Craft idea: Alien

So there might be some legal issues involved in this but anything you can make hearkens back to the chest bursting scene in the movie Alien is bound to bring you attention and some money. See this: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/06/28/alien-wedding-cake.html

On a more serious note though, if you take public domain works and transform them into something edible, cute, impactful or whatever you can find a market for them. Think of a metal work rendition of the Last Supper or a wood block carving of the cave paintings in Lascaux, France. Or even a diorama of the Battle of Isandlwana.

Your obsessions can be profitable if you can communicate them in a new way so think about what you know well and then think about various forms of media/art; you never know. If Mark Kurlansky can make money on a book about Salt or Cod then you know there is a market for you somewhere.

Mark Kurlansky's books:

Salt: A World History & Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World

ASD & Asperger Strengths at work: self learning and ambition

Employers love people who are self motivated and learn on their own. As an ASD Spectrumite we posses both of these. Sure due to depression or horrible sleep there are times when the ambition is not quite as evident as others but it is there. It is what makes us reach out for help, read everything we can on a subject and even view blogs like this. We are always looking to be better tomorrow than we were today. And if that does not inspire you try this: would anyone willingly go through the myriad of therapies and medications we have without ambition to be in a better place?

You can look on your obsessions two ways... a hindrance or an asset. If you view them as hindrances then you will fight them and try to suppress them. Viewed as an asset you will brag about them and encourage yourself in them. The key thing is to brag about them the right way.

Take this for a concrete example. I love reading about World War II naval ships. I can either say "yeah, I have this thing about WWII naval ships that I waste time on"

-or-

I can say "My grandfather was on a ship in WWII. I am not sure if that spawned my desire to learn more, as a way of connecting with him, or not but I tell you, I have become something of an armchair expert on them."

Which one sounds more impressive? You can do the same with your career portfolio. So what if learning medieval cooking recipes has nothing to do with the job at hand. Working into the conversation that you wanted to be an expert at something and achieved the expertise is a feather in your cap that you should brag about.

Turning an obsession into value

One of my favorite ways to spend time is to hit the Random link button on Wikipedia and read the article that comes up. Sometimes it fits into an already existent obsession and sometimes it spawns a new one. Wikipedia specifically and the Internet in general have been boons to ASD folk looking to indulge an obsession. Thankfully there is a way to capitalize on this knowledge.

By using the free blogging tools (e.g. Blogger, Typepad) and the ability to research a subject to exhaustion you are able to create a series of articles that tie together disparate sources of information into one location.  Additionally you can then edit the Wikipedia article to add in information as well.

As a concrete example, one of my obsessions is World War II Naval ships (for some reason WWI is not as big a deal for me). Imagine a blog that examined a ship that sunk, say the HMS Hood, and traced the fallen sailors back to their hometown and then their progeny and/or family? It would be of interest to WWII buffs and the family impacted (and maybe a few other Aspies).

But how is it valuable to a job search?

It helps answer a few different questions that can help you make that personal impression so valuable to rising above the other candidates. A frequent question in interviews is "What do you outside of work?". "I write a blog on <a safe noncontroversial obsession>" may invite you to speak about that obsession more allowing you to show passion and animation OR if you are really lucky the interviewer likes that same subject and you have developed a connection.

It shows that you can investigate and communicate about a complex subject. Many jobs require communication skills or even translating arcane processes into documentation. A blog showing in depth research is an example of what you can produce for them.

It might, might, get you noticed as an armchair authority by someone looking for help with that subject. It is a long shot but seriously what do you have to lose?