Feeling Hopeless

[Dillon]

So I recently got a job as a substitute teacher for a school district and this is something I should be excited about but unfortunately I am not given that this is a part time job and considered as a “when needed” schedule so I am luck if I get to work 2 days a week for what $12 an hour. I got this job without an interview as many substitute teaching positions don’t go through an interview portion at all.

This makes me think how I have graduated over a year ago in 2023 with a masters degree and yet the only jobs I can get are part time jobs where I’m using my skills on a high school level or being considered “under-employed”. I keep continuing on this frequent cycle of not being able to get a full time job because I don’t have experience and I just naturally suck at interviewing no matter how much I try. I had a interview last week for an environmental organization and just hearing the phrase “we decided to go with other candidates” just makes my blood boil. I’ve applied to 250-300 job had 8 interviews and no offers. I haven’t had a job in 3 months now and my finances are stretching thin (I am living off of a $6000 loan from my University). I don’t have any connections nor have a network that would make it easier to get a full time job that it makes it hard to understand how does someone actually get a job in the first place. This is making me realize am I even good at anything? I even tried to get involved in a few volunteer opportunities just to build my experience up but lately I get ghosted and blown off.

Also I’ve been seeing my therapist who I find hasn’t been helpful. I thought I was making a connection with another neurodivergent but instead it’s a individual who seems to know all about autism and how people with autism act. My therapist implied that based on the one one one conversation and how i interact I don’t show any signs of having autism…umm how are autistic people suppose to act then?? I’ve gotten nothing but gaslighting insinuating things have been my fault as to why I can’t get a job. I guess my therapist doesn’t understand that 85% of autistics are unemployed due to the the lack of understanding and resources to help put those obtain employment.

I truly do feel hopeless and I don’t know what to do anymore. No matter how much I put my best foot forward it’s just not good enough for anyone. To me it feels like grade school where I’ve never fit in with no one and that’s how it feels with applying and interviewing for a job I don’t fit in anywhere. I don’t even know how much longer I can live Independently at my own apartment with no job that I may more than likely have to move back in with my Mom and that’s just embarrassing to say the least for someone in their late 20s

 

[FayetheAspie]

Sorry to hear that you are still having trouble finding a job. You are in my prayers about this and also about the health issues you previously discussed on the forum. I have not been able to find another job yet either. It has been about a year since I last had a job. The last one I had only paid like $8 per hour.

 

[Dillon]

Sorry to hear that you are still having trouble finding a job. You are in my prayers about this and also about the health issues you previously discussed on the forum. I have not been able to find another job yet either. It has been about a year since I last had a job. The last one I had only paid like $8 per hour.

It’s not so much of finding a job but it’s making myself standout in a interview that I truly am awful at. I’m tired of some people keep telling me “oh just keep applying” or “it’s the terrible job market”.
The reality is that as an ASD individual I will always have a much tougher time because I have social problems despite what the job market is.

In regards to my health issues I found out earlier this week or it was reaffirmed that I have what is known as “common variable immune deficiency” which is as immune disorder the doesn’t allow my body produce enough antibodies and makes me more prone to lung infections. I used to be sick a lot as a child with frequent bronchitis and a few bouts of bronchitis and a couple staph infections. I don’t get sick as much now but it’s something that doesn’t go away on its own.

 

[jsilver256]

I won't mince it.

It's a tough job market.

I have personally observed there's a bimodal distribution here. Emphasis on personally. I say this as someone who employs other people.

First peak is - you have a skillset nobody can replace. This is a rare category to fall in, but it favors autistics nonetheless - think like Albert Einstein.

Second peak is - you show up everyday, at the precise time, leave at the precise time, and do as you're told. Believe it or not, this is the golden path to earning well over $20/hr USD. The consistency matters. The problem is convincing the employer that you are that person.

There are several Amazon warehouse workers on this forum. Have you considered that?

 

[jsilver256]

Also, when it comes to the USA, government jobs/pay prove why skepticism thereof exists that simply doesn't exist in any other Westen nation.

One of my biggest rebellions against my parents, growing up, was that they made me think that I was no good for anything except a government job.

Government jobs have their place - but tend to be massively underpaid and, IMO, over-emphasize NT social traits.

@Outdated , IMO, has excellent advice about selling yourself to small businesses - and trust me, they'd pay for somone who simply shows up on time, does a semi-flexible acitvity, and leaves on time.

 

[Dillon]

I won't mince it.

It's a tough job market.

I have personally observed there's a bimodal distribution here. Emphasis on personally. I say this as someone who employs other people.

First peak is - you have a skillset nobody can replace. This is a rare category to fall in, but it favors autistics nonetheless - think like Albert Einstein.

Second peak is - you show up everyday, at the precise time, leave at the precise time, and do as you're told. Believe it or not, this is the golden path to earning well over $20/hr USD. The consistency matters. The problem is convincing the employer that you are that person.

There are several Amazon warehouse workers on this forum. Have you considered that?

I tried applying to Amazon recently due to the fact I just need some kind of stable job at this point but I was even turned down by the in my area.
I may have to do like retail or grocery and see what I can do from there.

