Choosing a Good Career or Job as an Autistic Person
Are you struggling to find a job as an autistic person? SIC has crafted a list of careers that autistic people often thrive in.
Photo by Susanna Marsiglia on Unsplash: a brunette white woman wearing an orange vest top with her hair tied up in a bun sits cross-legged in front of an easel with a painting of a starry, sunset night sky. The easil is in front of a large window with a view of greenery and a tree. The woman holds a paintbrush, the painting has the silhouette of a female figure with long hair standing in front of layers of clouds amongst an orange sky. The sky gradually gets darker from the bottom to the top, where the sky is dark blue and the stars and moon are cradled by clouds.
An ONS report announced that autistic people have the lowest rate of employment of any group of disabled people, with only 21.7% in employment compared to 53.6% of all disabled people.
To combat this worrying rate, many companies in recent years have launched separate hiring programmes for neurodivergent candidates, and others have begun to recruit autistic people for specific roles. These companies often implement hiring processes that are designed to be more accessible for autistic people.
The careers listed below are a jumping-off point to help get you thinking about an area of work. Of course, these are not the only jobs autistic people thrive in, but they are positions that are among the most accessible for many. Searching for jobs as an autistic person can be hard and emotionally draining - especially when a quick search for “jobs for autistic people” often only shows jobs for people looking to work with autistic people, such as a support worker, instead of ones that are actually for us. This article strives to alleviate some of the stress that comes from looking for new career paths.
Autism is a spectrum, so people have different needs when it comes to jobs. Whether you need a strict routine or to work from home, these jobs have a diverse set of opportunities to cater for you. This list provides insight into careers for the different requirements of the spectrum.
Social media
Social media and content creation can be a great opportunity for autistic people who do not struggle with breaks to routine. Artistic people can enjoy a mix of graphic design when creating posts for social media. Social media work can also include data analysis and identifying which posts do better with each social media algorithm. Many roles can be worked from home, allowing greater comfort and decreased likelihood of sensory issues.
Do you have no experience in social media work, no worries! SIC offers a social media assistant role as part of our training programme. Click here for more info.
Social media manager average salary: £33,368
Perfect if you:
Are creative
Need to work from home
Enjoy some data analysis
Software development
It may be seen as a stereotype by now, that autistic people work in tech or software development but there is a good reason for it! The work can be highly repetitive and offer a stable routine, paired with spotting patterns and more limited interaction with others. Many big companies specifically recruit autistic talent now, with specially formatted testing instead of the normal interview process.
Software development average salary: £39,959
Perfect if you:
Need a strict schedule
Like clearly defined goals
Prefer limited interaction with others
Archivist/Librarian
Archivists and librarians' roles contain sorting as the main mechanism of their jobs. The role of a librarian may be more appropriate to those who enjoy a forward-facing role and enjoy interacting with the public.
Archiving may be more suited to those who wish to have a position in which interacting with others is minimal. Both roles can also form intersections with special interests, as there are many highly specialised archives eg. from the Mercedes archive to the Levi jeans archive.
Archivist average salary: £26,051
Librarian average salary: £30,903
Perfect if you:
Enjoy sorting and organising
Enjoy working with others
Have a hyperfixation with an area that an archive specialises in
Writer/Journalist
These jobs can easily be freelance and allow you to work from home and with flexible hours, which allows for freedom with sensory overloads and other issues that may arise. Several jobs require a simple statement of facts or data without any personal reflection which may be easier for some autistic people. These roles also allow for special interest interaction, with a diverse range of publications on all subjects, freelancing can allow you to write about what interests you most!
Don’t have any experience? SIC offers an Editorial Assistant work experience programme, where you can pitch and write articles with the full support of the SIC team.
Writer average salary: £28,339
Journalist average salary: £33,404
Perfect if you:
Want to work from home
Need a flexible job
Want to be able to work within your special interest/hyperfixation
Illustrator/Artist
Illustration and artistry both can be accessible careers for autistic people, filling many of the needs necessary such as the opportunity to work from home, flexible hours, can be done digitally and can be centred around hyperfixations.
The opportunity to be freelance is greater than ever with many online shopping platforms providing the opportunity to have the freedom of independence and take any work you feel like.
Illustrator average salary: £36,683
Artist average salary: £35,968
Perfect if you:
Are creative and enjoy creating things
Want flexible hours
Prefer self-employment or freelance work
Want to know more about our training programmes? Head to train with us to learn more and follow us on social media to keep up to date with any updates!