Diagnosis and jobs

Will getting officially diagnosed hurt my chances of getting a job when i get out of school?

it depends on what country you live in, what the laws are (regarding disclosure), your situation, and also the acceptance level of your potential employer.

If you have/get a diagnosis and in your country it is not a law that you must disclose the information, then it is up to you to decide whether or not to tell your employer. Some people with AS may be able to 'pass' as normal in a work environment, others will not be able to - so disclosure and the advantages and disadvantages are different for every person/situation.

You have to ask yourself if the benefits of a diagnosis outweigh the potential disadvantages. If you are getting along ok in life without the diagnosis, and a diagnosis will not offer you anything concrete (such as access to services) - then continuing to live without the official word of a doctor may be your best option.

For me, a diagnosis meant access to services - which have helped me tremendously. But I have recently faced the situation of getting a real job, for the first time (at the age of 41), and have had to think about disclosing due to some needs regarding the work environment (such as the location of my office and sharing the office with others, and asking my boss to be explicit with instructions). Luckily my employer is understanding and accommodating so the information would most likely not be a problem, if I decide to disclose. This may be an exceptional situation though - as many may find their employers to not be so understanding due to lack of information or misinformation/stereotypes regarding AS.

I told my employer about the diagnosis I had when I was working, which was schizotypal.
At the interview I didn't though, but they said I should have done.
My employer was very supportive to me, so I was fine working there after that. I think that if you have obvious differences in behaviour etc, then you should disclose information.
I didn't disclose and had a hard time at work for a few months. They thought I was lazy and didn't concentrate, but as soon as I told them about being schizotypal they were supportive and my job performance improved because I was more at ease.

I'm not so sure that discrimination is as bad as it used to be, plus, having Aspergers is seen as a bit trendy at the moment.

B&B - very best of luck with the job. It must have taken a lot of effort behind the scenes to get to that stage at 41. Kudos.

Kit wrote:
B&B - very best of luck with the job. It must have taken a lot of effort behind the scenes to get to that stage at 41. Kudos.

thanks. yes, i feel like i've been putting a lot of effort into myself - i.e. behavior modification with the guidance by a cognitive behavioral therapist - for over a year now. i wouldn't be where i am now had i not begun therapy.