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Is being underemployed or struggling to get into a career that pays enough to support oneself, common for people on the autism spectrum?

Ronald Zeeman said:
When I lost my job unable for a time to get another. I relied on wifefare and unemployment benefits. DId not know being autistic was also issue. Older brother lost position mid thirties unable to get reemployed remainder of his life.
We knew he was wierd, Looking back no realize his Autism was the cause. In my opinion a loss to society he was a genius.
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He had more noticeable symptoms than you?
 
FayetheAspie said:
He had more noticeable symptoms than you?
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He was more like Sheldon from big bang theory, My wife loved the show as my family resembled it. I was more like Leonard, closer to NT. I have more brothers that filled out the cast similarities. MY wife even looks like penny.
 
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Ronald Zeeman said:
He was more like Sheldon from big bang theory, My wife loved the show as my family resembled it. I was more like Leonard, closer to NT. I have more brothers that filled out the cast similarities.
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I hear that show referrenced a lot. I guess I need to try at least one episode so I know what the comparisons are. I think I saw a trailer or something on it before but do not know the characters or even what genre it is. I would assume comedy from what I remember of the trailer.
 
I'm personally not into American comedy, show was OK but too much of a chariture of people on the spectrum
My older brother really did act like Sheldon, he was strange, and bright. big guy 13 lbs as baby much taller than me.
 
Yeah, I checked out a few short skits. It's definitely not my style of show, but I do see how the character's overall mannerisms and such kinda fit a lot of us.
 
FayetheAspie said:
Yeah, I checked out a few short skits. It's definitely not my style of show, but I do see how the character's overall mannerisms and such kinda fit a lot of us.
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They did that intentionally, while worried it could offend out community, Either way NT's like my wife love the show.
I just noticed the similarities to my family, we are not comedic.
 
The obvious mannerisms don't bother me. In fact it can seem nice when a show does include us. There are other shows with equally obvious autistic characters that I like. The constant vulgar jokes do bother me though. That is the problem I run into with most comedy shows.
 
Steelbookcollector217 said:
yeah, i also wouldn't know if it is possible for me to be eligible to apply and receive social security benefits, social security income, even if it is just a few hundred dollars a month, one of my friends, he has a job, he works at a Vet place but as a janitor, cleaner, but he told me receives $100 a month as part of his social security benefits.
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That shocked me, no wonder your homeless people are always begging. Our unemployed people get Au$1500 a month and a disability pension is half as much again. And we get free health care and cheap public transport.

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/how-much-jobseeker-payment-you-can-get?context=51411
 
yeah, i would be lying if i said i don't worry about my future at times, i'm sure it happens to lots of people everyday worldwide, but i'm proud of myself from being able to have jobs over the years, even if they are not professional high ranked.
 
blitzkrieg said:
85% is commonly quoted and is more accurate a figure than 40% for autistic unemployment rates.

Around or more than 50% of autistic folk are level 2 or level 3 in terms of functioning and the employment rate is close to zero for those groups.

Level 1 autistic folk still have a hard time gaining employment, because even when able technically - social skills deficits hold people back from getting decent jobs and getting through interviews and navigating the social sphere of many jobs, and so on.

In the UK, according to the National Autistic Society, only 22% of autistic folk are in any kind of employment. Source:

New shocking data highlights the autism employment gap
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Arguably, that’s kind of a definition thing. ASD is defined by support need levels. If you are employed and working, the odds that you are high support needs are low. And of course employment statistics would be distorted by the undiagnosed rates (especially in older folks), the age of participants, and overall relatively lower labor force participation rate of younger people compared to past generations.
 
Steelbookcollector217 said:
but i'm proud of myself from being able to have jobs over the years, even if they are not professional high ranked.
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This seems to be a class distinction/stigma thing in some parts of the world. Here a skilled tradesman is far more respected than someone with a fancy office title, and often far better paid.

Personally I prefer to do unskilled laboring jobs, there's no pressure, little social interaction, and because no one wants to do these sorts of jobs these days there's always work available and they pay fairly well too. Add some skill to the labour and the pay is what I'd call decent, a brick layer here can earn up to $110/hour.

How Much do bricklayers Cost in Australia? [2024]
 
I was able to get respectable jobs because my family helped me get the college education I needed. From there, I was able to get work experience to be employable at least. There are programs that are aimed at hiring people on spectrum, but many are geared for college bound or people who have college bound degrees. You could be considered for a job through these kind of outlets without a degree if you can show you're somewhat of a coding genius, but otherwise the market can be tough.

There are resources where people will try to get you a job if you aren't college bound, but those are different than the programs I've seen. So, try to look for anything like that that can help you get your foot in the door.

OP, Your salary is livable even without your family. Depending on where you live, you might have to take in roommates and understand how to manage property/a home and your taxes. Pay for an accountant or go to H&R Block or similar if you aren't sure how to do your taxes if you don't have your family to help you out or know how to do it on your own. OP, if you are flexible in where you live and in moving to save, this can help a lot for survival and opportunity as well.

If you wish to try to get into the corporate field more, you can try to look for jobs that are secretary type jobs if you think you're good with people and answering the phone. Since it's more of a desk job, it might give you more room to study a little on the side. Maybe. .. But maybe you could be tired out from the day's work. It's a tough balance.
 
stevens said:
This is my answer too. I was lucky enough to turn my special interest as a young person into a job as an adult. Getting that job was more or less an accident. I'd like to give myself credit, but after a lot of job searching I found--by accident--an interviewer who didn't know what he was doing and an employer with lots of rules and a union. I write "didn't know what he was doing" was that he didn't see through whatever masking I was able to do and failed to see the autistic person inside. It didn't hurt that my coworkers were, in some cases, weirder than I was. That worked really well.

More than six years later, I went back to college to finish what I'd started and earned two engineering degrees and a business degree. These were the kind of degrees that neurotypical people could print money with, but--you guessed it--not so easy for me. The problems were all social--not the grades. Eventually I found a workaround, which involved a government employer and lots of rules, which people like me enjoy and which also are protective. It didn't hurt at all that the pay was high and there were retirement benefits.

It's no surprise to me that a lot of autistic people are underemployed. When I volunteered at a food bank I met a young man who had a masters degree in chemistry--when I looked him up at the University I found he had graduated with highest honors. He should have been working for 3M or Bayer or something, but he wasn't. He was working for minimum wage at the Food Bank. To me that felt terrible, because by then I realized that my job success had really been a narrow miss of that kind of disappointment.
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You could refer this person to reach out to specific programs if you know them. This is assuming he has a diagnosis though.

With his background, if he's open to moving and able to manage the initial process, he has a chance to make it in.

Probably his best bet.
 
$1,500 p/m isn't a whole lot considering the costs of living in a lot of places in the US, but yeah, $100 would be a ridiculous figure, lol.
 
Look like the down side of getting labeled, and considered disabled, puts a ceiling on earnings, and thus quality of life. My ignorance prevented this from happening to me, got educated, planned a career worked the plan now retired made it through the maze.
 
Ronald Zeeman said:
Look like the down side of getting labeled, and considered disabled, puts a ceiling on earnings, and thus quality of life. My ignorance prevented this from happening to me, got educated, planned a career worked the plan now retired made it through the maze.
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Many people cannot do what you did, Ronald. Some people absolutely need supplemental income due to their disability. They aren't compelled to apply for SSDI or to publicly admit they have a disability, but doing so can greatly improve the quality of their lives.
 
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