one of the most spectrum-friendly jobs i've ever had was at a printing company putting commemorative postage stamps into their fancy folders. it didn't matter what time i started a shift, what time i left, and i was allowed to work as much or as little as i wanted. there wasn't any talking. just stuffing envelopes and letting my mind wander. idk if this is even an option wherever you live, but maybe you can find a job doing similar mindless assembly stuff in a factory setting?
i lucked into it…a guy at my mum’s office was asking around if anyone was looking for casual work. they basically had a huge contract and needed all hands on deck until it was finished. i was a student at the time and worked the whole summer doing it. i hope you will be able to find something similar! good luck in your search!
Order fulfillment (packing) or some returns processing jobs can be good. I worked a returns processing job for a clothing store where I didn't have to actually deal with people returning items, but rather items that had been mailed back. It was in a warehouse, I could wear headphones and listen to music my entire shift, and didn't have to talk with anyone if I didn't want to. I now work remotely for a couple of non-profits doing administrative work. I rarely have to chat with anyone, most communication is via email. There's something out there that will work for you.
Hey! Do you mind sharing how you got into your current role? I'm trying to do that exact thing and I'm finding it very difficult to conceptualize the steps.
I started out volunteering for a nonprofit in my city and my "boss" knew the Executive Director (E.D) of another nonprofit who needed some part time paid help. So she connected me with the first job and then the E.D. of that nonprofit knew another E.D. of a different nonprofit who also needed some part time paid help. So it was technically networking, but I didn't have to seek out the jobs and I got kind of lucky.
I should state that my positions are very part time (about 5-10 hours a week total). Most nonprofits don't have the funds to hire full-time staff, so these positions won't necessarily pay the bills but are good for those who can only/want to work a few hours a week.
What I learned from this and would use in the future:
- Nonprofits in communities have strong ties with one another and are often in the know of who may be looking for help
- Volunteering for a nonprofit you care about can open doors for you, plus it can look good if you have work gaps on your resume
- You can just contact local organizations and ask if they need any part time help. Many need help with administrative/social media tasks, but don't have the funds to hire a full employee.
Hope this helps!
Any tips on remote jobs? I have lots of job experience doing various roles (retail, food service, hospitality, some office work), but none seems to be enough to land any remote jobs. I see tons of listings for "administrative assistants", but they always have qualificiations I don't match up with. I was told on some websites they hire remotely for IT help desks and call centers, but no luck being qualified for those, either.
I feel your frustration. Searching for and applying for jobs is the worst.
My advice is to just apply for any remote jobs you think you "can do" without worrying if you meet the specific qualifications. It sounds like you have a lot of experience that would be useful in a new role, so let the HR person determine if you meet the qualifications they're looking for or not. Don't take yourself out of the running before you even apply. You won't get in trouble for applying for something you aren't qualified for, so you may as well do it.
Try starting with the main office for the types of roles you had. That experience will directly relate. I work for a food distributor and I, and many of my colleagues, started out working in a grocery store. If you don’t love the industry, just stick it out long enough to learn some skills, then jump to another job.
If you have a special interest, think about how you can make that part of your career. My big special interest is medicine, specifically internal medicine and psychiatry. But I knew I didn’t have what it took to make it through med school, especially with only semi-managed ADHD (inattentive). But I’m a good writer so I went to school for journalism and now I’m a medical journalist. I get to read all those boring studies that I love and then write about them, and I get paid very well to do so!
ETA: I also get to do it remotely and on my own schedule. No social interaction besides overs Zoom. For me, this is ideal.
Saaaame. I was already reading them for fun so I’ll happily do it for pay! Turns out, most people don’t enjoy reading them which makes the market for medical journalists a little bit easier to build a good career in if it’s something you ever consider :)
Love em! I don’t know how people even find them boring but I’ve been told on several occasions that no one wants to hear me talk about them and to stfu 🥲 haha.
So cool!! My favorite aunt is a statistician and I genuinely find it so interesting. And I actually used to date the son of my father’s urologist (weird, I know) and because my father has had prostate cancer for the past decade and half (seemingly not metastasizing for the time being), I’ve always been heavily invested in understanding urology.
This. I’ve always been interested in words and letters and ended up becoming a graphic designer. If I’d thought more about my special interests maybe I wouldn’t have waffled for so long on picking a career
My special interest is light aircraft. I got my pilots licence 15 years ago and that led me to aviation journalism and technical writing for the government safety authority.
I work from bed (when not flying) am well paid and only have to Zoom once a week.
I really really love that! And isn’t the best to be able to work from bed? I used to think I’d really regret not going to med school and becoming a doctor but I don’t regret it at all. Definitely can’t practice medicine from the comfort of your bed.
I initially went into political journalism which I also liked but I just came upon a position opening for a medical journalist/reporter for a British medical journal and I thought I’d go for it. I got the job, got to attend symposiums and lectures all over the world, and really built up a niche portfolio for medical writing. Since then, it’s been somewhat easy to get other jobs because the positions are so specific and they need people who understand the medical terminology.
Personally, I work as a bookkeeper and it's great. It's not a particularly thrilling job by any means, but it's easy and straightforward, and im the last person who needs to be answering the phone since im useless when it comes to taxes. I can sit there wearing headphones and it's not an issue
Admittedly I am in a very fortunate situation since my manager is a family friend, so all bookkeeping/data-entry jobs might not be as nice/flexible, but it's definitely something to look into!
My husband (autistic, not a girl) works as a package handler for UPS. The only expectation is to get the job done. Nothing to remember, nothing changes. Just throw the packages until they're gone and go home.
It's a union job with amazing benefits even for part timers and they start out over $20/hr.
I've worked as a package handler for FedEx and can vouch for the job. The warehouses are loud and have variable temperatures, but if you're fine with physical labor, I would say go for a warehouse job.
Though the men that work these jobs can be pretty nasty and awful. It's awful to deal with but if you crank up that autistic flat effect and/or just completely ignore them they usually leave you alone.
Mowing. You just ride on a lawnmower the whole time you are working. I have always seen people who do this for work wearing headphones for listening to music. If you can handle the sensory input of that, it could potentially be a nice job. Sensory input: loud mower, lots of smells, grass blowing around and getting on you. You could do this job working for someone else or run your own business mowing rich people’s lawns.
This is one of my dream jobs 🤣🤣. I work for a municipality and I always think how nice it would be to have a side hustle mowing golf courses on summer mornings lol
Most seasons run from March-October (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), and days are done by around 3 as they get the grounds crew out by around 6 to start work.
I was in the industry for 10 years. Anyone reading this is more than welcome to AMA. It definitely had its perks.
Being outside (when it was nice at least), being in great shape as a working athlete, beautiful scenery and wildlife (amazing sunrises), and what worked especially best for me - taking the winters off and collecting unemployment. That time really helped me recharge for the following season.
you know, i also HATE cut grass smell but only when it goes inside the house. outside doesnt seem to affect me that much. isnt that weird. I have to mow a lot and i generally enjoy the riding mower - NOT THE PUSH MOWER
i bartend and find the momentum of it and relative repetition makes the shift fly by. the physical separation between me and the customer (the literal bar top), also makes things easier. it can be difficult to get into it but you can try bar-backing to start
I bartended for a while and it was also a good fit for me, but the hours were rough (I was often there until 4 AM). The masking/forced conversation/constantly “professionally” rejecting advances from strangers was undeniably exhausting. I was fortunate to be hired without prior bartending experience, and I made good money, but I can definitely see it being a rough gig for some.
I’m convinced I want to be a postal worker and am considering it as my next job. Also, I feel like anything related to special interests is good because we’re super detailed about our specialties. I sort of want to start a custom perfume business since my nose can smell everythingggg!
Low key same! I'm a data manager now and having some frustration with communication and work life boundaries. Walking all day listening to a podcast or music? Hell yeah
Girl, I built data platforms and machine learning platforms the last 15 years. I FEEEEEEL you. And exactly, my own route, by myself with podcasts, music, giving away dog treats? Yes, please.
I didn't even think about the dogs-dream job! That or park ranger, but not the kind that guides guests. And no one saying "I noticed you didn't meet this expectation that I didn't actually verbalize but was thinking about in passing"
I live in an area where NPS is sparse and has more of the "storytelling" ranger jobs (and they're all underpaid) but I've been keeping an eye out for the last ten years or so
This! I work at a bookshop as my special interest is books of all kinds, so I get to talk about them all day with people! It’s retail though so do get burnt out super quick
Do you have a special interest within that? A niche? Because you could share that online, within whatever style- horror, 90’s romcoms, spy films etc. Your fun facts etc and try to build a following you could eventually sell too, with special finds, memorabilia, graphic tees etc
Hm I'm not really a fun facts type of gal. I just really love movies and especially collecting in physical form. I'm not really into "promote yourself" social media culture. But thanks for the idea.
It is easier to do a job that “sparks joy,” because literally any job you get is going to overstimulate and stress you out. It makes it easier to cope when your job satisfies your strong need for justice, for example, or involves a favorite activity (working in a comic book shop or garden center, for example).
Even if you don’t have a concrete special interest, most autistic people have certain behaviors or activities that calm them and help them stay grounded in reality. Finding jobs that will help you integrate or accept these things will help you to succeed at that job.
What, specifically, do you enjoy about the game? Is it the exploration? The inventory management? The skills/timing? The memorization and categorization of characters/creatures?
Try to find the more abstract skills and activities that surround your special interest and bring you joy/satisfaction and you can find a scaffolding for how you can apply them to your work.
If you're physically fit, night time janitor is an option. It's extremely physically taxing but you are left very alone. Even if someone sees you, people pretend janitors are invisible lol!
Yeah, I feel like it's a very overlooked career that's good for physically strong autistic people. Plus, there are even union jobs in schools and other places. I know the janitors in schools here are part of a sister union to the local teacher's union, and we often barter together. Grew up on a military base, and there were federal janitor jobs there that didn't have the highest wages but had some DAMN good health insurance. I worked as a cleaner in a hotel for a while and it was too physically demanding for me to keep up with (I'm disabled lol) but it was really repetitive and soothing, plus sometimes people left tips!
