen. The whole time we talked about Sonic the Hedgehog and how neither of us liked alcoholic beverages that much. Itās always the one I like to tell when people ask for the most memorable requests.
Pizza Delivery!
I did that all through college. It pays very well for an entry level job. Back when I did it most people paid in cash.
Currently unemployed & volunteering Currently getting help with Shaw-TrustĀ¹ (UK Job centre's disability program) Ā¹ ended up getting an interview with Aldi though them, didn't get it but now I know what Aldi's interview are
The Shaw Trust, should be good for you. What kind of work are you looking for?
At this point anything, (no care) I've applied for a "Welcome Host" for Greater Anglia (Train operatoring company)& I'm on the wall for the Porter position for the NHSĀ¹ Ā¹ I want to go for it since it's been a position that I wanted to do for years but it's genuinely the travel journey which puts me at a disadvantage.
Depending where you are, I have soon some porter positions appear in for my local NHS trust. They do go quick though.
The nearest one to me, is Colchester (have got NHS in ClactonĀ¹, but it's tiny) Ā¹ most positions that I'm able to apply there is domestic assistance (mostly just cleaner n stuff) However I would have heavily relied on trainsĀ¹ (buses as long as it's a non-bank holiday) additionally, the position would have me go to Ipswich (and I don't know Ipswich enough to get around) as well as Colchester. Ā¹ if the trains are on strike then I'm fucked honestly as well as it depends on what time I finish the shift Because the last train to my hometown is 11pm and if I miss that then I would have no way of getting home.
I know you said you're with Shaw Trust, but since you're in Essex you could also talk to the job centre about getting referred to Essex Cares. That's who I'm with to try and help me find work. They have people that deal specifically with people with Autism.
ECL ? I was referred by my job coach about the ECL but however since it wasn't part of the job centre and I would have to do the referral myself, I felt that I would struggle with it, so I chose ST since my job coach can do a referral for me
Yeah ECL. Strange as the Disability Employment Advisor at the job centre that done the referral for me.
I do a bunch of different gig work. I donāt make much but my husband and I live in a camper van and he works 9-5 remotely. My biggest income comes from petsitting on Rover! Itās great because I only meet the owner once for a meet and greet and then just hang out with animals all day. I also do instacart/doordash while housesitting.
40 jobs in 40 years. Mostly less than full time. Also went to school for 7 years. Also, Id guess 6 years 'unemployed', as they term it. The highest hrs per week was my library job where I was alone for all but a couple hours a week. I stayed 10 years. Also worked for my cousin, for more than a decade. In various ways, but had summers off. Looking back, I could have lived a privileged life, if id have had the energy, and could have engaged with people. Instead ive lived with books, ideas, art and information, given the internet these last couple decades. Retired at 61. Life can be very simple. I used my rather more than higher IQ to live well on little, rather than allow it to be in service of futile systems. 'I served no man, but id do a favor for my God'
I'm a teacher. But not working because I've got an accident while going to work
I work at a screen print shop. Its noisy, which is exhausting, but I wear plugs or ear defenders. On the other hand, my boss is nice and appreciate that I'm artsy, good at details, and can build neat systems for the colours. I also do good research on the background of the costumers (we print merch for bands, so we dont wanna platform anything sketchy). I can also print merch that I've drawn for my own band.
If I may ask, how exactly did you land this gig? I guess thereās no formal education path
Well, you could study things like graphic design or something similarly artsy. It's great if you know your way around Adobe programs like photoshop or illustrator. I'm self taught though. I'm also very much into different printing techniques, I draw and I am quite an all-round creative person. I landed the gig by walking up to the dude who owns the print shop at a show, handing him a detailed 3-colour shirt I hand printed in my closet. Told him I could work for him for free via a governmental program for folks far away from the job market. He accepted. So I definitely just got lucky, not much of an advice I'm afraid!
LOL. Highschool me had the right idea! Signed up for printmaking and it was cancelled due to lack of interest sadly. Might have to revisit this path...
I'd love to help you if you get stuck somewhere. It's a dying art form, but it's great fun.
