A Career with Autism - how determination leads to success

We all dream of having the best job imaginable when we get older and as a child, our imagination always goes off on a tangent. Yes, mine did just that! Since I was 15, I dreamt of having a job in education whether it was being a teacher or a teaching assistant supporting children of special needs just like me.

I had a difficult time through my school life and got bullied quite a lot, but that didn't stop me in believing that I could be successful. So as time went on, I followed my heart and passion for the job I had always aspired to get, training as a teaching assistant managed to get my foot in the door for about 3 years and every day thought to myself "Tomorrow is a new day, new challenges, new people to meet and more development".

I get up every day saying those exact words. The only ways to succeed in the working world is keep at it and keep on the ball with what employers demand from candidates. To be honest, I have worked hard for a very long time and gained the qualifications necessary to undertake jobs at various locations, but after two and a half years of searching and well over 100 jobs applied for have I got one yet? I know what you might be thinking, "Sure you have, there must be one you really wanted and you pulled out all the stops to get it".

Well if only that statement were true in my case, which it isn't - yet. As time wares on, I find all this job hunting very disheartening and makes me feel saddened by all the rejections I have received from employers. The jobs I am more than capable to do and I develop my skills on a day to day basis to make myself stand out that little bit more from the crowd. However, some reasons why I don't get these jobs is because of what I can describe as the most ridiculous reasons I have ever heard. I sometimes wonder if it is that people are too afraid of employing an autistic person like myself.

If I have any future plans on what I should do next, I would say that all I can do is be myself, be determined, and prove to people that I can do these jobs even if it means studying for another qualification to get there. I know that if I keep positive and keep on pushing to succeed, I will eventually come out the victor.

---Since writing this article, Phillip has managed to succeed and secure himself a paid job. Stay tuned to see how he gets on in his new role, and his tips and advice for other people who are in the same situation that he had previously found himself in.---

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