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An Aspie's Guide To Choosing A Career

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Career Development for Autistic Individuals: an Aspie’s Guide to Choosing a Career

Understanding Career Selection Through an Autistic Lens

Career selection for autistic individuals requires fundamentally different criteria than neurotypical career advice. While traditional career counseling focuses primarily on salary, prestige, and advancement potential, autistic career success depends on matching your unique strengths, sensory processing needs, and social communication style to appropriate work environments. As Dr. Tony Attwood emphasizes in An Aspie’s Guide to Choosing a Career, any career from astronaut to zookeeper is achievable—not by forcing yourself into neurotypical molds, but by identifying paths where your Autistic traits become advantages rather than obstacles.

The core philosophy challenges romanticized notions of finding “the one perfect career.” Instead, success comes through systematic self-Assessment, strategic skill development, and maintaining flexibility across multiple potential paths. Modern employment typically involves several different careers across a lifetime anyway, making rigid adherence to one initial vision counterproductive for anyone—especially Autistic individuals who may mature more slowly than peers and discover new interests and capabilities throughout their 20s and 30s.

Self-Assessment: the Foundation of Career Discovery

Identifying Your Genuine Strengths and Interests

Before exploring career options, you must understand what you actually bring to the table—not what parents, teachers, or society expects you to value. Start with systematic self-inventory:

Activities and Interests Assessment:

  • What activities consistently hold your attention for extended periods?
  • Which subjects have you naturally excelled in, even without formal instruction?
  • What jobs or tasks have you performed well, even if briefly or informally?
  • What Special interests have persisted across different phases of your life?
  • How do you learn best: visual learning, hands-on practice, auditory instruction, or reading/writing?

Natural Talents Recognition: Autistic individuals often possess specific cognitive strengths that form career foundations. These might include:

Dr. Attwood emphasizes that childhood fascinations frequently become career foundations. A childhood obsession with Lego can develop into mechanical engineering, architecture, or design. Detailed drawing can lead to technical illustration, fine art, or architectural drafting. Animal interests can develop into veterinary science, zookeeping, or animal behavior research. The key is nurturing these genuine interests through dedicated practice rather than dismissing them as hobbies.

Learning Style Documentation: Understanding how you process information is crucial for career compatibility:

  • Visual learners thrive in careers with diagrams, charts, spatial reasoning, and visual problem-solving
  • Auditory learners may excel in music, sound engineering, or verbal communication fields
  • Kinesthetic learners succeed in hands-on careers like surgery, mechanics, or skilled trades
  • writing learners flourish in research, writing, programming, or academic fields

Utilizing Professional Assessment Tools

Several structured Assessment tools provide objective insights into your natural strengths and workplace preferences:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Available at www.myersbriggs.org, this Assessment identifies your personality type and associated strengths/weaknesses. Many employers use MBTI in hiring processes, so understanding your type prepares you for workplace interactions and helps identify compatible work environments.

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Accessible through www.gallupstrengthscenter.com, this tool identifies untapped potentials in your personality and psychological makeup. It often reveals strengths you haven’t recognized in yourself, suggesting career directions aligned with your natural talents.

Community Resources: Most communities offer free or low-cost career Assessment services:

These professional assessments complement your personal inventory by providing objective data and suggesting career paths you might not have considered.

The Environment Factor: Beyond Job Content to Workplace Reality

Sensory Environment Assessment

Many Autistic individuals excel at job content but fail due to incompatible Sensory environments. Before pursuing any career, systematically evaluate typical workplace conditions:

Auditory Considerations:

  • Noise level and type (constant vs. Intermittent, predictable vs. Chaotic)
  • Open office layouts vs. Private workspaces
  • Machinery noise, customer traffic, or background music
  • Acoustic quality and sound-absorbing features
  • Remote work possibilities for noise-sensitive individuals

Visual Environment:

  • Lighting type (natural, fluorescent, LED, task lighting)
  • Light intensity and potential for flickering or glare
  • Screen brightness and display quality
  • Visual organization vs. Clutter
  • Color schemes and visual stimulation levels

Other Sensory Factors:

  • Temperature control and air quality
  • Smells from chemicals, perfumes, food preparation, or industrial processes
  • Space and crowding considerations
  • Texture and tactile aspects of work materials
  • Vibration or movement factors

Mentor Charli Devnet explicitly states she would refuse high-paying corporate positions “regardless of pay” due to Sensory and social incompatibility, illustrating that environment matters more than compensation for sustainable Autistic employment.

