Study Group

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@AlwaysMyself wrote:

@Blackcloud i wonder if perhaps its a matter of finding what fits you? (Not you having to fit into a job not designed for your nature?) 🤔

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As in generally, right? Haha I wish! 😅 if only I was confident in pursuing this certain field I've always imagined myself in doing (in my imagination, but never in a sense of ever actually doing it haha) but I'm too scared because of anxiety and all 🥲 but it's basically performing arts related (like singing or acting or even dancing) that I always imagine of wishing I can sorta pursue of if not for any of the academic stuff. ☺️ Damn I'm too autistic to even try to mask my anxieties! 🤣

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@Blackcloud wrote:

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@AlwaysMyself wrote:

@Blackcloud i wonder if perhaps its a matter of finding what fits you? (Not you having to fit into a job not designed for your nature?) 🤔

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As in generally, right? Haha I wish! 😅 if only I was confident in pursuing this certain field I've always imagined myself in doing (in my imagination, but never in a sense of ever actually doing it haha) but I'm too scared because of anxiety and all 🥲 but it's basically performing arts related (like singing or acting or even dancing) that I always imagine of wishing I can sorta pursue of if not for any of the academic stuff. ☺️ Damn I'm too autistic to even try to mask my anxieties! 🤣

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@AlwaysMyself gahhh forgot to tag you!! 😞

Maybe over time anxiety may decrease and/or learn to be managed a bit more, which could lead to safe opportunities to step out slowly into performance things for fun? @Blackcloud

Eg your activity group you've just started is a perfect foray into this i reckon -- i know its BIG anxiety stretch there, but its also in the realm of performance & production 🥰🤩.

Sometimes what ends up as a paying job starts out as a hobby interest. 🥰

I used to be a website developer. I started learning basic CSS and HTML when i was 14 just for interest in making aesthetic pages. Did my first bits of paid work in it informally through family & friends. Ended up getting a professional job in it. Moved on from it a number of years ago though.

@AlwaysMyself You’re right about that, and I appreciate you for using that activity group im currently participating in as an example!😊 I think as long as I can continue to attend the workshops there every Saturday without consider on withdrawing it, then hopefully? Sadly, my support worker will be coming to the workshops with me for only 3 more sessions due to limited funding on my core budget on my ndis portal. I’m waiting to see what the manager of the program will respond with as I’ve let her know that without my support worker coming into the workshops with me I’m not sure how I’d be able to come to the workshops on my own. Hope she can come up with some sort of alternative solutions or something by the time she replies to my email this upcoming week.

I agree that sometimes what starts off as a hobby you enjoy ends up as a paying job, and I wish that were the case for me if I didn’t have any of these neurodivergent type barriers lmao😞 (maybe I am useless lol)

Or maybe the ND perspectives and thought paterns can even become a reason you may excel in a specific role/environment @Blackcloud ?

It sounds like you haven't found/experienced that environment or role just yet though; that's ok! It can still be out there! 😊

My dog walker walks dogs because that's his special interest. I dont think he likes walking per se, but he loves the dogs! 😊 and he gets help with the admin & communication side of things that he finds really hard. He's made a job for himself that (mostly) suits his strengths; and as far as I'm concerned, the occasional absense of communication from him is sorta part of the package 😅. I get someone who loves my dogs, doesnt charge me the earth (seriously - i'd happily pay him more), and I'm helping support someone with a disability to be able to work. And the flip side is that yeah sometimes there can be some communication lapses. But thats OK - I'm up for that!

Its a job made to suit his neurodivergence.

@AlwaysMyself yes, cause that’s what I’ve been thinking of when it comes to wanting to pursue jobs that don’t require me to interact with clients or customers (even if it’s just 5-10% of the time - id rather NOT interact with customers/clients at all) like the data entry, any back-office, I.T related (well I.T is male dominated though OOF but that’s like the only field that seems to be suitable to me when it comes to my barriers). Well I did a Cert IV of I.T for a bit back in the 2nd-half of 2024, however there’s a few lecturers in the I.T field that are rude & don’t seem to care much about people like myself that require such adjustments for our condition haha (that’s part of why I dont wanna consider going back to study it, though maybe having sh!t lecturers is the norm for every field - who knows?). Most lecturers out of all the units I’ve taken part of have been good/ok though, it’s just the very few of the others that very much ruin it.

