Hi. I'm a 34 yr old software engineer. I have three children who live with their mother in Dallas TX.
I'm looking for several things, primarily:
- A business partner to manage marketing and sales (software industry)
- Help with graphic design for a couple of my sites: woohooligan.com where I've been trying to sell my own hand-illustrated comic strips and http://on.tapogee.com an open-source software project
- Help with and/or money for advertising
I've spent much of my adult life as a software engineer being exceptionally talented at my job and yet being unable to keep a good job. When I was much younger I butchered my opportunity at a degree, which has hurt me professionally, though I haven't let it stop me. I'm twice certified "advanced" for ColdFusion. I'm published in trade journals. I was a member of two invitation only expert programs, the Team Macromedia program and the Adobe Community Experts. I've given presentations at two conferences and a number of user-groups (in spite of not being very good at presenting). And I've never managed to obtain a job where I would be in charge of technology for my company.
The last four "full time permanent" jobs I held lasted no more than 6 months. I discovered a couple of years ago that I have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and received an official diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome in 2007. This syndrome used to be very common amongst computer programmers because of the way it affects the brain. The neurological condition basically is a trade: in exchange for nearly destroying my "people skills", my IQ increases as I get older (it's not supposed to). Here's a quote from an article I've found:
Asperger's Syndrome is a neurobiological disorder that affects an individual's ability to read and respond to social cues, communicate effectively, and organize tasks. Many people with Asperger's Syndrome have above-average (or even superior) intelligence. Yet they have a hard time recognizing body language, facial expressions, tone of voice and other forms of nonverbal communication which account for about 93% of human information exchange! Instead of intuitively learning social interaction like most people do, individuals with Asperger's Syndrome must learn social skills intellectually.
Thus an individual with an advanced degree may literally forget to smile or greet co-workers in the morning. He may speak to the CEO in the same informal manner as a peer. Questions may be answered too honestly ("I think that's a stupid idea") and instructions taken very literally (jumping up and down when told to "hop to it").
On the flip side, Asperger's Syndrome also confers specific strengths that make these individuals particularly well-suited to jobs requiring attention to detail and prolonged focus. Careers in computer programming, technical documentation, academic and scientific research, engineering, and academia are among the choices that make good use of their logic and analytical skills, excellent memory for facts, vast knowledge of specialized fields, tolerance of routine, and creative problem solving.
The good news is that I have skills. The bad news is that while I've been chasing various "advanced programmer" jobs across the country, I haven't seen my children in years and just a couple months ago before I lost my last job here in Boston I received a letter from the state of Texas threatening to "pursue legal action" if I don't send them $9K for child support that I don't have, never have had (even when we were married) and wasn't ever likely to have because of my autism. In the past (before I found out about my condition), attempts to get legal help all failed.
All of these problems are directly attributable to my disability (ASD).
The fact that I'm unable to keep a good job for longer than a few months means that I am disabled. I'm applying for disability insurance, which is a long process and also researching legal help related to the disability. Once I'm receiving disability there may also be programs for disabled entrepreneurs to help me with my business. I've read that a much higher percentage of disabled people run their own home-based businesses, which is encouraging news. :) For right now I need a way to stay off the street and out of jail in the interrim.
I would much prefer NOT to apply for disability. I don't feel disabled. I'm applying because I feel I have no other choice. I have no family to help and haven't had any local friends (support network) in many years (which is common for people with autism). There are actually a steadily increasing number of companies seeking out people with Asperger Syndrome specifically for technical work because of our tendency to develop advanced technical skills... in other countries... not in the US.
On the other hand here are several positive articles about Asperger Syndrome in the workplace.
I'm also not picky. If you're an attorney or know of one willing to help pro-bono, I'd be thrilled to hear from them. :) If you know of an employer in the Boston area looking for a highly visible expert ColdFusion programmer and who is genuinely willing to work with me while I get counseling, great! (My last employer made this claim before hiring me and subsequently refused to allow outside help from a counselor.) I'll graciously accept any help I can get. And I'll do anything I can to return the favor. I'm a big believer in "paying it forward"! :)
