Hey everyone yeah I'm starting another topic seeking advice for getting a job and also keeping one. The other one I made I deeply regret all I ended up doing is go on a ranting tirade and felt it was going nowhere due to that. Just wanna first apologize to those who replied to the thread.

OK so instead of going on of how I'm struggling to get a job I want to narrow it down to what kind of jobs should I apply for instead. Reason I ask because honestly there's really not a whole lot I'm good at like I had two jobs in the past and both were fast paced and I wasn't able to work them fast enough and ended up getting fired as a result. I'd like to avoid fast paced jobs for sure cause I really can't handle them no matter how much effort I put into them I'm just not fast enough for those type of jobs.

As for skills I severely lack like the only real practical skills I have is my knowledge in History and my ability to read maps and know the many cities and capitals of the world. That's about it though and I lack the ability to teach and as far as I know there's no demand for map readers. Also I'm terrible at doing hands on work for trades and I'm terrible at math. Sadly I don't really have much going for me in the skills department and I have no clue how I can acquire new skills.

Another thing to mention is I also have ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) though it's undiagnosed and like to have it diagnosed there's no doubt I do have it whether it's simply high functioning autism or Aspergers I'm pretty sure it's had an impact on my work abilities in the past and as to why fast paced jobs are too overwhelming for me. I also have a diagnosed learning disability from as far as elementary school like  I have difficulty with critical thinking and some logic and overall I learn a bit slower like it takes me longer to grasp and understand certain concepts and information. Those are two things I'm having to live with and I hope to find an employer who's willing to hire a slow learner I mean I am willing to learn though.

With all that being said I now ask where and what would be a suitable job for me. The biggest thing I worry about is once I get a job is being able to keep it.

p.s. I live in the U.S. (Tennessee) and I did manage to earn an associate's degree in general studies.

If you are on the spectrum you can learn and change but it is a) SLOW and b) requires you to stretch yourself and do things that are uncomfortable.

ASD people often do well doing technical work in a room without people distracting them. Unfortunately, entry level jobs are all about go-go-go with people, and working retail is worse than its ever been.

Have you considered call center or data center (data entry) jobs? These are often entry level but you get to sit at a desk with a computer and deal with one customer at a time (often just a recording of a person if it's data entry).

I've thought about data entry jobs but what do you really do in most of those jobs and is the work normally hard or easy??

Also are there any jobs I could maybe do as a photographer besides doing weddings and family photos?? Like maybe take pictures for businesses to help promote the business or is it possible to take pictures for a news paper without having to do the journalism parts that involve writing??

I don't know whether i have ASD but i definitely have social anxiety; although its better than it was a year ago. Im also a bit slow. I desperately needed a job to pay for transitioning so applied and got a job that involved talking to customers. I hated doing that for obvious reasons and it made my mental health worse so had to quit in September. A customer facing role doesn't sound like it'll be suitable for you but if you think you can stick with it for a few months to pay for HRT then go for it. I also had a warehouse operative job 2 yrs ago which although boring suited me because it was a small place so wasn't fast paced; so that's also an option.
I'm currently looking for kitchen work because it's the kind of job where you're largely left to your own devices and given set tasks to do; so it doesn't involve a lot of interaction with people.
I think photography is hard to get into because you have to provide companies with a portfolio of your work first.

Agree with both previous posters. If you have a condition which makes working hard, you have to work at it to expand your comfort zone and ideally find compatible work. I had pretty severe social anxiety all through college and grad school. I still had a good time and got a lot out of it because I forced myself to do things that made me uncomfortable or that didn't come naturally.

Data entry is fairly simple. Either you're speaking to a person and entering their data into routine forms that the company uses, or you're digitizing data from physical forms that have already been completed. The only hang up with these that you may encounter is that there is an expected volume that you complete after you've been trained. As long as you can type well I don't think you'd have a problem, but it is something to be aware of.

Photography is certainly possible, but generally you would be working as a freelancer. Most places don't keep a photographer on the payroll, so you'd have to market yourself to businesses and hope that there is enough volume to pay your bills. I have a friend who started her own photography business and it took about five years doing it part-time while working a full-time job for her to build up enough of a client base and portfolio that she could quit the other job and just focus on photography. And this is in a very large metropolitan area. That is kind of the issue with things like that. It may be easier for you since you live at home, but it takes time to build enough of a reputation to have enough work to support yourself.