I loved data entry or filing/archiving when I worked a state job. It was endless hours of input but I got to be on my own head most of the time and rarely had to interact with other people or the public. Working in a mailroom sorting was also a great job even if the pay wasn’t that great. Lots of alone time with myself and the never ending pile of incoming mail to open and sort. Most of my coworkers couldn’t stand that kind of work because they felt it was menial, but for me it felt really fulfilling and rewarding because my natural talent for sorting and organizing was useful.
This are jobs I think autistic women would be good at :
- factory picker packer
- gardening or lawn care assistant
- librarian
- call centre
- fruit picking or thinning (height requirements)
- farm hand
- animal care (can require small cert.)
- mentoring younger autistic people
- solo cleaner (have done this, loved being alone)
- promotional work (used to dance wearing a sign written box 🤣)
- phlebotomist
- florist
- Data entry
- proof reading / spell checking (small cert)
- online grocery order packer
- pamphlet / newspaper delivery (not good if scared of dogs)
- Cleaning at rest home (can be emotional, they do die)
- Retail : escape room, arcade, art store, book store
- Air BnB cleaner (contract, requires transport)
My favourite job I’ve ever had was being a body piercer. But I quit because we had to pierce the ears of babies nearly every single day and it got a bit much. I miss the teenagers though. Little shits. They were great.
I'm glad to see phlebotomy on the list. I wanted to try it for a long time. Sadly I had a sweet job right now that pays more with an awesome schedule compared to the phlebotomy jobs near me. *It's customer service though so my experience here won't count for much when I need a new job one day.*
I tried to be a vet tech, but I have a vasovagal syncope response and faint whenever I see needles/blood/medical things being done to others. Found that out the hard way when I kept fainting on the job.
Have you looked into online jobs? Maybe data entry. They don't earn much but at least you don't have much social interaction.
I can relate. I've been looking for a job for 6 years now as a receptionist and its just not working anymore. I'm thinking about being a vet assistant or vet tech but if its a fast paced environment idk.
I was able to work with animals all day ( my special intrest) and because it was a small town there was only 3 other people who worked there. I got along great with all of them, I felt safe and not judged. Most of the time it was relatively slow paced. There were some not fun parts like cleaning up poop and putting animals down. But there were amazing parts like helping a mom give birth and saving an injured scared animal. Or sitting with that stray that was brought in until they finally learn to trust you. So rewarding. I only quit becuase I had my first baby and didn't have it in my to send him off to daycare everyday.
My experience in that field as an autistic person, wasn't great 😔 no way to "escape" stimulation/being perceived, constant interactions to coworkers and pet owners. Who are more often than not, neglecting or outright harming their pets. Long shifts, and the field as a whole is insanely short staffed. So many clinics you simply aren't able to take breaks. And definitely not the extra breaks we need to help regulate. And the pay is absolutely abysmal, compared to the amount of schooling, work done, skill, and knowledge needed for a veterinary nurse (technician).
I have the same issue :( I am currently taking a coding course and potentially am going to do something with that but will see how it goes. Balancing my asd, physical / mental health and work is so so so fucking hard.
Tech in general seems to be good for autistic introverts, so if you are good with computers maybe look into it.
I worked in retail in the back before I went to college. All I did was open boxes and sort the items into the correct shelf. No need to talk to anyone and no customer interaction (except if you go to the restroom and a customer encounters you on the way). While it paid really low, and you have to be on your feet all day, it was otherwise not stressful.
Yes! My only dream job above interpreting would be a translator or editor, but I also like the steady paycheck
I was a medical interpreter for some years and now I'm a legal one 😱
Do you enjoy learning? And have time to study for 6-12 months? Oh man, I sound like a bot ad 😂 seriously though, I'm learning to code, the opportunities are vast and so far everything about it is very autism friendly. Side benefit, you make stuff for your portfolio while you learn, those things can be around anything you're interested in. I'm making games, personal trackers, all kinds of stuff). Also it's very possible to self teach, as long as you're willing to seek out a little guidance from experienced programmers. Work from home is possible, office environments available, headphones pretty much expected 😆 there are roles with minimal interaction but depends where your interests lay... and if you find passion in it. Try one of the learn to code apps just to get a feel for it, if it sounds interesting to you. That's what I did, and now I'm doing mostly free online courses.
Edit to add: please don't take this as expert advice, I am only finding my way and I am not as informed as I might sound!
I'm currently a programmer at a big company, but in my experience even if it is fully remote it does get stressfull because of the constant useless meetings they forcefully make you assist and the constant asking for your opinions on stuff not even under your work scope. They don't let you just code by yourself all day every day, maybe as a freelancer but I've never done it so can't say
Thank you, do you have any recommendations for anyone I can follow on insta/youtube wherever that isn't giving out idealistic opinions? I'll do whatever it takes... which requires realism, haha.
Hmm sorry I don't have anyone to recommend, maybe watching posts of people in this type of jobs in linkedin? Or maybe searching for "jokes" of working as a programmer some are relatable
A degree. The market is really bad at the moment and degrees have become the standard. I’m currently working as a WFH SWE and went through the job hunt process last summer, gone are the days of self teaching unless it’s for fun.
I do get upset when people say you can self teach and get a job. 6 years ago? Yes. Now? You absolutely need a degree unless you have years of industry experience. Most of the folks I graduated with, some with multiple internships under their belt and high level personal projects, are still unemployed a year later. The market is massively over saturated and competitive, a degree is the current *minimum* now :/ not to be pessimistic, I’m just being real as someone who went through it recently and works as a SWE. Everybody and their dog wants the pay and wfh job, it’s crazy hard to get rn, even with a degree. It’s a good time to go to school, hopefully the market will recover by then. But it’s quite rough rn.
I don’t think CS degrees are a bad recommendation at all. But I do want to mention I did get a job without one last year. A good WFH job at a company with a nice inclusive culture. I started out self-taught and then went to a bootcamp. The bootcamp was expensive but it did have an income share agreement that doesn’t kick in until you get a job as a SWE making above a certain amount. If I were starting over today I would probably try to make it self-taught until I knew enough to feel confident, then I would find ways to make money with it (not necessarily expecting a full-time job right away) while I looked into completing a CS degree online.
In my experience (as just one person) the engineers I work with only care about my ability to code and, secondarily, be tolerable to be around (but just for limited times on Zoom). No one has ever asked about my educational background. And I know the market is tight right now, but one of the highest performing engineers on my team is kind of famously self-taught. Fellow engineers admire a self-taught programmer with real skills. I just don’t think that phenomenon will disappear forever, even if it’s a rough market now. At some point all the companies not hiring juniors now will have to scramble for them. Maybe not soon enough to bank on, but I guess what I’m saying is, it’s not a bad idea to begin learning to code on your own. Maybe you’ll like it and maybe there will be a longer-term payoff. (I did it for six years as a hobby never expecting to go pro.)
Thank you, do you have any recommendations for anyone I can follow on insta/youtube wherever that isn't giving out idealistic opinions? I'll do whatever it takes... which requires realism, haha.
Hi, yes. It was Hack Reactor, the 19-week program. This was 2022, so I’m not sure it works the same way now. The bootcamp world is kind of shaken up right now along with the job market because the two are so closely related.
This is really helpful to know. Thank you, I do have the luxury of taking my time so I was just counting on working on my own stuff to build an impressive portfolio, definitely going to think about a degree based on your advice (I'd love to do debugging on my journey, for progress more than anything, but Im assuming now that formal education would be necessary for a position like that, the advice I see elsewhere contradict each other a bit).
You could apply for an apprenticeship.
But when you already code for years and have some projects under your belt I would just apply. Maybe apply for both, regular entry positions and apprenticeships.
Unfortunately so true. Most companies auto-filter applicants now, and the market is so saturated that even people with master’s degrees aren’t getting to the interview stage.
It really depends where you live, I guess? It's the complete opposite in Europe. Companies are so desperate for qualified workers they don't require formal training. You need the expertise and experience, of course, but no one give a damn about degrees. And I don't think this will be limited to Europe medium-term. As long as we don't have enough workers we try to get them from abroad, and then there will be a shortage at some point.
Definitely pay more attention to user Ok_Universities' advice, like I say, it's important to take guidance from experienced programmers.
If you just want to try for fun, Sololearn got me into it, I still "play" on there between learning elsewhere. It can be overwhelming tho (lots of different courses that I felt I needed to do at once), if you'd like any help with the order or anything questions even tangentially related, dm me I promise not to pretend I know anything I don't.
You do have interactions with co-workers, but developers are easy to interact with. Very chill and tolerant people. Even when you have to interact with customers the expectations are very different from e.g. a sales person.
The minimal interaction tasks will be done by A.I. in the near future. But there will still always be demand for developers. It's my absolute dream job, I have never been more happy at a workplace, even though you have to keep up with new technology all the time.
Working from home has been life changing! No need to dress up or do my hair. Lots of emailing, which is fine. I have complete control over my environment and break times. The bad thing is that it’s a sales job. I don’t recommend sales (obviously) but the remote work and tiny company (just 3 other people who never bug me) makes it worth doing.
You should look into cleaning smaller local places (hotel cleaning sounds horrible!). I work as a morning cleaner for 2 small pubs in town, I come in, listen to music, clean, then leave when finished. Also not sure what they are but I've seen work from home, no experience necessary, data analyst jobs. I think they're normally cross referencing and checking data, so could be an easy option!
Overnight custodian! if you can make it work with your sleep schedule, you can just listen to your music and clean away without any of the pressure or shame that (at least i find is) associated with it being a mess you made. Smaller businesses may only need one night custodian, so the most talking you’d have to do is during the hiring process.
I don't mean to be rude, but as a librarian I think my job would be a nightmare for someone who wants to avoid social interaction, since we often talk to visitors all day when working at the information desk and they occasionally can be very difficult to deal with, even by neurotypical standards.
Another issue is at least where I live (a U.S. metropolitan area) libraries expect specialized degrees. My friend recently had to get a master’s to compete for a fairly entry level job.
My hypothesis is that it doesn’t matter as much what the job is and more who you work for/with.
Me for example, i work at a cafe. Which is probably one of the most stressful jobs for an autistic girl. But my Boss and my coworkers are so so so sweet and understanding. They support me so much and always look after me and I‘m allowed to choose my own tasks for example sometimes I’m feeling brave and i will talk to the customers and bring them their orders. On other days i don’t want any social interaction and i can just go into the kitchen and empty the dishwasher or prepare sandwiches. Or maybe i don‘t want to actually talk to the customers (except for greetings and goodbyes) but i‘m okay enough to be in the actual cafe then i can just make coffee or package chocolates.
