Careers?

[jsilver256]

I've had a successful career, but mostly because I was fixated on work.

For the first time, my fixation is not on my job and it's not a good feeling. For the first time, I understand why autistic adults have such difficulty holding down jobs.

Has anyone been successful in holding down a career without fixating on it?

 

[Neonatal RRT]

35 years as a respiratory therapist, 32 of those years specializing in neonatal medicine, 32 of those years as a university instructor (part-time).

In order for myself to have not gotten bored with it, I've had to let it also be one of my special interests. Keep studying, always learning new things, with an effort towards being a better clinician every day.

It is not a passive endeavor.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I had a career frequent job changes some due to frustration great at fixing intractable issues no increased renumeration or promotion. last position gave up got pension stayed 21 years. 40 year in specialty made me a legend for my ability to solve intractable issues. Fortunately, I had a gift in seeing connections others could not see. Now that I'm retired, I got to use my skill one final time on this site as I unraveled covid. See covid thread.

 

[The Pandector]

No. I had a successful career but only because I lost myself in my work. Didn’t know I’m autistic, but knew I was more ‘into’ the technology than most of my peers.

Just personal interest…. You say that fixating on something other than your job is ‘not a good feeling’. Makes me wonder what fixating ‘feels’ like, and how your new fixation isn’t satisfying or comfortable. Whether your problem is with the new fixation being inferior, or if there’s something about your fixation having to be your income, or if your self worth is confused with your career, or if you just miss the old haunts, or… ?

At any rate, I can’t imagine going to work every day without being glued to the process, and agree that without that fire, I could never have lived that life.

 

[The Pandector]

35 years as a respiratory therapist, 32 of those years specializing in neonatal medicine, 32 of those years as a university instructor (part-time).

In order for myself to have not gotten bored with it, I've had to let it also be one of my special interests. Keep studying, always learning new things, with an effort towards being a better clinician every day.

It is not a passive endeavor.

Not to distract from the thread, but you may have nailed the source. Like you, I was driven to improve constantly; by the time I was hiring and firing, it was clear in my mind that the difference between workers was whether they were on their way somewhere or if they had already arrived.

While I’d like to take moral credit, I now see that this autistic trait was central to my success. And to think that I advised workers to cultivate this trait in themselves.

 

[Judge]

I prefer to look at being preoccupied with a job based on three primary considerations:

1) I enjoy the work
2) I have always had a strong work ethic, yet I never defined myself by the work I did.
3) A natural tendency to intensely focus on details (OCD driven? )

In nearly 20 years in insurance underwriting, I started out liking the job. However as time went on, in later years I began to loathe the job as it evolved based on corporate downsizing and an intent to merge with another insurer. And exhausting and frustrating to underwrite in an overly competitive insurance market.

Doing corporate web design was a joy that lasted only for a few years. I was a victim of the "dot-com collapse" as our division was sold off to another company that farmed out their Internet operations. If I was truly "obsessive" about work, it would have been this job, born out of a hobby of enjoying to create online theme-based graphic user interfaces. Definitely a "special interest".

My last "career" if you could call it that, was as a self-employed investor. The risk factor of using my own capital offset the peace and solitude of being self-employed and being my own boss. That lasted for about ten years before I formally retired, having gotten fatigued in a market that no longer cooperates with so many classic financial metrics of the past.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Not to distract from the thread, but you may have nailed the source. Like you, I was driven to improve constantly; by the time I was hiring and firing, it was clear in my mind that the difference between workers was whether they were on their way somewhere or if they had already arrived.

While I’d like to take moral credit, I now see that this autistic trait was central to my success. And to think that I advised workers to cultivate this trait in themselves.

Keep up grading helped me first a second specialized diploma and a specialized certificate. kept life interesting made solving issues easier.

 

[jsilver256]

No. I had a successful career but only because I lost myself in my work. Didn’t know I’m autistic, but knew I was more ‘into’ the technology than most of my peers.

Just personal interest…. You say that fixating on something other than your job is ‘not a good feeling’. Makes me wonder what fixating ‘feels’ like, and how your new fixation isn’t satisfying or comfortable. Whether your problem is with the new fixation being inferior, or if there’s something about your fixation having to be your income, or if your self worth is confused with your career, or if you just miss the old haunts, or… ?

At any rate, I can’t imagine going to work every day without being glued to the process, and agree that without that fire, I could never have lived that life.

Yes, that sounds about right.

The reason why the fixation not being my job isn't good is because I can't give a half-hearted effort. It has to be 0% or 100%. On top of this, I have been self-medicating the more political parts of my job with alcohol, so it was unsustainable even at 100%. So it is disturbing because it directly impacts our livelihood.

My new fixation is still in the same field, but in a side pursuit I find far more interesting.