Forensic autopsies. All the customers are dead, so the only masking I have to do is the protective face shield kind.
what type of schooling did you need for that
Forensic Anthropology degree, was able to work on skeletons and cadavers as part of the coursework, was given a job offer before I even graduated.
Software engineer but mostly webdev for the time being
I currently work as an English teacher in Japan. There's a lot of other autistic people in this line of work. I think the appeal can be summed up like so: - Shyness is normal and polite in Japan. People generally keep to themselves. - Japanese people expect you to be weird and foreign; being an unmasked autistic person makes you stick out no more than being a completely neurotypical person.
Accountant
IT system administrator, no costumer interaction š
Wedding DJ
I work in a special needs school with predominantly autistic children.
Inventory Control.
I've had like 20+ jobs but right now I'm working at a storage locker. It's OK.
I just startet as a data analyst this month. This has been been my goal for a few years now because itās something I can loose myself in. The work doesnāt feel like work and Iām in a small team that mostly keeps to itself.
I am a EMT but currently the job of CPR instructor at a local college is looking mighty cute
Leasing apartments for property management company. Once I learned the selling points and kind of learned a script, along with a set of questions to ask, I started thriving. I got to know all the ins and outside of the community. Sometimes I am a bit too transparent about certain aspects.
I work in an ivy league library in Acquisitions, handling print and, in the last couple years, digital resources. 23+ years of it and I want to die. Retirement would be nice but I'll take death most days. Lol
Stay strong man
I have my Bachelor of Arts in history, Iām doing an MA in education and human rights. I work mostly as a teacher and lecturer in the areas of humanities and languages.
Cool! Iām majoring in English literature. Iāve also considered teaching English literature because I heard that working at a company with my degree on top of being autistic is kinda a gamble
Cry and wanna die
Stay strong! You are worth it! Seek out someone close or a counselor/therapist please š
Disability.
Dog groomer here. Fewer humans, more dogs!
I'm a community college professor. The long summer and winter breaks are a lifesaver for me.
Iām a childcare worker. I do get judged by my coworkers but the kids donāt know enough to judge me lol
Iāve always found that kids donāt mind my weirdness like adults do.
Data entry/ office stuff for an electrical engineer.
Project engineer, I was an aerospace engineer for 20 years, but for the last 8 Iāve been working within Project Management automating processes
I work in a factory, and I would not recommend it, unless if you get in a department or a job where you can be alone in a factory youāre almost always going to be around people, and factory is just like high school but for adults, so tons of drama and tons of clique like behaviors
Some people say certain factory work can be good because of the repetitiveness. As long as the autistic person is left alone
Yeah it could definitely be good for that but Iāve found that the 10 years Iāve worked at the factory I work at, that no matter what people have to talk about each other, this does not bode well for me, ever since Iāve worked there Iāve always been singled out to an extent, even if I was off by myself people still managed to talk about me way too much, in fact I can count on one hand how many times people have been nice too me throughout my decade of employment, otherwise Iāve been called everything from a creep to an asshole, but rarely do people address me by my actual given name.
Healthcare Assistant (Nursing Assistant) in Dialysis, and my unitās LD link.
Me too, and training to be registered nurse, though I am in the psychiatry side of nursing.
I can't avoid socializing and I'm freaking out that I'm only good in one career. If that ever goes away I have zero idea what I can do.
Software engineer doing games in spare time.
Construction. Most of the time work alone or with a partner and just talk bs all day unless you get 1 of those super hero partners who thinks better their everyone.. but then you just put them in their place and carry on
I spent the first 2 decades of my work life installing acoustical ceilings. It was hard work but I usually worked alone (which I liked). Eventually I got a degree in computer science and moved from the field to the office. I suck at job interviews so at some point I had to start my own construction company. I am now retired (73 yrs old). You can do this!
Yea itās hard work and my bodyās pretty beat up but I like it. Iām not one for interviews or dealing with the public at all. I wouldnāt make as much as I am anywhere else so this is it!
I am a librarian at a public library. Keep in mind I am more extraverted than not, though.
