Career Fitting

[VCrakeV]

Excuse me if this is in the wrong area, but I wasn't sure on where to put this.

So, I've been to counselling for a while, and I've been searching for a career for me for months. It seems like nothing at all appeals to me. I've tried many tests, but I can't find something that I'd enjoy. How can I find something I will enjoy? Should I just have a conversation with some people to generate some ideas?

[Slavic]

Are you or have you gone to school?

[Dean]

Excuse me if this is in the wrong area, but I wasn't sure on where to put this.

So, I've been to counselling for a while, and I've been searching for a career for me for months. It seems like nothing at all appeals to me. I've tried many tests, but I can't find something that I'd enjoy. How can I find something I will enjoy? Should I just have a conversation with some people to generate some ideas?

I'm 29. I don't want to say I've "settled" but I do have a career and a side-job. They aren't my passions, but I do like my work. I think this is a pretty good outcome.


Ask yourself:

-What drives you? Do you need to be making positive change at work on a daily basis, or do you really want to produce writing of some sort?

-What are you comfortable with and what are you good at? This can be tricky because you will grow as a person and develop skills and comfort with things that might terrify you now. I used to hate telephones and any interaction with people, I was very introverted and intimidated. But now my work involves plenty of interaction and I ultimately enjoy that part of work a lot.

-What can work do for you? I don't think people usually think about this, but work can be a great way to develop skills you may need outside of work. In keeping with my last point, I have really developed a lot of social skills and confidence in social situations through work. I have even learned how to discuss political issues in tactful ways, not just to learn what people think, but also in order to advance positions that are important to me in ways that even far-right conservatives can agree with. I never thought I would be more willing to talk to strangers than my extroverted wife, but today, I am able to partially as a result of having interactions with strangers and acquaintances every day at work. I can talk about things with some of the more laid back people I encounter regularly that I have very strong opinions on, but in a way that keeps from invoking my anger or their (usually conservative) opposing views.


Above all, don't let yourself feel trapped. If you are at a job you know you need to leave, or you don't know what you want to do, just explore. Read. Search online about any random job you see someone doing, be it an accountant or a geotechnical substrate tester. A job might be boring but provide you the opportunity to read during down time or even get into something cool.

Hope this helps. I'm still discovering what I want to do in the future. Maybe it's even better to always be looking for new opportunities to follow your desires.

[VCrakeV]

Thanks for the advice Dean. I think that the thing that concerns me the most is my drive. I find that I have no drive to do anything outside of personal goals and plans. I don't currently have a job, but I've recently dropped out of college, after thinking I finally decided on What to do as a career.

Basically, my problem is that I need to find a career that allows me to translate my hobbies and interests into drive. For example, if I enjoyed tinkering with my devices, then I might think about looking into making tech. However, I don't have any interests or hobbies that have such obvious matching careers.

[Dean]

Thanks for the advice Dean. I think that the thing that concerns me the most is my drive. I find that I have no drive to do anything outside of personal goals and plans. I don't currently have a job, but I've recently dropped out of college, after thinking I finally decided on What to do as a career.

Basically, my problem is that I need to find a career that allows me to translate my hobbies and interests into drive. For example, if I enjoyed tinkering with my devices, then I might think about looking into making tech. However, I don't have any interests or hobbies that have such obvious matching careers.

Basically, I would say keep your options open and try new things. I am quite good at inventory management and I now find it satisfying - but I would never have looked for that kind of role if I was surveying jobs. Now, it is a chief element of my day job and my side hobby which provides some income.

It sounds like a quaint philosophy, but life will impact you based on how you expect it to. Even if you're working a dead-end job, use your time there to build your own proficiencies and skills dealing with people. If you see that you are not appreciated fairly (like 99% of workers in the world) then let yourself excel at your work for your own satisfaction. At some jobs in the past, I did very good, safe electrical construction work and I took pride in making sure that the circuitry was extra safe for anyone who had to do maintenance work on it later. Working faster might have saved my employer money, but I chose to excel in a way that satisfied myself without adding to the exploitation of my employer. I didn't try to work slowly and at some jobs I did try to speed up my production, but the point is that I improved my work not to enrich my employer, but to enrich myself and be more ethical.

