Autism-friendly jobs

I've found that every single job I have ever worked, I've ended up burning out and leaving. Worked retail, burnt out. Got a science degree and became a teacher, then burnt out. Went back to retail, burnt out. Got a science master's degree and went into the field, burnt out. Became a tutor for recovering addicts in an IOP setting and did awesome until a change in leadership and then I quickly burnt out. Worked for my parents' company, burnt out. Now, I have been self employed as a pet sitter for almost 2 years. With how much I am doing to make a living from it, I am pretty exhausted, and I make less money than most people my age. I haven't burnt out though. I have complete control over my schedule, I don't have to go to last minute pointless meetings, I can choose not to work with bad customers, I am not judged by company-generated metrics, I don't have to deal with other people's sounds or bull crap, etc. I'm exhausted, but I am exhausted on my own terms.

It’s not because we’re bad at working. It’s because we’re autistic. To be offered a job, I had to wait until I accepted the offer to disclose my needs. The worst part, anyone I tell about it, tells me there is no way that happened because they think people are treated equally…

I am currently applying to jobs. In the last years I have written 300+ job applications. And most reasons I get rejected is lack of confidence and not enough experience. I hate selling myself. With depression and PTSD I just want to yell: "Am I not worthy of even minimum wage???" I hate selling myself and everyone around me says: "Just act confident." As if it is the easiest thing to do when you are not!!!

My brother is 30 and could not attend mainstream high school classes or college due to his autism. Things were bleak when he left the special ed transition program at 20 years old. The only thing he would ever do besides eat and sleep is play candy crush on his iPad. All day everyday he would be hunched over, tapping a screen, not aware of anything around him. No friends, activities or anything besides candy crush. It was the most heartbreaking thing to witness. Those games are meant for ‘passing the time’ here and there, but for years he spent every waking moment passing the time. I had so much anger for the school system, for the incompatibilities he has with the rest of the world, for my parents for not pushing him more. Here I was, his younger sister, going to college and building my career, and there he was playing candy crush all day. It was deeply wrong and unfair for that to be his reality. Then, when he was 28, we encouraged him to volunteer at the local retirement home. Naturally the stakes were very low since it wasn’t a paying job, so he didn’t have to feel any pressure. He slowly received more and more training from them and he now has been volunteering there 20 hours a week for a year and a half. He now directs many of the activities and outings, as well as transports the residents to and from their rooms. The staff have come to truly depend on him, and they appreciate how responsible, meticulous, and humorous he is. At the 2 year mark he is going to officially ask for a paying position there, as he has more than demonstrated his abilities to them. Now when I visit him at my moms house, he enthusiastically tells me about all the latest drama at the retirement home, the funny predicaments he has found himself in with the residents, the ways he has helped supervisors solve problems, and all the inside jokes he has with his coworkers. If you are a parent or a sibling of a person with Autism, give it time and think outside of the box. Help them try things in a low stakes environment first, and there will eventually be something that clicks.

I'm a toy designer and this is THE job!! I get to keep to myself and draw all day.

I’ve come to realized that no matter what job or career I end up choosing, I’ll eventually end up masking and get burnt out not knowing what to do. I’ve accepted the fact this world wasn’t built for me, and now I have no clue where my life is headed and now I just feel stuck.

i honestly don't know if i'm NT or on the spectrum, but i relate to the struggle. it's insane that people get called lazy when they can't find a job, when in reality the vast majority of people actually wants to work, but they just want a job that doesn't suck the life out of them; even if it's low pay, if it's fun and engaging for the individual they will want to do it. the way work is treated in general is so depressing, how you're told to suck it up because "work isn't supposed to be fun". what a bitter and pointless way to look at fourty years of your life when it could be so different.

I feel so alone as an autistic woman tbh. Most of the representation is for children, or men. Thank you for your videos, they remind me that I'm not really an alien, and there are others like me all over the world :)

Honestly, being neurodivergent in a capitalist world where producing is the main goal is SO exhausting. Everything is BORING and not even a lil bit stimulating. There are only a few jobs that i would feel basic joy in doing it, but i dont seem to be right for them for not being neurotypical and very social. Therefore, there are no jobs for me. I hate it. And I also wish work would be what it was 70 years ago, only an income activity. I dont want to fucking pretend I like sitting in a chair for 8 hours straight doing absolute nonsense in this life. I just need money to live and to do what I want.

I’m an autistic teenager and my job is walking dogs! I get to go to people’s houses when they’re not home and take their dog. It’s super fun and really rewarding for me!

I was an esthetician for 15 years and a terrible job for a autistic person, I landed myself in a 3 year burnout. Too much painful, repetitive small talk. So many smells. And the hardest part was having to touch people while they complained. I'm now a small business owner making soap skincare and bath items. I work alone, pump music all day, smell pretty things, and not deal with people other than taking with them about my business! It changed my life, my relationship with my husband is better, my IBS is better, my stress rashes have cleared up almost completely, and I'm am so much happier. I love waking up everyday not dread it. That old career nearly killed me.

Been working since my teens in different industries. I'm 35 now. I'm here to tell you it's normal not to care at all about the company, it's products and services, or the customers. I just go through the motions with calculated mediocrity so that no one can complain about my job performance. I know that the most I can hope for is the workplace being tolerable. I know I'll always resent working. Full stop.

Wow! 85% of Autistics with college education are unemployed. I guess I shouldn't feel bad about being a college drop out. I have other comorbidities that made college very difficult for me.

as an autistic teenager fresh out of high school and with virtually no work experience, it's frustrating having to job search and finding basically nothing that suits your special interests and/or personal needs. i really just want to do something that allows me to be in control and independent from others and their expectations of me. it's hard and i feel stuck

I work in a vintage boutique! I really love vintage clothing from the 1860s through the 1980s and I get to talk to people about my special interest all day!!

So — I work with a bunch of girls that give off “mean high school girl” vibes. I don’t want to leave the job because good benefits and limited choices in my area. Here’s some tips that have been working …. - Stop trying to befriend them. If someone wants to become friends, it’ll happen. Otherwise anything I said to them would get twisted to make me look bad. Leave it at “good morning” and “have a good one” so they can’t say you’re bullying them or avoiding them. - Focus on your work. Since I have started doing this, my coworkers usually cluster together and chat for most of the day. It leaves most of the work to me. I do it. It was mentioned during my annual review that it is greatly appreciated & I ended up getting a big raise while they all got a talking to for being unfriendly.

I’m a librarian! It’s great and exactly slow paced enough for me to feel comfortable, even when talking to people I’m not really expected to follow the general social norms

Sadly this world is definitely not made autistic people love you're channel

I'm a massage therapist, working one on one with clients in a dark quiet place and being in charge of my schedule has made this career sustainable for me 😊

I'm a Highly Sensitive Person and I find this completely relatable. Currently feeling burnt out from working with people I can't personally relate to.