As far as history and geography - is there a reason why you aren't interested in teaching? That is really the only route I could see either of those going if that is the kind of work you want to be doing.

I mentioned in the other thread but not sure you will go back to it: look for overnight work. It usually pays better, you're only working with your coworkers and rarely dealing with customers, and it's usually easy to get into because fewer people want to do it. If there are any big box retailers in your area (Target, Walmart, etc.), they all have overnight stocking crews. Same with grocery stores. You could also look into overnight front desk positions at hotels, or working as a security guard. I would actually recommend these over the retail jobs as these typically don't have any kind of fast paced expectations - there's a checklist of things to complete each shift and you handle things as they come up otherwise. I've done overnight security and it is easy in most cases as long as you can stay awake. Most places will let you read or watch movies in your downtime as long as you complete your other work tasks.

Quote from: EmilyRyan on July 16, 2016, 05:28:52 AM
I've thought about data entry jobs but what do you really do in most of those jobs and is the work normally hard or easy??

They are easy, the problem is they usually require a typing skill (they made me do a typing course for one job although data entry wasn't my only job, just a part of it). The hardest part of data entry jobs imo is not falling asleep doing them. They are extremely boring.

Quote
Also are there any jobs I could maybe do as a photographer besides doing weddings and family photos?? Like maybe take pictures for businesses to help promote the business or is it possible to take pictures for a news paper without having to do the journalism parts that involve writing??

I've done this too on a freelance basis. It's entirely possible to talk or portfolio your way into these positions as well as by having done it before in other jobs, but they do tend to require certain people skills. One of the worst problems I had dealing with a client when photographing their hotel was not my lack of people skills but their indecisiveness about what they wanted me to do. First they wanted photos, then a website, then offered me a job at the bar... they seemed to think I could be all things to all people and that was a difficult situation. You need to be quite focused and confident when dealing with clients who are not entirely sure what it is that they want you to do. I originally intended to go into graphic design as a career, but the constant issue of clients not being decisive (and the problems and delays and stress that causes) put me off entirely. It's much easier doing what I do now - make artwork and sell it after the fact, not before.

Quote from: Elis on July 16, 2016, 07:03:50 AM
I also had a warehouse operative job 2 yrs ago which although boring suited me because it was a small place so wasn't fast paced; so that's also an option.
I'm currently looking for kitchen work because it's the kind of job where you're largely left to your own devices and given set tasks to do; so it doesn't involve a lot of interaction with people.

Hmm a warehouse job that's slow paced?? Please tell me more. I wouldn't mind a job like that if it's like you described though I'm not exactly that strong and even struggle to lift 50 lbs. but hey I'm willing to give it a try under the right circumstances. If I were to be working in a kitchen what kind of position would you suggest?? And are there any certain warehouse positions you would recommend for a slow worker??

Quote from: FTMax on July 16, 2016, 10:52:32 AM
Data entry is fairly simple. Either you're speaking to a person and entering their data into routine forms that the company uses, or you're digitizing data from physical forms that have already been completed. The only hang up with these that you may encounter is that there is an expected volume that you complete after you've been trained. As long as you can type well I don't think you'd have a problem, but it is something to be aware of.

Hopefully most data entry jobs won't require to type more than 30 words per minute I took keyboarding in both high school and college (took it back in the spring) and that was like the best I could do lol.

Quote from: FTMax on July 16, 2016, 10:52:32 AM
Photography is certainly possible, but generally you would be working as a freelancer. Most places don't keep a photographer on the payroll, so you'd have to market yourself to businesses and hope that there is enough volume to pay your bills. I have a friend who started her own photography business and it took about five years doing it part-time while working a full-time job for her to build up enough of a client base and portfolio that she could quit the other job and just focus on photography. And this is in a very large metropolitan area. That is kind of the issue with things like that. It may be easier for you since you live at home, but it takes time to build enough of a reputation to have enough work to support yourself.

I think it's best to keep photography as a hobby I just don't see any money to be made (not much anyway). I rather know I have a secured job as a photographer than to be freelance and wonder when my next job will be. Though I thought about selling photos off shutter stock for what little money landscape and architecture photos can sell for. And another issue is the need for a dslr or a mirrorless camera.   

Quote from: FTMax on July 16, 2016, 10:52:32 AM
As far as history and geography - is there a reason why you aren't interested in teaching? That is really the only route I could see either of those going if that is the kind of work you want to be doing.