I strongly recommend you finish college. I have one credit left for my associates degree but I know acquiring it would be an asset if I have to search for a job soon. I knew a woman who said she was the "best paid forklift driver in Virginia" because she had completed college degrees and extra certifications. Very many employers (perhaps more outside of retail) take every bit of education you have into account and pay you accordingly.

Enjoying your work and motivation is going to have to come from you... and I doubt that finding your passion will give you motivation if you don't have it already. In my experience, the ideal situation for anyone is doing the thing they like the most in the context of a highly structured institution that really demands you to be diligent. When I am not motivated at work, I don't have any more motivation when I come home to work on my hobby, either. There is no job that will be a panacea when you find it... you just have to start improving your labor and having a healthy relationship with work, wherever you are, and then you will find that when you look for something to make a career, you already have the willpower and work ethic to make it happen. Also, changing these habits can be very easy. I find that when I deliberately change specific habits, after a week it is second nature.

Sorry if I am being preachy. A lot of this is self-criticism too. I have had problems being happy / healthy in my situations in life for a long time but using these attitudes has helped me a lot over the last year or so.

[VCrakeV]

So, this thread has been dead for a while, but it's the time of year when I have to start applying to university, and I want to be working towards a degree (or several) that can actually land me a career. That said, I'm here for help again, but I have a different approach this time. My doc thinks that I have Asperger's, and I can actually see it in myself. Unfortunately, this severely limits my career opportunities. The few options I do have don't appeal to me. I'm not interested in accounting or business/finance, which is where the majority of Aspie careers belong to. It seems the rest are simple jobs, like janitorial work. Can someone point me in the right direction? I'll answer any relevant questions you have.

[Artiom]

Getting a degree will open your options to find a career for a introvert (as you define yourself), depending on what your main subject is in. Other wise, if we are talking about trades, truck driver might fit you?

[Sewer Socialist]

Don't a lot of aspies work in IT? Programming, computer science, etc.?

That said, I'm not sure if that's the most important influence on a career. Would you rather sit at a desk, work with your hands...? You might enjoy something like carpentry, automotive repair, etc. if it's the latter.

edit - It's also not necessary to enjoy your field as a hobby. In fact, making a job out of it will often destroy the creative passion you once had when it becomes routine banality.

[VCrakeV]

Don't a lot of aspies work in IT? Programming, computer science, etc.?

That said, I'm not sure if that's the most important influence on a career. Would you rather sit at a desk, work with your hands...? You might enjoy something like carpentry, automotive repair, etc. if it's the latter.

edit - It's also not necessary to enjoy your field as a hobby. In fact, making a job out of it will often destroy the creative passion you once had when it becomes routine banality.



My problem is that I'm actually not into computer science, programming, etc. I'd rather have a desk job over a hands-on job, but I'm not sure what sort of desk job (or any job, for that matter) would interest me. I don't think I'd mind my job and hobby overlapping, but I'd also be cool with them being separate, as long as I enjoy my job.



I don't think I could get an Aspie-friendly career from one of them, but my favorite subjects are Philosophy, the social sciences, and Political Science. My interests don't line up with my prefered work environment. :/

[MarxSchmarx]

at are your hobbies?

[#FF0000]

the trick isn't to find a job you like. just one you can tolerate (that's why I'm going into the field I'm going into).

Do you like academic stuff? I know a few people with autism who are going for grad n post-grad degrees, trying to stay the academic route. It's going well for them.

[Lily Briscoe]

...as long as I enjoy my job.

Good luck with that.

[VCrakeV]

at are your hobbies?



What are my hobbies? I love strategy games, mostly in the form of video games, but I like card and board games too. I tried a career in game design, but I just didn't like it. Other than that, I just like to have conversations, spend time with friends, and smoke weed.

[VCrakeV]

the trick isn't to find a job you like. just one you can tolerate (that's why I'm going into the field I'm going into).

Do you like academic stuff? I know a few people with autism who are going for grad n post-grad degrees, trying to stay the academic route. It's going well for them.



I am interested in the academic route. I plan on going to school this September for some sort of undergraduate degree, and possibly a graduate degree after that. I just want to have a career planned ahead of time, so I don't end up with a degree that is no use to me.