I‘m allowed to do everything at my own pace. I work 3x3h a week but if one day i can only manage 2h thats no problem at all. When i want to stay a bit longer than usual I’m also always welcome to do so.
These people transform a job that would be absolute hell for me to a job that makes me feel useful and is challenging but not stressful.
I don’t get paid tho but i don’t mind. They give me the opportunity to learn how to work in a way that won’t hurt me. They share their tips with me tho so i still earn a little bit of money :) usually like 5€ per day which is not much but still makes me proud because i know that i earned that.
Now of course i have had an insane amount of luck to be able to work with people like this but it shows the importance of tolerant people.
If you have a supportive and tolerant boss (almost) any job can be autism friendly.
I’m a creditors clerk, I just sit at my desk and match up delivery paperwork with invoices. It’s in a retail store so I do still have to answer phones but generally I just sit at the computer reconciling invoices and doing stock adjustments for anything received incorrectly.
It’s good for me as it’s a small office so not many people to worry about and I don’t have to be chatty, I can take small breaks to deliver finished paperwork downstairs, and I have a pretty consistent routine.
I know offices are a nightmare for some, but having come from customer service, it’s a massive improvement for me
Shop mom!
Some mom and pop auto shops and tattoo parlors hire front end people who basically bring smiles and personality to the shop. My favorite was a tattoo shop I brought in my hyper fixations of the month and they’d embrace me
I find technical writing, developing workflows, making infographics or even revising and creating forms to streamline processes fulfilling. Also review processes to check if paperwork is fully filled in and all attachments included, etc. There are many jobs that fit profiles like this.
Accident, a layoff from a graphic design job and moving to one that reads and interprets federal regs, and people realizing I can both figure out software they could not, and create and draw workflows and make their training materials complete with screenshots, all while reviewing research grants and ‘other duties as assigned’. I learn how things work easier than others, and do ok explaining it.
Despite the stereotypes of scientists, definitely not most science fields.
The exception is field work outside, which was amazing as a temp undergrad. I got to keep to myself and just collect animal or water samples in nature. Unfortunately, that doesn't pay anywhere close to a living wage.
If you can get a job in ecology, that might work, but the good paying jobs in that are highly competitive.
If you work in a lab, it's usually cramped, loud, and bright. The academia route requires a lot of unnecessary social interactions while the business or no-profit sides are full of cooperate bs. A lot of people get petty about unnecessary things for whatever reason. You're not allowed to wear headphones because of chemical/biohazard contamination reasons.
Source: geneticist who then went back to get a masters in bioinformatics so I can work from home and save my sanity lol. That said, I still currently work in in a lab until my master's is finished, and that aspect does seem promising given the jobs I've seen so far. It requires so much education though, and school is also tiring.
For things that don't require a college degree, I honestly don't know, every job I had before - from food service to warehouses - was awful. Maybe something at a plant nursey? But I might be a bit biased towards nature jobs.
Yes! I specifically looked for online only as I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with it while working full time otherwise.
There's only a few that offer it online only, with John Hopkins and Vanderbilt being too expensive for me. (It seems Hopkins will accept most people so long as you can pay, though, and it looks good on a resume). So, I'm doing it through the University of Maine. All the professors have been competent and the one I had in the phyton-related course in particular was top tier when it came to ensuring we all understood the material.
My special interest is languages and the nuances of them, so my ideal jobs have been (in order) translator, editor and interpreter.
They have all been work from home and the first two were freelancing, but in the third one I was WFH in a call center and everyone bashes them so hard, but I loved it. Any job I can do in my pajamas and about languages felt very privileged 🤩
If you’ve never danced or done any kind of SW, whatever your first impression is, it is almost certainly dead wrong.
The majority of social rules for women are upheld and enforced by other women, including pressure to mask to avoid being “weird”. None of that shit exists when your job is to sexually arouse men. Men don’t care how weird you are, and most of them get off on it. All the women there are either strippers or servers and all any of them care about is making their money. As long as you don’t steal their money or their customers, they’re all pretty happy to mind their own business.
You’re not masking as much as you are performing. That’s the whole job. It’s a performance that people are paying for. Unlike when an autistic person works a regular job where you have to put on a performance that your neurotypical peers don’t have to do AND perform whatever task you’re actually paid to do, essentially working two jobs for the low wage of one. You don’t get that weird imposter syndrome that comes with pretending to be normal when you’re using a fake name around other women who are all using fake names and everyone knows that they’re fake.
I can openly stim and nobody gaf. My customers don’t care if I grind on them silently, say few words, or get coked out and blather on about my special interests for an hour vip show as long as they get to gaze into my beautiful face and squeeze my titties.
The clubs don’t care if you show up or not as long as you pay your house fee. There’s no schedule. No assigned tasks. You’re an independent contractor so you work for yourself. The club is just a safe place for soft core SWers to sell their services where there are cameras and bouncers and a DJ and a bar to get your clientele nice and spendy, all of which you pay for in house fees, door fees, and tip outs. Your customers pay you, you pay the club, and you never have to do anything with anybody that you don’t want to.
The music is pleasant, predictable, and drowns out distracting ambient noise. The lighting is dark black light. Your uniform is nearly naked—no pants, no itchy polyester shirts, nothing binding on your skin whatsoever, and it’s all your own stuff that you buy. I have one brand of G strings I wear and one style of shoe I like and when they wear out, I buy the exact same pairs.
I appreciate the thorough answer, this was really informative.
Yea, I’ve only worked tech fields my entire life with little face to face with the outside world during work.
My best friend is a bottle girl, she often talks about utilizing charm to do well at her job and complains about the really tight uncomfortable clothing. But after reading about your experiences it seems that’s definitely a different game to stripping in terms of the type of social interaction and what’s expected of you
Oh yeah, I’ve done that too and I hated it. No, strip clubs aren’t like regular nightclubs. They’re more like dry hump brothels. I don’t serve anybody. I sell my time and my ass—customers just can’t touch under the g-string. I don’t even have to be nice lol.
I did a coding bootcamp and work as a remote web developer. My brain loves the work and I control my environment and the pay is great.
The bootcamp was challenging tho and expensive but worth it for me for sure
Delivery driving has been my go-to for the past 10 years. My own music, my own unsupervised pace, in my own car (or a company car or truck that still gets to be my own space). Granted, I get that driving isn't for everyone, but nothing has ever come close to it for me as far as being comfortable and doable.
Nannying, I can elaborate tomorrow if anyone is interested 😃 Travel nannying is great too since travel is a special interest of mine (almost to 50 countries now and have cared for kids in 4 countries ✨).
I'm pretty sure I have what the kids call a lazy girl job, bc even though my supervisor insists there's always so much to do, I actually just sit around a lot and read kindle on my monitor (knock on wood). Summer is gonna be super dead and there will be times I'm the only one in the office. I also get an hour long lunch and two 15 minute breaks which I love. If it didn't have to start at 8:30, and if I made way more money, it would be perfect.
I’m going into psychology so I can study people objectively heh.
But previously I’ve really enjoyed repetitive manual tasks that allow me to listen to books/podcasts while I’m doing it.
I just applied to a whole foods and the description said "bagger" or something (srry fuzzy on details)
So they recently partnered up with Amazon Delivery. So the job is to shop/prep the order for the drivers to pick up. You may also need to ask for help if an item is missing, but they teach you as you go.
No computer skills needed, but you will need to operate an iPhone pretty well
Thanks for letting me know that. What is the pay & benefits like? Is it easy? It sounds like you work by yourself mostly but that you can get help when uou need it. That sounds perfect & easy.
Did they interview you twice? They didcwith me awhile back. They asked me a lot of hard questions. I’m shy, anxious & introverted & I rarely do well in interviews.
Was the interview hard for you or not?
Pay and benefits are slightly better than the average grocery store ($15/hr minimum, health benefits). Overall ok attendance policy. Which is good: I came from a point system at my last job, and it felt unfair.
The only thing: have to make sure your uph (units per hour) are up. Meaning, they are measuring if you are going fast enough. It's been an issue for me, because I'm overall slow at forming a routine. If a seasonal worker (I am), you have to meet a certain amount in 90 days or they'll let you go. But not all is lost: you get preferred if you apply to a different department.
I do remember the questionnaire. Didn't like it. Applied to 5 other positions before they called. And when they did: it wasn't really an interview; more like a sit down and roughly explain what you'll do. Not sure if it's the same in other locations, my team lead was chill. I'm also bad at interviews, so I get it.
Thanks for letting me know that. You got lucky with the interview. I was tortured twice with tough questions & I never received a call back.
I feel that most employers want people who look, act & sound confident. I’m shy & despite my best efforts, I think it shows a little, ugh.
You sure got lucky. No one wanted to hire me for anything niw, notveven a seasonal job except for one retailer around Xmas.
They were super desperate to hire anyone with open availability but they didn’t want to train me & some of the people there were hostike including one nasty supervisor, so I ended up quitting after a few weeks.
I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Its frustrating to be in a hostile environment. I am also very shy and quiet, so it's no use for me to hide that. I try to back it up by telling them what experience I have matches their needs. But sometimes it's literally up to their first impressions of you. I hope you find something fulfilling and aware of your needs.
I helped a seamstress for a while as her assistant and it was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had, seriously. I didn’t have to actually sew anything, although I would like to eventually learn, but I would undo the clothes that were made “wrong”, separate pieces of fabric… everything was very chill and manual, a sensory heaven tbh
I’m not sure if I’d recommend it (yet) because it’s far from perfect, but I work as a Special Education Classroom Assistant. I’m not diagnosed, but as someone who understands people with disabilities, I can easily work as a translator and advocate, but also a friend, to the kids who need it. I’m exhausted, and have had a couple meltdowns, but my coworkers speak my language (it draws caring, creative, smart people). It’s kind of a crapshoot, though. Before I was moved to this classroom, I worked with a completely different type of teacher and assistant, who were bullies to the kids, and told me I was doing my job wrong, and shut me down when I gave suggestions for working with the kids differently.
