Kind of at a crossroads....

[HOFJanitor]

Hello there!
I'll try not to bore you with my life story but to make a long story short I was recently informally diagnosed with HFA at age 34 by my psychologist. I have struggled in the workplace. I am currently in school for machining but am struggling in school as well...Just wondering if I should give up on this career choice and just stoop to something more repetitive and less skill and creative based.

ty

 

[Richelle-H]

Give up what interests you to work at something boring?

I did not know I had Asperger's until well into my 40s. I pursued my passion through many obstacles and finally found my dream job right before I turned 50. Having worked at menial jobs such as a Mattel Toys assembly line packager and some other jobs best forgotten, once I locked into my hard-won strengths there was no looking back.

How are you struggling. Is it beyond your capabilities or is it just a lot of technical learning that you find yourself struggling with. I took a welding course in college (it was a prerequisite for engineering of any sort), and during the oxyacetylene welding portion I managed to produce a molten piece of flying metal that, unbeknownst to me, landed on my welding apron (I was sitting down) and proceeded to burn a hole through the apron and through my outerwear as well. That did not stop me from pushing ahead through the other elements. Welding was clearly beyond me but I persevered and it gave me needed confidence in myself.

Ultimately, you should follow your passions or at the very least that which brings you pride in accomplishment. Working at what you do best is always the way to go in my next to worthless opinion.

 

[eg3210]

Hi! My answer is to only stoop if you want to!

There are probably recourses that can help at school. Depending on your personal strengths and weaknesses, machining seems like it might fit well with some people who are on the spectrum.

I've personally have been able to get through most education I've tried and have even gotten a couple decent jobs. But between the autism and an issue with pain I have trouble with executive function and some days simply can not do jobs that involve high levels of multi tasking, details and particularly communicating. So I did decide to change my life in a way that I can survive a low paying job that I can quickly replace if something goes wrong and I lose it.

For me it works. I didn't have to give up much, I don't care much about status and the reduction in stress was great.

But for you, you'd have to look at the details, can you afford to live the way you want with a boring repetitive job, will you be satisfied having a lower status job, stuff like that.

And if it comes down to just having trouble at school and being worried about not passing, if you are comfortable let us know specifically what the issues are, I'm sure someone has already delt with them and might be able to offer help

 

[Rodafina]

Hello and welcome! I’m glad you have found us. It’s a friendly community here, and we all try pretty hard to support one another.

Seeing as your diagnosis is recent, maybe you should stick around for a while and read posts that have been made and make your own to start really learning about yourself and understanding autism. The more you understand yourself and what you want going forward, the easier it will be to make difficult decisions.

 

[HOFJanitor]

Give up what interests you to work at something boring?

I did not know I had Asperger's until well into my 40s. I pursued my passion through many obstacles and finally found my dream job right before I turned 50. Having worked at menial jobs such as a Mattel Toys assembly line packager and some other jobs best forgotten, once I locked into my hard-won strengths there was no looking back.

How are you struggling. Is it beyond your capabilities or is it just a lot of technical learning that you find yourself struggling with. I took a welding course in college (it was a prerequisite for engineering of any sort), and during the oxyacetylene welding portion I managed to produce a molten piece of flying metal that, unbeknownst to me, landed on my welding apron (I was sitting down) and proceeded to burn a hole through the apron and through my outerwear as well. That did not stop me from pushing ahead through the other elements. Welding was clearly beyond me but I persevered and it gave me needed confidence in myself.

Ultimately, you should follow your passions or at the very least that which brings you pride in accomplishment. Working at what you do best is always the way to go in my next to worthless o

Give up what interests you to work at something boring?

I did not know I had Asperger's until well into my 40s. I pursued my passion through many obstacles and finally found my dream job right before I turned 50. Having worked at menial jobs such as a Mattel Toys assembly line packager and some other jobs best forgotten, once I locked into my hard-won strengths there was no looking back.

How are you struggling. Is it beyond your capabilities or is it just a lot of technical learning that you find yourself struggling with. I took a welding course in college (it was a prerequisite for engineering of any sort), and during the oxyacetylene welding portion I managed to produce a molten piece of flying metal that, unbeknownst to me, landed on my welding apron (I was sitting down) and proceeded to burn a hole through the apron and through my outerwear as well. That did not stop me from pushing ahead through the other elements. Welding was clearly beyond me but I persevered and it gave me needed confidence in myself.

Ultimately, you should follow your passions or at the very least that which brings you pride in accomplishment. Working at what you do best is always the way to go in my next to worthless opinion.

Hi Richelle,

Thanks so much for your response! I am struggling with the hands on portion of the apprenticeship training. To summarize, employers are supposed to give you minimum 9 months of experience operating manual machines. My employer has not given me any exposure to manual machining so when you arrive to school you are expected to have a foundation. I am totally behind most of my peers. NOW I am struggling with is it because of my autism that I am struggling or going to struggle more, should I struggle through 4 years of this? that sort of thing. Its been a lot to process being recently diagnosed.

