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parts
Jack of All Trades
Joined: Sep 03, 2005
Posts: 1623
Location: New England
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 Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 6:58 pm Post subject: |
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| I aways wandeted to be a drawbrigde operator. I think sometimes mindless work isn't that bad I'll fall into a pattern and my mind is off thinking about what ever I want as I work. the best type of job skilled or unskilled is one your interested in its not always amtter of going to collage One of the reasons I work construction is I have an intense interest in the way things are built. |
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magic
Phoenix
Joined: Jul 02, 2004
Posts: 1144
Location: US; male, 34
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| Posted: Sun Jan 08, 2006 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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I have a great respect for people doing "easy unskilled jobs", especially physical labor. As a person for whom easy is difficult and difficult is easy, I don't think I would last more than half an hour as a cashier, waiter, construction worker, or pushing carts/trolleys in a supermarket. I am neither physically not socially fit enough, and working fixed hours is not really for me. But I was very logically fit and obsessed with computers, so the choice was quite obvious. I went through college without problems. Work was a different story. I may be good professionally, but working in a team is not my forte (that is, I have no problem working with others, but others don't seem to like working with me). Solution: seek an environment with more aspies and other weirdos. Where? Universities. That's what I'm trying now. From the stories I hear from my coworkers, I am surely in a weirdo-infested place. The problem is that wages are nearly twice lower than what I got before. And that's an even bigger problem with many unskilled jobs: you work very hard, but never earn enough to elevate yourself above the level of "poor". (There are exceptions, some unionized jobs, for example.) As much as I respect the work of people doing unskilled jobs, I must say that this is not an efficient way to earn a living.
Would I recommend young aspies to skip college and remain unskilled? No, never. If you can afford college (financially and psychologically), go through it. You can always do unskilled labor later, but you will also have many other options open. |
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Lonermutant
Phoenix
Joined: Dec 18, 2005
Posts: 859
Location: Namsos, Norway
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:35 am Post subject: |
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Sadly, I think you find more weirdos and Aspies pushing supermarket trolleys than going to university.
| magic wrote: | I have a great respect for people doing "easy unskilled jobs", especially physical labor. As a person for whom easy is difficult and difficult is easy, I don't think I would last more than half an hour as a cashier, waiter, construction worker, or pushing carts/trolleys in a supermarket. I am neither physically not socially fit enough, and working fixed hours is not really for me. But I was very logically fit and obsessed with computers, so the choice was quite obvious. I went through college without problems. Work was a different story. I may be good professionally, but working in a team is not my forte (that is, I have no problem working with others, but others don't seem to like working with me). Solution: seek an environment with more aspies and other weirdos. Where? Universities. That's what I'm trying now. From the stories I hear from my coworkers, I am surely in a weirdo-infested place. The problem is that wages are nearly twice lower than what I got before. And that's an even bigger problem with many unskilled jobs: you work very hard, but never earn enough to elevate yourself above the level of "poor". (There are exceptions, some unionized jobs, for example.) As much as I respect the work of people doing unskilled jobs, I must say that this is not an efficient way to earn a living.
Would I recommend young aspies to skip college and remain unskilled? No, never. If you can afford college (financially and psychologically), go through it. You can always do unskilled labor later, but you will also have many other options open. |
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North
Raven
Joined: Nov 06, 2005
Posts: 118
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:57 am Post subject: |
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I don't think you can take a single approach on this. Some people with AS are great professionals, others are find success as skilled laborers, and others are best suited to unskilled labor. Just like the general population.
My personal experience has been that working as an unskilled laborer gets boring fast, and I need a steady stream of new challenges to stay interested in what I do. Jobs where I've had the most responsibility are also where I've had the most success. |
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Lonermutant
Phoenix
Joined: Dec 18, 2005
Posts: 859
Location: Namsos, Norway
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:18 am Post subject: |
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| I've lost 13 years of job chances trying to become a graphic designer. Now I wish I had just taken a job gardening, mowing lawns and raking leaves instead! |
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newchum
Phoenix
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Joined: Aug 13, 2005
Posts: 635
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:44 am Post subject: |
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| I have considered unskilled work many times in my life, but considered aganist it. Firstly I am way too intelligent to do that kind of thing, unless it is for a few years until I finish university, secondly I would not cope working places like supermarket checkouts and Take Away places. |
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ster
Phoenix
Joined: Sep 24, 2005
Posts: 2305
Location: new england
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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ok, so can we think of a different name to call this category of work ? my hubby (parts) is VERY skilled at doing what he does...most of the folks i work with ( white-collar workers) can barely screw in a light bulb let alone try to fix something that is broken  . why is enjoying repetitive work bad ? someone has to do this sort of work . it is a shame that repetitive jobs don't pay more....hey....maybe if we all stop calling these sorts of jobs "unskilled labor" employers will pay more ! LOL.
