Many of us that are on the autistic spectrum have high level skills that can be used in our career.
“I have a constant battle with my own lack of confidence and low self esteem”
As you may know by now, I am a person with high functioning autism. I am also a professional film maker and musician. I had a reasonable amount of success in these areas over the last 20 or so years.
However, I feel that my success has been hampered by my lack of skill in coping with the social challenges of being an autistic person trying to negotiate my way through life.
Autistic and freelance? The problems are as follows:
1. Not being comfortable around other people.
2. Being confident enough to ask for the right amount of money for the job you are doing
3. Understanding the social “rules”
4. Networking. This must be a nightmare for most people on the autistic spectrum but essential if working freelance.
5. Preferring to work alone
6. Understanding the brief. Getting the bigger picture of what the client wants.
7. Understanding the information given by the client as we can have great difficulty processing information given verbally.
8. Allowing our low self esteem to create a damaging image to people that may hire us to do work for them.
Are there other things you can add to this list?
There must be many autistic people out there working as freelance artists, musicians, software writers, photographers and authors. We are able to do great work but do we always ask for enough money for our services? I expect not. I have a constant battle with my own lack of confidence and low self esteem. We are also often plagued with depression and anxiety impacting on our sense of self worth.
I do accept that many non autistics also suffer with problems of low self worth and anxiety, but as autistic people living independently the list of challenges we face often seem insurmountable. We have to climb a mountain before we even get to the mountain.
Please comment on your experiences of being autistic and freelance.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/adultswithautism
Steve
Hi
I’m wondering if an autistic person might have trouble with either a lack of overuse of their imagination as regards freelance writing? There’s also a problem with fiction, especially erotic fiction when they are difficulty relating to people, I speak as someone on the autistic spectrum.
Rather than working freelance I set up a single person business and let people come to me. I actually earned a good living this way for seven years. It was based around one of my obsessions? I currently hold down a very senior job and struggle a bit with it due to the required networking etc. I will need to move back to doing my own thing again but true freelancing would not work for me. The unfortunate aspect of my HFA is that my outward communication skills are good, when I am on topic, so I appear to be perfectly normal in many situations.
I really enjoyed reading your site and watching your videos. Very enlightening and unusual.
Hi Gordon
Thats interesting. What business did you set up?
Steve
It was a web hosting and internet domain name registration business. Very successful, and made lots of money. Pressure was not good towards the end though so I sold it.
Again, very familiar. I tried self-employment twice. Once almost two decades ago, the other a few years back. It never lasted longer than a year or two.
I hate ‘selling myself’ and consider marketing/(self)promotion the highest form of drivel. Of course I will give it a 100% and go all out for the best possible results, no? I’m a perfectionist so that seems evident.
That caused problems with clients though, who somehow feel they need to be ‘seduced’. I had my portfolio and to me that should be enough: either you hire me or you don’t — why do we need ‘to get to know each other’ first?
Also: clients who want to renegociate or ask stupid questions or want to discuss options they never mentioned before or understood work to include items we never agreed on formally. Sigh.
One thing you don’t mention is admin. I’m pretty accurate with my documents, but I have my own ways. I also have zero interest in the matter. The accountant I had did things differently and that led to discomfort and later conflict. When communication broke down over why she c/wouldn’t do my taxes online (I had prepared everything carefully and digitally) I let her go.
I sent my stuff to the tax office directly but that wasn’t how they wanted it so I got angry and gave up. I got fined. I said stuff it, got fined more. Sigh again.
I loved working alone and from home and would love to do it again. But I would definitely need someone to handle all the outside business.
HI Nils
You are unfortunately, describing some of the Aspergian traits I see in some of the people I work with. You remind me of a friend that has Aspergers. He see’s the world in a very black and white way.
He doesn’t always see that there may be a different way of doing something. He finds it hard to see that the other person may have a different point of view.
Have you thought about joining a social group for people with Aspergers? I am joining one soon, as I have a hard time working other people out. The doctor said it would help me.
Steve
There is small group that I went to once but I felt very uncomfortable there. I would love to see an autism coach but I can’t afford it. (I feel I’m not yet ready for it yet either; my situation is currently too unstable.)
But you’re right, at some point I’ll have to find a way to learn to deal with this. If only I could manage to see the broader picture of where I’m headed…
Hi Nils
It’s not easy. Did you say that you are getting support from your doctor for anxiety?
Steve
No doctor — not currently. I had myself admitted two years ago. Since the diagnosis it has been slow getting help. One service did help me outline what support I actually need.
Two days ago, after almost another year, I got into a home support services program.
I’m hoping that alone will lift some of the gloom and uncertainty. They’ll also try to help break some of the impasse I’m in — from minor practical issues to setting wider goals.
They also recognize the fact that I’ll need some support to handle these issues with depression, anxiety and self-esteem.
I’ll have to see where that leads me.