What's the most unsuitable job you've had?

[Nitro]

I can't say I've ever had an unsuitable job. I quit a bunch of jobs,but it was usually to seek greener pastures when I was still trying to win the rat race.

 

[Full Steam]

I briefly worked as a Kirby vacuum salesmen. It was a total nightmare. First I had to go through a fortnights training, which included a company chant every morning, following that all the trainees had to stand in a circle and every one took turns running around the center of the circle and slap every ones hand to the tune of "who let the dogs out". After our training our van leader would drop off a team of two into random upscale neighborhoods with a bottle of cleaner to bribe home owners into allowing us to do a vacuum demonstration. It was horrible we walked and walked for twelve hours with no brakes and no where to use the bathroom. At the end of the first day not one person let me in the door. I was abused, ignored and once some one chased me off with their dog. What's more it was Washington state so it rained all day, who is going to let a sodden stranger in to their house to listen to a sales pitch?

That is the pits.

Can't imagine anything worse.

 

[Chris Russell]

I worked at a supermarket stacking shelves.

I lost my pen, and pick lists at least once per shift as I never remember where I put things.

All the other staff were cliquey idiots and only spoken in small talk.

An alien in Tesco's.

I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here, and I accept full responsibility...

My initial response to this question was 'my current job'. I used to work as graphics specialist and Tech Illustrator in Engineering Consultancy, and all my colleagues were scientists and engineers. It was great, and I stuck it out for 15 years, but never managed to get a promotion. I got made redundant and now I work as a kind of unqualified supply teacher in a big secondary school - no schedule, no time to prepare, different classes, different rooms, different subjects, different students every 50 minutes all day. No quiet space in the school whatsoever, no career progression, no training, no line management, no mentoring... I guess I could probably stop there...

By all accounts, I should be terrible in this job, but the weird thing is... I'm good at it. In fact, I can be good at pretty much anything I choose to invest my time in. As an Aspie, I score really high on the systematising scale, and I'm very motivated to fit in (please people). This, together with the large amount of knowledge about all sorts of stuff I have accumulated, and the fact that I am a rule-follower (all characteristic in some measure of Aspies) makes me perfect for the role.

Having said that, it is a terrible job. The working environment, the lack of continuity, lack of understanding (from staff - the kids are much more forgiving and open) and appalling lack of efficiency in managing staff in general and me in particular, all make it a nightmarish existence.

I am a tenacious person, and find it difficult to admit defeat, so I am still here (6 years later) trying to change the world around me, rather that working on building the confidence to move myself away from the problem to a better place.

I suppose my point is, that there should be no unsuitable jobs, but there are certainly unsuitable environments, management and colleagues...

 

[Liam Sifr]

Once, when I was pretty strapped for cash, I took an hourly gig recording noise levels by the highway.

 

[biblophile]

Once, when I was pretty strapped for cash, I took an hourly gig recording noise levels by the highway.

I did not know that was a job. That would turn me into a nervous mess after about an hour. I am really sensitive to noise.

 

[Mr Allen]

Recycling Factory about 15 years ago, stood it for 3 days before I decided screw this I'd rather be on the Dole and quit, and don't even get me started on the pathetic joke of a pay packet, £2 a day for 3 days work, stood up all day in a noisy, mucky Recycling Plant? I was literally like, what the actual **** is this and how the hell is it "suitable for disabled workers"?!

 

[biblophile]

Recycling Factory about 15 years ago, stood it for 3 days before I decided screw this I'd rather be on the Dole and quit, and don't even get me started on the pathetic joke of a pay packet, £2 a day for 3 days work, stood up all day in a noisy, mucky Recycling Plant? I was literally like, what the actual **** is this and how the hell is it "suitable for disabled workers"?!

I worked for about a month in a dog food plant, my experience was similar to what you describe. I was living on the street at the time and that is the only job a homeless person could get.

 

[Liam Sifr]

I did not know that was a job. That would turn me into a nervous mess after about an hour. I am really sensitive to noise.

I took the graveyard shift.
But it did afford me the solitude i needed then.

 

[Chris Russell]

Oh, well get this: I spent a few months as a 19 year old door-to-door salesman!!! I almost starved to death.

I laugh just thinking about it. It was less than funny at the time, though.

Yeah, Aspies are useless at lying (one thing I am not sorry about!) so Sales jobs are usually not a good thing...

 

[Chris Russell]

I worked for about a month in a dog food plant, my experience was similar to what you describe. I was living on the street at the time and that is the only job a homeless person could get.

Sounds appalling - Since my diagnosis, I've been quite disappointed by the level of understanding about autism from those people and organisations that are supposed to be there to help us... we definitely have some educating to do!

 

[paloftoon]

Teaching in inner-city urban school districts is probably the worst for me. I got better at it, but I always sucked at classroom management. The "rules" were invisible and working with different schools means different communities. Sure, there were some similarities, but figuring out the differences and how to work with them was a struggle.

