Jobs for Middle School and High School Kids
- Walking dogs
- Maintaining computers
- Making Powerpoint presentations
- Selling artwork or crafts
- Working on church or neighborhood website
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I never had a job in middle school and high school. I attended a high school career academy. I majored in culinary arts from grades ten to twelve. In the middle of my senior year, I switched to Early Childhood Education because culinary arts was unsuitable for me. For ECE class, I volunteered at an airport festival and interned at an elementary school and a public library. Those experiences were quite educational. I interviewed a professional therapist for my mandatory Capstone PowerPoint project on autism. Autism was related to my ECE major.
Preparing for Employment
- Jobs for teenagers
- Mentors
- Visit workplace
- Trade journals
- Wall Street Journal. Make portfolio—people respect talent
- Sell your skills, not yourself
Educational Resources:
- Community Colleges
- Technical Schools
- Online learning
- University Courses
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I took many online college courses and one traditional class from several schools.
Science Websites:
- U.S. National Science Digital Library Project
- The Science Prize for Online Resources in Education (SPORE)
- Physics Education Technology PhET
- OpenCourseWare Consortium
Jobs for Verbal Thinkers
- Stocks and bonds analyst
- Journalist
- Translator
- Librarian
- Copy editor
- Accountant
- Specialty Retail
- Bookkeeper & record keeper
- Budget analyst
- Special education teacher
- Book indexer
- Speech therapist
- Inventory control specialist
- Legal researcher
- Stage actor
Jobs for Visual Thinkers:
- Industrial design
- Computer network specialist
- Graphic arts
- Drafting
- Auto mechanic
- Computer repair
- Handcrafts
- Equipment design
- Convention AV technician
- Photographer
- Animal Trainer
- Architect
Bad Jobs for People with Autism
They require lots of short term working memory and fast processing information.
- Cashier — making change quickly puts too much demand on short-term working memory
- Short order cook — Have to keep track of many orders and cook many different things at the same time
- Waitress — Especially difficult if have to keep track of many different tables
- Casino dealer — Too many things to keep track of
- Taxi dispatcher — Too many things to keep track of
- Taking oral dictation — Difficult due to auditory processing problems
- Airline ticket agent — Deal with angry people when flights are canceled
- Future market trader — Totally impossible
- Air traffic controller — Information overload and stress
- Receptionist and telephone operator — Would have problems when the switchboard got busy
And any other fast-paced careers.
Jobs for Music and Math Thinkers
- Math teacher
- Scientific researcher
- Electronics technician
- Music teacher
- Chemist
- Computer programmer
- Engineer
- Physicist
- Musician/composer
- Statistician
Jobs for People with Poor Verbal Skills or Non-Verbal
- Shelve Library Books
- Factory Assembly Work
- Fast Food Restaurant Work
- Data Entry
- Lawn and Garden Work
- Recycling Plant/Warehouse
- Stocking Shelves
- Inventory Control
- Handcrafts
