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androbot2084
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06 May 2011, 2:16 pm

Once I tried to defend myself from getting fired by telling him that I haven't made any mistakes. He sneered and told me that I was not on his job long enough to make any mistakes.



Hauge
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06 May 2011, 2:46 pm

The two longest jobs, i'we had. Is a job as electronic technician that lasted 2½ year, but ended with my boss tryin to make insurance fraud, and cheating me for overtime.
And my current, that has lasted for 9½ year! - But im also pretty much my own boss, as long everything is functioning as suspected!else theres been a lots of jobs lasting no more than 3/4 of a year! - And since im 44...

My conclution is that the longer a job i'we had, the less i'we had to interact, with colleagues! - Taking orders, and deadlines, and then have the job done, as alone as possible.



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06 May 2011, 3:02 pm

I don't know if I will lose my job too in the future but if my boss decides to keep looking at my work and keeps finding stuff wrong with it, I might quit after the final written up so I won't get fired. I do not see how people even have time to look for all the details. I cannot work and find detail at the same time. My mind is too focused on working and getting stuff done I have a hard time finding the little details. It's like playing I spy. I don't know how people do it. My boss told me I have time for all that and I don't see how they do it. I am afraid I can look but what if I still miss something. I know I can't spend my time in the restroom for an hour trying to make sure everything is perfect so I won't get written up. I can't deal with that stress so I just keep doing what I am doing hoping I won't miss anything and that my boss won't frequently check my work. I also feel lazy too at the same time just because I don't have time for everything. When i rush, I forget things and yesterday i noticed I had to keep going back in the restroom because I would remember I didn't clean the mirrors and then remembering I forgot to wipe down the toilets. That's because I was behind and I had to catch up and I get this way when rushing. It took me like a half hour to clean than 20 minutes or 15 because I was trying to make sure I was doing things right.

And that's why I do not think I am detailed oriented nor a perfectionist or else I would be finding these little things. I just can't do two at once. Maybe it's my ADD.

My husband wouldn't mind me not working and I wouldn't be a leech right since I can be a stay at home mom. I can just leech off the Social Security system instead. :twisted:



androbot2084
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07 May 2011, 3:17 am

I remember when I worked at the hospital I was responsible for janitorial work that was not contracted out to a private company. I remember that I just had one idiosyncracy and that was that I would keep forgetting to leave the fan on in the bathroom. For just this one mistake I was declared totally incompetant and worthy of either being fired or at least not promoted to workl involving greater responsibilities



OJani
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07 May 2011, 5:10 am

Hmm, this is a delicate matter to write about. I have always managed to hold down a job, though I have a certain fear losing my job all the time. My current job is a bit unmotivating, yet my boss is the best I ever had. I fear I don't do enough to satisfy my employer. Despite that, I'm holding this job for 4 years now.

I work in an office, my colleagues are not the kind I can easily get along with, but I'm fine with them most of the time. I think they finally got used to me just as I got used to them.

We have mandatory one our lunch brake, and it takes about an hour to get to my workplace from my home, so I spend rather much time with work a day. My supposed ADD and bad memory affects my effectiveness at work a lot, and I would hate to take significant responsibility other than an absolute minimum.


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Conspicuous
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07 May 2011, 5:32 am

I haven't had trouble holding a job until the past few months (but that's a story for another time). I've been written up so many times for the same thing, I'm surprised they haven't tried to fire me yet.

androbot2084 wrote:
The problem with autism is that you can do great on a job and you are still fired because your boss discriminates against you.


This is very likely true, and I worry it will come to bite me soon. All my problems at work can be traced to Asperger's. I have no official diagnosis, so my boss would have no legal trouble at all getting rid of me just based on my screwups. And of course, I don't get along very well with my coworkers, so no one will even try to defend me.



androbot2084
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07 May 2011, 6:00 am

I love it when most bosses think that autistic people with so called bad memories ought to be fired or at the very least demoted and then these bosses convenientally forget that Einstein himself had a bad memory.



jcq126
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07 May 2011, 8:02 am

I've quit 8 jobs after 1 shift. My current job though I have had for over one year and I am very proud of myself. I live on my own now and have to pay rent so I have no choice but to work and it has been absolute torture, but I work with dogs (prefer animals over humans) so all day I am alone! I do group dog walking and training, so I walk like 6-7 dogs at a time on a mountain trail all alone with my ipod 3 times a day and then go home.