 

[HOFJanitor]

Hello and welcome! I’m glad you have found us. It’s a friendly community here, and we all try pretty hard to support one another.

Seeing as your diagnosis is recent, maybe you should stick around for a while and read posts that have been made and make your own to start really learning about yourself and understanding autism. The more you understand yourself and what you want going forward, the easier it will be to make difficult decisions.

Hi thanks for your comment. Yes that is good advice. Things have definitely come to the forefront after the diagnosis.

 

[HOFJanitor]

I've personally have been able to get through most education I've tried and have even gotten a couple decent jobs. But between the autism and an issue with pain I have trouble with executive function and some days simply can not do jobs that involve high levels of multi tasking, details and particularly communicating. So I did decide to change my life in a way that I can survive a low paying job that I can quickly replace if something goes wrong and I lose it.

For me it works. I didn't have to give up much, I don't care much about status and the reduction in stress was great.

But for you, you'd have to look at the details, can you afford to live the way you want with a boring repetitive job, will you be satisfied having a lower status job, stuff like that.

And if it comes down to just having trouble at school and being worried about not passing, if you are comfortable let us know specifically what the issues are, I'm sure someone has already delt with them and might be able to offer help

Hey thanks for the comment!
For school the textbook work (theory) is a breeze. Its the hands on portion of visualization of machining cuts, using the machine (hands on) that is absolutely destroying me. I am pretty well coordinated and have decent dexterity its just from lack of practice on manual machines. The problem is that the schooling expects to receive apprentices with minimum 9 months of manual machining experience... I came with none.

 

[Aspychata]

Do you. Do you no matter what. Or spend the rest of your life in therapist's offices, medicating yourself, or ridiculous spending to make up for what you can't feel. But hey, been there, done that.

 

[eg3210]

Based on your follow up I change my advice to stick with it!
If you try and succeed then you still have the option to change jobs later. And if you don't, you gain some life experience and you end up right where you would be if you quit now, but without that gnawing question in the back of your mind "what if I had stayed in school"
That stinks that they didn't give you the required experience. Is there a chance that you can speak to someone and go back to get experience. Or maybe someone in the program you can ask to sit down with for some extra one-on-one time after class, even another student if they are advanced enough might be able to help you get a better handle on the hands on stuff.

 

[Nitro]

Hello there!
I'll try not to bore you with my life story but to make a long story short I was recently informally diagnosed with HFA at age 34 by my psychologist. I have struggled in the workplace. I am currently in school for machining but am struggling in school as well...Just wondering if I should give up on this career choice and just stoop to something more repetitive and less skill and creative based.

ty

https://www.autismforums.com/threads/fred-r-clark-son-machineworks.37137/

 

[HOFJanitor]

H

Do you. Do you no matter what. Or spend the rest of your life in therapist's offices, medicating yourself, or ridiculous spending to make up for what you can't feel. But hey, been there, done that.

Hi Thanks for your perspective. Yes I feel your pain. I have spent enough time in doctors offices pin pointing issues related to ASD but being labelled as having other disorders.TOTAL WASTE OF TIME and you know who solved all the diagnosing that the experts couldnt figure out.... i get irritated just thinking about it!

 

[HOFJanitor]

Based on your follow up I change my advice to stick with it!
If you try and succeed then you still have the option to change jobs later. And if you don't, you gain some life experience and you end up right where you would be if you quit now, but without that gnawing question in the back of your mind "what if I had stayed in school"
That stinks that they didn't give you the required experience. Is there a chance that you can speak to someone and go back to get experience. Or maybe someone in the program you can ask to sit down with for some extra one-on-one time after class, even another student if they are advanced enough might be able to help you get a better handle on the hands on stuff.

there are definitely advanced students who are helping others I have to get out of my comfort zone and I guess approach them more but most are in a time crunch

 

[eg3210]

I'm sorry I don't have any specific experience with apprantishp and I don't even know what county you are in. But most schools have special things they can do to help someone with different issues. I don't know if sensory issues or stress is hurting your learning process but you might be able to do hands on tests at a different quieter time without others around or might be able to get extra time in the lab or just whatever is getting in your way the most (other than them not giving you the training you were supposed to have already)
And also this may sound basic but are you already making sure you get enough rest, eat and drink at the right times and dress to ensure you are as comfortable as possible? These can help a lot with learning or hurt if not done. I personally have trouble understanding my body and was older then you before I finally realized I had been severely sleep deprived much of my life. And it took me some time to relalize that the reason I had trouble focusing at certain times was because I hadn't eaten anything that day.

