Communications based careers

[hiraeth]

This could go in a few different forums, but, I'm putting it here for now.

I've always been interested in words. I've always been told that I had a gift for words, too. Apparently I was a hyperlexic toddler. Most kids who left China at a young age can barely speak Chinese at all, but I can speak and read just fine, and for a long time (though not these days ) I was no different from any native speaker who actually grew up in China. And then I have everyone telling me, in and outside of work, that my [English] writing skills are superior, while I'm not even trying (you know, writing up emails while half-asleep, etc...). So, then I think, language must be something that I have a talent for. I certainly know that I have no talent for math or programming. Shudders. So much for autistic stereotypes.

Foreign languages have been a reoccurring special interest, because language itself is somehow fascinating to me, but I've never gotten far in any language because I would be too afraid to actually use it, which is how most of the learning happens. Now, I'm sure that's not an autism-specific struggle. But I just feel like, I'm awkward enough as it is, trying to speak in a language that I don't know very well, in what must be an obviously "foreign" accent, must accentuate the awkward by so many degrees. So I inhibit myself, and I don't try. Maybe it is something I can be really good at. But I just can't seem to get past my own awkwardness.

Now, there are very few jobs that require reading / writing and minimal socialization. Sure, there are some, but if I just limited myself to those, I would be limiting myself by quite a lot. I *could* actually see myself being an outreach educator for some kind of non-profit, you know, things like that where producing written work is important, where the content that I'll be communicating to others is something that I believe in, and all that's missing is..... my physical communication skills.

There's another thing, which is both related to this and just problematic in general. Networking. Some people say that a role which requires socializing isn't necessarily challenging because there are scripts that we can follow which are provided for us as a part of our professional duties and aims, and I could totally see that being the case. I'm much more worried about what it would take to get the job in the first place. Giving off an "awkward" first impression is fine when you're interviewing for a tech job, if you have the technical chops (which I definitely do not), but it is highly problematic in other types of roles. Some industries or contexts are much more dependent on connections than others. I can follow scripts. But I can't small-talk to save my life, that just gives off All the Awkward.

Is it realistic to think that I can go in this kind of direction? Has anyone else here been successful in a role that required frequent social interaction?

I'm trying to believe that AS doesn't have to define or limit me, but, I've failed so many times that it's hard to.

 

[RidingDutchman]

I'm currently trying to have a career as a nurse. Feedback from coworkers and patients are nothing but positive (only school whines, but I'm not going to open that can of worms here)
From what I heard from others and my own findings is that it's definitely possible, just a bit/lot harder as for others depending on your personality. Social people can be dicks and asocial people can be really nice, just depends on how you choose to use your skills i suppose.

Good luck with it at least and I hope you'll find something that fits you well

 

[AsheSkyler]

Since your written skills in foreign languages is your specialty, why not find a job as a book translator or something similar? There's often a call for that from popular people to hobbyists who have something they want to offer to people of a different language. You could dabble a bit in forums of that foreign language to give yourself a crash course in how people more commonly talk if you don't want to see too brusque and formal in the written material.

 

[Progster]

I'm also interested in languages, and have made many my special interest. I don't think that it's uncommon for people on the autism spectrum to be good at languages - Daniel Tammet comes to mind here. I also find it hard to speak the language, and my speaking skills are not as well developed as my reading and writing skills. It can take a while to gain self-confidence, but once you start, it does become easier.

I once saw a film where an autistic boy was speaking to his teacher by means of a telephone because he was unable to speak to the teacher directly. The telephone provided him with a means of speaking indirectly, so he is able to speak without becoming overwhelmed. In another documentary, a young autisic man used a video camera and a microphone to be able to talk to people. I feel that the same is happening to me when I speak a foreign language - it somehow detaches and removes me from the situation, so it is less direct, and I can use it as a vehicle to communicate with others - I feel detached from myself, a different personality, and that allows me to talk. If I'm not allowed or able to use the foreign language, I feel exposed and vulnerable, so actually, in some respects I do better living in foreign countries.