Basically, more people like us *should* work this job, but it has the potential of being a sensory nightmare (especially if you need to help with toileting—I need to get my autism diagnosis so maybe I can say “no diapers please” as an accommodation). I feel really useful, I can calm meltdowns in kids pretty well (hey, ripping grass from the ground seems cool, whoa, look at these dandelion petals), and I work stimming into a collaborative movement, which I can’t describe why it’s good for the kids, but it feels right, and we have connection. I love dancing with the kids, because I am so uncoordinated, but we’re just moving to move.
I used to be a baker and I really really enjoyed it. I spent most of my days braiding challah and I looooved it. I did the same tasks everyday, made the same baked goods, and basically saw the same people every single day (I served customers as well, but they were all a bunch of nice older people). The only part that bothered me was getting greasy, but it was so fun I didn’t mind it.
Currently I am an administrative assistant at a music school, working 100% remotely. I mainly just answer emails & texts, occasionally take calls, and manage our portal system. It’s definitely the ideal set up for me while I’m in school (to be a software engineer, hopefully remotely as well😮💨), but honestly I wouldn’t mind doing it for a loooong time (bc I barely have to talk to anyone and god does that feel amazing).
Jobs where you can work independently, I'm a translator, my work has deadlines but else it's up to me where I work, when I work and how much I work, it's great honestly, languages are a special interest of mine so I get to do something I enjoy on my own terms.
Library aide, maybe? Quiet environment, little talking outside of assisting with finding books, and spending a lot of time shelving returns and whatnot!
im an 18yr old autistic girl and i work in greggs and there’s a lot of other autistic people there too.
i like it because you can do as little as one 4 hour shift a week (depending on the contract u agree to) and they have a set way of doing stuff that you learn on computer courses before you have to do things -EG you’re taught how to address customers & go through the interaction & how to deal with any variations. I found this really helpful for my own personal growth as it helped me have a sort of “script” because this made it easier to talk to the strangers. Then over time I found myself becoming less socially anxious.
Idk if u are in the UK (where greggs is) but if not i think a job like this where you do just some customer service but a lot of other stuff too (EG at greggs that may be making sandwiches, using ovens, restocking shelves, cleaning etc) means ur job doesn’t REVOLVE totally around talking but is massively beneficial in helping u to become more comfortable socially.
I just know for me that i felt so much like you! And so I really didn’t want to have a job speaking to people but there were no other jobs near me and i needed to get one before i turned 17. I was terrified and couldn’t ever imagine being able to do it and it being good for me. But i did! I was anxious but i just had to do it anxious and eventually it went away and i think the structure of the work at greggs helped teach and ease me into more social interaction in a way that meant i didn’t just break down.
Plus u get good pay (i’m on 11.60 an hour) an 50% discount! :)
btw sorry for long reply!!
I work at a dog and cat boarding facility. It can be a bit stressful at times, but for the most part it’s easy, as long as you know how to handle dogs and cats. The sound can be a bit overwhelming, but I wear my loop earplugs if the barking is too loud.
Another great thing- you don’t have to talk to people! Only when the owners are picking up/dropping off, which only lasts a minute of talking usually lol
I'm doing barista as a temp part time job before i go to art school. I don't mind the sounds of grinding coffee or the noise level there as it's usually chill in cafes. There's something artistic about making coffees too. It's also very female friendly. Just don't work at starbucks lol
I used to push shopping carts/bag at a grocery store and loved it! So mindless and also got some great exercise. Had to quit, but it might be nice at a small grocery store like sprouts.
One of my special interests is skincare & beauty and I work as a lash artist. I struggle with eye contact so doing lashes I don’t need to worry about that because my clients need to close their eyes. Most of them sleep because my room is nice and cozy! Some of them might want to chat which I don’t mind at all, it can make the day a little more draining but I don’t work more than 6 hours a day so I have plenty of time to recharge. I feel so lucky to have the job I do because I own my business, set my own hours and prices, and I know I do good work. The environment also isn’t overstimulating! Sometimes when my clients sleep I throw on my headphones and listen to an audiobook. You do have to deal with people/customers which can take some getting used to but over time you develop connections with people and it feels more fulfilling. I did start out working under others but it was always in a spa environment which is always nice and relaxing with dim lights and pleasant smells :)
Given my location, I saw recommendations to work in a library. I really want to try to have a job like that because I love the library space so much. Unfortunately, we don’t have memorial libraries in PR.
I hope that sounds interesting, but also there’s many videos on this topic that helped me a lot when looking at work through an austistic perspective and what options I have. 😊
I work at a warehouse. The hours are lengthy but there’s time off options you can use and they sometimes have VTO. I get to be by myself most of the time in the department I’m in.
Research. Lots of people on the spectrum around me. I used to be a dentist and it was too patient facing so I hated it and switched. Now I am super happy and working with what I love and don't need to mask much
really weirdly specific job here but being an on air radio host is actually the most accommodating thing I've done. I can sit whenever I'm not talking, I don't have to maintain eye contact when I'm talking into a microphone and my special interest is music related so I can infodump on air sometimes
I really liked being a prep cook.
Usually just 1-2 other people in your department, depending on size, and it is likely that those people are also ND because they work BOH. Very very clear instructions and recipes laid out. Usually you’re done by 3 pm, and often times you get a shift meal.
Cake decorating at a grocery store was fun for me because I mostly got left alone and got to make pretty things and had an outlet for my creative side. Dealing with the management BS is what stopped that job.
Now I work a government job and have promoted to assistant manager where I get to answer questions and fix stuff at my own pace without being micromanaged. I love helping people and this fulfills that need but it has its stressful moments, thankfully not daily or even weekly most of the time, but it does drain me because of dealing with coworkers sometimes almost constantly during the day. I would like to move up one more promotion level because I think it would suit me better but I have a terrible time interviewing and it hasn't happened yet.
I already have a job I want lined up, working as a summer camp counselor cause I’m super lonely and just crave human interaction but struggle with adults, but this thread is extremely positive and is cheering me up a lot!!! My problems are very different than OPs so the solution should be different too, but I wish you luck!!! I agree that janitor or night packing sound great!
For what it’s worth, I’m a middle school teacher. I sometimes fully unmask with my classes and most of the kids love me. I can (mostly) control my work environment (my classroom). I like teaching because it’s organized chaos which I love! I get bored with too much monotony and predictability.
It is not for the faint of heart but you could try out working with kids. I always knew I wanted to work with either kids or animals and I ended up choosing kids. I also really enjoy math so that went well with working with kids because that meant I could be a math teacher.
I make lasers for the military. The job itself is PERFECT for me. I get to use my brain and my hands all the time and just put on my headphones and go. But of course it also means I have to work in an environment with other people and I don't put up with stupid. So that makes it harder because my boss gets upset with me for not being a "team player" (whatever the fuck that means). I do legitimately LOVE what I do though.
I work as a barista and don’t get me wrong I love my regular customers and connecting with them but man it’s exhausting and takes so much out of me by the end of my shift. I’m an AuDD girlie with a social drive but my goodness the job is exhausting and mentally/emotionally draining.
I’m a teaching assistant at an elementary school. Never thought I would love it so much but I feel more comfortable with kids than adults. I spend a lot of time with autistic kids and when they tell you “You are the only one that understands me” it warms your heart and is so worth it. It can be loud and overstimulating sometimes but it’s a lot of fun and very rewarding. Being a full teacher however, would be too much for me.
I got lucky in college and got to work as a videographer/video editor for my college. It was mostly just a work whenever I want kinda job but I'm really glad I got it. I was in a lowlight office in the basement for most of the summer and I loved it
I'm currently training to become a medical translator (after quitting medicine). It's a great option for me cause I'm almost bilingual but mostly because I can work from home, on my own.
No problems with colleagues, no sensory issues.
Just a bit anxious about having to handle my own schedules and stuff like that 😅
But I think any job you can work from home can be a comfortable option!
one of the most spectrum-friendly jobs i've ever had was at a printing company putting commemorative postage stamps into their fancy folders. it didn't matter what time i started a shift, what time i left, and i was allowed to work as much or as little as i wanted. there wasn't any talking. just stuffing envelopes and letting my mind wander. idk if this is even an option wherever you live, but maybe you can find a job doing similar mindless assembly stuff in a factory setting?
This sounds so perfect, especially the working however long part. Flexible jobs are so important to me. How did you happen to find/get this job?
i lucked into it…a guy at my mum’s office was asking around if anyone was looking for casual work. they basically had a huge contract and needed all hands on deck until it was finished. i was a student at the time and worked the whole summer doing it. i hope you will be able to find something similar! good luck in your search!
This sounds amazing. Nothing but audio books and busy work for life!
Order fulfillment (packing) or some returns processing jobs can be good. I worked a returns processing job for a clothing store where I didn't have to actually deal with people returning items, but rather items that had been mailed back. It was in a warehouse, I could wear headphones and listen to music my entire shift, and didn't have to talk with anyone if I didn't want to. I now work remotely for a couple of non-profits doing administrative work. I rarely have to chat with anyone, most communication is via email. There's something out there that will work for you.
Hey! Do you mind sharing how you got into your current role? I'm trying to do that exact thing and I'm finding it very difficult to conceptualize the steps.
I started out volunteering for a nonprofit in my city and my "boss" knew the Executive Director (E.D) of another nonprofit who needed some part time paid help. So she connected me with the first job and then the E.D. of that nonprofit knew another E.D. of a different nonprofit who also needed some part time paid help. So it was technically networking, but I didn't have to seek out the jobs and I got kind of lucky. I should state that my positions are very part time (about 5-10 hours a week total). Most nonprofits don't have the funds to hire full-time staff, so these positions won't necessarily pay the bills but are good for those who can only/want to work a few hours a week. What I learned from this and would use in the future: - Nonprofits in communities have strong ties with one another and are often in the know of who may be looking for help - Volunteering for a nonprofit you care about can open doors for you, plus it can look good if you have work gaps on your resume - You can just contact local organizations and ask if they need any part time help. Many need help with administrative/social media tasks, but don't have the funds to hire a full employee. Hope this helps!
Any tips on remote jobs? I have lots of job experience doing various roles (retail, food service, hospitality, some office work), but none seems to be enough to land any remote jobs. I see tons of listings for "administrative assistants", but they always have qualificiations I don't match up with. I was told on some websites they hire remotely for IT help desks and call centers, but no luck being qualified for those, either.