Social Structure and Workplace Culture

Interaction Patterns:

  • Percentage of time working independently vs. Collaboratively
  • Customer/public interaction requirements
  • Team-based project structures vs. Individual contributor roles
  • Remote/hybrid work options
  • Communication style expectations (direct vs. Indirect, written vs. Verbal)

Workplace Culture Considerations:

  • Tolerance for individual eccentricity vs. Conformity expectations
  • After-work socializing requirements
  • Corporate culture alignment with Autistic communication styles
  • Advancement mechanisms (merit-based vs. Social networking)
  • Unspoken vs. Explicit workplace expectations

Mentor Ruth Elaine Joyner Hane discovered that many positions were filled through social networking with management rather than merit—a confusing dynamic for Autistic individuals focused on performance. Understanding these cultural factors helps you choose environments where your natural approach aligns with organizational values.

Strategic Career Exploration: Beyond Theory to Practice

Volunteering As Strategic Career Development

Volunteering provides invaluable workplace experience without the pressure of immediate performance expectations. Mentor Richard Maguire reports that many volunteers he mentored later succeeded in paid employment positions. Volunteering teaches:

Essential Workplace Skills:

  • Punctuality and reliability
  • Following instructions from supervisors
  • Cooperative work with colleagues
  • Responsibility and task completion
  • Workplace communication norms
  • Professional presentation and hygiene

Career-Specific Experience: Volunteer positions provide direct exposure to potential career fields, allowing you to test compatibility before investing in formal education or training. This is especially valuable when you’re uncertain about multiple career directions.

Entry-Level Work As Foundation Building

Rather than viewing entry-level or “lower-status” jobs as failures or stepping stones to rush past, recognize them as essential learning experiences. Mentor Maguire pumped petrol at age 16 and credits that job with teaching more about workplace functioning than formal education. Even unpleasant positions teach crucial lessons about:

Workplace Reality:

  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Dealing with difficult people
  • Professional presentation standards
  • Taking instruction gracefully
  • Workplace politics and social dynamics
  • Identifying career directions to avoid

These positions provide transferable skills applicable across all future employment while building your resume and professional references.

Meetup Groups and Experiential Exploration

Dr. Patrick Suglia recommends joining special interest groups through platforms like Meetup.com. His approach is simple: “show up, give it a shot, and go from there.” This strategy overcomes analysis paralysis by providing real-world experience with potential interests:

Exploration Categories:

  • Technical fields (computer programming, engineering groups)
  • Creative pursuits (art classes, writing workshops, photography clubs)
  • Scientific interests (astronomy clubs, citizen science projects)
  • Practical skills (carpentry workshops, automotive repair classes)
  • Outdoor activities (gardening clubs, conservation projects)

You never know what will genuinely engage you until you actually try it. On-the-job experience remains the best judge of authentic interest and aptitude.

Skill Development and Persistence: Building Career Competence

The Reality of Talent Development

All meaningful talent requires sustained effort over years—sometimes decades. Mentor Larry Moody notes that neither Da Vinci nor Picasso were considered masters until many years after beginning practice. The Carnegie Hall principle applies universally: “Practice, practice, practice.”

This means:

  • Career mastery typically requires 7-10+ years of consistent effort
  • Early attempts will be rough and unsuccessful—this is normal
  • Persistence through failure is essential, not exceptional
  • Skill development follows a non-linear progression with plateaus and breakthroughs

Educational Pathways and Strategic Planning

Mentor Moody’s engineering career illustrates strategic long-term planning: he began as a draftsman, surveyor, and engineering technician, working seven-plus years in engineering-related roles before pursuing his bachelor’s degree. He earned that degree over an 11-year period while working full-time, famously failing differential equations four times before finally passing.

This demonstrates several important principles:

Strategic Education Planning:

  • Build practical experience before formal education when possible
  • Consider part-time or extended educational timelines
  • Accept that foundational courses may require multiple attempts
  • Work experience often makes academic concepts more understandable
  • Don’t let educational setbacks derail long-term career goals

Mentorship and Structured Learning:

  • Seek private tuition or specialized training for difficult subjects
  • Find mentors who understand Autistic learning patterns
  • Use [[Temple Grandin’s Developing Talents]] for practical skill development guidance
  • Consider apprenticeship models over traditional academic paths when appropriate

Transferable Skill Development

Rather than focusing exclusively on job-specific technical skills, deliberately develop transferable skills applicable across multiple career paths:

Analytical Skills:

  • Systematic problem-solving approaches
  • Data analysis and interpretation
  • Pattern recognition in complex systems
  • Critical thinking and logical reasoning

Communication Skills:

  • Technical writing and documentation
  • Presentation skills for specialized audiences
  • Professional email and written communication
  • Structured explanation of complex concepts

Project Management:

  • Breaking large projects into manageable components
  • Timeline development and milestone tracking
  • Resource allocation and prioritization
  • Quality assurance and attention to detail

These skills remain valuable regardless of specific career direction, providing flexibility for unexpected opportunities and career transitions.

