By Becky Moody
Many autistic individuals struggle terribly with traditional employment. Oftentimes, supervisors and colleagues don’t understand what the autistic individual needs to bring their best self to work or simply aren’t willing to make reasonable accommodations. Other times the physical work environment is sensorily toxic, making it impossible to focus on the work. Consequently, frequent job loss and under-employment/unemployment are extraordinarily common.
For many autistic individuals, self-employment may be the best option. If you find that a traditional work environment doesn’t enable you to live your best life, your best employer may just be yourself!
In today’s blog post, I tell the story of how I discovered that self-employment was the best choice for me as an autistic individual. I will also discuss how you might begin your self-employment journey and the challenges to consider. Finally, we will look at some possible avenues to self-employment.
My Self-Employment Story
I started working when I was 19 with mixed results at each of my jobs. Sometimes I quit after one week when I found the work environment intolerable. This especially happened whenever I worked in retail. Other times, particularly with my on-campus jobs in school, I managed to stay at the job until I graduated.
When I finished my master’s degree, I found my first full-time job. I worked for a large, bureaucratic organization in a public-facing role within the United States government. The first year was incredibly difficult due to the complex government policies I had to learn. I also had to learn to navigate a workplace that felt like a giant social landmine.
The work and the processes used were very well defined and my supervisor was very supportive, but coming into the office one day a week after the pandemic slowed down became a huge sensory challenge.
The office noise and social environment were very draining. Our agency also had a phone system that produced sounds in my headset that turned into a sensory nightmare. It felt like I was being randomly stabbed in the ear all day long by the call-waiting tone while I was trying to work, sometimes while actively dealing with customers on the phone!
Despite all kinds of work with an occupational therapist and a coach from Thrive Autism Coaching, I literally could not tolerate the sensory environment. After four years on the job, it led to a period of serious burnout, and I finally left government work for good.
I spent three months after my resignation working for a small startup company whose main clientele was individuals with disabilities. It was a pure work-from-home position, which I thought would be great because I would have complete control over the sensory environment. During the interview, upper management appreciated my extensive knowledge of certain government programs. The company website also suggested they understood neurodivergent individuals.
Shortly after I was hired, I quickly learned that this “understanding” of neurodiversity was largely performative. When I needed time off to visit my doctor, my occupational therapist, and my job coach (all perfectly reasonable things for me to have as an autistic individual), my employer was not supportive. I soon realized this job wasn’t going to be sustainable.
I was also overwhelmed by the volume of tasks thrown at me without enough communication on the priorities. I went from a structured bureaucratic organization to one of startup chaos. Neither was a fit for me but for totally different reasons.
After much soul-searching, I determined self-employment was the best choice
for me. Not only was I stifled by the structure and rules of the corporate and government worlds, but I wanted to work directly with my interest in performing arts.
Today, I’m happily self-employed as a writer and entertainer. I am an independent
contractor for various companies giving haunted pub crawl tours, performing in murder mystery shows, and doing appearances as various Disney princesses. I also write about my experiences as an autistic human being.
Ultimately, this career move has proven to be the best choice for me. I make my own hours, which has been wonderful for my overall health. Throughout my day, I can take sensory breaks as needed. I have much more control over the kinds of people I want to work with and clients I want to serve than I ever did at any of my past jobs.
Most importantly, I have so much more control over the kind of work I’m doing, and I’m doing things I love!
Autism and Self-Employment Challenges to Consider
This is not to say that self-employment is a magical answer for all autistic individuals looking for fulfilling work. Below are just a few common challenges that self-employed autistic individuals may experience.
Executive Functioning
While it is true that I make my own hours, I am also still responsible for using my time wisely. It’s important that I meet my deadlines. After all, I have made promises to my clients, and it is my duty to deliver on those promises! Happy clients mean repeat business from them in the future! Thanks to my coach at Thrive Autism Coaching, who introduced me to programs like Trello, I’m able to organize my business to-do list so that I can keep track of all of my deadlines.
Social Interactions
Self-employment entails a great deal of communication with others, usually current and potential clients. Good customer service skills are very important. It is also important to be able to network with others and market your business effectively.
Over the years, I have had mixed results in customer service jobs. I do okay as long as I know the “script,” and eventually I can identify patterns in each transaction. However, I freeze and don’t know what to say when someone goes “off script,” especially when customers become hostile.
I was afraid I would have these issues as a self-employed person. If anything, self-employment has given me significantly more freedom to have boundaries around what I will and will not allow from clients. It’s also easier for me to go “off script” with customers when I’m talking to them about something that I know and love!
Financial Management
Some autistic individuals are very comfortable with numbers. I am not one of them. However, taxes and accounting are an unavoidable part of working for yourself.
The bank I use has a great feature where I can allocate any income I receive from clients to things like taxes, operating expenses, and my profits. This tool helps me keep track of what I’m spending money on. Some individuals find tracking their income and expenses in a good old-fashioned spreadsheet works just as well.
While I am on the subject of financial management, you should be aware that the first year of self-employment is often fraught with financial instability while you are trying to build a business and grow your customer base. Before you decide to start a business, you and your loved ones need to determine if you can handle the months when you might not be making very much money.
You will also need to determine if you have enough money for startup costs (such as materials if you want to sell homemade crafts, for example). The early days of self-employment can be expensive!
Building a Support Network
Especially when starting out in self-employment, you will need a solid support network. Your family and friends can be your biggest cheerleaders. Mentors and job coaches such as the fantastic coaches available through Thrive Autism Coaching can help you navigate some of the challenges of self-employment. Online communities can also be a great resource for autistic individuals to meet and get advice from other entrepreneurs. Networking online can even lead to potential clients!
Autism and Self-Employment Ideas
One of my favorite things about self-employment is that there are so many different ways to do it! When most people think of entrepreneurship, they think of someone starting a business. However, you don’t have to build the next Fortune 500 company to be successfully self-employed!
Freelancing can be an excellent way to build a client base. If you write, do graphic design, play music, or know computer programming, selling your skills as a freelancer can help you get clients and build your reputation.
If you like to make arts and crafts, you might consider selling your work on a platform like Etsy. Or you may decide to sell your work at local crafts fairs. Today, there are so many ways to sell handmade items that don’t involve opening a physical storefront!
The resources section on Thrive Autism Coaching’s website has a list of reputable websites freelancers can use to find project-based work. Training resources to get started in freelancing or remote work for those looking to start a business can also be found on this page.
Final Thoughts on Autism and Self-Employment
If you find that traditional employment isn’t for you, self-employment might give you the freedom you need to thrive in your work. Although it can be challenging, the flexibility it affords some autistic individuals can be well worth the effort. If you’re wondering if self-employment is right for you, consider scheduling a complimentary consultation to see if working with one of the coaches at Thrive Autism Coaching can help you get started!
Author Bio
Becky Moody, best known by her stage name Alaizabel Cray, is a neurodivergent actress, dancer, and writer residing in Denver, Colorado with her husband and two cats. Her work and social media pages can be found at https://linktr.ee/alaizabelcray.