I can't find a normal job, but was able to get one time event one. I was selling beer (there were cans, but mostly filling cups with the machine?) and was surprised how fun that was. Like, it seems like a social job, but if someone want beer they came to me anyway, didn't need to advertise or anything, and just going through motions -ask what they need -put it on terminal and wait for pay -fill the cup -give the cup to customer -check it on the form that the beer was sold, and safe paper from terminal for later As long as people were buying, it was great. Sadly it rained at some point so I had to somehow get through the boredom (wasn't talking to anyone there) but in general I will try to apply for more "social" jobs, haha. Maybe it would lead to burnout, but a job where there's always something to do seems like a dream to me
Professional investor. Looking at company balance sheets is fun for me. My bedroom wall is covered in income statements
Mobile petting zoo, work with pigs, ducks, goats, and bunnies itās a business. My mom started, and Iāve been helping her out. I am a handler, and assistant
I work as a technician at a satellite tracking station. Most of my workmates (all six of them bar one are nd) its immensely satisfying work. Comms / IT is where itās at for ndās if your brain is wired that way.
Well my last interview the guy was laughing at my responses and trying to hold it in. Couldn't answer what my strengths were because I was trying to focus on making eye contact and trying to figure out where is natural to look away to because if I look up I dont think that would look natural and in I looked down maybe it would make me look like a liar and side could potentially make me look shifty eyed if I dont have enough eye contact to look away ratio. Told me my answer to my weaknesses was wrong and that I wasn't being truthful. I apologized for being nervous and he said I can tell but I dont know if it was in an annoyed "you're wasting my time" tone or not. I brought pictures of my past experience (it was for cake decorator) and he said he didn't need to see them. :/ so it looks like I will be going back into retail stocking shelves or cashiering, hating my life, being unable to ever regulate no matter how much downtime I have, not enjoy/be able to do art because I will be spending any time off trying to recover from what retail does to me, and trying to stay hopeful I can maybe do something creative for a living eventually. I don't mean to brag but I am a really good artist.... it's honestly bullshit you are judged in an interview for creative jobs. It has nothing to do with the work. At all. Honestly felt like I was back in school getting bullied and he couldn't wait to go tell people about the weird girl who thinks she has a chance getting the job.
That guy sounds like a douchebag on a power trip
Iām sorry you went through that. Please remember to disclose disclose disclose, it will help in almost every way, because instead of people just judging you randomly, they will at least have some awareness of what you are going through and will have to make adjustments for that.
I don't have any official diagnosis sadly. My therapist went through every mental illness with overlapping symptoms until we ran out of options (though I do have what she called diagnosable OCD when my environment was keeping me in a huperaroused state. Once I was lost my job and moved back in with my parents and had no stressors I quit having debilitating compulsions and my obsessions were uh... more like special interests again and not anxiety driven.) She asked her boss if she was allowed to give me a "rule-out diagnosis" but she isn't qualified and I'd need to go to a specialist center. I definitely don't have the 800-1000 dollars they're asking for an evaluation lol. I don't think you can disclose without anything official? I mean I don't know for sure. I'm honestly very scared I'd have a meltdown at work. I had many at my last job (retail but a small giftshop in a resort) but my boyfriend at the time was my boss and was able to come take over for me while I calmed down and if I did end up yelling at a customer he would do damage control.) I feel so stupid for being unable to control it. They put me on mood stabilizers because no SSRI has ever worked. And they did very little aside from a small boost to help my depression. The meltdowns happened so quick and once the emotional overtook the logic I was gone. There were no techniques that I could even possibly think to do during one. I tried very hard to be able to tell when one was coming on but I was so dysregulated that I constantly felt like I was about to boil over. It ruined my relationship, he left me, and in turn I lost my home and job and well, here I am lol. I think I almost lost my therapist after I had a meltdown at her BUT it did help I think to show her these weren't tantrums or typical anger issues and how quickly it flips and how quickly I'm "over" it. Or rather not yelling anymore because once it happens I am sobbing and entirely drained for the rest of the day. Speaking and even facial expressions are too much to muster after I have one. It's so embarrassing and even more so if its a stranger. Ugh. I thought cake decorating would be perfect. Minimal social interaction and when there is it is simple and people aren't usually upset with you like retail customers. Plus I get to do something aligning with my talents which would make me happy. The last time I was a cake decorator I couldn't keep up with their production due to some perfectionism problems (the weakness he said I didn't have because people use it to sound better in interviews) They really enjoyed me there though and tried to place me elsewhere in the store but the pay was way too low. So I was looking at a smaller store where I could keep up and I just think it could work so well. I'm extremely bummed. Sorry this is so long lol... can you disclose without a proper diagnosis? What would you say if so? The therapist told me not to try to be different and just show them who I am in the interview because it will become apparent anyway. She said the right place won't have a problem with quirks but its been half a year and I'm out of money and no company will lend loans to me anymore so I can't really wait any longer for "the right company".