I did want to be a teacher and over the last fall and just this spring I took the three main basic courses for getting into the teacher program and those courses where the ones that determined whether you were skilled enough to be a teacher and unfortunately I was not only found to be unsuitable for teaching but I only could pass one of the three courses. After all the failures I had of finding a suitable career I was hoping teaching would be it.     

Quote from: FTMax on July 16, 2016, 10:52:32 AM
I mentioned in the other thread but not sure you will go back to it: look for overnight work. It usually pays better, you're only working with your coworkers and rarely dealing with customers, and it's usually easy to get into because fewer people want to do it. If there are any big box retailers in your area (Target, Walmart, etc.), they all have overnight stocking crews. Same with grocery stores. You could also look into overnight front desk positions at hotels, or working as a security guard. I would actually recommend these over the retail jobs as these typically don't have any kind of fast paced expectations - there's a checklist of things to complete each shift and you handle things as they come up otherwise. I've done overnight security and it is easy in most cases as long as you can stay awake. Most places will let you read or watch movies in your downtime as long as you complete your other work tasks.

I should look into overnight work maybe stocking shelves I do know from my experience working at Walmart my shift ended around the time the overnight stockers were on their shift and did notice their work looked real easy and as if you could take your time and no one got on your case about being slow just as long as you were working.

You might want to get your feet wet somewhere with something like an overnight stocking job before applying for working in a warehouse. I know that when my dad with warehouse experience applied at several many years ago and the competition for those jobs made getting in some places difficult. Do you have any past job experiences to pull from at all? Hugs
Mariah

 I do have some past job experience not really sufficient though since the jobs I did have only lasted a few months due to being fired from them. First job I had was working at Goodwill as a donations attendant and the other was at Walmart as an unloader. Both jobs were rather fast paced and I wasn't able to keep up as well as I wanted and each time was terminated for poor job performance as a result.

If I may ask are there any like job placement services that help those with ASD or have a learning disability I feel seeing a professional like that might actually help with getting a job and maybe know what jobs would be more suitable.

To get a job in a warehouse is tricky; but as you have previous experience as an unloader you should be able to get a position. There aren't many but you can chance upon a vacancy to work as a warehouse operative for a much smaller company; so instead of a few dozen working in a warehouse they'll only be a couple so it'll be much less hectic work. Just look up warehouse jobs online and see what comes up. As for positions it seems to all be warehouse operative or picker packer which are generally the same thing (picking orders; putting orders on vans; putting stock on shelves). You can also look into post office work working in the mail room (near xmas they're always looking for temps).

As for kitchen work it'll be a kitchen porter position (unloading deliveries, cutting vegetables, cleaning the kitchen) or kitchen assistant which will cover the same duties as a porter but you'll be more involved with cooking food. In cities restaurants are always looking for these positions to be filled. I'd recommend you think of some chain restaurants/bars or pubs and see if they have any vacancies. Most companies don't like for past experience working in a kitchen because they're entry level jobs.

As Mariah suggested an overnight stocking job would suit; but I've always found not many shops at all have vacancies for this position. It's all retail positions. But definitely give it a try and find one.

Thank ya for the suggestions so far

I'm curious though if there are employers that have a good reputation when it comes to hiring people that may have difficulties and are there any services that do the same??

Quote from: EmilyRyan on July 17, 2016, 03:19:05 PM
Thank ya for the suggestions so far

I'm curious though if there are employers that have a good reputation when it comes to hiring people that may have difficulties and are there any services that do the same??

Im not in the US but I'm sure they are charities where i am that help with this so I'm positive there will be in America. Maybe do a general search for disability charities and see what comes up.

Quote from: EmilyRyan on July 16, 2016, 09:47:29 PM

If I may ask are there any like job placement services that help those with ASD or have a learning disability I feel seeing a professional like that might actually help with getting a job and maybe know what jobs would be more suitable.

There are, even in the state you live in.  But you need to be diagnosed first.

I agree with Mariah about the overnight stocking on this one. I would try to do a job with as little human interaction as possible, though in my case, I am extremely desperate and might get myself into a job where I would have to dissociate to work and that is not a good thing. So something like stocking, janitorial, office work, stuff like that sounds like an ideal fit for you?