 

[biblophile]

Sounds appalling - Since my diagnosis, I've been quite disappointed by the level of understanding about autism from those people and organisations that are supposed to be there to help us... we definitely have some educating to do!

Those who labor under the conceit that they know what is best for the so called, " disabled, of underprivileged", think that we should be great full for any kind of work regardless of how degrading or meaningless the tasks are, should do some of those jobs themselves. People should be trained for jobs that they can do and are somewhat stimulating, using talents that are inherent to them. Their intensions might be good, but as the old saying goes the road to hell is paved with good intensions. It is their condescending attitudes that really get under my skin. They do not seem to understand that disabled, or autistic or mentally ill dose not mean stupid.

 

[Full Steam]

Those who labor under the conceit that they know what is best for the so called, " disabled, of underprivileged", think that we should be great full for any kind of work regardless of how degrading or meaningless the tasks are, should do some of those jobs themselves. People should be trained for jobs that they can do and are somewhat stimulating, using talents that are inherent to them. Their intensions might be good, but as the old saying goes the road to hell is paved with good intensions. It is their condescending attitudes that really get under my skin. They do not seem to understand that disabled, or autistic or mentally ill dose not mean stupid.

Part of this is the fact that eduction lags real life and the business world by decades.

People get spat out into the world lacking life skills, and empowerment, which is just plain silly since we know so much about what is needed for happiness and success.

 

[Doylem]

I pulled 12 hour shifts in a cold storage warehouse. The cold clammy sensation one experienced when sweating in the constant 28 degree temperature was bad....but it was actually the steel toed shoes that caused me to quit after a month. Damn how my feet hurt as I limped to the car.

 

[biblophile]

I pulled 12 hour shifts in a cold storage warehouse. The cold clammy sensation one experienced when sweating in the constant 28 degree temperature was bad....but it was actually the steel toed shoes that caused me to quit after a month. Damn how my feet hurt as I limped to the car.

I worked in a cold storage warehouse as well. It was truly hell.

 

[Mr Allen]

What also used to wind me up was the whole concept of places like Remploy Factories, where they had their workers, the vast majority of whom were disabled, doing menial tasks for the "pay" of about £2 an hour if that! No wonder most of the Factories are now closed including the one on Brightside Lane here in Sheffield.

 

[Judge]

I didn't even begin to contemplate being on the spectrum until I was 55 years old, so I'm not really sure about what "unsuitable" means when I had certain jobs.

I was never comfortable working one-on-one with customers, but I always got the job done and done well in most cases. The one job I looked back on with the most disdain was when I worked as a warehouseman. Mostly because the work was utterly exhausting each day, but it was the only work I could find at the time, even having graduated college. It didn't help that people at work seemed to resent me rather than accept me.

After getting injured on the job I came back for two weeks and decided I had enough. Found work in an insurance company seven months later.

 

[Chris Russell]

Those who labor under the conceit that they know what is best for the so called, " disabled, of underprivileged", think that we should be great full for any kind of work regardless of how degrading or meaningless the tasks are, should do some of those jobs themselves. People should be trained for jobs that they can do and are somewhat stimulating, using talents that are inherent to them. Their intensions might be good, but as the old saying goes the road to hell is paved with good intensions. It is their condescending attitudes that really get under my skin. They do not seem to understand that disabled, or autistic or mentally ill dose not mean stupid.

Very true. I've been on one hell of a learning curve since getting my diagnosis - now I'm able to step back and look at the bigger picture, I'm surprised at how little people know about autism in general and Asperger's in particular... I have been very surprised indeed, at the lack of knowledge and the poor, inadequate training that is offered to professionals in education. You know what they say about 'a little knowledge'... a half hour workshop at the odd training day, recalling the same old tick list of sensitivities is not enough to effect real change. We need to help people really understand our perspective and our strengths, before they will understand our worth, and appreciate our potential.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I worked for a nationwide corporation that pretends it's the best in the business and has a pretty price tag to match their "quality" of service. Worst job decision of my life, even worse than the job where I got fired for not letting the boss's son slap me when I told him to stop trying to pull my hair. They did so, so much wrong. Such as making you use your social security number for your password and teaching that 2*0.2=12 in their training books. Idiots.

 

[Bolletje]

I recalled last night that I worked a job where I had to go door-to-door asking people for a monetary donation for some organization. I hated this so much as I was pretty much at the peak of my social anxiety at that point, and to top it all off it was freezing that night and I was dropped off in a little village where my boss would come pick me up 6 hours later.
At one point I rang the doorbell and an elderly woman opened the door and clearly noticed how incredibly miserable I was, so she invited me in for a hot cup of cocoa. After finding out I had three more hours of work to go, she called my boss to tell me I wouldn't be returning to work and don't bother picking me up. She then gave me money for the bus and dropped me off at the nearest bus stop so I could go home.
Shortest employment ever, but that lady was my hero that day.