Career Advice

I have a stock response for people who use the line "Do what you love!" as career advice.  Here it is:

<bleep>

Sorry, the internet seems to be censoring swear words today. Anyway, I hope you get the idea. First off it is a dicey proposition that whatever you love will be economically viable. For instance I love petting cats but cat sitting is not really that lucrative; I am sure my wife would be a little annoyed if I quit my job to go and pet cats.

But more that that, I have noticed that among the ASD crowd we love accumulating knowledge about something or somethings. Knowledge is great; I love knowledge... the money comes from the application of that knowledge. Just accumulating it is not as valuable. Sure you may carve a niche for yourself in a company as a go to person for a specific subject but that is an uncertain position.

One of my best positions was one where I was required to learn calculus, statistics, financial mathematics (really an extension of calculus and stats) and programming. Of course that was all in order for me to understand a system/series of programs that were poorly documented and understood. When I was done we had a baseline for another five years worth of work that I was involved in.

So my career advice to you is find a way to apply what you learn. You will enjoy the learning aspect of it and benefit from the security of being a subject matter expert on something your business values.

Online training: Ruby on Rails

Jobs in Information Technology are certainly out there and lend themselves to Aspie/Autie style of work... at least better than others. If you are starting from zero or beginner level it is hard to know where to go. One particular language that is en vogue now is Ruby on Rails. To be accurate, Ruby is the language and the Rails part makes it a lot more human friendly.

A friend of mine put me on to an hilarious training system for Ruby on Rails called Rails for Zombies. It is an amazing teaching tool with some serious thought behind it. If you do not know Ruby it points you to a tutorial to start with and then will take you through creating a web application with Ruby on Rails.

At the end of the tutorials you will be in a place to start experimenting yourself with the idea of producing a Rails application that will go into your Career Portfolio and demonstrate your new skill to prospective employers. If you want to see the marketplace for Ruby/Ruby on Rails developers go to Dice or Monster and do a search on jobs with Ruby in the description. You will be amazed.

Start a company... and sell it for a dollar?!?

Or a Pound, Euro or whatever your local currency might be.

Penelope Trunk has an amazing tip for building your career portfolio. Start a company and sell it for next to nothing. Instead of looking at the company as a way to make money look at it as a way to boost your value to the next person that considers hiring you. I will leave it to her to go into the details but it makes sense in a weird sort of way.

Penelope's Post: http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2011/07/28/do-this-for-your-career-right-now-start-a-company-and-sell-it-for-a-dollar/

Aspergers: Why Programming?

I know, I know... the stereotype of the Aspie programmer is a hard one to bear for ASD folk not inclined to computers. However, there are three reasons that I want you to consider regarding programming:

1. A level of oddity is expected from programmers in general making things easier for the behaviors that might hold you back in other jobs
2. Scarcity is the rule for programmers so jobs are easier to come by, with less competition and more opportunity
3. Pay is generally better than average

I know it is hard for some of us to overcome the barrier of doing something we do not love but think of it as supporting yourself to do what you really want to do. And if comes down to it would you rather sling coffee or create things?

It can be a daunting task to learn the languages on your own. Google is an extremely useful tool when you combine the name of the programming language and 'tutorial' in the search. And open source projects offer an ability to hone your skills along with more experience programmers.

However, I found a more interactive form of learning recently on Reddit and Stackoverfow. Stack overflow is straight forward, enter your question and check back for answers or search for someone else who had the same question. Reddit has some sub-reddits (i.e. sub-categories) like Learn Programming, Learning Programming Resources and Programming. Due to the voting nature of the site useful content rises to the top and with so many people answering questions you gain the help offered by Stack Overflow.

Work and self: the ASD esteem issue

Each of us on the spectrum has run into days (or weeks; or months; or years) where we felt useless and worthless. Work can help some of that equation because it means somewhere someone finds our existence valuable enough to pay us to be around them... and do work of course.

But work is more than that and it is worth examining what working does for us:

1. Provides a paycheck
2. Helps us kill a few hours on a regular basis
3. Gives us a sense of fulfillment
4. Helps form our identity (Hegel's philosophy on this point is astounding)
5. Allows us to do something we enjoy (this can happen occasionally)

Point number one is the primary driver behind a lot of our employment decisions. We take jobs we might not like in order to earn enough money to provide things we do like. When people ask me why I went in to computers, included in my answer is "and the pay is good". There are only a few things I like about working in computers in corporate America but the pay is one of them. If I had my way I would run a cat shelter that never refused taking in a kitty and only used euthanasia when quality of life was no longer possible. Not a whole lot of pay in that line of work.

Still it is hard not to feel like you're for sale when you trade in happiness for the steady corporate job. That tension will stay with you a long time and add anxiety into an already anxious life. So here is something to try: decide that you will work so that you can afford to find something that allows you to enjoy points 2 -5. Make this a conscious decision. You will feel empowered after doing it because you are doing something nice, very nice, for yourself. It is a gift that you can give to you and is hard for others to take away. Your 2- 5 job can change from time to time but it is still the same rewarding gift.

And if you enjoy some aspects of earning money then that is icing on the cake.

Aspergers & ASD Careers: Independent Journalist

Journalism is the greatest check on power, aside from guns, ever invented. But it also offers a view into every day life that is hidden from the rest by the scarcity of time, separation of geography and distractions of every day life. Independent journalism can provide both a career path and a way to connect the world around us.