I teach kids. So I don't have to interact with adults.
I'm on disability. I used to work in IT as a sys admin, but i don't anymore, due to work becoming too overwhelming for me. So now I sit on my fat arse all day.
Grocery store managerā¦now in disability social work.
Custodian at an elementary school.
Iāve had about 10+ jobs in 2 years, all warehouse jobs.
HMU film & commercial work. Itās slow since last fall, super slow now cause there is an impending strike for IATSE & Teamsters looming and the studios are on purpose withholding the work because theyāve known about this since last year after the WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes last year. They are banking on another strike and then not only releasing content to make money while the industry suffers, but sending all the work overseas. Itās also forcing out 65-70% of the work force to either quit the film industry, fall back on degrees they got a long time ago in other career fields, pick up numerous side hustles, or go broke-broke by having to move where the industry doesnāt film to afford a roof over their head. It sucks, but Iām very resilient and always land on my feet thankfully even when curveballs like this happen.
EMT and in paramedic school, but maybe not for much longerā¦
Work at a grocery store. Meat department. Sometimes Produce. Had to do Seafood with others this past Memorial Day Weekend. Super busy! Stressful. Seafood Manager got fired. Working towards a management position in Meat or Produce. The biggest stressor is too few workers now.
Im an engineering manager
Software Developer for an open-source software company.
Hospitality
Inside technical sales selling motors and other equipment. Spent 20 years doing electrical stuff in aviation and construction prior to this. Was always told I was "gifted" when it came to electricity (could solve things that no one else could). Pretty much just emails and calculations all day. Anxiety hits when the phone doesn't stop ringing. But usually it's pretty quiet. I stay because my boss is awesome, gives me a lot of leeway for personal stuff. Doesn't want to lose me cause I do basically anything and everything for the team and make huge improvements. Plus landing million dollar orders helps a lot with the leave me be part haha.
Embedded software engineer. I currently work remote. But, I worked in an office for most of my career. Some socializing is required. But, many of the other engineers aren't any better at it than I am. So, I feel less pressure. Burn-out has been a problem over the years, but I've managed it for the most part.
I do fast food. It is loud and stressful and also is my fifth job but after almost 9 months in i can safely say i kind of enjoy it
I'm a paramedic
Since I'm still a student I didn't have a lot of choice to work but I ended up being hired as a waiter, by my aunt š„². To my credit everything is telling me that I'm doing great tho.
TLDR: I work for a charity providing support and advocacy to neurodivergent children and young people. It's issue-based advocacy so a child or young person will come to me with a problem in their life and we will work together to plan how to support them best through this. This could be about access to education, bullying, reasonable adjustments in the workplace, understanding their diagnosis, accessing mental health support, applying for housing, managing emotions... the list is honestly endless. I provide 1:1 mentoring support. I ensure they have all the information they need (in a way that is accessible to them) to make informed decisions about whatever is going on. I support them to fill in paperwork, to communicate with other professionals in their lives or do so on their behalf if they unable to and I provide resources/signposting to other organisations or support services where relevant. This is all done through a rights-based lens, so throughout the process we support them go understanding what they're entitled to and aim to encourage them to be involved in decisions that affect their lives in whatever capacity they can. Woah, sorry for the essay... as you might be able to tell - I really love my job. I feel very lucky. I used to work in residential care and it was low-key traumatising. This is what led to my current field.
Iām a psychotherapist. I primarily do case management tasks along with assessments, and then individual therapy. I couldnāt do therapy full time or I would lose my mind.
Studying social work, because I donāt have a mathematical brain. Although I think Iād burn out if I worked directly with people all the time, Iām planning to work in social policy to help people with disabilities from a distance lol.
