Getting a job with Asperger's?

[poiu]

Hi All,

I've been doing lots of Access and Excel VBA work in serveral blue-chip accounts departments but it's just not working out - accounts departments seem to be (surprisingly?!) quite sociable and there are lots of cliques, and programmers seem to be on the periphery with little promotion prospects.

I'm wondering if I should try my hand at doing VBA programming for investment companies (luckily I'm in London!), as maybe that would be a more forgiving environment for programmers? Although I think there is still a 'glass ceiling' for programmers I think it tops out at about £50k - £100k which is obviously perfectly livable.

Does anyone have any views/experience of making a VBA career work with Aspergers? What do you think of the above plan?

Cheers,

Poiu

p.s. I've done 12 out of 14 accountancy exams so would be kind of throwing them away, although in practice I use very little of what I learnt for the exams.

 

[Zack Barresse]

Hi Poiu,

Asperger's can be tough no matter where you go or what you do. In the eyes of others you will always have a 'problem' that most people just won't ever get. There are people out there who do 'get it', but they're the exception these days. I certainly wouldn't advise you to throw away all the work you've done in accountancy. What I can tell you about VBA as a career is it can be tough. It does take a good level of communication. I'm not sure how severe your Asperger's is, but it could affect how people talk and deal with you there as well.

Although I have no idea your skill level or passion, I would advise to not make rash decisions until you have a plan in place and are sure you can generate the income you need. There are a few people I know in the UK who do this type of consulting for a living, and while they're very, very good, it doesn't strike me as being 'easy'.

An option would be to try doing this on the side. It can be slow at times and would give you a better feel for the industry. Regardless I'm one of those hapless suckers who believes you should follow your passion and be happy at what you do. And I am on the other side of the world.

Good luck with whatever you do.

 

[BrianMH]

Recently I read an article about certain software companies actually seeking out people with aspergers and other people with an ASD. Might be worth searching for these companies since they have an idea of what you have to deal with.

 

[Sid_London]

I know two VBA developers in the city, and both are very sociable types who are constantly in meetings or being asked to talk to clients. I would say at least half of their day involves meetings and talking. They also heavily network outside of office hours. I'm not sure if this is a required skill for the job, but they don't strike me as 'typical Aspergers type people'. Very much the opposite in fact.

I'm not saying a lack of social skills would stop you progressing. It's just something to consider. Having said that, I know other non-VBA developers who are literally glued to their computers and barely need to interact with other staff (Java, CS types mostly). I'm not into programming myself, so not sure what the difference is aside from the VBA guys working in big companies vs the non-VBA guys working with smaller niche IT companies that have 'people people' to do all the negotiating and networking side for them.

I guess it depends what you enjoy. If you absolutely love VBA and want to stick with that, then brush up on your social side. I personally found accounting a lot less socially taxing than other jobs (one office was almost completely silent), so perhaps it's just the culture of the specific office/company you are in right now. Have you thought about moving into another accounting role elsewhere?