Bad and good jobs for people with aspergers.

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mewtwo55555
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12 Apr 2008, 4:11 pm

I was thinking of making a thread witch lists some good and bad jobs for people with aspergers.

Good jobs

Monk or nun with a vow of silence, so no talking, no saying the wrong thing.

Bad jobs
Medical field dont know how to respond to people.
interior desighn cause its my way or the highway.
Name some good and bad jobs that you guys think up, you can add funny ones in to.



Dhp
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12 Apr 2008, 6:30 pm

Ladies and Gentlemen - I have worked at the worst possible job for one with AS - a cashier at a grocery store! Beware! Do NOT work in a grocery store - that means you, skeptic! Thank goodness I don't work there anymore.



mewtwo55555
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12 Apr 2008, 6:42 pm

What do you guys think of my ideas as good and bad jobs, i especially want to know what you though about interior desghn and the medical fields s being bad jobs for people with aspergers?



EvilTeach
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12 Apr 2008, 7:03 pm

Software Craftsman is recommended.



Mikomi
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12 Apr 2008, 7:04 pm

mewtwo55555 wrote:
I was thinking of making a thread witch lists some good and bad jobs for people with aspergers.

Good jobs

Monk or nun with a vow of silence, so no talking, no saying the wrong thing.

Bad jobs
Medical field dont know how to respond to people.
interior desighn cause its my way or the highway.
Name some good and bad jobs that you guys think up, you can add funny ones in to.


I completely disagree. I would be very much at ease working in the medical field because it is a topic that is my special interest. I enjoy talking to people about it, and as a doctor or a nurse that would be my job all day! I think jobs that are good for us depend completely on the individual and not the Asperger's. Alex Plank is a wonderful example!


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pakled
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12 Apr 2008, 7:11 pm

This thread came up a couple months ago. Talk show host for the 'morning zoo' was at the top of my 'don't even think about it', it consists of constantly trying to embarrass people...

actually I'm a hardware tech, and it's pretty good for me...;)



Willard
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12 Apr 2008, 9:05 pm

You're right about the Morning Zoo thing, but in the days before desktop PCs were used to automate everything, being a radio Disc Jockey was a great job for an Aspie - All alone in a closed studio for hours, paid to talk to oneself, while free to rock or sway to continuous music. I did it for thirty years. The pay sucked, but the job was perfect. Except when they sent me out to do live remotes, where I'd walk around the building and do my breaks behind the handiest dumpster.



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12 Apr 2008, 10:50 pm

I agree jobs dealing with the public in an uncontrolled situation ain't the best thing.
With one exception:
Movie theatre ticket seller. You are in a small box. Mostly alone. You speak to NTs thru a mic. Bullet proof glass seperates you from unclean NTs. Everything has a place. The showtimes are absolute. The prices are absolute. The R rating is absolute ("Sorry, you are not of age and have no parent or guardian with you"). No one can reach out and touch you. And if anyone has a problem in the show they are already inside and must take it to the manager.
Not a bad gig, eh?



lotuspuppy
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12 Apr 2008, 11:09 pm

A ton of other Aspies I have met are mail-room sorters. Obviously, that is a bit low on the pay-scale, but I think that any job with sorting is really good for us. Even in my office job, where I deal with people in a semi-unpredictable environment, I still enjoy the stability of entering data into an Excel spreadsheet.



Brittany2907
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13 Apr 2008, 5:53 am

Paramedic.

This could be good or bad...

Bad because paramedics are often in unpretictable situations, with people who are injured, panicking and sometimes overly emotional about an injured loved one/friend etc. Might be hard to deal with both the injured person, the emotional relatives of the injured, the spectators [there are ALWAYS spectators where there are paramedics involved] and possibly dangerous surroundings/people all at once.

Good because some with AS are able to stay calm where someone else might not. This could be useful in any situation but especially in mass-casualty accidents/emergencies. Also, people with AS often have good reasoning skills and might be able to prioritize injured people in order of need of treatment more efficiently in emergency situations.

I'm not a paramedic though, so I could be wrong.


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petal
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13 Apr 2008, 8:06 am

Dhp wrote:
Ladies and Gentlemen - I have worked at the worst possible job for one with AS - a cashier at a grocery store! Beware! Do NOT work in a grocery store - that means you, skeptic! Thank goodness I don't work there anymore.



You could have told me that 2 years ago... joking but seriously I would not recommend this to anyone
I have prob;ems though, I have been saying that I will quit for the past year, ITS NEVER HAPPENED!! ! I think I need help with learning how to quit..



Kaleido
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13 Apr 2008, 8:14 am

Bad job: would be anything in a noisy open plan office with fluorescent lighting, tons of people coming and going and people who only want to talk about their diets and speculate/create fantasies/lies about their co-workers.