 

[jsilver256]

In that case, I'd recommend looking up @Outdated 's posts as to how he got his apprenticeship.

Small businesses are the beating heart of America, as much as the media and advertising industry make you want ot believe otherwise. But it does require stepping out of your comfort zone.

 

[Tom]

Subbing is stepping stone to a teaching position if your interested. I guess you know already you can sub in more then one school district.

 

[Outdated]

In that case, I'd recommend looking up @Outdated 's posts as to how he got his apprenticeship.

I never actually got an apprenticeship, I got seriously ripped off there. But within three years that didn't matter, I had skill and aptitude in abundance and I found the trade environment very suited to me. I was expected to produce high quality work at reasonable speed and nothing else mattered.

No one cared that I had no qualifications because I was so good at the job. No one cared that I wasn't very social, in fact most employers admired the fact that I would rather work than stand around talking. After ten years I became a prize that other companies tried to poach, I was highly respected and highly paid.

I may have to do like retail or grocery and see what I can do from there.

I don't recommend that. All of us are different of course but I found that situation very difficult to deal with. I had no trouble dealing with customers, I quite enjoyed those interactions and the customers liked me too. Dealing with the rest of the sales team and their petty little games of office politics was an entirely different matter.

There were times when I took on other jobs as a fill in because no one was offering the money I wanted for printing, I knew what I was worth, why stress out over plying my trade if I could earn more doing unskilled labour? Mostly I did warehousing jobs, and once I took on a job as a cleaner at a large industrial plant too.

I found warehousing jobs the easiest to get, the best paid, and minimal social interactions. I didn't wait for jobs to be advertised, I went door knocking at furniture and white goods retailers. I didn't go through the front door and ask to speak to a manager, I went around the back to the loading dock and asked the blokes there who would be best to talk to. If you can get them putting in a good word for you then your chances of getting a job are much higher.

They always asked me if I could drive a forklift and the answer was "Yes, but I don't have a ticket.". Most were so happy to find an experienced forklift driver that they didn't care that I was unlicensed. Quite a few of these places had licensed drivers that were hopeless so even though I never had a ticket it was always me driving the forks. I never had a single accident with the forklifts.

 

[Outdated]

@Outdated , IMO, has excellent advice about selling yourself to small businesses - and trust me, they'd pay for somone who simply shows up on time, does a semi-flexible acitvity, and leaves on time.

Some tips that really help:

Dress for the job you're applying for. If it's warehousing or some type of labouring job this means jeans, steel capped boots and a hi-vis shirt. If you look like an office boy you won't get the job.

Even if you've got an interview by applying to an advertisement it's always good if you can get inside and talk to people working there, try and get some of them on your side as well as finding out more about what the job entails. This gives you a huge advantage when you go for the proper interview.

Confidence in interviews plays a huge role too, and that's a difficult thing to learn. My first job lasted 2 years before I quit but after that I went through a long period of applying for jobs and getting knocked back all the time. In the end I was applying for jobs with the attitude that I knew I wasn't going to get the job anyway so I might as well have a bit of fun with it. It was a very empowering experience, applying for jobs that I knew I didn't want and telling them half way through the interview that there was no way I was prepared to work for the pittance of a wage they were offering. "I'm terribly sorry but it appears I've just wasted your time. I couldn't possibly work for that."

 

[Mary Terry]

I tried applying to Amazon recently due to the fact I just need some kind of stable job at this point but I was even turned down by the in my area.
I may have to do like retail or grocery and see what I can do from there.

Have you considered applying to the US Postal Service? Or becoming a school bus driver, combined with part time teaching? You might be eligible for Social Security disability, too, which would allow you to work a number of hours per month such as a part time teaching job without jeopardizing your benefits.

Just trying to brainstorm what you might do.

 

[Levitat0r]

So I recently got a job as a substitute teacher for a school district and this is something I should be excited about but unfortunately I am not given that this is a part time job and considered as a “when needed” schedule so I am luck if I get to work 2 days a week for what $12 an hour. I got this job without an interview as many substitute teaching positions don’t go through an interview portion at all.

...

You being someone who relates to autistic tendencies, my suggestion would be to steer clear of public education, because it is very highly politicized, and the moment someone wants to do something for some ulterior, unfair, or dishonest motive, if your blood doesn't boil, do you really have the social acumen to work through that? I know I don't. I wasn't even welcome in college. I had two part-time jobs in IT, and I was run out, with the complaint that I was found non-specifically "unpleasant". Well, I was fresh out of High School, and I still had a tendency to flinch because I couldn't help but anticipate that someone was going to take a swing at me, or bounce me off a wall.

It's a nasty world. If you feel autistic, then you probably have some of the traits, and some of the most distinct issues are an inability to deal with social nuance. I'd suggest solitary careers working with objects or machines. The exception I see is art; it has a power to connect all sorts of people, so if you love music or painting, it's a suggestion.

Incidentally, I know what you mean about the frustration being told "we decided to pursue other candidates". The part that's frustrating to me is the mechanistic, indifferent, and unhelpful way that that's presented. Could you at least tell me what I could improve? It's apparent that they're often not very proud of their reasons, or they would tell you.