oh by the way I applied for a data entry volunteer role a few days ago and was offered to have an interview the following morning. The interview was ok but I know there were a few questions I was asked that I f**ked up on that I knew nothing about. I still hope I can get accepted (it’s voluntary after all anyways) cause they did mention about an induction session that’s coming up on the 16th Feb so I hope to get an email about that 🤞

Im glad to hear that about your dog walker! Sadly I don’t have experience dealing with or interacting with pets so I don’t know how being a dog walker would be suitable for me lol. Also, it can be difficult to interact with clients/customers at times - I know most of them are good but you know there’s always the very few that would try to ruin it for you…😶

@Blackcloud i think there will always be some teachers/lecturers that arent "great" in any prpgram of study - sometimes it really can be a matter of "learn the content, grit teeth and politely nod to lecturer, submit assessments, pass subject, move on". 😅. But i think what makes a good lecturer to one person can really grate on another too at times. Of course there are some lecturers that most people struggle with too 😅. And even some lecturers who only want to do research, but are forced to teach also.

IT is proportionally more males, but i never had a problem with that. Im female and worked in IT half my time so far. Actually, in my most recent workplace it was pretty 50/50 about whether it was male/female.

IT has a lot of ND folk - and this can be good if you dont want all the social pressure. But if people arent *aware* of their ND traits... then sometimes they can actually be even less accommodating to others needs/adjustments 😬. But if you get a manager to understands ND (whether or not they are themselves) it can make SUCH a difference! 😊 I think anyone who wanta to succeed in managing a high performing IT team *need* to understand ND and adjustments.

I've had 5 managers in my IT roles - but one of them was not an IT person themselves (they were Marketing). 2 of my managers were autistic and they were the easiest ones to work with 😋. I had the least communication problems with them 🤭🤭. But i know others had difficulty with their direct style of saying things - something i have to be careful not to get in trouble for too 🤭.

Advantage of your own service business is selecting your own clients. If they dont accept ND ways, then theyre not the right client and thats OK - they'll go elsewhere / dont take their bookings. 😊

I wasnt suggesting animals for you - just as an example of following your special interest areas and finding a role that works for you.

@AlwaysMyself ahhh, can I ask what type of I.T role you used to work at? That's good to know that your workplace was filled with 50/50 of both males and females, that's actually kind of a relief to hear ☺️

that's great! yeah I've heard and know a bit about IT being more suitable for ND folks & I totally agree on the part you mentioned about anyone that wants to succeed in managing a high performing IT team needing to understand ND adjustments, I think thats SO important in an industry where theres a lot of ND folks at ❤️ It sounds like you've had a great team of people at your I.T workplace!

oooh you can select your own clients? again may I know what role was this (when you worked in the IT field) if you don't mind? but that's great that they allow you to do that!! that is amazing!☺️

ohhhh ok my bad haha, I know you probably weren't suggesting animals but I just thought I can still give my thoughts/answer to it if that's okay with you ☺️

@Blackcloud in terms of IT, i have worked in both website development and in reporting/data.

I wasn't specifically referring to myself with the ability to choose clients, but many service business self-employment can. E.g. my dog walker and cleaner both have complete discretion as to who they take as clients. Self-employed support workers can also choose what type of clients and needs suit their preferences as a person too and choose which clients they take on (and how many). In terms of IT though, freelance work is not uncommon. Website development it is common enough. Some people may choose to do Consulting work self-employed too.

Most industries have the ability to be self-employed if you want to. Usually the biggest barrier is getting enough work - but if you dont *need* the money (due to DSP, etc) then that can relieve the pressure of having to take every and all clients you can get. The other barrier to self-employment is if admin and marketing isnt a strength - but this can be outsourced if the income can pay for it.

Even actors/performers can choose what jobs they take - as long as they arent desperate for the money.

@AlwaysMyself those are really good points regarding self-employment that you've brought up! that does give me a bit of hope in the hopes that I might consider eventually go on freelancing (if I could and if thats ever possible)? we'll see...

I really appreciate all of this info my friend, this does give me a bit of hope now so thank you so much for all you do to try and help me ❤️🫂