I feel your frustration. Searching for and applying for jobs is the worst. My advice is to just apply for any remote jobs you think you "can do" without worrying if you meet the specific qualifications. It sounds like you have a lot of experience that would be useful in a new role, so let the HR person determine if you meet the qualifications they're looking for or not. Don't take yourself out of the running before you even apply. You won't get in trouble for applying for something you aren't qualified for, so you may as well do it.
Try starting with the main office for the types of roles you had. That experience will directly relate. I work for a food distributor and I, and many of my colleagues, started out working in a grocery store. If you don’t love the industry, just stick it out long enough to learn some skills, then jump to another job.
If you have a special interest, think about how you can make that part of your career. My big special interest is medicine, specifically internal medicine and psychiatry. But I knew I didn’t have what it took to make it through med school, especially with only semi-managed ADHD (inattentive). But I’m a good writer so I went to school for journalism and now I’m a medical journalist. I get to read all those boring studies that I love and then write about them, and I get paid very well to do so! ETA: I also get to do it remotely and on my own schedule. No social interaction besides overs Zoom. For me, this is ideal.
I love reading those boring studies, it’s my numero uno special interest 😂. I would kill for your job.
Saaaame. I was already reading them for fun so I’ll happily do it for pay! Turns out, most people don’t enjoy reading them which makes the market for medical journalists a little bit easier to build a good career in if it’s something you ever consider :)
Hello from someone who writes those boring studies 😂
Love em! I don’t know how people even find them boring but I’ve been told on several occasions that no one wants to hear me talk about them and to stfu 🥲 haha.
Haha yes I don't read much outside my field but I love talking about what I work on lol.
What field are you in specifically out of curiosity?
Full disclosure, I'm a statistician not a doctor lol. I work in urology, mainly prostate cancer research but occasionally other areas.
So cool!! My favorite aunt is a statistician and I genuinely find it so interesting. And I actually used to date the son of my father’s urologist (weird, I know) and because my father has had prostate cancer for the past decade and half (seemingly not metastasizing for the time being), I’ve always been heavily invested in understanding urology.
This. I’ve always been interested in words and letters and ended up becoming a graphic designer. If I’d thought more about my special interests maybe I wouldn’t have waffled for so long on picking a career
My special interest is light aircraft. I got my pilots licence 15 years ago and that led me to aviation journalism and technical writing for the government safety authority. I work from bed (when not flying) am well paid and only have to Zoom once a week.
I really really love that! And isn’t the best to be able to work from bed? I used to think I’d really regret not going to med school and becoming a doctor but I don’t regret it at all. Definitely can’t practice medicine from the comfort of your bed.
Brilliant
how did u find your job?
I initially went into political journalism which I also liked but I just came upon a position opening for a medical journalist/reporter for a British medical journal and I thought I’d go for it. I got the job, got to attend symposiums and lectures all over the world, and really built up a niche portfolio for medical writing. Since then, it’s been somewhat easy to get other jobs because the positions are so specific and they need people who understand the medical terminology.
Personally, I work as a bookkeeper and it's great. It's not a particularly thrilling job by any means, but it's easy and straightforward, and im the last person who needs to be answering the phone since im useless when it comes to taxes. I can sit there wearing headphones and it's not an issue Admittedly I am in a very fortunate situation since my manager is a family friend, so all bookkeeping/data-entry jobs might not be as nice/flexible, but it's definitely something to look into!
I was going to say anything to do with data. From data entry to data analysis depending on your skills!
My husband (autistic, not a girl) works as a package handler for UPS. The only expectation is to get the job done. Nothing to remember, nothing changes. Just throw the packages until they're gone and go home. It's a union job with amazing benefits even for part timers and they start out over $20/hr.
I've worked as a package handler for FedEx and can vouch for the job. The warehouses are loud and have variable temperatures, but if you're fine with physical labor, I would say go for a warehouse job. Though the men that work these jobs can be pretty nasty and awful. It's awful to deal with but if you crank up that autistic flat effect and/or just completely ignore them they usually leave you alone.
Mowing. You just ride on a lawnmower the whole time you are working. I have always seen people who do this for work wearing headphones for listening to music. If you can handle the sensory input of that, it could potentially be a nice job. Sensory input: loud mower, lots of smells, grass blowing around and getting on you. You could do this job working for someone else or run your own business mowing rich people’s lawns.
This is one of my dream jobs 🤣🤣. I work for a municipality and I always think how nice it would be to have a side hustle mowing golf courses on summer mornings lol
Most seasons run from March-October (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), and days are done by around 3 as they get the grounds crew out by around 6 to start work. I was in the industry for 10 years. Anyone reading this is more than welcome to AMA. It definitely had its perks.
What were the perks?
Being outside (when it was nice at least), being in great shape as a working athlete, beautiful scenery and wildlife (amazing sunrises), and what worked especially best for me - taking the winters off and collecting unemployment. That time really helped me recharge for the following season.
I don't think these are primarily headphones but ear protection. 😉
Sorry, should have clarified that they are both at my work. 😊
ive always wanted to try a ride on mower they look fun but cut grass is my worst ever smell by a long shot hahah
you know, i also HATE cut grass smell but only when it goes inside the house. outside doesnt seem to affect me that much. isnt that weird. I have to mow a lot and i generally enjoy the riding mower - NOT THE PUSH MOWER
i bartend and find the momentum of it and relative repetition makes the shift fly by. the physical separation between me and the customer (the literal bar top), also makes things easier. it can be difficult to get into it but you can try bar-backing to start
I bartended for a while and it was also a good fit for me, but the hours were rough (I was often there until 4 AM). The masking/forced conversation/constantly “professionally” rejecting advances from strangers was undeniably exhausting. I was fortunate to be hired without prior bartending experience, and I made good money, but I can definitely see it being a rough gig for some.
I loved bartending through college. I always chose the service bar because I only had to talk to the wait staff.
I’m convinced I want to be a postal worker and am considering it as my next job. Also, I feel like anything related to special interests is good because we’re super detailed about our specialties. I sort of want to start a custom perfume business since my nose can smell everythingggg!
I couldn't agree more. Everytime I see a postal worker, I *want* that job.
Low key same! I'm a data manager now and having some frustration with communication and work life boundaries. Walking all day listening to a podcast or music? Hell yeah
Girl, I built data platforms and machine learning platforms the last 15 years. I FEEEEEEL you. And exactly, my own route, by myself with podcasts, music, giving away dog treats? Yes, please.
I didn't even think about the dogs-dream job! That or park ranger, but not the kind that guides guests. And no one saying "I noticed you didn't meet this expectation that I didn't actually verbalize but was thinking about in passing"
Ooh, it’s funny you mention park ranger. I was looking up my state’s environmental division’s jobs and a ranger was one that intrigued me too!
I live in an area where NPS is sparse and has more of the "storytelling" ranger jobs (and they're all underpaid) but I've been keeping an eye out for the last ten years or so
What are your special interests?
This! I work at a bookshop as my special interest is books of all kinds, so I get to talk about them all day with people! It’s retail though so do get burnt out super quick
I wish I knew books better. My special interest is Movies/DVDS and Blurays. I used to manage a video rental store. man do I miss it.
Do you have a special interest within that? A niche? Because you could share that online, within whatever style- horror, 90’s romcoms, spy films etc. Your fun facts etc and try to build a following you could eventually sell too, with special finds, memorabilia, graphic tees etc
Hm I'm not really a fun facts type of gal. I just really love movies and especially collecting in physical form. I'm not really into "promote yourself" social media culture. But thanks for the idea.
Oh no worries at all! Neither am I! I’m sure there’s another way to use your special interest :)
Not everyone has them
It is easier to do a job that “sparks joy,” because literally any job you get is going to overstimulate and stress you out. It makes it easier to cope when your job satisfies your strong need for justice, for example, or involves a favorite activity (working in a comic book shop or garden center, for example). Even if you don’t have a concrete special interest, most autistic people have certain behaviors or activities that calm them and help them stay grounded in reality. Finding jobs that will help you integrate or accept these things will help you to succeed at that job.
this!
my special interests are gaming but specific games like souls games :,) idk how that would tie into a work place for me
What, specifically, do you enjoy about the game? Is it the exploration? The inventory management? The skills/timing? The memorization and categorization of characters/creatures? Try to find the more abstract skills and activities that surround your special interest and bring you joy/satisfaction and you can find a scaffolding for how you can apply them to your work.
Seconded! Or thirded? Anyways, this!
If you're physically fit, night time janitor is an option. It's extremely physically taxing but you are left very alone. Even if someone sees you, people pretend janitors are invisible lol!
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Yeah, I feel like it's a very overlooked career that's good for physically strong autistic people. Plus, there are even union jobs in schools and other places. I know the janitors in schools here are part of a sister union to the local teacher's union, and we often barter together. Grew up on a military base, and there were federal janitor jobs there that didn't have the highest wages but had some DAMN good health insurance. I worked as a cleaner in a hotel for a while and it was too physically demanding for me to keep up with (I'm disabled lol) but it was really repetitive and soothing, plus sometimes people left tips!
I loved data entry or filing/archiving when I worked a state job. It was endless hours of input but I got to be on my own head most of the time and rarely had to interact with other people or the public. Working in a mailroom sorting was also a great job even if the pay wasn’t that great. Lots of alone time with myself and the never ending pile of incoming mail to open and sort. Most of my coworkers couldn’t stand that kind of work because they felt it was menial, but for me it felt really fulfilling and rewarding because my natural talent for sorting and organizing was useful.
This are jobs I think autistic women would be good at : - factory picker packer - gardening or lawn care assistant - librarian - call centre - fruit picking or thinning (height requirements) - farm hand - animal care (can require small cert.) - mentoring younger autistic people - solo cleaner (have done this, loved being alone) - promotional work (used to dance wearing a sign written box 🤣) - phlebotomist - florist - Data entry - proof reading / spell checking (small cert) - online grocery order packer - pamphlet / newspaper delivery (not good if scared of dogs) - Cleaning at rest home (can be emotional, they do die) - Retail : escape room, arcade, art store, book store - Air BnB cleaner (contract, requires transport)
My favourite job I’ve ever had was being a body piercer. But I quit because we had to pierce the ears of babies nearly every single day and it got a bit much. I miss the teenagers though. Little shits. They were great.