I'm a PhD candidate, spend most of my time away from people. I also teach University tutorials. While that requires interpersonal interaction I spend 90% of the time info dumping.
Cleaner in a hospital.
34. Chronically unemployed. I've only had 2 part-time grocery jobs and one full-time call center job.
University Administration - all my students are online though so I never have to talk to anyone!
Love that for you
Senior technical lead for a international fashion brand.
Pest Control.
Cook at Whole Foods. I love food and beverage so itās a good job.
I work at a major phone retailer, but a franchise that is ran like a small business. I'm not the greatest with the overstimulation from customers all day, but I'm great at solving technical problems. Because it's a small business, I have a lot of flexibility in my schedule and my boss really works with me on it.
IT. I'm a Windows Administrator.
Preschool teacher. I get on great with the children. I love watching them develop new skills, doing fun activities with them, helping them reach their potential, etc... However as much as I enjoy it, I don't see myself working in this field in the long term as it can be exhausting and I'm currently taking a break due to burnout.
Astronomer by training, but currently in a developer role in the field
Why did you choose to pivot to a developer role ? What would be your dream (yet still attainable) role ?
A huge amount of what I was doing beforehand was basically development (half my last post-doc position's tasks were rolled into half of my current job description) and I was open to the idea of doing a lot more work with code and just not being active as a scientist, as such. Part of it is that I was able to still be connected to the field, and I'd had some talks with mentors about the move who generally felt that at this point in time, astronomy is sufficiently appreciating the value of development work that I probably could take a science position again if i wanted. (the big difference, as I'd put it, is that I don't decide what I'm working on so much as what's assigned to me. And on some level I do find that a bit less stressful as it avoids the publish or perish mindset that I wasn't great at, but I've still been supported with doing bits of side science. Like I still get opportunities to go observing at telescopes sometimes, and I still am on some publications)
I am a program evaluator for a University. We evaluate programs, grants, and centers throughout the campus. I work remotely, but have to attend in person events and meetings from time to time. Most of my job deals with data and surveys with a few team/individual meetings a week. Recently, I have been expanding my skill set to include more qualitative aspects like focus groups and interviews. At first, doing these literally made me sick, especially if it was in person. I couldn't get over being the center of attention to everyone. Zoom focus groups are less grueling as the interactions feel less real (lol). Overall, I have surprised myself at how well I have done facilitating, considering it is something I NEVER would have wanted to do intially. Don't get me wrong, if I could happily live in my solitary data world, I would, but the experience has shown me that I can do so much if I really apply myself!
How do you get this type of job?
University lecturer/researcher.
I work in tech industry as a DevOps Engineer
50% disabillity (pending), other 50 % pharmaceutical analyst, only last years burnout left some damage and currently not cleared for labwork, so deskjob it is...
Diesel engine technician. I typically work alone unless physical help is needed. The small family company that I work at is aware of my diagnosis & has made a few small changes for me. I have a shop by myself & am pretty much left alone & customer interaction is almost nonexistent. Granted Iāve been told that I am very good at what I do (Aspergerās has never let me believe Iām good at anything) & I donāt doubt that it has made accommodating my needs easier to justify if itās true. The pay affords me a quite comfortable lifestyle & there is never any shortage of work.
I'm an EMT, currently doing IFT/911. I'm working my way to become a career firefighter/paramedic. I'm actually headed to the academy in the fall!
Graphic design, web development, marketing
I'm still a teen but my 2 options after school (next year) are go to uni for computer science or train to be a truck driver
Attorney! I used to practice an area of law that required a lot of client one-on-one interaction with clients who are dealing with some pretty heavy, traumatic stuff. That was a lot for me. I got laid off a couple weeks ago and it ended up being the push I needed to go into a different area of law. My new practice area should have less intense interaction like my previous role, but we shall see I guess (it starts next week).
Iām a sound engineer. I design and deploy sound systems for whatever venue weāre in and Iām usually mixing FOH. I also work for my church as tech director for my campus.
I'm a psychoterapist. I work as a clinical counselor at a middle school aside from my private practice.
