New adventures – doing things you love.

Yesterday I left my job after 17 years. This was A Big Deal and the result of a variety of things.

Despite wandering around the house the day that I gave my notice saying to myself ‘hah ha you’re unemployed!!’ I do have some sources of income. I am now – after 17 years – basically a professional autistic, ADHD, non-binary and Asexual advocate. I will be doing consultancy, coaching, writing and presenting as a job. My income will be derived from doing something I love. How absolutely wonderful. I am very excited – and a little anxious from time to time. I will wake up on Monday and not go to work. Wow!  (Well given how vague I am I will probably wake up on Monday and get dressed for work, walk out the door and remember just as I am getting on the tram!!)

I have five employers lined up so imagine I may actually get more work than I can manage! However, I have essentially been doing two full time jobs for almost 20 years so I think I should be OK.

My new life adventure gets me thinking about other people’s employment journeys.  The wonderful Barb Cook and I wrote a book called Planning your career through intense interests a couple of years ago. It is aimed at autistic young people and looks at using your passion to drive a career. The ability to pursue your passionate interests as your job is a lovely thing indeed. Goal setting and career planning strategies can help and identifying what skills and interests you have.

I wish everyone career success and the ability to use their paid work to pursue their passions. I am excited at my own career adventure. A job should be enjoyable and engaging. It should help people build their knowledge, skills and wisdom. It should support development and engagement and self-esteem.  People – including autistic people – should have the opportunity for career advancement if they want it and are capable. There is a pervasive view among some managers that they have done an autistic employee a favour by employing them and they should stay at entry level and be grateful for it. This simply isn’t true. As a public servant I was promoted twice in my career because I was capable of working at a higher level. Work should be inclusive and free from bigotry and hate and bullying.  Being in the workplace should provide a sense of being part of something bigger, of making the world a better place as well as the more practical things like providing an income.

Autistic people can have a range of challenges in the workplace – often due to a lack of understanding from managers and colleagues. I had a boss once who when I raised my concerns about her ability to manage me as an autistic person said ‘Oh I know all about it. I managed an autistic person once’. These sorts of attitudes are sadly quite common. However, the workplace does not need to be an unpleasant place for autistic folks. We tend to have some impressive skills which set us apart from our allistic and neurotypical peers. I have worked in areas where I was highly prized due to some of the attributes which were related to my autism. I have been talking about autism and employment and the benefits of neurodivergent staff to employers for over ten years and it is a great thing to open their minds to the significant benefits of employing autistic staff. In fact, one of the things I will be doping in my new career is working with employers to support them to employ neurodivergent staff. Lovely!

People should want to be at work and should ideally look forward to going in to work. Of course, this often isn’t the case, but it can happen, and should be supported. Some of the best jobs I have had have been wonderful not due to the work itself but due to the managers. I once had a neurodivergent manager who was amazing. I had another manager who I loved dearly and am still in touch with after she retired many years ago. A good manager – or a bad one – can make all the difference at work.

I am happy to have had a 17-year career in the public service and I look forward to what the future may bring. When I was 25 – half my age now – I changed my life dramatically. Now I am doing it again. Scary and exciting. We will see how things go.

Oh, and as I am no longer a public servant, I can say this… I have politics! I vote Green! I really do and I always have. And I have an immense dislike of Pauline Hanson and Donald Trump and hope they both go to jail for a long time, and I think the world needs to fundamentally adjust its approach or we will all suffer major effects of climate change!! Ah, that felt good after 17 years!

Yenn at work