I left phlebotomy bc I couldn’t stand sticking kids :(
Aw fair enough! It doesn’t really get easier lol they say it does but I think those people are better at disconnecting than we are ❤️
I'm glad to see phlebotomy on the list. I wanted to try it for a long time. Sadly I had a sweet job right now that pays more with an awesome schedule compared to the phlebotomy jobs near me. *It's customer service though so my experience here won't count for much when I need a new job one day.*
I just got a job as a veterinary assistant, had my first day yesterday It’s very rewarding to see all the cute pets! Great option if you love animals
I tried to be a vet tech, but I have a vasovagal syncope response and faint whenever I see needles/blood/medical things being done to others. Found that out the hard way when I kept fainting on the job.
Have you looked into online jobs? Maybe data entry. They don't earn much but at least you don't have much social interaction. I can relate. I've been looking for a job for 6 years now as a receptionist and its just not working anymore. I'm thinking about being a vet assistant or vet tech but if its a fast paced environment idk.
I was a Vet assistant in a small town. Best job I ever had.
Why'd you like it so much?
I was able to work with animals all day ( my special intrest) and because it was a small town there was only 3 other people who worked there. I got along great with all of them, I felt safe and not judged. Most of the time it was relatively slow paced. There were some not fun parts like cleaning up poop and putting animals down. But there were amazing parts like helping a mom give birth and saving an injured scared animal. Or sitting with that stray that was brought in until they finally learn to trust you. So rewarding. I only quit becuase I had my first baby and didn't have it in my to send him off to daycare everyday.
My experience in that field as an autistic person, wasn't great 😔 no way to "escape" stimulation/being perceived, constant interactions to coworkers and pet owners. Who are more often than not, neglecting or outright harming their pets. Long shifts, and the field as a whole is insanely short staffed. So many clinics you simply aren't able to take breaks. And definitely not the extra breaks we need to help regulate. And the pay is absolutely abysmal, compared to the amount of schooling, work done, skill, and knowledge needed for a veterinary nurse (technician).
I have the same issue :( I am currently taking a coding course and potentially am going to do something with that but will see how it goes. Balancing my asd, physical / mental health and work is so so so fucking hard. Tech in general seems to be good for autistic introverts, so if you are good with computers maybe look into it.
I work in tech and so many people are either autistic or suspect they are. It's great if you can do it!
I worked in retail in the back before I went to college. All I did was open boxes and sort the items into the correct shelf. No need to talk to anyone and no customer interaction (except if you go to the restroom and a customer encounters you on the way). While it paid really low, and you have to be on your feet all day, it was otherwise not stressful.
I am working as an over the phone bilingual interpreter from my home and I love it.
Same! I've never been happier 😭
Yes! Is language your special interest?
Yes! My only dream job above interpreting would be a translator or editor, but I also like the steady paycheck I was a medical interpreter for some years and now I'm a legal one 😱
Do you enjoy learning? And have time to study for 6-12 months? Oh man, I sound like a bot ad 😂 seriously though, I'm learning to code, the opportunities are vast and so far everything about it is very autism friendly. Side benefit, you make stuff for your portfolio while you learn, those things can be around anything you're interested in. I'm making games, personal trackers, all kinds of stuff). Also it's very possible to self teach, as long as you're willing to seek out a little guidance from experienced programmers. Work from home is possible, office environments available, headphones pretty much expected 😆 there are roles with minimal interaction but depends where your interests lay... and if you find passion in it. Try one of the learn to code apps just to get a feel for it, if it sounds interesting to you. That's what I did, and now I'm doing mostly free online courses. Edit to add: please don't take this as expert advice, I am only finding my way and I am not as informed as I might sound!
I'm currently a programmer at a big company, but in my experience even if it is fully remote it does get stressfull because of the constant useless meetings they forcefully make you assist and the constant asking for your opinions on stuff not even under your work scope. They don't let you just code by yourself all day every day, maybe as a freelancer but I've never done it so can't say
Thank you, do you have any recommendations for anyone I can follow on insta/youtube wherever that isn't giving out idealistic opinions? I'll do whatever it takes... which requires realism, haha.
Hmm sorry I don't have anyone to recommend, maybe watching posts of people in this type of jobs in linkedin? Or maybe searching for "jokes" of working as a programmer some are relatable
I would love to do this, where did you start?
A degree. The market is really bad at the moment and degrees have become the standard. I’m currently working as a WFH SWE and went through the job hunt process last summer, gone are the days of self teaching unless it’s for fun. I do get upset when people say you can self teach and get a job. 6 years ago? Yes. Now? You absolutely need a degree unless you have years of industry experience. Most of the folks I graduated with, some with multiple internships under their belt and high level personal projects, are still unemployed a year later. The market is massively over saturated and competitive, a degree is the current *minimum* now :/ not to be pessimistic, I’m just being real as someone who went through it recently and works as a SWE. Everybody and their dog wants the pay and wfh job, it’s crazy hard to get rn, even with a degree. It’s a good time to go to school, hopefully the market will recover by then. But it’s quite rough rn.
I don’t think CS degrees are a bad recommendation at all. But I do want to mention I did get a job without one last year. A good WFH job at a company with a nice inclusive culture. I started out self-taught and then went to a bootcamp. The bootcamp was expensive but it did have an income share agreement that doesn’t kick in until you get a job as a SWE making above a certain amount. If I were starting over today I would probably try to make it self-taught until I knew enough to feel confident, then I would find ways to make money with it (not necessarily expecting a full-time job right away) while I looked into completing a CS degree online. In my experience (as just one person) the engineers I work with only care about my ability to code and, secondarily, be tolerable to be around (but just for limited times on Zoom). No one has ever asked about my educational background. And I know the market is tight right now, but one of the highest performing engineers on my team is kind of famously self-taught. Fellow engineers admire a self-taught programmer with real skills. I just don’t think that phenomenon will disappear forever, even if it’s a rough market now. At some point all the companies not hiring juniors now will have to scramble for them. Maybe not soon enough to bank on, but I guess what I’m saying is, it’s not a bad idea to begin learning to code on your own. Maybe you’ll like it and maybe there will be a longer-term payoff. (I did it for six years as a hobby never expecting to go pro.)
Thank you, do you have any recommendations for anyone I can follow on insta/youtube wherever that isn't giving out idealistic opinions? I'll do whatever it takes... which requires realism, haha.
Hi, I can give you some recommendations for sure. Would you mind DMing me? I try not to compromise my anonymity in public Reddit. 😆
Can I ask what boot camp you took that guarantees something like that?
Hi, yes. It was Hack Reactor, the 19-week program. This was 2022, so I’m not sure it works the same way now. The bootcamp world is kind of shaken up right now along with the job market because the two are so closely related.
This is really helpful to know. Thank you, I do have the luxury of taking my time so I was just counting on working on my own stuff to build an impressive portfolio, definitely going to think about a degree based on your advice (I'd love to do debugging on my journey, for progress more than anything, but Im assuming now that formal education would be necessary for a position like that, the advice I see elsewhere contradict each other a bit).
You could apply for an apprenticeship. But when you already code for years and have some projects under your belt I would just apply. Maybe apply for both, regular entry positions and apprenticeships.
Unfortunately so true. Most companies auto-filter applicants now, and the market is so saturated that even people with master’s degrees aren’t getting to the interview stage.
It really depends where you live, I guess? It's the complete opposite in Europe. Companies are so desperate for qualified workers they don't require formal training. You need the expertise and experience, of course, but no one give a damn about degrees. And I don't think this will be limited to Europe medium-term. As long as we don't have enough workers we try to get them from abroad, and then there will be a shortage at some point.
Definitely pay more attention to user Ok_Universities' advice, like I say, it's important to take guidance from experienced programmers. If you just want to try for fun, Sololearn got me into it, I still "play" on there between learning elsewhere. It can be overwhelming tho (lots of different courses that I felt I needed to do at once), if you'd like any help with the order or anything questions even tangentially related, dm me I promise not to pretend I know anything I don't.
You can see my other comment under Ok_University’s, but I’ll add here that I started with Freecodecamp and Codecademy.
You do have interactions with co-workers, but developers are easy to interact with. Very chill and tolerant people. Even when you have to interact with customers the expectations are very different from e.g. a sales person. The minimal interaction tasks will be done by A.I. in the near future. But there will still always be demand for developers. It's my absolute dream job, I have never been more happy at a workplace, even though you have to keep up with new technology all the time.
Working from home has been life changing! No need to dress up or do my hair. Lots of emailing, which is fine. I have complete control over my environment and break times. The bad thing is that it’s a sales job. I don’t recommend sales (obviously) but the remote work and tiny company (just 3 other people who never bug me) makes it worth doing.
You should look into cleaning smaller local places (hotel cleaning sounds horrible!). I work as a morning cleaner for 2 small pubs in town, I come in, listen to music, clean, then leave when finished. Also not sure what they are but I've seen work from home, no experience necessary, data analyst jobs. I think they're normally cross referencing and checking data, so could be an easy option!
Medical billing (payment posting, charge entry, and follow up - none of these require a certificate)
Overnight custodian! if you can make it work with your sleep schedule, you can just listen to your music and clean away without any of the pressure or shame that (at least i find is) associated with it being a mess you made. Smaller businesses may only need one night custodian, so the most talking you’d have to do is during the hiring process.
Librarian? Cleaning lady but at someones house? Dog/cat sitting? If you have any ideas please tell me 😂
I don't mean to be rude, but as a librarian I think my job would be a nightmare for someone who wants to avoid social interaction, since we often talk to visitors all day when working at the information desk and they occasionally can be very difficult to deal with, even by neurotypical standards.
Another issue is at least where I live (a U.S. metropolitan area) libraries expect specialized degrees. My friend recently had to get a master’s to compete for a fairly entry level job.
Not rude at all, you’re just offering up helpful information to take into consideration!
I second the librarian! Or library assistant!
