Anything Goes 36

[x Tame Impala]

AHAHAHAHAHAHA
why in the hell do you think I chose that?
It's not like that...at all. I found that out the hard way.
They really value soft skills now. The days of antisocial engineers are over bro.

Becoming more common is the "sales engineer" which requires you to have the soft skills of a salesman and the hard skills of an engineer.

I thought I could get away with being socially awkward in that field. Boy was I in for a rude awakening.

No. There are sales-related jobs in the engineering field as well as project management jobs that require a lot of interpersonal communication to be effective, sure. There are those jobs.

But there are also a lot of jobs that require intrapersonal communication for problem solving. It can be design, it can be doing the actual legwork of coming up with solutions to the PM's issues. PLEEEENNNNTY of opportunities.

Again, stop limiting yourself before you even get off the ground. I'm really done with this now though. There's no need to beat a dead horse. I've made my case. Best of luck.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

No. There are sales-related jobs in the engineering field as well as project management jobs that require a lot of interpersonal communication to be effective, sure. There are those jobs.

But there are also a lot of jobs that require intrapersonal communication for problem solving. It can be design, it can be doing the actual legwork of coming up with solutions to the PM's issues. PLEEEENNNNTY of opportunities.

Again, stop limiting yourself before you even get off the ground. I'm really done with this now though. There's no need to beat a dead horse. I've made my case. Best of luck.

I think what you don't get is that there is a huge difference between being socially awkward and on the spectrum socially awkward.

I got my Chem E in 2011 and never worked a day in the field since. I've moved on. Once I make my last payment on my student loans, I can completely put it behind me. Only 3 years left.

 

[hawksrule]

KBS, I’d recommend going to your university’s career service’s office as a starting point and making an appointment with a career counselor there. They’ll help you for life as an alumnus.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right. - Henry Ford

If you go through life thinking that the world is out to get you, and that you can't do something, because the world isn't letting you do something, then you're going to continually fail, and be disappointed. At least in my opinion. It's very possible that you thinking you're not going to get a job that you're interviewing for is directly correlated to you actually not getting that job. When you don't feel confident, it's externally visible. Mannerisms, speech patterns, nervous twitches, etc. are all factors. People pick up on that kind of stuff, and they immediately think something is off. I'm not trying to be an ass in any way, I just think that a lot of the stuff you're saying is you, and your mindset, and nothing more. Think positive, be positive, right?

My fiance has dedicated her life to autism, just got her masters to be a BCBA. She just has to take the boards in April. She had a suggestion because I talked to her about your woes a little bit. Have you tried recording yourself in a mock interview to see if there's anything in your behavior, speech, mannerisms, etc. that could be impacting the decision to hire you or not? Something that you may notice if you watch yourself, and make adjustments based upon that? I mean, I know companies likely do disqualify candidates based on being on the spectrum, but I can't imagine it's a ton of them. It's actually illegal to do so...

I think this has more to do with your mindset and outlook on things. Hopefully you don't take any of this the wrong way. I'm just trying to help you out. I agree with TI. I think you're putting limitations on yourself before you ever get into the interview, and it's messing things up from the start.

As far as you being socially awkward, I met you and didn't really think so. I thought you talked a ton, but you told me about that ahead of time. Didn't think it was a big deal. Maybe employers get overwhelmed by it? I think the mock interview and recording it is a great idea. Then you have a visual to what all is going on in the interview, and can practice/make adjustments from there.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right. - Henry Ford

If you go through life thinking that the world is out to get you, and that you can't do something, because the world isn't letting you do something, then you're going to continually fail, and be disappointed. At least in my opinion. It's very possible that you thinking you're not going to get a job that you're interviewing for is directly correlated to you actually not getting that job. When you don't feel confident, it's externally visible. Mannerisms, speech patterns, nervous twitches, etc. are all factors. People pick up on that kind of stuff, and they immediately think something is off. I'm not trying to be an ass in any way, I just think that a lot of the stuff you're saying is you, and your mindset, and nothing more. Think positive, be positive, right?

My fiance has dedicated her life to autism, just got her masters to be a BCBA. She just has to take the boards in April, and she had a suggestion because I talked to her about it. Have you tried recording yourself in a mock interview to see if there's anything in your behavior, speech, mannerisms, etc. that could be impacting the decision to hire you or not? Something that you may notice if you watch yourself, and make adjustments based upon that? I mean, I know companies likely do disqualify candidates based on being on the spectrum, but I can't imagine it's a ton of them. It's actually illegal to do so...

I think this has more to do with your mindset and outlook on things. Hopefully you don't take any of this the wrong way. I'm just trying to help you out.