[Ceallach_the_Witch]

im going down the academic route because then when i inevitably have another huge disabling breakdown it will at least have been over something i give a shit about

[Ethics Gradient, Traitor For All Ages]

Don't choose a hobby for a career, all that does is ruin the hobby for you. The idea that a career can be pleasurable is straight up propaganda. Nobody likes their job, even people who say they like their job are simply lying to themselves. Their current job might be better in comparison than jobs they've held in the past, but I guarantee if they had the option of doing whatever they wanted, they wouldn't be doing that job. #FF0000 has it exactly right, find a job you can tolerate. Nothing is enjoyable if you literally have to do it, even less so if you have to do it for 40 fucking years.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

There are careers in Newfoundland?

Have you considered "Live in a shack and hunt moose?" or "Collect broken appliances?"
I have a friend in CBS who does the latter, and he seems very happy.

[VCrakeV]

There are careers in Newfoundland?

Have you considered "Live in a shack and hunt moose?" or "Collect broken appliances?"
I have a friend in CBS who does the latter, and he seems very happy.



I actually moved, and forgot to change my profile on here. Regardless, I'm willing to move for my career. However, what I'm not willing to do, is something I don't enjoy, for 40 hours a week, ~50 weeks a year, for ~40 years.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

I actually moved, and forgot to change my profile on here. Regardless, I'm willing to move for my career. However, what I'm not willing to do, is something I don't enjoy, for 40 hours a week, ~50 weeks a year, for ~40 years.

Huh. Where are you to now?
What are you looking for? / What are your hobbies?

Have you considered saying "Fuck a career!" living on the cheap, and accepting relatively limited income in order to focus on what matters to you? I've successfully lived on under $10,000 a year for the last decade, and it's mostly been alright - one has time to develop a network of friends, pursue various non-monetary means of obtaining necessities, and so on.

[VCrakeV]

Huh. Where are you to now?
What are you looking for? / What are your hobbies?

Have you considered saying "Fuck a career!" living on the cheap, and accepting relatively limited income in order to focus on what matters to you? I've successfully lived on under $10,000 a year for the last decade, and it's mostly been alright - one has time to develop a network of friends, pursue various non-monetary means of obtaining necessities, and so on.

For my hobbies, please look at post 13 in this thread. I'm currently in Nova Scotia, but like I said, I'm willing to move, should something pull me somewhere. There aren't exactly any push factors here. I live just outside of Halifax, but once I'm ready to live on my own, it'll probably in the city.

What am I looking for? I'm looking for a career that matches my interests and abilities. I'm not looking for anything specific. I have an interest in Politics, Philosophy, and Physics.

I can't say I've considered saying "Fuck a career!". How exactly does one live on less than $10k a year, and how does one get that without a job?

[John Nada]

I can't say I've considered saying "Fuck a career!". How exactly does one live on less than $10k a year, and how does one get that without a job?You don't want to know, if you don't already. Sometimes the world says,"Fuck you.":( No shame it that though. That's the real 99% in the global south life. Just take solace in the fact that you're part of the most revolutionary class in history.:star2::thumbup1::hammersickle:

What about something in the engineering field? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_engineering_branches Maybe civil, mechanical or electrical? Even if it doesn't work out you'll at least have some degree. In fact, your job may well not be directly related to whatever degree you get. It can be interdisciplinary, applied to other jobs. Even with philosophy or politics, though I'd go for something more practical, like engineering. Push comes to shove, bullshit your way through an interview and hope for the best.:)

[MarxSchmarx]

What are my hobbies? I love strategy games, mostly in the form of video games, but I like card and board games too. I tried a career in game design, but I just didn't like it. Other than that, I just like to have conversations, spend time with friends, and smoke weed.

Here's my recommendation then.

Ultimately strategy board and video games are all about changing numbers on a spreadsheet. They are overlain with pretty maps and razzle and dazzle about giving your baron's brother a good tumble, but when it comes down to it, it is moving numbers around. My advice is to go pursue an academic program that encourages these kinds of skills.

An obvious candidate for you to look into is logistics as a career. A big part of your job is coordinating when item x should be shipped from point A to point B. But to achieve that goal, there are a ton of different options. THere are sales, hard core number crunching, customer support, backend-IT, you name it, angles to this field. Not to mention general administrative tasks like securing permits, and even some "hands-on" skills like actually handling cargo. There are several entry-level sales-y positions you can take as an intern that are fairly white-collar (e.g., finding the cheapes train A to deliver cabbages from x to y) and you can quickly build your niche in this field. Perhaps if your country has compulsory military service, you can get a ton of exposure in this field through them.

