Random thoughts on possible careers

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I have a stable job where I get along with most of my coworkers. It pays the bills (barely) but I don't want to be doing this five years from now, let alone ten or twenty. I'm still looking for future prospects, but I have no idea where to start. I don't have access to any sort of counseling service.

I'm kind of just throwing some thoughts out in this thread and seeing if anything comes to mind. Some things I've realized as I considered careers:

- The single most important thing is that I feel my work will leave the world a better place than I found it. I am not interested in making money, or doing work that is easy or enjoyable. I'd work for peanuts and let stress drive me to an early grave so long as I feel what I am doing makes the world a better place.
- Accordingly, and in keeping with my political beliefs; I could never feel comfortable working for a big, for-profit company. I don't want any employer listed on the NYSE, that's for damn sure. I'd much rather work in the public sector or for non-profits. I could work for smaller businesses ok... the sort where an average Joe could go have a beer with the owner of the company.
- Contrary to what many people on this forum have found, I do terribly when I'm working independently. I am at my best with a partner or small team. Doesn't mean I need to be around people all day, but I need someone who I am in contact with very frequently at the very minimum.
- No matter how many stupid career-matching quizzes suggest otherwise, I am not, could not be, and never will be suited to technology-related work. It has become taboo in my family to suggest that I should do any kind of work pertaining to computers or software. I chewed people out for suggesting it a few too many times. I have a milder attitude towards engineering work; that stuff just seems pointless and dull to me instead of actively bad. My mind could be changed on engineering careers if I found one that worked with the other criteria I'm bringing up here. I doubt that's possible.
- I don't like jobs that want me to sit on my ass 40 hours a week. I have no problem being sedentary sometimes, but can't do it 8 hours a day. I need variety, I need movement and I need to feel like I'm not trapped in an office. There is not enough money in the world to get me to sit in front of a computer screen and work for that long.

I've thought about the medical field, political work, or perhaps some job where I build things with my hands. Maybe some socially conscious science job with a lot of field work. I don't know!

So... having read all that, does anything come to your mind that I might want to look at as a possibility for a future career?

Park ranger?
But I have heard it is hard to get such jobs.

Personally I'd love to be an international aide worker. But you generally have to get your masters and have experience interning in a field that doesn't pay interns even a stipend. I really want to help people but it's hard to find jobs that help people that work well with aspies.

Nursing requires being more sociable and good with people than I am. I would not be a good politician or lawyer.

I hate working independently too to be honest. I work better with at least one other person, even if we're not constantly working together.

I've considered becoming a paralegal and even though I mentioned I'm not huge on nursing, I could see myself doing it if I was able to get into a more specialized area - specifically being a surgical nurse - at a later point. Science interests me but the only way to make money as a scientist is to work for the government or corporations.

I agree with the movement thing too. I don't mind sedentary work, but I like to move around and do some more physical tasks.

Do you have ADHD too? I know that's part of my problem with sedentary work and working independently.

Yeah... reconciling ASD with a desire to be in these kinds of jobs can be a real challenge. It does make me feel better to hear I'm not alone in having these struggles, though. I feel less alone, for sure.

I don't know if I have ADD/ADHD, but I suspect I do. I'm going to work on either confirming or ruling out a diagnosis in the coming months. I certainly check a lot of boxes for ADD, though I score somewhat lower on hyperactivity.

Anyway; like I mentioned in the original post I've also considered medical work. I was looking at maybe starting out as an EMT (nursing is too social even for me) and then transitioning in to being a Physician Assistant. I could also become some sort of therapist. Science is also a possibility; you can also do it in an academic setting. That may work for you and is something I've thought of as well, but it feels a bit too "ivory tower" for me; it's on the table but with some reservations.