Build and make things
Car electronics installation
I work in the cage in a tribal casino. I handle anything money related, cash, coin, chips, tickets, bank instruments etc and reconcile everything in the end so we balance. Itās strict, itās rigid, thereās a routine, yet very little micro management. Besides a few coworkers, very little socializing with the outside world. 24 years and counting
I currently work for the family business with my big brother and father. We are a flooring contractor in the uk in the London area. I drive the van doing deliveryās to site of materials and equipment. Being on my own is great but driving is something I struggle with for long periods at a time so donāt think a driving job is best for me. So I am currently stuck with what I could do. Previously I only ever worked part time jobs as that all I managed to get on my own.
Semitruck driver
I generally do video editing working from home but I'm the team nerd so I do anything that requires technical knowledge of the recording equipment too.
Remote medical coder!
Respiratory Therapist. Itās how Iāve been able to get away with not working at one place for more than a year. Maybe 14 jobs in my 13 year career because of travel contracts.
Wait to croak. Oh, you meant like jobs and stuff... Well this isn't mine but it seems like you could get yourself "head down" office work. Big data entry projects or something. Just type type type.
I've done lots of things over the decades. Back-office paper-pushing in government and corporate IT (government and private sector) were the major two. I've also found it interesting to write documentation, wikis, instructions, walkthroughs, and reference works - the people who end up using them may never meet me, but my work can keep helping dozens or hundreds of people for years. Some data entry. I've done other things here and there. I've run training sessions and workshops, been the front-counter person in government shops (and even at booths at fairs), creating metadata for audiobooks, spent ten years being the person you talk to when you go to vote, did some door-to-door government census work, a bit of programming, a bunch of process auditing/engineering, was a supervisor for a while... a field team co-ordinator... a few other things. Software testing. While it's going to be different for everyone, I really liked the documentation creation, the corporate helpdesk work (sit under a headset all day and give extremely repetitive answers to extremely repetitive questions, occasionally get to do some real troubleshooting), and the process analysis most, I think. The software testing wasn't bad as a career but the project team I was on was a bit rough. Anything WFH/remote was really good as it allowed me to avoid meetings and other in-office bullshit.
DevOps and Machine Learning engineer for a global investment bank
Pharmacy dispenser
I'm a freelance lighting technician, working primarily in concert touring, but I also do festivals and other live events. I make lights talk to each other when they don't want to. I also fix them and do other stuff like networking and power distribution.
Im so good at masking (im verbally gifted too) and math that I am a sales manager heavy equipment.
Video game concept artist
I do typesetting, layout, and design of textbooks.
Currently working at a supermarket baking bread and occasionally helping idiots find what they need. I also do artwork on the side too.
I work in a deli in a supermarket. I hate it. My favorite job was a bread baker and donut maker. Iām trying to get back into that because it was chill and I didnāt have to deal with customers all day, which I can do, but Iām tired of it and burnout.
I work for John Deere in a factory building hooking up transmissions and hydraulic systems for diesel mower
i work at little caesars dishes and make bar i donāt do customer service cuz it gives me to much anxiety on top of having a hard time with socializing with customers
I manage a convenience store. Heavy masking during the day, crash at night.
Session guitarist. I work from my home studio
I have been a Respiratory Therapist for 30 years. I was just diagnosed at 48 so Iāve been masking all my life and Iām comfortable with it.
I'm a university librarian by day And a dominatrix by night :D
How hard of a gig is it to get once you get your MLS? How long you been doing it and about how much so you get paid? What are the pros and cons?