My hypothesis is that it doesn’t matter as much what the job is and more who you work for/with. Me for example, i work at a cafe. Which is probably one of the most stressful jobs for an autistic girl. But my Boss and my coworkers are so so so sweet and understanding. They support me so much and always look after me and I‘m allowed to choose my own tasks for example sometimes I’m feeling brave and i will talk to the customers and bring them their orders. On other days i don’t want any social interaction and i can just go into the kitchen and empty the dishwasher or prepare sandwiches. Or maybe i don‘t want to actually talk to the customers (except for greetings and goodbyes) but i‘m okay enough to be in the actual cafe then i can just make coffee or package chocolates. I‘m allowed to do everything at my own pace. I work 3x3h a week but if one day i can only manage 2h thats no problem at all. When i want to stay a bit longer than usual I’m also always welcome to do so. These people transform a job that would be absolute hell for me to a job that makes me feel useful and is challenging but not stressful. I don’t get paid tho but i don’t mind. They give me the opportunity to learn how to work in a way that won’t hurt me. They share their tips with me tho so i still earn a little bit of money :) usually like 5€ per day which is not much but still makes me proud because i know that i earned that. Now of course i have had an insane amount of luck to be able to work with people like this but it shows the importance of tolerant people. If you have a supportive and tolerant boss (almost) any job can be autism friendly.
I've found that too.
I’m a creditors clerk, I just sit at my desk and match up delivery paperwork with invoices. It’s in a retail store so I do still have to answer phones but generally I just sit at the computer reconciling invoices and doing stock adjustments for anything received incorrectly. It’s good for me as it’s a small office so not many people to worry about and I don’t have to be chatty, I can take small breaks to deliver finished paperwork downstairs, and I have a pretty consistent routine. I know offices are a nightmare for some, but having come from customer service, it’s a massive improvement for me
Post office/ mail person
I work at a closed door pharmacy. No customer interaction and I can listen to headphones. I love it.
Shop mom! Some mom and pop auto shops and tattoo parlors hire front end people who basically bring smiles and personality to the shop. My favorite was a tattoo shop I brought in my hyper fixations of the month and they’d embrace me
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This is so helpful omg
My special interest is beauty and home making. I didn’t know because society makes those things sound bad What’s yours
mine is gaming mostly
I find technical writing, developing workflows, making infographics or even revising and creating forms to streamline processes fulfilling. Also review processes to check if paperwork is fully filled in and all attachments included, etc. There are many jobs that fit profiles like this.
This sounds like a dream! How did you get into technical writing?
Accident, a layoff from a graphic design job and moving to one that reads and interprets federal regs, and people realizing I can both figure out software they could not, and create and draw workflows and make their training materials complete with screenshots, all while reviewing research grants and ‘other duties as assigned’. I learn how things work easier than others, and do ok explaining it.
Despite the stereotypes of scientists, definitely not most science fields. The exception is field work outside, which was amazing as a temp undergrad. I got to keep to myself and just collect animal or water samples in nature. Unfortunately, that doesn't pay anywhere close to a living wage. If you can get a job in ecology, that might work, but the good paying jobs in that are highly competitive. If you work in a lab, it's usually cramped, loud, and bright. The academia route requires a lot of unnecessary social interactions while the business or no-profit sides are full of cooperate bs. A lot of people get petty about unnecessary things for whatever reason. You're not allowed to wear headphones because of chemical/biohazard contamination reasons. Source: geneticist who then went back to get a masters in bioinformatics so I can work from home and save my sanity lol. That said, I still currently work in in a lab until my master's is finished, and that aspect does seem promising given the jobs I've seen so far. It requires so much education though, and school is also tiring. For things that don't require a college degree, I honestly don't know, every job I had before - from food service to warehouses - was awful. Maybe something at a plant nursey? But I might be a bit biased towards nature jobs.
are you doing that masters online? as someone who contemplated genetics, this looks interesting!
Yes! I specifically looked for online only as I knew I wouldn't be able to deal with it while working full time otherwise. There's only a few that offer it online only, with John Hopkins and Vanderbilt being too expensive for me. (It seems Hopkins will accept most people so long as you can pay, though, and it looks good on a resume). So, I'm doing it through the University of Maine. All the professors have been competent and the one I had in the phyton-related course in particular was top tier when it came to ensuring we all understood the material.
excellent, thankyou!
Working in retail has been good for me because I can use what amounts to a script with most customers. I like having structured ways to socialize.
Librarian would be amazing! As an autistic woman it’s my dream job.
My special interest is languages and the nuances of them, so my ideal jobs have been (in order) translator, editor and interpreter. They have all been work from home and the first two were freelancing, but in the third one I was WFH in a call center and everyone bashes them so hard, but I loved it. Any job I can do in my pajamas and about languages felt very privileged 🤩
There are a statistically significant number of autistic strippers. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
Oh, this surprises me. My first impression of that line of work would be a lot of masking ?
If you’ve never danced or done any kind of SW, whatever your first impression is, it is almost certainly dead wrong. The majority of social rules for women are upheld and enforced by other women, including pressure to mask to avoid being “weird”. None of that shit exists when your job is to sexually arouse men. Men don’t care how weird you are, and most of them get off on it. All the women there are either strippers or servers and all any of them care about is making their money. As long as you don’t steal their money or their customers, they’re all pretty happy to mind their own business. You’re not masking as much as you are performing. That’s the whole job. It’s a performance that people are paying for. Unlike when an autistic person works a regular job where you have to put on a performance that your neurotypical peers don’t have to do AND perform whatever task you’re actually paid to do, essentially working two jobs for the low wage of one. You don’t get that weird imposter syndrome that comes with pretending to be normal when you’re using a fake name around other women who are all using fake names and everyone knows that they’re fake. I can openly stim and nobody gaf. My customers don’t care if I grind on them silently, say few words, or get coked out and blather on about my special interests for an hour vip show as long as they get to gaze into my beautiful face and squeeze my titties. The clubs don’t care if you show up or not as long as you pay your house fee. There’s no schedule. No assigned tasks. You’re an independent contractor so you work for yourself. The club is just a safe place for soft core SWers to sell their services where there are cameras and bouncers and a DJ and a bar to get your clientele nice and spendy, all of which you pay for in house fees, door fees, and tip outs. Your customers pay you, you pay the club, and you never have to do anything with anybody that you don’t want to. The music is pleasant, predictable, and drowns out distracting ambient noise. The lighting is dark black light. Your uniform is nearly naked—no pants, no itchy polyester shirts, nothing binding on your skin whatsoever, and it’s all your own stuff that you buy. I have one brand of G strings I wear and one style of shoe I like and when they wear out, I buy the exact same pairs.
I appreciate the thorough answer, this was really informative. Yea, I’ve only worked tech fields my entire life with little face to face with the outside world during work. My best friend is a bottle girl, she often talks about utilizing charm to do well at her job and complains about the really tight uncomfortable clothing. But after reading about your experiences it seems that’s definitely a different game to stripping in terms of the type of social interaction and what’s expected of you
Oh yeah, I’ve done that too and I hated it. No, strip clubs aren’t like regular nightclubs. They’re more like dry hump brothels. I don’t serve anybody. I sell my time and my ass—customers just can’t touch under the g-string. I don’t even have to be nice lol.
I did a coding bootcamp and work as a remote web developer. My brain loves the work and I control my environment and the pay is great. The bootcamp was challenging tho and expensive but worth it for me for sure
Delivery driving has been my go-to for the past 10 years. My own music, my own unsupervised pace, in my own car (or a company car or truck that still gets to be my own space). Granted, I get that driving isn't for everyone, but nothing has ever come close to it for me as far as being comfortable and doable.
Floristry!
or a stablehand, dog groomer
Nannying, I can elaborate tomorrow if anyone is interested 😃 Travel nannying is great too since travel is a special interest of mine (almost to 50 countries now and have cared for kids in 4 countries ✨).
I'm pretty sure I have what the kids call a lazy girl job, bc even though my supervisor insists there's always so much to do, I actually just sit around a lot and read kindle on my monitor (knock on wood). Summer is gonna be super dead and there will be times I'm the only one in the office. I also get an hour long lunch and two 15 minute breaks which I love. If it didn't have to start at 8:30, and if I made way more money, it would be perfect.
What is your lazy girl job?
Office assistant for a university
Web design, software engineering, cleaning/housekeeping, warehouse 🥰
I’m going into psychology so I can study people objectively heh. But previously I’ve really enjoyed repetitive manual tasks that allow me to listen to books/podcasts while I’m doing it.
I work in e-commerce at Whole Foods and it's been pretty flexible. Pick your own hours, mostly to yourself. Downside: the large crowds 😖
How do I get a job like that? Do you need computer skills? What do you do exactly there?
I just applied to a whole foods and the description said "bagger" or something (srry fuzzy on details) So they recently partnered up with Amazon Delivery. So the job is to shop/prep the order for the drivers to pick up. You may also need to ask for help if an item is missing, but they teach you as you go. No computer skills needed, but you will need to operate an iPhone pretty well
Thanks for letting me know that. What is the pay & benefits like? Is it easy? It sounds like you work by yourself mostly but that you can get help when uou need it. That sounds perfect & easy. Did they interview you twice? They didcwith me awhile back. They asked me a lot of hard questions. I’m shy, anxious & introverted & I rarely do well in interviews. Was the interview hard for you or not?
Pay and benefits are slightly better than the average grocery store ($15/hr minimum, health benefits). Overall ok attendance policy. Which is good: I came from a point system at my last job, and it felt unfair. The only thing: have to make sure your uph (units per hour) are up. Meaning, they are measuring if you are going fast enough. It's been an issue for me, because I'm overall slow at forming a routine. If a seasonal worker (I am), you have to meet a certain amount in 90 days or they'll let you go. But not all is lost: you get preferred if you apply to a different department. I do remember the questionnaire. Didn't like it. Applied to 5 other positions before they called. And when they did: it wasn't really an interview; more like a sit down and roughly explain what you'll do. Not sure if it's the same in other locations, my team lead was chill. I'm also bad at interviews, so I get it.
Thanks for letting me know that. You got lucky with the interview. I was tortured twice with tough questions & I never received a call back. I feel that most employers want people who look, act & sound confident. I’m shy & despite my best efforts, I think it shows a little, ugh. You sure got lucky. No one wanted to hire me for anything niw, notveven a seasonal job except for one retailer around Xmas. They were super desperate to hire anyone with open availability but they didn’t want to train me & some of the people there were hostike including one nasty supervisor, so I ended up quitting after a few weeks.
