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I am seeing the same exact advice given to you many times in multiple threads. You need counseling, particularly someone who is experienced working with people with Aspergers.
You might be right. There are a few reasons I think I might have trouble finding another job, at least a decent paying full-time job. I can easily find part-time work, and I'm grateful for that.
*I don't interview well. This is true. I usually stutter or sound like I'm not sure about what I'm doing. I lack the appearance of confidence during job interviews.
*I'm bad at looking for job leads or even telling people that I need help.
*I'm not good at networking and gaining business connections.
*I'm not good at teaching myself new skills. I feel like I do better in a class, because the structured lessons help me pay attention. When I'm left to my own devices, my mind wanders, and I get off track.
*I'm really not even very good at face-to-face communication. I sometimes forget what I was going to say or can't form the sentence quickly enough to maintain the flow of conversation. It happens often enough to make telling people how I feel difficult.
*I'm female, and people expect women to be adept in all of the areas I'm deficient in. It really isn't easy to get people to listen to what I have to say or to convince them that I want to do better but just can't without the proper help.
I'm not making excuses, although it probably sounds like it. The suggestions I've gotten are good suggestions, but I don't know how to follow through. I don't really know the first step to take. I know there are opportunities, and a lot of people may consider my inaction a sign of laziness or apathy, but those opportunities won't do me any good if I don't know how to look for them. Yes, the internet provides a wealth of resources, but I'm usually overwhelmed and disappointed by a flood of information that isn't of much use to me. Plus, I'm not good at marketing myself or teaching myself new skills. I just feel like I need another person to help me with that, as I get bored easily and lose interest when I don't feel like I'm actually accomplishing something useful.
I could maybe look into teaching overseas, but I would need to shell out some money on a TEFL certificate program so that the schools know I'm qualified. I know I already have a master's in Education with a concentration in ESL teaching, but the program I attended didn't provide the TEFL certificate. Had I known I would need it, I could have easily enrolled in online TEFL courses while I was getting my master's degree, but that goes back to not really feeling comfortable about communicating with people and asking questions. It looks like apathy or disinterest to people who aren't in my head, I guess, but I was just trying to avoid appearing incompetent or receiving harsh words from my instructors.
I don't think teaching is for you. Going back to school will only temporarily take you out of your current situation. After ward, you'll be left with more debt. Don't do it.
There are education-related jobs that don't require you to be in the classroom. You might look for something with a private company or in a district office where you can still use your degree.
You seem to be really in tune with your strengths and weaknesses. That's a good thing.
I teach in a detention center. We have classes year-round. I'm not sure if my problem is teaching in general or if it's just the settings in which I've been teaching, mostly places with a lot of behavior problems and troubled kids. If your decisions aren't supported by your bosses, the job is going to be hard regardless.
I'm also not really confident in my ability to look for work. I remained unemployed for around six years while I was in college, and until this job, I had never held a full-time job for over a year. It's not like I don't search for work, but I guess I don't really know where or how. I'm also pretty bad at job interviews in general, and apparently, I make a convenient scapegoat for dishonest low-level co-workers, like the kinds of people you find working in fast-food restaurants.
Also, I'm extremely reclusive. I'm not very out-going (I really don't even know the definition of the word) and I like to limit my contact with unfamiliar people so that they don't get the wrong impression of me.
Perhaps you could apply for a teachers aid position at a regular school. It won't pay well, but if you can get a job like that, and prove yourself, maybe you can promote to a higher position in a year or 2. That would get you out of your current environment. you could even use your ASD to your advantage by applying to be a TA who works with SPED students.
I am seeing the same exact advice given to you many times in multiple threads. You need counseling, particularly someone who is experienced working with people with Aspergers.
I was going to write something similar. OP, you will make progress and dig out of the hole you're in a lot faster with appropriate help.
I think you can remain in teaching, but you need a different environment, such as a private school, and more of a tutoring situation where you aren't in front of a class and not forced to maintain a high level of organization. I could see you working one-on-one with non-English speakers (or small groups) in a language center.
Perhaps you could apply for a teachers aid position at a regular school. It won't pay well, but if you can get a job like that, and prove yourself, maybe you can promote to a higher position in a year or 2. That would get you out of your current environment. you could even use your ASD to your advantage by applying to be a TA who works with SPED students.
I'm sorry, but it would pay me minimum wage. I can't live off of a part-time minimum wage job like teacher's aide. It would have been a good option while I was in school earning my degree, and I really should have done more planning, because there were lots of opportunities to gain experience. Now, though, unless I want to start from the bottom and work two or three part-time jobs to make ends meet, I'm going to just have to look for other options.
I was going to write something similar. OP, you will make progress and dig out of the hole you're in a lot faster with appropriate help.
I think you can remain in teaching, but you need a different environment, such as a private school, and more of a tutoring situation where you aren't in front of a class and not forced to maintain a high level of organization. I could see you working one-on-one with non-English speakers (or small groups) in a language center.
I had a job like that once upon a time, but the program wasn't getting enough people, so they eventually dissolved it. I'm kind of happy they did, though. Working with people is actually pretty stressful. I wasn't as open and friendly as the others who worked with the international students. Maybe I could have learned how to be more open and friendly, but it was a struggle.
I don't really know where to find "appropriate help." I was seeing a counselor, but my insurance doesn't cover it, and we weren't really getting anywhere anyway. Yeah, there's probably help out there, but I don't really know where to find it. Most of the programs I've seen focus on children. It seems like you have to catch this problem early. Adults don't get much help.
I'm thinking of the options I could pursue. I could contact learning centers and see if they could use some help. I could also check with the ESL department at the local university and see if they could use any freelance tutors. I doubt it, though, as they frequently recruit volunteers. I'm past the point of working for free, I think. The learning centers also sometimes administer tests to their prospective tutors, and I don't think I'm good enough at taking those tests.
Another thing I hate about part-time jobs is if you are fired, you are required to report it as part of your employment history, but answering "yes" to "have you ever been terminated or asked to leave a job?" could mean you won't get hired in the future. I've been through that before, too.
I could contact learning centers and see if they could use some help. I could also check with the ESL department at the local university and see if they could use any freelance tutors.
I've been through that before, too.
With all due respect, you say the same thing over and over in nearly every one of your threads. And the idea of returning to school with all the debt that you have incurred is truly astounding. Find the posts in which people gave you links that could assist you, such as: https://www.autismspeaks.org/resourc...%20Services/AL or https://www.autism-alabama.org/ and find out what it is that's causing you to fail to move forward. What you're doing is self sabotage.
Yeah, there's probably help out there, but I don't really know where to find it. Most of the programs I've seen focus on children. Adults don't get much help.
With all due respect, you say the same thing over and over in nearly every one of your threads. And the idea of returning to school with all the debt that you have incurred is truly astounding. Find the posts in which people gave you links that could assist you, such as: https://www.autismspeaks.org/resourc...%20Services/AL or https://www.autism-alabama.org/ and find out what it is that's causing you to fail to move forward. What you're doing is self sabotage.
Most of my debt is from interest accrual, not the actual amount I borrowed. I was surprised how quickly it started to compound, too. I hate owing so much money. I would have never taken out unsubsidized student loans had I known this would happen. I avoided taking out credit cards or signing up for a mortgage because I knew what could happen, but this is one debt trap that caught me, and it's worse than the others because I'll owe it until I either die or find a way to pay it off. I was told that I should look into consolidation, and I want to, but, again, I don't know where to look.
I see that my options for help with my ASD are limited here, but I guess I could contact a center in Birmingham or something. Birmingham isn't that far from here.
Last edited by krmb; 05-28-2017 at 09:23 AM..
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