[Ele'ill]

Huh. Where are you to now?
What are you looking for? / What are your hobbies?

Have you considered saying "Fuck a career!" living on the cheap, and accepting relatively limited income in order to focus on what matters to you? I've successfully lived on under $10,000 a year for the last decade, and it's mostly been alright - one has time to develop a network of friends, pursue various non-monetary means of obtaining necessities, and so on.

Do you ever see yourself having a career or anything resembling that type of life? I don't see myself there ever. In fact, when I start to drift close to it I end up feeling terrible. One thing I do worry about is getting older. There should be a manual somewhere telling you how to avoid a career *and* become old. I think most people spend their entire life staring down the path of a career they'll never love or even like or even go very far in.

[consuming negativity]

what's hiring and pays money? do that job and then figure out the rest later

that isn't meant to be a flippant response. it's a job. it's going to suck unless you're wealthy enough to get a phd, or lucky and wealthy (see: lucky) enough to be able to etch out a living self-employed on your own talent and work ethic toward a specific hobby. i don't care what you get your bachelor's in, if you're only getting a bachelor's, unless it's in a brainiac technical field, you're going to be fighting for shitty jobs with everybody else, but at an advantage and with a fuckton of debt.

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

I'd say your best bet is either in the academy (esp. if you want to seriously pursue physics), or the non-profit sector . . . if you were set on a career.

As for living on the cheap:
Get a shitty minimum wage job - either super-part-time, or super full time so hat you can haul ass for a month then quit with some savings.
Pick up extra cash by participating in research studies, selling art/music, reselling items from the trash, etc.
Quit all expensive hobbies and activities. The cinema? Steal that shit from the internet. Nice restaurants? Get better at cooking. Massively decrease your booze/drug/cigarette consumption. Etc.
Housing? Get roommates. As many as will fit. And avoid turning on the heat unless it's included. Buy staple foods collectively in bulk.
Build a network. Not everyone needs to own a shovel/drill/photocopier/whatever - figure out ways to share things that can be shared among large groups of people. Always know someone who knows someone.

[John Nada]

I'd say your best bet is either in the academy (esp. if you want to seriously pursue physics), or the non-profit sector . . . if you were set on a career.

As for living on the cheap:
Get a shitty minimum wage job - either super-part-time, or super full time so hat you can haul ass for a month then quit with some savings.
Pick up extra cash by participating in research studies, selling art/music, reselling items from the trash, etc.
Quit all expensive hobbies and activities. The cinema? Steal that shit from the internet. Nice restaurants? Get better at cooking. Massively decrease your booze/drug/cigarette consumption. Etc.
Housing? Get roommates. As many as will fit. And avoid turning on the heat unless it's included. Buy staple foods collectively in bulk.
Build a network. Not everyone needs to own a shovel/drill/photocopier/whatever - figure out ways to share things that can be shared among large groups of people. Always know someone who knows someone.This.^Also,

Sell plasma
Find scrap metal(copper is gold, some place take bottles and cans)
Panhandle, people are assholes, but many are nice. Funny thing IME is it's fellow (lumpen)proletarians who're the most sympathetic and generous. (Petty-)bourgeoisie usually pretend they don't have anything, or act like douches.
Day labor, a check by the end of the day, no waiting 2-3 weeks.
Bum cigarettes from a stranger, learn to roll your own(way cheaper). Push comes to shove, collect cigarette butts or even wild tobacco. Better just to not use tobacco at all.
buy cheap used shit at the thrift store/pawnshop or a friend.
Get food from the food bank(charities that get old food). At restaurants you might be able to eat free on the job, or get a friend there to give you leftovers(a lot of food is wasted anyway)
Make your own alcohol from fruits. That baker's yeast at the store works.
If you have a place, turn off everything unless necessary. Unplug electronic, because this still drains power.
If possible, take cold showers.
I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Do not trust someone unless absolutely certain they're cool. Never be alone. At least get a dog for companionship/protection.

[Os Cangaceiros]

four words: rocks in your socks