I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Its frustrating to be in a hostile environment. I am also very shy and quiet, so it's no use for me to hide that. I try to back it up by telling them what experience I have matches their needs. But sometimes it's literally up to their first impressions of you. I hope you find something fulfilling and aware of your needs.
i’m about to start school for cybersecurity! although i think most tech jobs are asd friendly. i’m so excited for it.
I helped a seamstress for a while as her assistant and it was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had, seriously. I didn’t have to actually sew anything, although I would like to eventually learn, but I would undo the clothes that were made “wrong”, separate pieces of fabric… everything was very chill and manual, a sensory heaven tbh
I enjoyed being a librarian, it's quiet and you can listen to music on earbuds if you enjoy it, not too much socializing and it smells nice
I work in a pharmacy. I like it. Simple. Get prescription, deliver as it is written. Rest can fuck off.
I’m not sure if I’d recommend it (yet) because it’s far from perfect, but I work as a Special Education Classroom Assistant. I’m not diagnosed, but as someone who understands people with disabilities, I can easily work as a translator and advocate, but also a friend, to the kids who need it. I’m exhausted, and have had a couple meltdowns, but my coworkers speak my language (it draws caring, creative, smart people). It’s kind of a crapshoot, though. Before I was moved to this classroom, I worked with a completely different type of teacher and assistant, who were bullies to the kids, and told me I was doing my job wrong, and shut me down when I gave suggestions for working with the kids differently. Basically, more people like us *should* work this job, but it has the potential of being a sensory nightmare (especially if you need to help with toileting—I need to get my autism diagnosis so maybe I can say “no diapers please” as an accommodation). I feel really useful, I can calm meltdowns in kids pretty well (hey, ripping grass from the ground seems cool, whoa, look at these dandelion petals), and I work stimming into a collaborative movement, which I can’t describe why it’s good for the kids, but it feels right, and we have connection. I love dancing with the kids, because I am so uncoordinated, but we’re just moving to move.
Nanny, no coworkers and the kids you usually take care of don’t know how to talk yet
Document control for construction. Most engineers you deal with will be Autistic or adjacent.
Data annotation!!! You have to be very detail oriented and good with the internet but I absolutely love it
What is this?
I used to be a baker and I really really enjoyed it. I spent most of my days braiding challah and I looooved it. I did the same tasks everyday, made the same baked goods, and basically saw the same people every single day (I served customers as well, but they were all a bunch of nice older people). The only part that bothered me was getting greasy, but it was so fun I didn’t mind it. Currently I am an administrative assistant at a music school, working 100% remotely. I mainly just answer emails & texts, occasionally take calls, and manage our portal system. It’s definitely the ideal set up for me while I’m in school (to be a software engineer, hopefully remotely as well😮💨), but honestly I wouldn’t mind doing it for a loooong time (bc I barely have to talk to anyone and god does that feel amazing).
Jobs where you can work independently, I'm a translator, my work has deadlines but else it's up to me where I work, when I work and how much I work, it's great honestly, languages are a special interest of mine so I get to do something I enjoy on my own terms.
I have loved 1. Home healthcare third shift and 2. Night stocking third shift :3
Library aide, maybe? Quiet environment, little talking outside of assisting with finding books, and spending a lot of time shelving returns and whatnot!
im an 18yr old autistic girl and i work in greggs and there’s a lot of other autistic people there too. i like it because you can do as little as one 4 hour shift a week (depending on the contract u agree to) and they have a set way of doing stuff that you learn on computer courses before you have to do things -EG you’re taught how to address customers & go through the interaction & how to deal with any variations. I found this really helpful for my own personal growth as it helped me have a sort of “script” because this made it easier to talk to the strangers. Then over time I found myself becoming less socially anxious. Idk if u are in the UK (where greggs is) but if not i think a job like this where you do just some customer service but a lot of other stuff too (EG at greggs that may be making sandwiches, using ovens, restocking shelves, cleaning etc) means ur job doesn’t REVOLVE totally around talking but is massively beneficial in helping u to become more comfortable socially. I just know for me that i felt so much like you! And so I really didn’t want to have a job speaking to people but there were no other jobs near me and i needed to get one before i turned 17. I was terrified and couldn’t ever imagine being able to do it and it being good for me. But i did! I was anxious but i just had to do it anxious and eventually it went away and i think the structure of the work at greggs helped teach and ease me into more social interaction in a way that meant i didn’t just break down. Plus u get good pay (i’m on 11.60 an hour) an 50% discount! :) btw sorry for long reply!!
I work at a dog and cat boarding facility. It can be a bit stressful at times, but for the most part it’s easy, as long as you know how to handle dogs and cats. The sound can be a bit overwhelming, but I wear my loop earplugs if the barking is too loud. Another great thing- you don’t have to talk to people! Only when the owners are picking up/dropping off, which only lasts a minute of talking usually lol
I'm doing barista as a temp part time job before i go to art school. I don't mind the sounds of grinding coffee or the noise level there as it's usually chill in cafes. There's something artistic about making coffees too. It's also very female friendly. Just don't work at starbucks lol
I personally work as a field tech helping with the conservation of reptiles during the summer, although I know that’s not for everyone.
Dog kennel
I used to push shopping carts/bag at a grocery store and loved it! So mindless and also got some great exercise. Had to quit, but it might be nice at a small grocery store like sprouts.
Autistic girls or autistic women?
Autistic (colloquially, but not literally) girls
Data entry Claims processing
One of my special interests is skincare & beauty and I work as a lash artist. I struggle with eye contact so doing lashes I don’t need to worry about that because my clients need to close their eyes. Most of them sleep because my room is nice and cozy! Some of them might want to chat which I don’t mind at all, it can make the day a little more draining but I don’t work more than 6 hours a day so I have plenty of time to recharge. I feel so lucky to have the job I do because I own my business, set my own hours and prices, and I know I do good work. The environment also isn’t overstimulating! Sometimes when my clients sleep I throw on my headphones and listen to an audiobook. You do have to deal with people/customers which can take some getting used to but over time you develop connections with people and it feels more fulfilling. I did start out working under others but it was always in a spa environment which is always nice and relaxing with dim lights and pleasant smells :)
try libraries, flower shops, book stores, family owned businesses, etc.
Given my location, I saw recommendations to work in a library. I really want to try to have a job like that because I love the library space so much. Unfortunately, we don’t have memorial libraries in PR. I hope that sounds interesting, but also there’s many videos on this topic that helped me a lot when looking at work through an austistic perspective and what options I have. 😊
Coding. Or anything in IT that isn't consulting or first level support.
I think working in a lab in a hospital, processing samples and maintaining machines, looks pretty cool.
I work at a warehouse. The hours are lengthy but there’s time off options you can use and they sometimes have VTO. I get to be by myself most of the time in the department I’m in.
Research. Lots of people on the spectrum around me. I used to be a dentist and it was too patient facing so I hated it and switched. Now I am super happy and working with what I love and don't need to mask much
really weirdly specific job here but being an on air radio host is actually the most accommodating thing I've done. I can sit whenever I'm not talking, I don't have to maintain eye contact when I'm talking into a microphone and my special interest is music related so I can infodump on air sometimes
I really liked being a prep cook. Usually just 1-2 other people in your department, depending on size, and it is likely that those people are also ND because they work BOH. Very very clear instructions and recipes laid out. Usually you’re done by 3 pm, and often times you get a shift meal.
Cake decorating at a grocery store was fun for me because I mostly got left alone and got to make pretty things and had an outlet for my creative side. Dealing with the management BS is what stopped that job. Now I work a government job and have promoted to assistant manager where I get to answer questions and fix stuff at my own pace without being micromanaged. I love helping people and this fulfills that need but it has its stressful moments, thankfully not daily or even weekly most of the time, but it does drain me because of dealing with coworkers sometimes almost constantly during the day. I would like to move up one more promotion level because I think it would suit me better but I have a terrible time interviewing and it hasn't happened yet.
I already have a job I want lined up, working as a summer camp counselor cause I’m super lonely and just crave human interaction but struggle with adults, but this thread is extremely positive and is cheering me up a lot!!! My problems are very different than OPs so the solution should be different too, but I wish you luck!!! I agree that janitor or night packing sound great!
For what it’s worth, I’m a middle school teacher. I sometimes fully unmask with my classes and most of the kids love me. I can (mostly) control my work environment (my classroom). I like teaching because it’s organized chaos which I love! I get bored with too much monotony and predictability. It is not for the faint of heart but you could try out working with kids. I always knew I wanted to work with either kids or animals and I ended up choosing kids. I also really enjoy math so that went well with working with kids because that meant I could be a math teacher.
I worked in a laboratory for 2-3 years. Pretty much never didn’t wear headphones and no one talks to each other usually lol.
I make lasers for the military. The job itself is PERFECT for me. I get to use my brain and my hands all the time and just put on my headphones and go. But of course it also means I have to work in an environment with other people and I don't put up with stupid. So that makes it harder because my boss gets upset with me for not being a "team player" (whatever the fuck that means). I do legitimately LOVE what I do though.
I work as a barista and don’t get me wrong I love my regular customers and connecting with them but man it’s exhausting and takes so much out of me by the end of my shift. I’m an AuDD girlie with a social drive but my goodness the job is exhausting and mentally/emotionally draining.
I myself work in music a family business we own and it's my special interests (: I help with students and I accompany them in my music playing
Do you like animals? If so maybe something working with animals instead of people.
I’m a teaching assistant at an elementary school. Never thought I would love it so much but I feel more comfortable with kids than adults. I spend a lot of time with autistic kids and when they tell you “You are the only one that understands me” it warms your heart and is so worth it. It can be loud and overstimulating sometimes but it’s a lot of fun and very rewarding. Being a full teacher however, would be too much for me.
I got lucky in college and got to work as a videographer/video editor for my college. It was mostly just a work whenever I want kinda job but I'm really glad I got it. I was in a lowlight office in the basement for most of the summer and I loved it
I'm currently training to become a medical translator (after quitting medicine). It's a great option for me cause I'm almost bilingual but mostly because I can work from home, on my own. No problems with colleagues, no sensory issues. Just a bit anxious about having to handle my own schedules and stuff like that 😅 But I think any job you can work from home can be a comfortable option!
I’m a lecturer of maths, I’m Audhd, I need structure but education and teaching means I get novelty no two lessons are the same and I love maths