Career Categories and Autistic Strengths Alignment

Traditional “Autistic-Friendly” Career Fields

Technology Careers:

These roles typically offer:

  • Clear, logical problem-solving requirements
  • Minimal social interaction demands
  • Structured, predictable work patterns
  • Results-based evaluation criteria

Engineering Careers:

Engineering aligns with Autistic strengths in:

  • Systematic thinking and logical analysis
  • Attention to technical detail
  • Pattern recognition in complex systems
  • Concrete, measurable outcomes

Science Careers:

Science provides:

  • Fact-based decision making criteria
  • Systematic investigation protocols
  • Minimal workplace politics in laboratory settings
  • Clear advancement through demonstrated competence

Unexpected but Viable Career Options

Creative Careers:

Creative fields value:

  • Intense focus and dedication
  • Attention to detail and precision
  • Unique perspectives and original thinking
  • Technical mastery of craft

Healthcare Careers:

Healthcare offers:

  • Clear protocols and procedures
  • Results-based performance metrics
  • Specialized technical knowledge requirements
  • Helping others through expertise rather than social skills

Skilled Trades:

Trades provide:

  • Concrete, tangible work outcomes
  • Independent work opportunities
  • Clear problem-solving requirements
  • Entrepreneurial potential

Careers Requiring Careful Environmental Assessment

Corporate Careers:

These positions often involve:

  • Extensive social networking requirements
  • Open-office Sensory challenges
  • Unspoken advancement criteria
  • High-pressure interpersonal dynamics

Education Careers:

Education requires:

  • Constant interpersonal interaction
  • Flexibility and adaptability demands
  • Multi-tasking across varied responsibilities
  • Emotional labor and boundary management

Workplace Skills and Professional Development

Essential Workplace Attitudes and Behaviors

Dr. Attwood emphasizes that technical ability alone insufficient for employment success. Specific workplace attitudes significantly impact career longevity:

Constructive Criticism Reception:

  • Understand criticism as improvement feedback, not personal attack
  • Practice responding professionally to correction and guidance
  • Ask clarifying questions about performance expectations
  • Implement suggested changes consistently

Professional Presentation Standards:

  • Maintain appropriate workplace hygiene and grooming
  • Dress according to workplace norms and expectations
  • Develop reliable punctuality and attendance patterns
  • Create organized, efficient workspaces

Workplace Communication Skills:

  • Keep personal opinions to yourself in group settings
  • Avoid workplace gossip and politics
  • Practice professional email and written communication
  • Develop clear, concise explanation abilities for technical concepts

Learning to Navigate Workplace Politics

While Autistic individuals often find workplace politics bewildering, understanding these dynamics prevents career derailment:

Recognition Skills:

  • Identify key decision-makers and informal power structures
  • Recognize when decisions are based on social factors vs. Merit
  • Understand team dynamics and alliance patterns
  • Notice subtle communication signals and unspoken expectations

Strategic Adaptation:

  • Focus on environments where merit matters more than social connections
  • Develop professional networking skills within your comfort zone
  • Choose workplaces aligned with your natural communication style
  • Accept that some advancement paths may require social skill development

Stress Management and Workplace Sustainability

Stress Management Strategies:

  • Identify personal stress triggers and warning signs
  • Develop regular routines for decompression and recovery
  • Create workspace modifications reducing Sensory stress
  • Schedule regular breaks during demanding work periods

Burnout Prevention:

  • Recognize early Burnout symptoms (irritability, exhaustion, performance decline)
  • Maintain work-life boundaries and personal time
  • Develop stress-reducing hobbies and interests outside work
  • Seek Support when workplace stress becomes overwhelming

Sustainable Career Planning:

  • Prioritize environmental fit over short-term salary advantages
  • Plan career transitions before Burnout becomes critical
  • Develop skills portable across different work environments
  • Maintain professional network connections for future opportunities

Flexible Career Path Planning

Moving Beyond “one Career for Life” Thinking

Traditional career planning emphasized finding one perfect career and remaining there for 40 years. Modern employment reality involves multiple careers across a lifetime. Mentor Ruth Elaine Joyner Hane exemplifies this flexibility, building careers in clothing buying, costume design, interior design, healthcare consulting, and face blindness research.