 

[marc_101]

Yes and no. I can get obsessed about it for short time, but then I get bored. Then I get back. So a roller-coaster type of thing. I'm in a competitive field, so success implies working a lot.

 

[Ken]

I've had a successful career, but mostly because I was fixated on work.

For the first time, my fixation is not on my job and it's not a good feeling. For the first time, I understand why autistic adults have such difficulty holding down jobs.

Has anyone been successful in holding down a career without fixating on it?

I have only had one career, but I was absolutely fixated on it - from start to retirement. Now, after retirement, I'm still doing the same work in my own little private lab in my back yard, because I'm still fixated on it.
So, I'm afraid I don't know about holding down a career without being fixating on it.

 

[Outdated]

The reason why the fixation not being my job isn't good is because I can't give a half-hearted effort. It has to be 0% or 100%. On top of this, I have been self-medicating the more political parts of my job with alcohol, so it was unsustainable even at 100%. So it is disturbing because it directly impacts our livelihood.

This very much describes what happened to me. I was in many ways what people would call a working alcoholic, I was extremely good at my job and well respected but it required large amounts of alcohol to keep me going.

You're right that it's not sustainable, although I lasted more than 20 years before burning out. I didn't know anything about autism back then. Strangely, I never developed an addiction to alcohol and when I dropped out of society I no longer needed it. I never "gave up" alcohol but my last drink was over a month ago.

 

[The Pandector]

Yes, that sounds about right.

The reason why the fixation not being my job isn't good is because I can't give a half-hearted effort. It has to be 0% or 100%. On top of this, I have been self-medicating the more political parts of my job with alcohol, so it was unsustainable even at 100%. So it is disturbing because it directly impacts our livelihood.

My new fixation is still in the same field, but in a side pursuit I find far more interesting.

Ah. The obvious reason escaped me; it feels bad because it’s bad for you financially.

Don’t know how it played out for you, but yeah, nighttime alcohol to calm the turbulence of the day was always a temptation. The limit to that, however, is in when you can see that last night’s drink impacts today’s performance. When your performance is your justification for breathing, that’s a ding you can’t allow. At least, not too often.

May your new interest find profitable outlets.

 

[Outdated]

....nighttime alcohol to calm the turbulence of the day was always a temptation.

For me the drinking was while working, first beer for the day was usually about 11:00 am. I worked long hours and rarely finished work before 7:00 pm, then I'd go to the pub for a decent meal and a couple more beers before going home to sleep. I probably averaged about 60 to 70 hours a week working, the money was good but it wasn't a healthy lifestyle.

 

[jsilver256]

I think in many ways, the impacted performance helped me do a better job by slowing me down and giving me a distraction from anxieties, allowing me to move down the next items on the list. Since quitting drinking, I've been clear-headed but stimming constantly.

 

[Outdated]

For me it was social anxiety, but tip a few beers in and you no longer care very much what other people think. I still like a beer now and then, but only on a hot day. I think I'm averaging about 3 or 4 cartons of beer a year now, where as that used to be every week. I used to have a very active social life back then too, and I had a very high metabolism so I used to wake up sober every morning.

And that was the first sign that I was burning out, although I had no idea what was happening at the time. My metabolism slowed down and I started waking up still drunk in the mornings. I had to switch to a mid strength beer and I started having more and more social problems. I also ended up suddenly gaining a lot more weight and started getting depressed. My whole world turned upside down.

 

[Tom]

What is wrong with 'fixating' on work. Isn't that how one becomes very good at it?

My career was military. I saw it as more of a vocation then job. Not always smooth sailing or perhaps I should say not always smooth flying as it was Air Force. But I had no problem ever giving 100% (or more). But off duty was my and then my families time, so I didn't volunteer for extra hours of work unless really necessary to get the mission done. I cared very little for personal advancement in rank though I appreciated hard work being recognized.

 

[vergil96]

I don't have a problem with working.

I see this notion being talked about that people on the autism spectrum have a hard time getting a job and 80% are unemployed - I would be curious which aspects and circumstances of work are the problem. If I worked in customer service that would be draining for me too, especially in a busy shop. But IT is fine.

As for lack of interest - I wouldn't be able to do something that doesn't interest me in the least bit, but I find computer science and programming very interesting.

The largest obstacle that I have is getting ill over and over and over again - if I were to choose what suits me best, it would be hybrid work, 1 or 2 days of the week working from home + when I'm not feeling great (I suffer from migraines, IBS and insomnia, which often doesn't prevent me from working per se, but from leaving my flat), as I seem to get very used up going to places and not being completely comfortable.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I was more fixated at learning and developing skills in applying my knowledge, training, and experience to my work. That led me to develop a couple of patents for radiopharmaceutical manufacturing and let me enjoy Statistical Process Control and Statistical Design of Experiments applied to pharmaceutical process validation as required by 21 CFR, Part 211.