I have a communication-based job. I'm a personal language teacher. It's a job I can manage to do, though I find the constant interaction very tiring, I need breaks and can't do too many hours per day. But I manage because:

I work with small children, one at a time. Children don't require or expect a lot of small talk or social interaction, they expect a teacher. They expect to be taught, not to socialize. You can keep the small talk down to minimum scripts - hello, how was your day/weekend/holiday, etc, enough to be friendly and make them feel at ease, and then get straight down to the lesson. Adults expect more social interaction, and can be more difficult. I'm more successful with children than with adults.

Most of the communcation is with scripts. The students don't have communication issues in their mother tongue, but they don't know how to do it in the target language. The textbooks they use provide social scripts as templates they can use - so the script is ready and you don't have the burden of trying to think up a conversation. With a good textbook, everything is structured and ready-made in neat lessons and units, and you don't need to plan a lot, unless you plan to use additional materials. If you teach online, you can teach from the comfort of your own home - no need to go to a noisy busy school and have to deal with colleagues and staffroom politics.

With the online teaching, it started off with one student. The parents of that student then told other parents, who then told others, so having one student lead to more coming. I don't have a social network, but the parents of the students and that students themselves do, and they bring me more work, without my having to advertise at all. It all happens through word of mouth.

Translation is also an option, it's something I've tried in the past, but it's hard to get a foothold into it and it's not very well paid. In the past I've got proofreading or translation work through an advertisement in an online newspaper. It worked, but was poorly paid, and I no longer do it. Once you become established, you can charge more, and it becomes more profitable.

 

[Beverly]

While the entertainment industry is quite different form the communication industry, yes, some of us have gone that route and, are very successful in a career that requires tons of socializing, and being good at it. Granted it is a lot of learning, not just the career but general social skills as well and, it is never natural to us but, we can do it and, we enjoy doing it. AS need not exclude a social career.

 

[hiraeth]

I feel that the same is happening to me when I speak a foreign language - it somehow detaches and removes me from the situation, so it is less direct, and I can use it as a vehicle to communicate with others - I feel detached from myself, a different personality, and that allows me to talk. If I'm not allowed or able to use the foreign language, I feel exposed and vulnerable, so actually, in some respects I do better living in foreign countries.

I've thought about this a lot. I really do wonder if, I just dropped myself in a country where people didn't speak English and I had to start piecing together the scattered pieces of their language which I've managed to pick up in the isolation of my room - if it really wouldn't be as daunting as I thought. And, since there is an understanding that this is isn't my native language, will people be more forgiving of me when I fail to pick up on subtle things like humor and sarcasm? I really have a hard time with it while conversing in English, and that alone has caused me an immense amount of grief in social situations. Most things that people find funny, I do not. Will they also allow me more permission to take the listener rather than speaker role in group conversations, which I feel most naturally doing? Also, I don't understand most pop culture references in the English world, nor do I have any interest in educating myself on them. However, if I'm interested in a "foreign" culture (this often comes hand in hand with language), I could see myself being interested or at least motivated enough to learn what it's all about, even if I decide in the end, after a long period of exposure and gaining enough knowledge to be conversant in those topics, that it doesn't hold any appeal for me.

For all the moving around I've done in my life, I've never actually lived in a place where I would need to learn the language from scratch. Now, I think I want to try that, but I'm scared of course. Not so much of the newness of such an environment, but I am scared that I will invest all this time, energy, and money into something that I will end up failing at anyways because no matter where I go, and what I do, I will still be socially disabled.

Translation is also an option, it's something I've tried in the past, but it's hard to get a foothold into it and it's not very well paid. In the past I've got proofreading or translation work through an advertisement in an online newspaper. It worked, but was poorly paid, and I no longer do it. Once you become established, you can charge more, and it becomes more profitable.

Yes, unfortunately I've also heard that as well. Hard to get into, few stable permanent jobs. I don't really see myself doing freelance work in general -- I need more externally imposed structure to be at my most productive.

