What I Need in My Job Hunt as Someone With Anxiety and Autism

For a long time now, I’ve struggled with anxiety and I’ve had autism my entire life of course. In school, I had extra help so I could get through school and graduate. Now that I’m an adult, I need a job. In my adult life, I will help with things most people could easily do on their own. Like getting a job for instance.

I first met my job coach a little bit before I graduated from high school and we clicked right away. I loved her sense of humor and her caring nature. Her job is to help me find a job and get adjusted to it. This is something not all people can understand. I have gotten comments about how I could get a job on my own and how I don’t need a job coach, but here’s the thing — I don’t think I could.

I did manage to get a job before getting my job coach and I ended up quitting because it made me too anxious. It was too much for me to do on my own. Could I get a job on my own? Maybe, but it’s more comforting to have someone to help.

Having someone to help even just a little bit can make all the difference. But sometimes people who don’t have anxiety or autism don’t understand why we need help.

Getting help is good no matter what people say.

That’s my main point to this story.

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Getty Images photo via BernardaSV