 

[HOFJanitor]

I'm sorry I don't have any specific experience with apprantishp and I don't even know what county you are in. But most schools have special things they can do to help someone with different issues. I don't know if sensory issues or stress is hurting your learning process but you might be able to do hands on tests at a different quieter time without others around or might be able to get extra time in the lab or just whatever is getting in your way the most (other than them not giving you the training you were supposed to have already)
And also this may sound basic but are you already making sure you get enough rest, eat and drink at the right times and dress to ensure you are as comfortable as possible? These can help a lot with learning or hurt if not done. I personally have trouble understanding my body and was older then you before I finally realized I had been severely sleep deprived much of my life. And it took me some time to relalize that the reason I had trouble focusing at certain times was because I hadn't eaten anything that day.

Hello,

Yes taking care of the physical basic necessities is often overlooked. When I become overwhelmed like all of us I tend to neglect these things....
Its a combination of things but I cannot say that sleep deprivation or taking care of comfortable clothing is the culprit. Thanks for that perspective!!!

 

[HOFJanitor]

I just want to say thanks for all the responses! They were all desperately needed. Having ASD is quite alienating but knowing others are dealing with similar struggles is quite encouraging!

 

[HOFJanitor]

Its difficult to not attribute struggles in school and workplace to ASD even if indirectly... I struggle with short term memory... I wonder if I have the innate intelligence to problem solve and visually think things through. I dont know it was a lot to process and Im still grappling with the diagnosis.

 

[Nitro]

 

[VictorR]

Welcome!

I am struggling with the hands on portion of the apprenticeship training. To summarize, employers are supposed to give you minimum 9 months of experience operating manual machines. My employer has not given me any exposure to manual machining so when you arrive to school you are expected to have a foundation. I am totally behind most of my peers. NOW I am struggling with is it because of my autism that I am struggling or going to struggle more, should I struggle through 4 years of this? that sort of thing. Its been a lot to process being recently diagnosed.

Apprenticeships are interesting since they involve two separate components - the hands-on at work, while the in-school portion tends to be more theory, but also building upon the skills that the student was expected to have worked on over the past months or year.

In an ideal world, the employer is understanding and supportive of the apprentice's needs - to ensure that they have exposure to a variety of things, both hands-on and as an observer, to encourage the apprentice to apply for the in-school portion only when they are ready, and to allow the apprentice to have the time off to attend. Basically, the employer is supposed to be a mentor.

Unfortunately, it's not unusual for this not to be the case.

Sometimes the employer doesn't fully understand their role in training and so doesn't provide enough support and/or rotation through different skill sets.

Sometimes the employer is shorthanded and doesn't have the ability to provide the support and/or rotation.

Sometimes the employer sees the apprentice as cheap labour and doesn't care about helping them advance to the next level.

etc etc.

In cases where your employer sponsor isn't really working well for you, then that's where, as hard as it may be, you'd want to consider looking for a new one. Ultimately, you have to look out for you first.

From what you describe, it seems like the trade might be perfectly okay for you - it's just a matter of getting the right support.

In my work doing job/career support, one thing that I often stress is that people often ask about the right job, the right company, or the right industry. But quite often, it's about having the right boss.

Best wishes and of course happy to answer any questions.

 

[HOFJanitor]

Welcome!



Apprenticeships are interesting since they involve two separate components - the hands-on at work, while the in-school portion tends to be more theory, but also building upon the skills that the student was expected to have worked on over the past months or year.

In an ideal world, the employer is understanding and supportive of the apprentice's needs - to ensure that they have exposure to a variety of things, both hands-on and as an observer, to encourage the apprentice to apply for the in-school portion only when they are ready, and to allow the apprentice to have the time off to attend. Basically, the employer is supposed to be a mentor.

Unfortunately, it's not unusual for this not to be the case.

Sometimes the employer doesn't fully understand their role in training and so doesn't provide enough support and/or rotation through different skill sets.

Sometimes the employer is shorthanded and doesn't have the ability to provide the support and/or rotation.

Sometimes the employer sees the apprentice as cheap labour and doesn't care about helping them advance to the next level.

etc etc.

In cases where your employer sponsor isn't really working well for you, then that's where, as hard as it may be, you'd want to consider looking for a new one. Ultimately, you have to look out for you first.

From what you describe, it seems like the trade might be perfectly okay for you - it's just a matter of getting the right support.

In my work doing job/career support, one thing that I often stress is that people often ask about the right job, the right company, or the right industry. But quite often, it's about having the right boss.

Best wishes and of course happy to answer any questions.

Hello Victor and thanks for your response. You sound very knowledgeable about apprenticeships....Do you think its worthwhile to disclose an autism diagnosis to potential employers? Im leaning towards maybe asking more about culture, work demands possible accommodations etc without actually disclosing because I in fact disclosed my diagnosis before attending the schooling and im not so sure I made the right decision.

 

[All-Rounder]

Your idea for something repetitive is in agreement with my personal workplace needs.

I find it so much less stressful and develop interest and skill with repetitive tasks. I can relax and there's not much pressure to create.

I use my creativity for more comfortable hobbies by myself.