I know I'm to blame partially. Did I make mistakes, sure. Mostly ones of ignorance. I had no idea how to navigate a tough job market when I got out of college. My confidence, which was high when I graduated, got crushed.

I took 6 months off after I graduated because I was so burnt out from school and anxious about the future, plus the economy was still in the crapper.

I found the QA job after that, and it was a struggle to keep looking and go to work for me.

 

[hawksrule]

Henry Ford was a jerk-off.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Henry Ford was a jerk-off.

Haha. The quote is pretty accurate, though.

 

[RayP]

A 3.5 hour car ride through the Rockies today turned into 11. Never seen anything like that before. Was like a god damn movie.

Saw the wind blow a small sedan on icy roads 15 feet off the road and into a ditch.

 

[ColdSteel2]

I think what you don't get is that there is a huge difference between being socially awkward and on the spectrum socially awkward.

No doubt. It’s important you find people on the spectrum that can shed more light. There is so much information available through the internet. It’s really helped me find people that I can relate to and hopefully it can do the same for you.

I do want to say you’ve been doing a great job blocking out other people’s bad energy here and not letting them manipulate/project on you. Keep it up and feel proud of that. That’s real progress. Move along.

 

[BK]

No doubt. It’s important you find people on the spectrum that can shed more light. There is so much information available through the internet. It’s really helped me find people that I can relate to and hopefully it can do the same for you.

I do want to say you’ve been doing a great job blocking out other people’s bad energy here and not letting them manipulate/project on you. Keep it up and feel proud of that. That’s real progress. Move along.

Bold: If you think we were trying to go at him with bad energy and manipulate him then you really need to re-read what most of us posted.

Was it rough/harsh? Sure but there is also a lot of information in there and genuine questions that can be used to help him. We all know about him being on the spectrum and I took that into account but I also can tell how intelligent he is and can tell he is in a rut. I would love for KBS to get out of this rut and into the workforce and I know Ray, CH10, and hawksrule feel the same. Each of us have experienced success in our careers in different ways and each of our experiences have the potential to help him.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Bold: If you think we were trying to go at him with bad energy and manipulate him then you really need to re-read what most of us posted.

Was it rough/harsh? Sure but there is also a lot of information in there and genuine questions that can be used to help him. We all know about him being on the spectrum and I took that into account but I also can tell how intelligent he is and can tell he is in a rut. I would love for KBS to get out of this rut and into the workforce and I know Ray, CH10, and hawksrule feel the same. Each of us have experienced success in our careers in different ways and each of our experiences have the potential to help him.

Love when people have no idea wtf they're talking about, eh?

 

[BK]

Love when people have no idea wtf they're talking about, eh?

It is laughable.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

@BK
I like you as a poster, don't get me wrong. Most people think like you do.

I just believe it to be fundamentally false. The number one predictor of a child's future success is their parents' income. It's more about winning the birth lottery than anything else.

There's a lot of evidence coming out that this worldview, is in fact wrong, and used as a tool of oppression by economic elites. People run the race of life from different starting points. Sometimes, even when you have all of the economic advantages, the deck can still get stacked against you in other ways. The system is made to create winners and losers. I believe too much blame is put on the individual, and not enough on the system itself.

 

[BK]

@BK
I like you as a poster, don't get me wrong.
Most people think like you do.
I just believe it to be fundamentally false. The number one predictor of a child's future success is their parents' income. It's more about winning the birth lottery than anything else.

You believe it is wrong but I am others here are proof that it isn’t. Hell thousands of people believe that big foot is real... (this is a joke)

Parental income means far less that the actual parents. Do you think that my parents being wealthy had any impact on me getting a job? What about the job after that? After that?

Most corporations have huge anti-nepotism protocols as well. So you can just eliminate that thought.

Were my parents wealthy? Yes they were/are but that has nothing to do with me getting a job. Them being great parents and role models? 100% but I interviewed, got the job, and earned the promotions on my own.

If you actually think that winning the birth lottery is more important that the actual person’s hard work, dedication, etc. then no can help you.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Parental income means far less that the actual parents. Do you think that my parents being wealthy had any impact on me getting a job? What about the job after that? After that?

Most corporations have huge anti-nepotism protocols as well.

Were my parents wealthy? Yes they were/are but that has nothing to do with me getting a job. Them being great parents and role models? 100% but I interviewed, got the job, and earned the promotions on my own.

Most of my friends/classmates got their first job because their parents knew someone at the company that hired them for their first job after college. I watched this closely. Those that didn't have an "in" in their chosen field had a much harder time getting their first job, and some of them never got into their chosen field. It doesn't have to be a family member, but a family friend/business acquaintance.

