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Best jobs for autistic/neurodivergent people

mysterionz

mysterionz

oh hamburgers!
V.I.P Member
What are the best jobs for autistic or neurodivergent individuals? Mods, move if an existing thread on this has been made. I am currently trying out online shops and see if it’s fun or not for me. What would u recommend?
 
I really love my job working at a thrift store. I used to be so worried about getting a job that pays well. That strategy really made me paranoid and worried. I dumped that narrative into the trash and feel great. It’s not about getting a job that pays well. It’s about being happy with your job and having fun in the moment. If you can accomplish that, then you’re living a successful life. Always find a job that makes you happy.
 
Billionaire philanthropist. :D I think that would be a great job for everyone. It's just difficult to get that job.
 
I clean in a bus garage. Can be boring if there's nothing to do, but it's a very laid-back job, not too many rules, no pressure, and what tasks you do is up to you, as in you can use your initiative rather than being told what to do all the time.
 
Think tank job at Disney with a team of writers working with me. We'd have original stories that didn't repeat plots, didn't have plot holes and weren't full of contradictions, should they be sequels. Brad Bird would be on retainer because I'd feed him a ton more ideas for Incredibles films.

More seriously, being a travel writer or just a technical writer (copy writer) would be ideal.
 
I worked in a law office for many years, doing a sort of database maintenance.
The work was extremely predictable but very important. I was allowed to sit at my desk every day with headphones on and keep to myself.
I was appreciated for my thoroughness, attention to detail, and reliability.
It was really ideal.
 
Probably a job that amplifies on your own "special interests". Since mine was/is in science and maths, I ended up in engineering. My college/uni course not only taught me what to know, but how to think. I am now comfortably retired.
 
I'd like to own a store as a co-op, sell commuter bicycles and that sort of thing, have some other gear and tools and whatnot and a free-coffee counter. The last place you can get a tube patched instead of replacing it, or get a clunky but indestructible three-speed bike instead of a racing machine that'll be obsolete in five years. Somewhere disabled folks can get a motor fitted to theirs and homeless folks can get a wheel mended and at least travel safely so they can get back to their feet.

But right now I am a repairman in a big factory where I am quite happy but underpaid. We don't have a labor union here, sadly, but we have lots of work to do! And I am very good at doing it.
 
I'd like to work with rats, at a pet store or even in the sewers. The only thing is I don't agree with those breeding farms, unless rats from breeding farms are much better cared for nowadays.
 
mysterionz said:
What are the best jobs for autistic or neurodivergent individuals?
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Pragmatically speaking, the jobs with employers actually willing to hire you in spite of how you may come off as being "different". To judge you based on job performance rather than nebulously analyzing your personality in a brief interview that may or may not rise above the level of small talk.

Ideally speaking, a job you would enjoy with minimal interactions with other persons, whether coworkers or customers. Perhaps something closer to a special interest. I was good at insurance underwriting, but I truly enjoyed designing websites. More creativity and less social interactions. :cool:

Then again being self employed as an investor gave me more freedom not having to interact with much of anyone, but more responsibility as well. That if I made a mistake, I paid for it in the most literal sense.
 
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Cryptid said:
Probably a job that amplifies on your own "special interests". Since mine was/is in science and maths, I ended up in engineering. My college/uni course not only taught me what to know, but how to think. I am now comfortably retired.
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I was thinking this, too. Even though everyone burns out at some point, I feel like it might be harder to burn out on a special interest if you're not totally overworked. Plus, it could even be super rewarding.
 
mysterionz said:
What are the best jobs for autistic or neurodivergent individuals? Mods, move if an existing thread on this has been made. I am currently trying out online shops and see if it’s fun or not for me. What would u recommend?
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There are many autistic people working for the National Park Service. I wonder if it is the majority. The rules at work there are clear, the uniform lets you wear the same thing every day and though you interact with the public a lot, it is totally predictable and always about the same things. Also, you get to talk about your obsession (the park) so that part is very nice.

As long as you keep doing the job with nothing unexpected you can work there for decades doing quite well and moving up the pay scale. Also, you can refuse promotions. To explain, each park needs certain positions. They must be filled. If you fill one, you can stay at that position if you choose for your entire career. It will mean there is a limit to how much your pay will be raised but you will not be fired and can do that same job for decades. I think this is why it appeals to so many autistic people.
 
grommet said:
There are many autistic people working for the National Park Service. I wonder if it is the majority. The rules at work there are clear, the uniform lets you wear the same thing every day and though you interact with the public a lot, it is totally predictable and always about the same things. Also, you get to talk about your obsession (the park) so that part is very nice.

As long as you keep doing the job with nothing unexpected you can work there for decades doing quite well and moving up the pay scale. Also, you can refuse promotions. To explain, each park needs certain positions. They must be filled. If you fill one, you can stay at that position if you choose for your entire career. It will mean there is a limit to how much your pay will be raised but you will not be fired and can do that same job for decades. I think this is why it appeals to so many autistic people.
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I've mentioned it elsewhere, but my first job was at a historical interpreter and it was awesome to get paid to infodump.

See also

 
grommet said:
There are many autistic people working for the National Park Service. I wonder if it is the majority. The rules at work there are clear, the uniform lets you wear the same thing every day and though you interact with the public a lot, it is totally predictable and always about the same things. Also, you get to talk about your obsession (the park) so that part is very nice.
Click to expand...
What is the National Park? Is it just American-based?
 
Misty Avich said:
What is the National Park? Is it just American-based?
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The National Park Service (US) and Parks Canada (Canada) are federal government organizations that run and operate national parks in addition to many national historic sites.

The work they do is kind of similar to what in the UK would be done by the National Trust.
 
VictorR said:
The National Park Service (US) and Parks Canada (Canada) are federal government organizations that run and operate national parks in addition to many national historic sites.

The work they do is kind of similar to what in the UK would be done by the National Trust.
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What sort of jobs are there? Do they have to give tours and stuff?
 
Misty Avich said:
What sort of jobs are there? Do they have to give tours and stuff?
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At historic sites, historical interpreters may gave tours, demonstrations (may be in uniform or period clothing for the era represented) and explanation of things and how they relate to or contrast with the present.

At parks, park rangers do a mix of explaining things to visitors while also engaging in conservation work.

Those would be the more public facing roles (along with ticket/gate staff, concessions, gift shop, etc.), and then there's the primarily back end roles, which may include researchers, archivists, conservationists, restorers and other tradespersons, and various types of scientists.
 
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