 

[Beverly]

In my travels, I've found that most people are very forgiving when I speak little to none of their language and, they want to teach me a few words. Often pointing to, or showing a picture of an object or place on a map get them to name it for me. It isn't so hard to learn a language when you can immerse yourself in the culture and, everything you are exposed to is in the new language.

If you wanted to teach English in foreign countries or to ESL students in your own country, as a native speaker, you would be in greater demand, so have a better chance at getting the positions you want.

 

[Progster]

I've thought about this a lot. I really do wonder if, I just dropped myself in a country where people didn't speak English and I had to start piecing together the scattered pieces of their language which I've managed to pick up in the isolation of my room - if it really wouldn't be as daunting as I thought. And, since there is an understanding that this is isn't my native language, will people be more forgiving of me when I fail to pick up on subtle things like humor and sarcasm? I really have a hard time with it while conversing in English, and that alone has caused me an immense amount of grief in social situations. Most things that people find funny, I do not. Will they also allow me more permission to take the listener rather than speaker role in group conversations, which I feel most naturally doing? Also, I don't understand most pop culture references in the English world, nor do I have any interest in educating myself on them. However, if I'm interested in a "foreign" culture (this often comes hand in hand with language), I could see myself being interested or at least motivated enough to learn what it's all about, even if I decide in the end, after a long period of exposure and gaining enough knowledge to be conversant in those topics, that it doesn't hold any appeal for me.

For all the moving around I've done in my life, I've never actually lived in a place where I would need to learn the language from scratch. Now, I think I want to try that, but I'm scared of course. Not so much of the newness of such an environment, but I am scared that I will invest all this time, energy, and money into something that I will end up failing at anyways because no matter where I go, and what I do, I will still be socially disabled.


Yes, unfortunately I've also heard that as well. Hard to get into, few stable permanent jobs. I don't really see myself doing freelance work in general -- I need more externally imposed structure to be at my most productive.

Whenever I've gone to foreign countries, I already knew the language quite well and was a bit more confident than I would have been otherwise. However, it still took several days before I could pluck up the courage to speak to someone. Once I did, and had some positive feedback on speaking their language well, I felt a bit more confident and started approaching people more (by this, I mean in places like shops - social conversation is hard in any language). It's difficult in the beginning, then it gets easier. It helps if you know a bit about the country before visiting. Taking a virtual Google Streetmap tour of the town and careful planning help to reduce anxiety, because you know what to expect.

Yes, people are definitely more forgiving of social mistakes when you are speaking a foreign language. They don't expect you to automatically understand humour, sarcasm, or idioms. I have difficulties with humour, too. If you don't pick up on these, they automatically assume that it's because you're a foreigner, and as long as you have the basis politeness of please, thank you, sorry, etc, they don't judge you for it. Body language can be tricky, but smiling is universal and always works.

I don't know much about pop culture either, and don't understand humour and references based on pop culture. If you are learning about the culture of a country, you will inevitably come across pop culture references you might not understand, but as in English speaking countries, you don't need to know about pop culture in order to have a conversation with someone. You can choose what to learn about, and talk about the things that you are interested in - the difficulty is when you are in a group of people who are discussing TV or music or whatever and you don't know what they are on about, but that problem exists for me in my native language too.

In my experience, people don't expect you to take an active role in the conversation if you are not speaking your native tongue. If you don't talk much, people might think you are shy, or they might think that the conversation is too fast for you to understand, or that you don't understand well. It's unlikely that they'd consider you to be rude. It's hard at first because you are in a strange environment, but people will give you more leeway and aren't so critical of social mistakes, so you can get away with a lot more than you would be able to in your native country. Your AS will always be there, and social anxiety is always there, but you can mask your AS traits to some extent through speaking a foreign language.

 

[DarkLady]

I'm also a hyperlexic polyglot with no skill for math. I think it's a common aspie trait