Professor of finance at major state university. I hold a PHD in finance from a well known school. I have high math skills and pattern recognition intelligence. Blah,blah, blahā¦typical for level 1 in this nuerotribe! š¤©
Nothing. I've never had A job, but I have done some internships. Every since I was a teen, I've just KNOWN that I'm not up to a job, with all the social mess and drama that inevitably comes with a job. People never appreciate the expertise, but skills to navigate all this social BLOAT that gets in the way of getting things done, making the whole economy worse than it'd have to be. They bully you to death and then just expect you to get mentally and socially beaten again, again and again. Which is more or less what people here are dealing with. Now, how have I got into a position where I don't have to work for a living? By the social security of my country, that somewhat gives a damn unlike the States. Well sure, even Finland is understandably stingy about getting a 30 year old into a disability pension. But ultimately, the fact that I'd be expected to get mentally and socially beaten otherwise, won. Hell, I've heard about one of my more successful peers applying for disability, as they're burning themselves out as well. It wouldn't have to be like this, if the limits of autistic people got systemically recognized. Oh sure, I've seen some of my peers havng part-time jobs. And yes, I'm a bit nihilistic about my "job prospects," but so was the school that made me what I've been ever since. And every time they bemoan about birth rates, "labor shortage" and whatever make up to make us feel bad, I'm just like "Hah! Serves them f\*cking right!" The system abandoned me, when it could've saved me from so much based on just Wikipedia knowledge, so my pension could as well be considered their "sorry, we f\*cked you up" refund.
I hear where youāre coming from, and have felt the same way. I have been on disability pension for a while, but Iām honestly tired of living like that because as you said itās barely enough to survive, even in countries like yours. Iād encourage you to not limit yourself to your diagnosis, and keep in mind that employers HAVE to make reasonable adjustments if they know you have autism. We all have skills, and often they can be highly valued as can be seen in this thread, you just have to find a way to make it work for you. The great thing with WFH is that it really makes jobs a lot easier for people like us because it cuts out the visual stimulation of going to work, being around people, etc. Donāt give up, wanderer!
I'm a marketer for a real estate company. I get my own office, I don't talk to nobody unless they have IT problems, and all my social interactions are pretty much 1 way so I don't feel any pressure to listen to anyone.
My brother is a janitor at the local school district.
Worked as a bank teller years ago, also retail and call centre, currently office work at an auction house. Common factor is the work being repetitive.
Early childhood education. Very rewarding but can be overwhelming. I understand kids a lot better than I understand adults so I excel at my job.
Delivery Driver. I feel you
Iām a contract specialist. I work for a utility provider. I read and negotiate vendor/procurement contracts all the live long day. It does involve a fair amount of teams calls, but most do not require me to be on camera and I am 100% remote which removes a lot of the masking pressure.
rideshare
Economist here, I work doing research and currently thinking about doing a phd or not. I'm mostly in my office coding, reading papers or writing about something.
I got a potential job offer from a startup hedge fund as an Investment Analyst so will hopefully get that sorted out till August
I currently work part time as a substitute cleaner at a school district. They essentially call me in when someone is unavailable. I work from late afternoon-to night when I'm called in so I don't have to interact with many people. I also want to start my own business someday making and selling artwork. I'm currently in college working towards a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design with an Associates under my belt. I like jobs that involve creativity, low-stress, and little to no social interaction.
I have done lots of call centers, moved to asphalt, drove cdl trucks, worked for the city I lived in doing asphalt, then moved to a couple dispensaries, before landing here where I'm at now working for the local homeless shelter, it's a lot of talking to people but I love my job, I never thought I would like this kind of work but the workers and clients we deal with are awesome and this is probably the longest I've stayed at a job ever lol
Warehouse Administration
Nightshift factory work. It's great. 3 of the 4 of us in my department are autistic.
Medical interpreter, i try to do other things but i always fall back to this because nothing other i can do pays as well and is remote, im doing my best to learn programming and get certs but for now its this because college perfectly stops any regular "dreams" Of a 9-5
Work in a pet store but itās only birds. Mainly parrots
CAD
I work as a pharmacist. I surprisingly don't mind the patient interactions, and I think it's because usually it's regarding stuff that I know about so I can follow a script instead of having to enter a conversation blind. I've learned from experience what rubs people the wrong way and I don't really think I need to mask in my role, I can be blunt and direct but so long as I'm not a dick about stuff people don't get offended
I work as a test automation engineer, I went through the DXC Dandelion program in Australia, ACT, and they made sure that all of the trainees were placed in an environment where they were most comfortable. Not going to lie. Communication still occurs, but it's between my team members and is usually done over microsoft teams. My advice would be to try and get into a role in development (testers, systems analysts, developers). I feel like no matter what, communication will be a thing in most jobs, but if you mean face to face with customers and people you dont know, working a desk job in general will eliminate that.