JadeEyes
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07 May 2011, 6:21 pm

jcq126 wrote:
I've quit 8 jobs after 1 shift. My current job though I have had for over one year and I am very proud of myself. I live on my own now and have to pay rent so I have no choice but to work and it has been absolute torture, but I work with dogs (prefer animals over humans) so all day I am alone! I do group dog walking and training, so I walk like 6-7 dogs at a time on a mountain trail all alone with my ipod 3 times a day and then go home.


i always thought the 3 best things for an aspie to work with were animals, children, and nature. i hope you can hold out.


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Acacia
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08 May 2011, 12:12 am

I've worked 9 different jobs in my life and lost 3 of them due to AS-related issues. Communication and interpersonal problems, as well as executive dysfunction all played a role in me either being fired or asked "not to return". 3 others were those "quit after one shift" deals. All this before I ever knew a thing about AS. At the time, I just thought that I must have been incompetent or was too shy and withdrawn.

I've only had 3 jobs where I saw any success. One was as a session bass player with a local church band. Got to play music for a few hours a week for some decent money. Not enough to live on, though. I delivered pizza for a number of years and was able to live independently for a while doing this. I'm actually a very good driver... I hyperfocus on the geographical layout of an area and can always find the route with maximum efficiency. I have some sensory issues, but can usually drown them out with sunglasses and music. Interaction with people was minimal and scripted. A lot of time was spent by myself driving around.

I worked as a substitute-teacher for a couple of years. This was successful for me because of a few things... I feel more comfortable around kids than I do around adults. I'm a total geek for facts and I love to teach and share interesting stuff about the world. And probably the biggest reason... no social commitment. I was somewhere new almost every day. Once I was able to get over the initial shock of being in a totally new environment all the time, it became routine and I could ignore it. Consistent patterns and procedures emerged among the work sites that I was able to latch onto. And I was not tied down by the social responsibilities to students, other teachers, administrators, or parents. I was like a ghost, moving from place to place sort of "behind the scenes". Most substitute teachers are simply baby-sitters. I knew that there were no real expectations of me, so I felt relaxed and free to contribute what I had to offer and actually be myself. This turned out to be a wonderful experience for me, and I was the "favorite substitute" for a couple of schools that I taught at.

This led to the current full-time teaching position that I currently have. The most successful and stable I have ever been, in terms of a job. Getting here has been a terribly painful and gut-wrenching journey. Every day I still deal with paranoid anxiety, sensory issues, frequent misunderstandings and faux-pas. But I suppose it's worth it. Over time, I can see how I might grow to be more comfortable in this environment and the AS issues that got me fired before and still worry me currently might end up being less of a liability in the future.


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08 May 2011, 9:07 am

Here's a little something to ponder over.

I wonder what would be worse, being undiagnosed and struggling in the workplace, with no way of letting people really know of your difficulties and being taken seriously by your employers / co-workers; or having a diagnosis and being underestimated or prejudged in some way because of it?


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pacofarley
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30 Oct 2011, 1:38 pm

Mark,

I'm new to the forum and though this post is a few months old I feel the need to respond because I identify with some of the things you mention.

For as stressful as some social interactions can be, you are wise to acknowledge that you need *some* sort of social interaction. Ideally, with your friends who hopefully love and accept you where you're at - but I have found that sometimes even a random one-minute chat with the woman at the bank or the dude who makes my coffee can be enough for one day! Especially if we both walk away smiling.

My point: Good day or bad day, step out on a limb and ask your friends to talk or hang out. Take a chance with a stranger.

It may be time for professional help for your anxiety because it seems to be really adversely affecting your life. Whether or not the Asperger's feeds into the anxiety is hard to tell but either way there are better methods to deal with it. Your cycles of being alone then being with friends may be simple introversion (approximately 25% of the general population are introverted) or may be something more complicated.

My point: Don't be afraid to ask for help. You deserve to be happy.

Finding a job that you can do well and that you can enjoy for the most part and that pays the bills will involve trial and error and may seem the hardest thing you've ever had to do, especially if school was easy for you, but you must persevere.

My point: You have the ability to contribute and there is a spot waiting for you so find it.

And it probably goes without saying, but taking care of yourself by eating well, getting exercise and fresh air and sunshine can do wonders! For me, it was getting a dog and a bike!

Please forgive my bluntness. I hope you land on your feet.

Peace,
Chris



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30 Oct 2011, 4:11 pm

Great thread. I can relate to it too.


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swbluto
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30 Oct 2011, 4:49 pm

AardvarkGoodSwimmer wrote:
deadeyexx wrote:
. . . I've seen unpopular employees get cut for simple, isolated mistakes while the popular slacker who messes up all year is kept around. . .

Yes, it's not what mistake is made. It's who makes the mistake.


And who gets blamed for the mistake.