Good job: something flexible, not too bright or noisy and to be able to work alone without interruption.

yes I liked the theatre ticket idea lannesman :D



zee
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13 Apr 2008, 12:55 pm

Here is an excellent list which includes bad and good jobs:

Table 1 Bad Jobs for People with High Functioning Autism or Asperger's Syndrome: Jobs that require high demands on short-term working memory

Cashier -- making change quickly puts too much demand on short-term working memory
Short order cook -- Have to keep track of many orders and cook many different things at the same time
Waitress -- Especially difficult if have to keep track of many different tables
Casino dealer -- Too many things to keep track of
Taxi dispatcher -- Too many things to keep track of
Taking oral dictation -- Difficult due to auditory processing problems
Airline ticket agent -- Deal with angry people when flights are cancelled
Future market trader -- Totally impossible
Air traffic controller -- Information overload and stress
Receptionist and telephone operator -- Would have problems when the switch board got busy


Table 2 Good Jobs for Visual Thinkers

Computer programming -- Wide-open field with many jobs available especially in industrial automation, software design, business computers, communications and network systems
Drafting -- Engineering drawings and computer aided drafting. This job can offer many opportunities. Drafting is an excellent portal of entry for many interesting technical jobs. I know people who started out at a company doing drafting and then moved into designing and laying out entire factories. To become really skilled at drafting, one needs to learn how to draw by hand first. I have observed that most of the people who draw beautiful drawings on a computer learned to draw by hand first. People who never learn to draw by hand first tend to leave important details out of their drawings.
Commercial art -- Advertising and magazine layout can be done as freelance work
Photography -- Still and video, TV cameraman can be done as freelance work
Equipment designing -- Many industries, often a person starts as a draftsman and then moves into designing factory equipment
Animal trainer or veterinary technician -- Dog obedience trainer, behavior problem consultant
Automobile mechanic -- Can visualize how the entire car works
Computer-troubleshooter and repair -- Can visualize problems in computers and networks
Small appliance and lawnmower repair -- Can make a nice local business
Handcrafts of many different types such as wood carving, jewelry making, ceramics, etc.
Laboratory technician -- Who modifies and builds specialized lab equipment
Web page design -- Find a good niche market can be done as freelance work
Building trades -- Carpenter or welder. These jobs make good use of visual skills but some people will not be able to do them well due to motor and coordination problems.
Video game designer -- Stay out of this field. Jobs are scarce and the field is overcrowded. There are many more jobs in industrial, communications business and software design computer programming. Another bad thing about this job is exposure to violent images.
Computer animation -- Visual thinkers would be very good at this field, but there is more competition in this field than in business or industrial computer programming. Businesses are recruiting immigrants from overseas because there is a shortage of good programmers in business and industrial fields.
Building maintenance -- Fixes broken pipes, windows and other things in an apartment complex, hotel or office building
Factory maintenance -- Repairs and fixes factory equipment


Table 3 Good Jobs for Non-Visual Thinkers: Those who are good at math, music or facts

Accounting -- Get very good in a specialized field such as income taxes
Library science -- reference librarian. Help people find information in the library or on the Internet.
Computer programming -- Less visual types can be done as freelance work
Engineering -- Electrical, electronic and chemical engineering
Journalist -- Very accurate facts, can be done as freelance
Copy editor -- Corrects manuscripts. Many people freelance for larger publishers
Taxi driver -- Knows where every street is
Inventory control -- Keeps track of merchandise stocked in a store
Tuning pianos and other musical instruments, can be done as freelance work
Laboratory technician -- Running laboratory equipment
Bank Teller -- Very accurate money counting, much less demand on short-term working memory than a busy cashier who mostly makes change quickly
Clerk and filing jobs -- knows where every file is
Telemarketing -- Get to repeat the same thing over and over, selling on the telephone. Noisy environment may be a problem. Telephone sales avoids many social problems.
Statistician -- Work in many different fields such as research, census bureau, industrial quality control, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, etc.
Physicist or mathematician -- There are very few jobs in these fields. Only the very brilliant can get and keep jobs. Jobs are much more plentiful in computer programming and accounting.


Table 4 Jobs for Nonverbal People with Autism or People with Poor Verbal Skills

Reshelving library books -- Can memorize the entire numbering system and shelf locations
Factory assembly work -- Especially if the environment is quiet
Copy shop -- Running photocopies. Printing jobs should be lined up by somebody else
Janitor jobs -- Cleaning floors, toilets, windows and offices
Restocking shelves -- In many types of stores
Recycling plant -- Sorting jobs
Warehouse -- Loading trucks, stacking boxes
Lawn and garden work -- Mowing lawns and landscaping work
Data entry -- If the person has fine motor problems, this would be a bad job
Fast food restaurant -- Cleaning and cooking jobs with little demand on short-term memory
Plant care -- Water plants in a large office building

http://autism.com/individuals/jobs.htm



Kaleido
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13 Apr 2008, 12:59 pm

Good find zee :D



Hanwag
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13 Apr 2008, 1:05 pm

The funny thing is I work as a salesman. I sell outdoor gear (hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, traveling) in a medium large shop. Probably not the job most people would think as good for an aspie, but:

- I get to talk about my special interests all day.
- I practiced my whole life in being a good observer to survive school. I a salesman-customer relationship roles are fairly well described so I just have watch were my advice good go.
- I am honest and knowledgable and come across as such.
- Giving good advice is selling people what they NEED, not what they want. Being an aspie I can easily just keep pushing for the right thing.
- In our shop we have time for the customer so it's no hurried thing.

For me the job is good because it forces me to deal with people. My forte is intellectualization, but if I do that all day I might get stuck in it and get lost in my head.



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13 Apr 2008, 1:27 pm

Probably politician would be one of the worst jobs for an aspie.
Good jobs I would imagine would be ones requiring a high level of technical specialisation. Though maybe the particular environment of a specific company/workplace might make more of a difference than the actual field.


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