Ask HN: Are there positions that an autistic software engineer can hold?

11 points by big_question 2 years ago | 13 comments

I've been in the industry a bit less than a decade. I consider myself decent on the technical side, but interacting with people is extremely draining. For example, if I know I have a meeting the next day, I often can barely sleep through the night. During the meeting, I need to expend a massive amount of effort to collaborate. This obviously affects my work life, but more importantly my personal life.

I have never gotten negative feedback for my work and have steadily climbed up the ladder, but ultimately I feel like I can't continue in a regular agile/scrum/other process-driven company. Mentally it's not sustainable for me.

Where could I find a job where I can focus on my strong sides, i.e. technical expertise, good written communication and ability to work alone? Or maybe there is some other tech-adjacent industry that I could go into instead? Any recommendations are very welcome :). Thanks!

averageValentin 2 years ago |

First off, hats off to you for speaking up about your challenges. Not everyone has the courage to do so. Given your expertise and strong technical skills, I believe there are many roles you could be a fit for, especially in the tech world.

Many companies and startups appreciate engineers who can deep dive into tasks without constant interruptions. Have you considered roles like a Backend Developer, Systems Engineer, or even Research positions in the tech field? These often require minimal interaction compared to some other roles, and you can predominantly rely on your technical skills.

Remote work has also gained a lot of traction over the last few years, and you could look for positions that allow for this flexibility. Being remote could reduce the number of meetings and allow you to focus on tasks. Also, written communication becomes vital in remote positions, which sounds like a strength of yours.

If you're open to branching out, tech writing or documentation might be a direction to consider. Here, your technical knowledge would be invaluable, and you'd be mainly communicating in writing.

Lastly, have you thought about freelancing or consulting? With your experience, you could take on projects that align with your strengths and set boundaries on your terms.

Whatever you decide, remember that everyone has their unique strengths and challenges. Finding the right fit can take time, but it's out there. Best of luck, and hang in there! :)

big_question 2 years ago | |

Thanks for the great ideas! A lot to think about :).

> Whatever you decide, remember that everyone has their unique strengths and challenges.

Right, this is something I've tried to focus more on lately. Improving on my strengths to make myself more valuable, which I hope will pay off in the future. I used to focus on trying to mask my weaknesses, but that takes a lot of effort for little benefit and doesn't seem sustainable.

I appreciate all the ideas. It helps a lot, I wouldn't have considered tech writing at all for example. Consulting has worked well in the past, but because of my lesser-than-average social skills it's not easy to find clients.

averageValentin 2 years ago | | |

I totally understand the challenge of finding clients with consulting. Maybe partnering with someone who complements your skills could be a way forward, handling the client-facing parts while you dive deep into the technical side. Just a thought!

If tech writing piqued your interest, maybe start by contributing to open-source projects or writing technical blogs. It'll help you get a feel for it and build a portfolio.

Wishing you the very best in your journey. Your openness to exploring new directions is inspiring! :)

poutinepapi 2 years ago |

Right mate, so I'm not autistic, but I've been a software engineer for a little bit over a decade, so I can at least help with that.

So, in general, the "harder" the technical work, the less you talk to people. So if you want to avoid the MBAs, suits, bean-counters and other assorted ghouls, look for the "hardest" technical work.

The simplest way, anything that involves complex mathematics like cryptography, finance, big data, etc...

Another good candidate is moving to work on bare metal, so that means working as close as possible to the computer's physical hardware. I'd recommend looking into Rust if that interests you, it's a relatively gentle introduction to bare metal.

In the past I would have recommended AI and Cybersecurity as also good spaces, but unfortunately Wall Street's interest in both fields has made them chockfull of scam artists, under-trained and over-paid technical personnel, and even more over-over-paid executives.

This goes 4 times over for the games industry which is basically untenable as is and would not recommend to anyone at the moment, with the exception of hardcore graphics programming, which is pretty technical and also can be widely applied to several uses like cinema or scientific simulation.

As for the autism bit, well mate, I'd consider where you are currently living. Are you living in a country where your status as someone who is neurodivergent is respected or not?

If you are, then try to connect with resources that might help you.

If you're not living in a country that is friendly towards neurodivergent people, then I can recommend migration. I myself migrated to Canada and I'm perfectly content, although unemployed at the moment.

Canada has an express entry option for professions that are in demand and software engineering is definitely one of them. And I'm pleased and proud to say that Canada does offer both legal protection and actual help to the neurodivergent(although it's not perfect, and mostly good in cities). So please, take us into consideration.

I hope this helps, keep your chin up

big_question 2 years ago | |

Thanks! I've considered moving closer to hardware. Rust is a potential option, but jobs are scarce it seems. Lots of good ideas, thanks!

I live in a good country with a decent social support system. Technically I could live on disability, but would rather do some work.

magne 2 years ago | | |

I’ve been working in the Hardware space for about 10 years now in consumer electronics as a firmware engineer and I find that at least 30% of my time is spent interacting and in meetings with cross functional teams. Just due to the nature of electronics requiring many different disciplines such as Product Design, electrical engineers, software, QA, UXR, PMs etc it can actually be hard to get away without having meetings at all in order to ship a large project. I also find that there’s a heavy culture in the HW space to give presentations and learnings regularly. Not trying to dissuade you from hardware because I’m sure there are HW positions that arent like I mentioned but just something that might be helpful when considering.

getwiththeprog 2 years ago | | |

I think you may find that jobs are not advertised as other jobs. It is such a specialised and important area that if you reach out you will find what you are looking for.

Being upfront like you are doing is going to get you where you want to be.

Maybe talk to your current HR department and manager and put your foot down. A little stress now for lots less later. If you need to move, big gov agencies can have set (fixed - no need for more meetings) work and decent conditions.

mattfields 2 years ago | |

Gotta love you supportive people. This is what makes HN a great community.

nikhizzle 2 years ago |

I’m an engineering manager who has formerly had autistic employees. The single most important thing is finding an engineering manager who understands the trade offs of hiring someone like you and is willing to support you.

I would consider trying a hedge fund such as two sigma which is know to have a supportive environment for people whose brains are wired differently.

big_question 2 years ago | |

Thanks! It's a difficult subject to broach and I'm not sure how to filter for EMs that would be receptive to my needs. I'm also afraid of being labeled the "problem employee". A company that has a more explicit policy would definitely be preferred, so I'll look into hedge funds.

mattfields 2 years ago | |

Hey! Could you give any insights as to what would make it easier (from your perspective as an engineering manager) to work with AS employees?

Social skills aren't the issue here, just inability to function in a noisy / motion-filled environment.

nikhizzle 2 years ago | | |

Honestly, to me there is no difference in how I see AS employees. Every engineer has their own needs to be productive, and it’s my job to deeply understand them and give them a great environment.

mattfields 2 years ago |

This was the question I jumped on today to ask.

Not aspergers/autistic, but neurodivergent, and the thought of working in an office, which my next position is likely to entail, is nauseating.

I don't know if I can function in that environment with people moving around constantly, and am worried that asking "hey, can I be remote only?" right off the bat is a big negative when interviewing.

Thanks for asking this. :-)