Best non-degree level Jobs for Aspies.

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jamieboy
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16 Apr 2011, 12:29 pm

What are some suitable (or at least bearable) jobs for Aspies with few academic qualifications? I am interested for future reference for my own self and also i have noticed that alot of the more suitable jobs for us tend to favor the more academic.



rabidmonkey4262
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16 Apr 2011, 12:39 pm

If you have a special interest, have you tried to make a business out of it? I really think aspies work better when they are their own boss. I started my own piano studio, and that seems to be taking off really nicely. I don't have to conform to any silly dress codes or regulations, and I teach when I want and how I want.


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jamieboy
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16 Apr 2011, 12:49 pm

My interests are Politics and current affairs and music (listening to). All i can think of there, is owning your own record store but i think unfortunately the Internet has killed record stores as a viable commercial enterprise.



SadAspy
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17 Apr 2011, 12:01 pm

What jobs are there for Aspies with degrees? LOL....cause I can't find any (I'm starting a job tomorrow, but it's one I could've done fresh out of high school).



blauSamstag
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18 Apr 2011, 10:53 pm

jamieboy wrote:
My interests are Politics and current affairs and music (listening to). All i can think of there, is owning your own record store but i think unfortunately the Internet has killed record stores as a viable commercial enterprise.


Vinyl music stores won't be killed by the internet, but success there depends on population density, competition, and initial investment.

If you have a tolerance for tedium, quality assurance is a reasonable field. I've never even completed a college application form and after only 12 years in the industry my name tag says "senior" on it. And i make within spitting distance of what my father makes. I don't like to talk about money so lets just say it's not six figures but I'm comfortable.

Obsessing over details is a marker for success in QA, whether it's software or hardware you are obsessing over.

A willingness to methodically try almost the same thing 10 different ways and document the results in detail is a marker for success in QA.

An ability to make your case for change with logic rather than emotion is a marker for success in QA.

Honestly the only real hurdle for an aspie in QA is an ability to let it go when things won't be fixed to your satisfaction. I had real problems with products that were excrement from conception through execution when i was younger, but I'm over it now. I do what i can to advocate for the customer and for the future of the product, but i don't lose any sleep when one or two of my recommendations are pushed aside.



starygrrl
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20 Apr 2011, 11:05 am

jamieboy wrote:
My interests are Politics and current affairs and music (listening to). All i can think of there, is owning your own record store but i think unfortunately the Internet has killed record stores as a viable commercial enterprise.


It has, but have you considered becoming a luthier? They repair and create musical instruments, they also get to talk about thier interests exclusively to customers and most of the time they work alone. It does require an apprenticeship to learn. But considering music is an interest, it may be best suited.

I will tell you don't step close to anything politically related unless you intend to get a bachelors, and probably go beyond that.



starygrrl
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20 Apr 2011, 11:08 am

blauSamstag wrote:
jamieboy wrote:
My interests are Politics and current affairs and music (listening to). All i can think of there, is owning your own record store but i think unfortunately the Internet has killed record stores as a viable commercial enterprise.


Vinyl music stores won't be killed by the internet, but success there depends on population density, competition, and initial investment.

If you have a tolerance for tedium, quality assurance is a reasonable field. I've never even completed a college application form and after only 12 years in the industry my name tag says "senior" on it. And i make within spitting distance of what my father makes. I don't like to talk about money so lets just say it's not six figures but I'm comfortable.

Obsessing over details is a marker for success in QA, whether it's software or hardware you are obsessing over.

A willingness to methodically try almost the same thing 10 different ways and document the results in detail is a marker for success in QA.

An ability to make your case for change with logic rather than emotion is a marker for success in QA.

Honestly the only real hurdle for an aspie in QA is an ability to let it go when things won't be fixed to your satisfaction. I had real problems with products that were excrement from conception through execution when i was younger, but I'm over it now. I do what i can to advocate for the customer and for the future of the product, but i don't lose any sleep when one or two of my recommendations are pushed aside.


Many entry level QA teams now require a bachelors. It would be very difficult to get into a QA department at this point without one. 12 years ago that may have not been the case, but employers are demanding more and more education for positions that previously did not require such education. So I would not even suggest that route for this person.



jamieboy
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20 Apr 2011, 12:56 pm

starygrrl wrote:
jamieboy wrote:
My interests are Politics and current affairs and music (listening to). All i can think of there, is owning your own record store but i think unfortunately the Internet has killed record stores as a viable commercial enterprise.


It has, but have you considered becoming a luthier? They repair and create musical instruments, they also get to talk about thier interests exclusively to customers and most of the time they work alone. It does require an apprenticeship to learn. But considering music is an interest, it may be best suited.

I will tell you don't step close to anything politically related unless you intend to get a bachelors, and probably go beyond that.


Alan Johnson who was a member of the last cabinet in the UK left school at 15. I would get more involved in Politics but i am too ill to work and especially at something with lots of pressure. This thread is for future reference in case i have no other alternatives other than the workplace. I was just curious really.



SadAspy
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20 Apr 2011, 5:15 pm

starygrrl wrote:
I will tell you don't step close to anything politically related unless you intend to get a bachelors, and probably go beyond that.


Sorry...I know we've argued about this before, but I must state my disagreement. Politics, even more so than other professions, is about who you know. It doesn't matter how many books I've read or how many papers I've written...the guys with connections will get the job over me. My congressman hired two engineers (!) for his top positions. What the hell are their qualifications? Oh that's right, they KNEW him.

Don't get me wrong...I really WISH it wasn't this way, but it is.



