vergil96
Well-Known Member
So someone I know who works as a university teacher has said that being a university professor is a good job for neurodivergent people. Do you have an idea what specifically this person was referring to? She was contrasting an average corporate job with teaching, and there, I see the point, that there is no individual approach to people's needs in large companies. However, I'm not sure if teaching at a university is optimal for a neurodivergent person, at least for some. The little teaching I've done so far burns me out socially. Maybe it's that I mask subconsciously, but I find it overstimulating, I think, to have to communicate so intensely, with so many people. Then I'm also nervous about some interactions, I'm the kind of person that someone says something and it makes a big impression on me, my empathy is intense and I find it emotionally draining to be exposed to intense feelings and so many people with feelings. If something is wrong, I will not just quickly get over it like many people. Some students, who seem neurodivergent to me, seem to also be nervous about my neurodivergence, namely somewhat abnormal eye contact, hearing issues and perhaps my "oblivious" facial expression as well (can't fake it even if I try). Maybe I shouldn't care? There are many neurodivergent professors, indeed. But it also seems to me like they are clearly autistic, they make zero eye contact, stare at walls, period, and I'm falling somewhere in the uncanny valley, that I can't quite fake NT nonverbal cues, but the issue isn't clear enough, so people wonder and have their mistaken theories such as me being shy, afraid, aloof or angry. My other concern are unpredictable schedules unless your position in the hierarchy is high. The schedules are currently sucking the life out of me while still being at university. Otherwise, I find teaching fun and fulfilling, and especially the scientific research would be something I would be looking forward to. But it's quite tiring for me.