Would this be a good career move for me?

Post Reply New Topic

Hi All,

I've never been diagnosed with Asperger's. But I believe I fall on the scale. I'm an INTJ on the Myers-Briggs, was introverted as a child, sensitive to loud noises (I get sensory over-load driving in the city and literally have to roll up my windows, turn off the radio, and stop any conversations w/ passengers), and a very systematic thinker.

I went to college for Mechanical Engineering and graduated in '05. PROFESSIONALLY, I've done *very* well in my engineering career. PERSONALLY, I have struggled at times to "find my place". I worked for a small consulting firm for 2 years, then moved to an R&D position with a foreign automotive company near Columbus, OH. Worked there for 4 years, did very well professionally (awesome reviews), but absolutely struggled with the politics (everyone says I'm good at office politics, but it STRESSES me out), looooong working hours, and confrontational/competitive corporate culture. So, I left last year and took a position with an aerospace company near Chicago. More laid back environment, less confrontational.

During my career, I've found a "niche" in operations improvement and project management (seems like a non-Aspie career???). I'm great at visualizing problems and creating solutions. I found a niche working on IT projects to improve business efficiency and also projects to improve some of our weaker suppliers. My weakness is that I definitely struggle to think ahead at times, struggle to predict what people may need from me, and a poor short-term memory but awesome long-term memory.

The past year I've had this notion that maybe I should take the next step in my career and move towards something in Operations Improvement. I used to volunteer at a local hospital in Columbus, OH and they want to bring me back for an interview in Operations/Business Process Improvement. Long-term I believe they would want me to get an MBA.

I believe I would be good at visualizing improvements, but I fear the "Business" aspect of the job may demand social skills beyond my capabilities. I'm good with small groups/one-on-one interaction. But, not so good at large groups. I'm a quirky individual, but maybe a hospital work environment would be more accepting of my quirks?

What do you guys think? Good move or not? I have difficulty predicting the impact of decisions sometimes, so I figured it would be good to get some advice.