Quote from: EmilyRyan on July 16, 2016, 09:47:29 PM
If I may ask are there any like job placement services that help those with ASD or have a learning disability I feel seeing a professional like that might actually help with getting a job and maybe know what jobs would be more suitable.

http://www.tennesseeworks.org/getting-to-work/finding-jobs/

https://www.autismspeaks.org/resource-guide/state/tn

http://autismtn.org/resources/general-resources/adult-resources/

https://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/community-connections/employment-opportunities-individuals-autism

http://asperger-employment.org/assistance-for-individual/

Ever tried dishwashing, Emily? That's the type of job I am really shooting for, besides stocking. I'm not good at much either except maybe writing and singing. I know I could do something with those skills if I really applied myself somehow....but I wouldn't know where to start. Are you filling out applications everyday? You never know, one of those employers may call you up and ask to interview you out of the blue.

Quote from: CarlyMcx on July 17, 2016, 06:56:10 PM
There are, even in the state you live in.  But you need to be diagnosed first.

I'd really like to get diagnosed though I have one big issue/obstacle: my parents. Can't get them to take me to see a professional they aren't convinced that anything is wrong with me and simply refuse to believe. I hear getting a diagnosis for ASD as an adult can cost a lot and if I can't get my parents to help what can I do then??   

Quote from: Tristyn on July 17, 2016, 07:15:32 PM
Ever tried dishwashing, Emily? That's the type of job I am really shooting for, besides stocking. I'm not good at much either except maybe writing and singing. I know I could do something with those skills if I really applied myself somehow....but I wouldn't know where to start. Are you filling out applications everyday? You never know, one of those employers may call you up and ask to interview you out of the blue.

For right now I've decided to but job hunting on hold it was taking an emotional and mental toll that was making more negative than I ever want to be. I'll back to the routine once I get myself together right now I wanna focus on making myself employable but I'll keep dishwashing in mind.

And Soli, I'll be taking a good look at those links thank you and love you hun

Hey Emily,
Sorry for disappearing in the last thread and such. I did do a lot of thinking on behalf of what you have been going through with a job and such, as well I have been in a slump of laziness and well not working.
But depending on what kind of work may help you out or even in the essence of continuing school and such. Might I suggest getting a B.S in Archaeology, since in a nutshell the map reading may help in pursuing that type of position, and then also if doing so may even get you a position either in the field of archaeology, or even taking a look into getting a job within a museum (historical or other).
This is only a suggestion as per what your strengths are, and could possibly work out.

Kate <3
Always remember to smile your face

Quote from: Katiepie on July 17, 2016, 08:20:06 PM
Hey Emily,
Sorry for disappearing in the last thread and such. I did do a lot of thinking on behalf of what you have been going through with a job and such, as well I have been in a slump of laziness and well not working.
But depending on what kind of work may help you out or even in the essence of continuing school and such. Might I suggest getting a B.S in Archaeology, since in a nutshell the map reading may help in pursuing that type of position, and then also if doing so may even get you a position either in the field of archaeology, or even taking a look into getting a job within a museum (historical or other).
This is only a suggestion as per what your strengths are, and could possibly work out.

Hey glad to hear from ya again hope you're doing well

I've looked into museums before but they want either a master's degree or a ph.d. and honestly I really don't have the intellectual capacity to get either I was lucky to get my associates only cause I chose one the easiest majors.   

Quote from: EmilyRyan on July 17, 2016, 07:36:34 PM
I'd really like to get diagnosed though I have one big issue/obstacle: my parents. Can't get them to take me to see a professional they aren't convinced that anything is wrong with me and simply refuse to believe. I hear getting a diagnosis for ASD as an adult can cost a lot and if I can't get my parents to help what can I do then??   
For right now I've decided to but job hunting on hold it was taking an emotional and mental toll that was making more negative than I ever want to be. I'll back to the routine once I get myself together right now I wanna focus on making myself employable but I'll keep dishwashing in mind.

Yeah, getting ASD diagnosed is difficult as an adult for some reason. It's viewed as a childhood mental thing. I had a psychiatrist, even with some proof from results of an ASD screening test I took online for adults who have Aspergers, and he outright said I don't have it because I can carry a conversation. So I knew right away that the guy had no clue what having Aspergers means. Can't you apply for your own medical insurance and go to a psychiatrist by yourself like on a bus or taxi or something? There has to be another route besides through your parents. Part of becoming independent is letting go of your guardians like a baby bird learning to fly on its own for the first time, you need to learn how to fly, Emily.

Also, I hope you are able to get the rest you need so you can come back and job search. Sometimes rest is the best thing you can really do for yourself.