whatever happened to using the term " blue collar worker" to refer to those people who work with their hands ? |
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ascan
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 23, 2005
Posts: 1663
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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| magic wrote: | | I have a great respect for people doing "easy unskilled jobs", especially physical labor. As a person for whom easy is difficult and difficult is easy, I don't think I would last more than half an hour as a [...] construction worker... |
Most construction workers are very skilled, and very well payed. The majority probably earn more than your average person with "manager" in their job title. |
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fizzled
Emu Egg
Joined: Jan 10, 2006
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2006 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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| I enjoyed my blue collar job. I worked for a company that put in masonry flooring in institutional settings (terrazzo-- you see it a lot in schools, airports, big places.) Basically, I showed up at the shop at 7 AM, called each of our job sites (up to six) on the radio and found out what materials & equipment they would need that day. Then I would plan out the most reasonable way to get everyone what they needed, hop into the company's F-550 flatbed, and get everyone what he needed. This might include: using a forklift to put a couple pallets of cement on the back of the truck and then unloading at the job site either with a fork lift or carrying 100 lbs bags on the shoulder, using the lift gate to lift a 1000 lbs grinding machine on the truck to move it from one job site to another, finding and buying the correct plug heads for high voltage machinery, and long trips to the occasional outlying jobs or suppliers. I worked about ten hours day and spent about seven of them by myself in my truck listening to NPR and going from place to place. The other time I was picking up supplies or dropping them off, and didn't really have to do much interaction with people. I made $14/hour working fifty hours a week. That's probably not enough for a family to be comfortable, but it was plenty for me to support myself. |
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muddlinthrough
Snowy Owl
Joined: Aug 30, 2005
Posts: 144
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| Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 3:40 pm Post subject: |
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My high school principal thought (of course)that starting out in an unskilled job would be good for me-teach me some discipline.
Instead , it became a rut,because these were to easy to get,which went well with my poor executive function.
In the U.S., being unskilled means not having health insurance or good medical access, being subject to a changing economy,and not having any real options except tomove to another crappy job. |
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magic
Phoenix
Joined: Jul 02, 2004
Posts: 1144
Location: US; male, 34
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 3:01 pm Post subject: |
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[Sorry for replying with 2 weeks delay, I lost track of this thread. I guess it's better late than never.  ]
| Lonermutant wrote: | | Sadly, I think you find more weirdos and Aspies pushing supermarket trolleys than going to university. |
Yes, this is indeed sad to see people with clearly very high mental capacity to do unskilled jobs, or be unemployed altogether. It is a great shame that the society does not give them a chance to spread their wings, to the detriment of both the society and the individual.
| ascan wrote: | | Most construction workers are very skilled, and very well payed. The majority probably earn more than your average person with "manager" in their job title. |
Yes, of course, many are. However, have you heard what is a very common occupation for freshly arrived illegal immigrants in the US? Some of them are indeed highly skilled and even hold academic degrees, but that's not the reason why they are hired at construction sites.  |
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parts
Jack of All Trades
Joined: Sep 03, 2005
Posts: 1623
Location: New England
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Yes, of course, many are. However, have you heard what is a very common occupation for freshly arrived illegal immigrants in the US? Some of them are indeed highly skilled and even hold academic degrees, but that's not the reason why they are hired at construction sites. |
Ideed its true but inexpenive labor isnt the only reson they hire them most of the companies I have worked for tried realy hard to find people to work its hard to find americans who will work and not just complain in a lot of costruction jobs it seems like they think they are intitled to the money weather they work or not most people just arriving here will work all day without complaining I used to work with them and as soon as they got some money ahead and learned better English they were gone. |
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Lonermutant
Phoenix
Joined: Dec 18, 2005
Posts: 859
Location: Namsos, Norway
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 4:47 pm Post subject: |
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| parts wrote: | | Quote: | | Yes, of course, many are. However, have you heard what is a very common occupation for freshly arrived illegal immigrants in the US? Some of them are indeed highly skilled and even hold academic degrees, but that's not the reason why they are hired at construction sites. |
Ideed its true but inexpenive labor isnt the only reson they hire them most of the companies I have worked for tried realy hard to find people to work its hard to find americans who will work and not just complain in a lot of costruction jobs it seems like they think they are intitled to the money weather they work or not most people just arriving here will work all day without complaining I used to work with them and as soon as they got some money ahead and learned better English they were gone. |
In Norway we have two situations: We lack construction workers, so while skilled construction workers are paid well and many teen boys want to be construction workers, they are in danger of being pressed out by cheaper labor from Eastern Europe. In some cases there's just a lack of Norwegian workers and in some there's just builders and contractors who want the cheapest workers possible. |
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