Someone knew somebody, and that's how they got in. I didn't have that advantage, and I really think it mattered.....a lot.

 

[BK]

Most of my friends/classmates got their first job because their parents knew someone at the company that hired them for their first job after college. I watched this closely. Those that didn't have an "in" in their chosen field had a much harder time getting their first job, and some of them never got into their chosen field. It doesn't have to be a family member, but a family friend/business acquaintance.

Someone knew somebody, and that's how they got in.

Having an in is different that being given a job. You still have to interview, perform, etc. I just don’t think you really know how things works based on some of these comments.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Having an in is different that being given a job. You still have to interview, perform, etc. I just don’t think you really know how things works based on some of these comments.

You'd like to think it works that way, but I really don't think it does. Sure, once you get in you have to perform....but getting that first opportunity is much easier for people with the in.

I asked the young professionals group at AIChE(chemical engineers group) during a job search seminar at the midwest regional conference about how they got their first job. Do you know what the two most common responses were?

1. dumb luck
2. My dad knew someone at the company

It's not about what you know, but who you blow.

 

[hawksrule]

You believe it is wrong but I am others here are proof that it isn’t. Hell thousands of people believe that big foot is real... (this is a joke)

Parental income means far less that the actual parents. Do you think that my parents being wealthy had any impact on me getting a job? What about the job after that? After that?

Most corporations have huge anti-nepotism protocols as well. So you can just eliminate that thought.

Were my parents wealthy? Yes they were/are but that has nothing to do with me getting a job. Them being great parents and role models? 100% but I interviewed, got the job, and earned the promotions on my own.

If you actually think that winning the birth lottery is more important that the actual person’s hard work, dedication, etc. then no can help you.

You’re missing his point. Better high schools are overwhelmingly concentrated in wealthier communities. You had better teachers, resources, and opportunities. SAT scores are strongly correlated with family income (for many reasons, including the aforementioned better high schools, money for prep classes, private tutoring, etc). SAT scores are highly correlated with college rankings, as are post graduate earnings. And these are just a few examples. Your parents wealth absolutely had a major impact on you getting your job. It set in motion everything that led to the interview. Our society is nowhere close to a level playing field. It doesn’t mean that people who aren’t born into privilege can’t make it, but it’s a far different road (without getting into other issues such as skin color), and those of us fortunate enough to born into a far easier path at least have to be honest enough to call it as it is.

 

[BK]

You’re missing his point. Better high schools are overwhelmingly concentrated in wealthier communities. You had better teachers, resources, and opportunities. SAT scores are strongly correlated with family income (for many reasons, including the aforementioned better high schools, money for prep classes, private tutoring, etc). SAT scores are highly correlated with school rankings, as are post graduate earnings. And these are just a few examples. Your parents wealth absolutely had a major impact on you getting your job. It set in motion everything that led to the interview. Our society is nowhere close to a level playing field. It doesn’t mean that people who aren’t born into privilege can’t make it, but it’s a far different road (without getting into other issues such as skin color), and those of us fortunate enough to born into a far easier path at least have to be honest enough to call it as it is.

I am not missing that or ignoring it considering we are talking about someone with a Chem. Engi degree. We are past those “limiting factors”. The tools are all there but so are the excuses.

 

[hawksrule]

I am not missing that or ignoring it considering we are talking about someone with a Chem. Engi degree. We are past those “limiting factors”. The tools are all there but so are the excuses.

I was addressing specifically the relationship between career trajectory and parental wealth.

 

[BK]

I was addressing specifically the relationship between career trajectory and parental wealth.

That is fair. I am talking more specifics.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

I am not missing that or ignoring it considering we are talking about someone with a Chem. Engi degree. We are past those “limiting factors”. The tools are all there but so are the excuses.

Most of it comes down to autism related executive dysfunction. My situation is complex and there are many legit reasons why I haven't gotten it done up to this point. Feel free to pm me.

I'm not interested in living in the past, just moving forward. The whole self-made success story bothers me though. There are many factors that go into the success or failure of an individual, and more are out of their control than people realize. All a person can do is control their own emotions/attitude/work ethic and go from there. However, doing that alone is no guarantee of success. That's where you and I disagree.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Hey, I have no idea how to use photoshop, so if someone can photoshop a blue lightsaber over Boqvist's stick in my new avatar that would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Styles]

Hey, I have no idea how to use photoshop, so if someone can photoshop a blue lightsaber over Boqvist's stick in my new avatar that would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

View attachment 318733

Thanks a bunch @Styles !