FaeryEthereal
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20 Apr 2011, 7:30 pm

I don't think there are any bearable jobs for Aspies with few academic qualifications. I should know, I'm in my mid 30s and have no degree, I've tried numerous low level jobs that caused me to have nervous breakdown. :( The lower you are the worst it is, cashier, telemarketing, store assistant, all jobs that require multi-tasking, and interaction with lots of people. Or you get some kind of s**t shoveller or hard physical labor job :? The best job I had was in a daycare center but that was very low pay and noisy and draining.

If you are good with math and computers you stand a chance of a slighter better job.



arielhawksquill
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20 Apr 2011, 9:21 pm

Some Aspies have good success with night jobs, like grocery store stocker or security guard. Also jobs where one is alone a lot, like long-haul truckers and fire tower look-outs in the national forest.



NathanealWest
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21 Apr 2011, 1:09 am

I've found a job that I think I may like but the hurdle is figuring out how to write a resume to sell myself.



SadAspy
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23 Apr 2011, 9:00 am

A lot of people here are saying security guard.....as an Aspy who did that for awhile, it really depends on the site you're assigned to. Some security jobs involve a lot of interacting with the public.......some don't. So it really depends.....trying to get the night shift is a good idea.



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24 Apr 2011, 1:19 pm

For High-paying jobs you have to either have an impressive degree or have literally mastered a skill. Jobs you can get fresh out of high school usually dont pay well, and the ones that do are very hard to find.
If you want a good-paying job that dosent require a college degree, you may have to become certified in a field. Like a mechanic, or an arborist. To gain certification in something you will need to take a class in college, but it will not be too expensive, difficult or time-comsuming.


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mybookroom
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30 Apr 2011, 1:46 am

These are some of the non-degree jobs I have sort of at times done well in.
Anything clerical. I'm bright, but I save it for home, at work I can take a mountain of paperwork and keep organizing it until it is the most organized filing system. I've done this for metellurgical firms, lawyers, accountants and currently am doing a temp job organizing health records at a PRISON. OMG, it is so strange because I don't even notice where I am I just plow through the work. And they like me. lol. They should no one else can concentrate on details like an aspie can.
Another job is word processing or doing transcription (from recordings that lawyers doon tape ). I pug in and tune out. I get a lot of work from solo attorneys who need emergency help at night or on weekends. I charge them whatever I want then. lol
I also go to an online care web page that I will not mention here (but the first word is care and the last is com) and I sign up for pet care jobs. Note: I think the child care and senior care jobs they post are great, for anyone who is not an aspie, but whatever they are offering don't get lured into it, it could be a painful experience. stick to cat and dog sitting, they are much nicer than humans and I charge a minimum of $16 a visit (15 min visit usually to feed cat and change litter) and the owners treat me like a heor when they get home from vacation (they travel way too much). And they tell their friends, and so on. etc.
My husband is also an aspie and he does maintenance work at night part time at a hospital and he oves it. No one there bothers him and they think his obsession to neaten everything up is great. He got this job as a temp and did so well that they hired him full time.
That's another trick. Forget interviewing and trying to get a job that way. It hurts too much. Just do temp work and that way they get to see you 'in action.' and they give you a lot more respect and sometimes offer you full time work. At worst, you get paid and they become your references. Also if you really need to break into an industry, volunteer. Everyone likes free. They will not only learn to love you, they will teach you stuff and then they will feel like they owe you. It has worked wonders for me when I didn't have any references.
Another job I have done is designing simple spread sheets (taught myself and then did it as a temp job and then started marketing myself and working as a "freelancer" which is a temp except you get to keep all the money.
Another job I have done is designing simple data bases - same as above.
Another job I loved was collecting odd non-fiction books that
typical people thought were dumb (like how how to knit with fur) and selling said books on ebay for a lot of money (I picked up the fur book for $1 at the last day of a library book sale and sold it online for about $50.
Now I don't do good at long term anything. But I have been temping, freelancing and selling stuff online for over 15 years. It's a living and I feel pretty good about it. My only concern is that I talk too much in the office sometimes. I know before or after the fact that I am doing it, but at the moment... clueless. Oh well, at least I'm nice.
Oh and one last job, I write short articles sometimes about some of my hobbies and get paid a few buck for them (I weave, spin wool and teach juggling). Oh, that's another job, I teach juggling to kids. I'm a middle aged lady but I took up juggling because I liked it and I am moderately good at it, good enough to do group classes where I charge $3 a kid (I adverse online and hold the class in public parks or my back yard). Well, that's aboutall I can think of, hope it helps someone.



Meow1971
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30 Apr 2011, 2:22 am

While it means some learning you can get a job programming or at least show enough technical skills that the hiring managers will overlook the lack of degree for QA.

Various websites have great tutorials that get you started. W3Schools has a number of on-line lessons for web technologies and those combined with starter pages at Open Designs can get you started on making web pages for people. Your first few (or several) will be freebies to sharpen skills, get your work out there and create reference sites.

In another vein Microsoft has developed dozens of tutorials around their C#/Net platform (search for "msdn silverlight tutorials" as an example) and Java tutorials abound on the web. Going through those and then working with an Open Source project (Codeplex, Sourceforge, Google Projects and Github are a few site to look for things that interest you) to gain experience again provide samples for potential employers. I often send my samples with my resume and it gets me noticed.

This is not a right away thing, it will take some time to build up your chops and portfolio but it can make a huge impact. After a couple of years you may find yourself specializing in a niche that can be quite lucrative. Also it can feed into an obsession well; a piece of software centered on an obsession may be in high demand.

I hope this helps. In the end the results you show will carry great weight. A degree implies that you will bring results; results show that you bring results.