Benefits of Career Flexibility:

  • Reduced pressure to find “the one” perfect career immediately
  • Ability to pursue developing interests and capabilities
  • Resilience against economic changes and industry shifts
  • Opportunities to combine skills from multiple fields

Strategic Multiple Career Planning:

  • Develop 3-5 potential career directions based on your strengths
  • Plan 2-5 year explorations in each direction
  • Build transferable skills applicable across fields
  • Maintain openness to unexpected opportunities and connections

Handling the “one-Track Mind” Challenge

Dr. Attwood identifies a dangerous pattern: rigid fixation on one specific career as “the only one for me.” This leads to:

  • Depression when obstacles prevent achieving that specific goal
  • Reluctance to consider alternative paths that might suit better
  • Resistance to developing skills in other directions
  • Despair when life circumstances change original plans

Breaking One-Track Thinking:

  • Recognize that passionate commitment to a field or skill set is productive; rigid commitment to a specific position title is counterproductive
  • Develop multiple viable options that use your core strengths
  • Practice flexibility when original plans encounter obstacles
  • View career changes as adaptation, not failure

Example: Strategic Flexibility in Action

Mentor Lars Perner’s career journey illustrates productive flexibility:

  1. Initial Plan: Attorney career pursued through undergraduate studies
  2. Discovery Phase: Law coursework revealed field’s spontaneous, adversarial nature incompatible with Autistic temperament
  3. First Pivot: Switched to psychology, developing research and analytical skills
  4. Second Pivot: Completed MBA, discovering interest in business applications
  5. Final Discovery: Found marketing and consumer behavior as ideal career match combining analytical thinking with practical applications

Each seemingly “failed” path provided valuable learning and skills that ultimately led to better career fit than the original plan. This demonstrates that career exploration involves discovery through action, not perfect initial planning.

Resources and Support Systems

Professional Assessment and Career Counseling

Community Resources:

Online Assessment Tools:

Essential Books:

  • [[Temple Grandin’s Developing Talents]]: Practical guidance for nurturing Autistic skills into career competencies
  • [[Temple Grandin’s The Way I See It]]: Specific lists of jobs suited for Autistic individuals
  • An Aspie’s Guide to Choosing a Career: This book’s expanded guidance and mentor examples

Support Organizations:

Support Networks and Community

Finding Mentors:

  • Professional associations in fields of interest
  • Online communities and forums for Autistic professionals
  • University alumni networks and career services
  • Industry conferences and networking events

Peer Support:

Implementation Strategies and Next Steps

Creating Your Career Exploration Plan

Phase 1: Self-Assessment (1-2 months)

  • Complete structured skills and interest assessments
  • Document your natural strengths and learning patterns
  • Evaluate Sensory and social workplace preferences
  • Identify 5-8 potential career directions based on Assessment results

Phase 2: Initial Exploration (3-6 months)

  • Join 2-3 Meetup groups related to potential interests
  • Volunteer in positions providing career exposure
  • Conduct informational interviews with professionals in target fields
  • Take introductory courses or workshops in promising areas

Phase 3: Skill Development (6-12 months)

  • Begin formal training or education in 1-2 most promising directions
  • Practice essential workplace skills (punctuality, communication, professional presentation)
  • Build portfolio of work demonstrating developing capabilities
  • Seek mentorship from experienced professionals in target fields

Phase 4: Strategic Entry (12+ months)

  • Apply for entry-level positions in most compatible field
  • Consider part-time or contract work providing experience
  • Continue skill development while gaining practical experience
  • Evaluate workplace compatibility and environmental fit

Handling Setbacks and Challenges

Common Obstacles:

  • Difficulty with initial job applications and interviews
  • Workplace compatibility issues despite appropriate field selection
  • Sensory challenges in supposedly compatible environments
  • Unexpected skill gaps or training requirements

Response Strategies:

  • Treat setbacks as data collection, not failure
  • Document what works and what doesn’t in each position
  • Adjust environmental requirements and career direction based on experience
  • Seek additional Support or accommodation when workplace challenges arise

Long-Term Career Sustainability

Building Professional Resilience:

  • Develop diverse skill portfolio across related fields
  • Maintain professional network connections for future opportunities
  • Continue learning and adaptation as industries evolve
  • Plan for career transitions as interests and capabilities develop

Maintaining Work-Life Balance:

  • Establish boundaries preventing Burnout and exhaustion
  • Develop stress management routines and recovery strategies
  • Pursue interests and hobbies outside career field
  • Create Support systems for workplace challenges and transitions