With our interest in learning, observation skills and attention to detail in our obsessions writing news articles on the community around us or the obsessions that make our lives can find an outlet in the independent journalists. These articles can serve as part of your portfolio and get your name out as an able journalist and writer.

Check out these resources:

Handbook of Independent Journalism

Indymedia.org - an outlet for your articles

Independent Media in Canada

Oh My News - another outlet that accepts citizen journalists

Getting hired in the summer

Depending on where you live summer can begin in May or June and extend through August or September. No matter when it occurs though trend is the same: hiring slows down during the summer. Vacations are more frequent so it is harder to gather the hiring managers together and the interviewers in one place.

This can be an excellent time to network with people though. Because of the vacations people can be less busy with meetings (though possibly busier with work) and relaxed from a recent vacation or anticipating upcoming time off. A well placed e-mail or phone call has a better success of getting someones attention.

So pick out a company, find someone who works there and reach out to them. You might not get the job in July but come September you can be first in mind for open positions. Also, you can break the ice with "So, do you have any time off planned?" It will put the contact at ease to reminisce about their time off or get excited talking about the future trip to Disneyland.

Aspergers & ASD Careers

I found this article on careers for introverts. A lot of the usual suspects on there but two were a bit surprising... civil engineers and HVAC repair people. If you are looking for ideas check out the list here: http://encarta.degreesandtraining.com/articles.jsp?article=featured_top_jobs_for_introverts

Careers for ASD folk: plumber

When you think about it this might be an ideal job... little interaction with humans, need to pay attention to details, fairly advanced knowledge needed for some aspects, good pay. The only real question in my mind would be speed; if you have someone breathing down your neck to get something done that could be bad. Still I wonder if it is like that. eHow has an article on how to become a plumber. Many good suggestions but a great one is find a plumber and ask them what it is like. Also, there is a union to help look out for your interests.

http://www.ehow.com/how_8119_become-plumber.html

Another Aspie carves their own path in the world

Laura Nadine makes her living as a violinist. It helps that she started training early and is an acclaimed virtuoso. Yet she still has struggles and it is worth checking her story out.

http://www.lauranadine.net/Lauranadine.net/Home.html

Update: Psychopaths, Sociopaths, ASPD and ASD/Aspergers: Recap and Resources

A few years ago there was a rage among psychologists and sociologists looking at the prevalence of sociopaths/psychopaths in the workplace. I got caught up in that and did a ton of research; at one point it was going to be my master's thesis.  As a wrap up of my series on psychopaths, sociopaths & narcissists in the workplace I wanted to collect the links to the previous articles as well as some other links to books and articles on the subject.

To recap my main points: People with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) like psychopaths/sociopaths look for certain types of victims. Those on the Spectrum often have traits that play right into the ASPD individuals hands and potentially make us targets more often than others. I discuss some of the characteristics you can spot that might mean someone is ASPD and how to protect yourself as well as note that those with narcissistic personality disorder may seem similar to an ASPD but in reality have different motivations and are easier to protect yourself.

[Update: fixed the protection link]

Introduction
Identification
Protection
Narcissists

Other Resources:

Wikipedia for Robert Hare, preeminent researcher on Psychopaths

Hare's first book: Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us
Hare's Second book (with Paul Babiak): Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work

Paul Babiak; industrial psychologist who studies bullying and ASPD disorder in the workplace

Mask of Sanity, a PDF of Hervey M. Cleckley's groundbreaking work on ASPD

Martha Stout's book The Sociopath Next Door

Article: Red Flags for workplace sociopaths
Article: How to Deal with a Sociopath
Article: Coping with Psychopaths @ work
Article: Workplace Psychopaths: how to deal with them
Article: What is the difference between a narcissist and a sociopath?
Article: The Borderland of Narcissism and Sociopathy

Autistic Doctor's blog

Here is a blog from someone who is a doctor and on the spectrum. Only two posts so far but seeing this sort of career dissection could be very interesting.

http://autisticdoctor.wordpress.com/

Technology Training for Asperger's and Autistic folk

The nonPareil Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, is dedicated to providing technical training to students who have been diagnosed with autism.

The programs at nonPareil are technology-based and make use of artistic software, code generation products, 3D animation studio tools, digital sound applications and other creativity enabling tools. The focus of these programs will be to prepare these individuals for the possibility to enter into employment at some point in their future. We help them learn teamwork, create a sense of community, and achieve fulfilled lives.

Check them out: nonPareil - http://www.npitx.org/npHome.aspx

Wikipedia - demonstrate your skills

Have an interest in something? A lot of somethings? Edit or create articles on Wikipedia. Now that they require you to sign in it gives you a way to track your contributions and if the article has to do with a career or a job you are interested in then you can use it on your resume or in your interview. Your writing shows interest and determination regarding the subject matter which always impresses a prospective employer.

Finding school, a job and a career in the face of adevrsity

Comparing two groups struggles in life often weakens both. Still there are valuable lessons to be learned from what another person or group goes through. Here is an article from Jezebel regarding the passing of Rosalyn Yalow.

She never finished high school yet wanted to become a doctor... in the 1930's. In being rejected for one graduate program someone wrote "She is from New York. She is Jewish. She is a woman"; talk about prejudice. Despite the formidable barriers against her she went to school and eventually won a Nobel Prize in Medicine, at the time only the second woman to win in medicine up to that point.

She worked herself into a position where her talents could show and then used that as a springboard to the next struggle. That is a blueprint for ASD folk as well. Focus on what you can do well, find a way to show that and use that leverage to get to the next level.

Wikipedia article on Rosalyn Yalow