What is a good career for an underemployed librarian with Aspergers?

August 11, 2008 3:35 PM

What is a good career move for a 40ish guy with an MA in literature, an MSIS in general library work, and a work history that does not reflect his real skills because recently diagnosed Aspergers was holding him back a lot?

My very intelligent husband has an MA in Literature and an MSIS in general library work. He is nearly 40, and was last month diagnosed with Aspergers. That, combined with that library hirings are shrinking in his area, has generally been a major obstacle in his finding work that was as good as he is (he's often ended up as a bookstore clerk). He is also in a very rural area where his opportunities to improve his technical skills are being interfered with by possibly senile parents (which is another problem entirely). He wants to do meaningful work in a team environment. He has broad knowledge of classical music, 20th century literature and narrative development in animation and comics, and pulp novels. (Yeah, none of those are big job grabbers, I know.)

He is very much the slightly bewildered Oxford don type from Wodehouse, except that when he is in his element he is _extremely_ capable. He has not built up a very good social network, done internships, etc, because of Aspergers noise, and even now that he knows more about his trouble, has not been very successful reaching out to past professors, mentors, etc (he has a lifetime of unseen obstacles to come to grips with). He is seeing a psychologist and going for State vocational training but is in general having something of a professional crisis. For various reasons it is very important that he find a fairly decent job soon, although I also lean to his getting his PhD and teaching hipster media courses. He also showed a latent, incredible ability to pick up 3D Studio computer animation (he learned more in two weeks than my brother's biz partner did in two years, no exag) but is lukewarm about a career in making cartoons (versus watching them, which he is very into).

Suggestions?

posted by gtaylor to work & money (4 comments total)

The video game industry employs animators, probably moreso than the film and TV industries these days. His interest and experience with narrative and pop / modern culture would help with that as well. He would definitely need to build up a portfolio and demo reel before he could apply for full-time jobs in the industry, but there are plenty of sites out there for independent / amateur developers looking to work on projects together for little or no money.
posted by ga$money at 4:25 PM on August 11, 2008

I really, really don't mean to sound mean here, but aside from having a sigh of relief that he knows that what he's gone through has a name, what does having a formal Asperger's diagnosis have to do with it? Diagnosed or undiagnosed, he'll still have the same problems of overstimulation, noise sensitivity, etc. His "element" will not change.

Coming at this from the position of having ADD, I can understand the relief you both must feel. But I also find myself running into other problems. Falling back on a diagnosis can be very difficult to deal with in the workplace. In particular, no matter what a diagnosis might be, it's not always shorthand for "this is what to expect" -- I have some of the telltale traits, but I really resent other people (and myself) thinking, "Okay, she acts this way, but it's because she has X disability or issue," or "She has X issue, so i guess we'll have to treat her this way in case something happens." What, I can't have a bad day or a scatterbrained moment like everyone else? I have a combination of strengths, weaknesses and needs... like everyone else. I act the way I do because I'm me, not because I have ADD.

You've listed some of the things he's capable of. When has he felt the best, the most productive? I would think of a variety of options running up and down the payscale. Figure out what he needs and what he's good at, and talk about that in interviews or job training. I'm not saying that he should hide this part of him, but there are so many assumptions that come with it. He should do what is best for him, not what is "best for Aspies."

I hope this doesn't sound too off base from your original query. I just don't want you both to fall into this trap. Good luck.
posted by Madamina at 4:59 PM on August 11, 2008

I think he has to figure this out for himself, and make an assessment of what career directions he's intrinsically interested in the most, which have the best extrinsic rewards, and balance that against his difficulties brought on by Asperger's. If he needs guidance through this process, he should try a book like What Color is Your Parachute.
posted by lsemel at 9:23 PM on August 11, 2008

I agree completely about his not just accepting Aspergers as a definition of his limitations (his whole family has a habit of saying, "I have [a physical problem] so [I win this argument]." Moreover, autism spectrum disorders are Always Different for Everybody. At the same time, it is a big thing for him to be getting help and understanding his behavior is not out of deliberate perversity; his brain genuinely works in a way that is sufficiently out of the norm that he needs to develop alternate communications methods.

Yes, he does need to figure this out for himself, but part of figuring is seeking advice (he is reading this thread of course). He's read career guidance books/done aptitude tests/etc without it providing any meaningful information, and for all that he's in a sort of existential crisis right now he also really needs to find a job. The problem is that the wrong kind of job is going to send him back into his bad habits. I was hoping someone here would have been through the experience of re-entering the workforce after a late life Aspergers breakthrough and have some advice on that.
posted by gtaylor at 12:43 AM on August 16, 2008