'I did what I could to earn some money and be of use': A qualitative exploration of autistic people's journeys to career success and fulfilment.

Abstract

Lay abstract: Many autistic people want to work but have trouble finding jobs they like and can stick with. Most research tries to help more autistic people get jobs, but does not look at whether those jobs are fulfilling, or how people progress once they start working. We spoke to 18 autistic people about their experiences at work, and their ideas about success at work. Participants said finding fulfilment in their careers was key. We found five common 'themes' across the interviews. First, autistic people's careers often take unexpected turns. For example, many participants only got diagnosed as adults, which sometimes changed their work plans. Second, autistic people might need ongoing help with their career, including help with finding jobs they would enjoy and be good at, and advice on how to progress in their job. Third, getting along with others at work is really important. Having supportive colleagues helped our participants thrive, but workplace bullying forced some to leave their jobs. Fourth, workplaces need to be welcoming to everybody. Adjustments and understanding managers helped, but many of our participants' workplaces were not inclusive. Finally, bad work experiences can be devastating for mental health and well-being and negative experiences like bullying led some participants to quit working entirely. Our findings show that lifelong support tailored to each person and welcoming workplaces are important for autistic people to thrive at work. It is not enough to just hire autistic people - we need to help them have jobs they like and can stick with long-term.