Last updated on November 26, 2023
“Never publicly discuss your job hunt,” I have been advised by colleagues with the best of intentions. I’d offer the same advice to my students, or any other job seekers.
However, other autistics, their families, friends, and allies need to know what it is like for an autistic adult.
The odds, sadly, are against us. Shockingly, individuals with other disabilities do much better on the job market. The Blind and Deaf communities have done an outstanding job improving awareness of their talents and the benefits of accommodations. The National Federation of the Blind has fought to correct the oft-cited statistics that 70 to 75 percent of Blind adults are unemployed. The NFB calculates that “30 percent or fewer are technically unemployed” using standard Bureau of Labor Statistic methodologies.
Reflect on what that suggests. Thirty percent of employment-seeking Blind individuals are unemployed. Meanwhile, 85 percent of college-educated autistics are unemployed.
Similar data exist for comparing Deaf unemployment to autistic unemployment.
Unemployment is higher for all disabled groups, but highest for autistics and those with mental health disabilities.
Since I have both physical disabilities and I’m autistic, I wonder how these variables might be additive.
But, I don’t quit hoping for a career.
The podcast and blog had a few weeks with fewer posts during April because I was focused on completing some job applications. Preparing portfolios for higher-education teaching posts takes a lot of time.
Since August 2019, I have submitted 335 applications for both teaching and non-teaching jobs I know were within my skills and knowledge.
During this job search, I had a virtual meeting with a resume coach. Colleagues have critiqued my cover letters and supporting materials. I researched resume keywords, cover letter trends, and social media strategies.
I made job hunting a part-time job, and then some.
There were two offers. One was withdrawn by the employer and the other was for a part-time adjunct post my wife and I couldn’t justify accepting.
The position that was rescinded by the time I arrived home from the interview — despite a handshake and promise to give me a chance — still frustrates me. I could do the work. Driving home from the prospective employer, I was sure I had the job. I had agreed to a temporary, probationary period to prove my skills. It was a technical writing position, exactly within my educational background. Apparently, the hiring committee discussed my “fit” with the company and decided after the interview that I wasn’t quite the person they sought as a coworker.
In the other instance, I interviewed for a position as an adjunct in media arts only to be offered a single course in college composition for abysmal pay and a very long commute. I worked hard for the adjunct post, which was originally for a campus minutes from our house. Teaching even part-time within a media arts program appealed to me, much more than what I have been teaching for the last few years. I have a terminal degree in film and digital media, after all.
I was offered the post, and then told it wasn’t going to be available. A few weeks later, the college asked if I could upload some documents, which I did. That’s when they offered the opportunity to teach college composition… 55 miles from our home.
You don’t have to live in Austin long to know that a 55-mile commute can be 90 minutes. I would be driving two to three hours to teach a 50-minute class four days per week. The pay? A little less than $160 weekly, or $40 per meeting. That sounds okay until you consider the commute, the prep time, and grading.
I have an adjunct post right now. After tracking my hours, I’m earning less than the minimum wage to teach a university course. Those are hours better spent with my daughters and my wife. My freelance writing and consulting don’t earn much income, either.
There was a time I had hoped The Autistic Me might generate enough income that it would be my job. However, other autistics are much better at marketing themselves. I’m far from a social media master because maintaining those accounts with posts and responses exhausts me.
The podcast and blog should be a full-time effort. They’d take years to grow, even with eight hours a day invested. What I know is that I lack a full-time position and I’m not generating significant income blogging, podcasting, or consulting.
Blog more. Record more podcasts. Do as much as I can to create interesting and useful content. Someone will notice.
I appreciate the efforts of family, friends, and colleagues. I do feel that I have failed my family because I am not contributing to the household budget, either as self-employed or as an employee.
Autistics need to be realistic. More than 85 percent of autistics are underemployed or unemployed. I am part of those depressing statistics. Maybe it is because I won’t drive three hours daily, which my mind and body could not endure. Maybe it is because I’m not a social fit with coworkers. I have no idea.
For all the talk about new opportunities for autistics in the workplace, I haven’t found any.
More than 20 months of searching for work in Central Texas. I’m still not quitting.