The difficulties in obtaining employment

At the end of 1990 after experiencing my "war service" in the high school system, I needed to realise that I had to find employment. I always thought that when I turned 18 that I would be employed and be living in a house but life didn't seem to work out that way. Perhaps my expectations were too high and I was unrealistic in my outlook. Back in 1990, there existed CES (Commonwealth Employment Service) and DSS (Department of Social Security). As I had just left school, I had to find an income and therefore needed to go on the Dole. The connotation of the world was like back then, that you obviously lived down at Byron Bay and rode a surf board all day. For me, I didn't really want to go on the Dole and furthermore begin the grueling process of looking for a job. Despite continuously going into CES and looking on the job board, and filling in my "Newstart Allowance" as Bob Hawke Prime Minister called it, I would go with one of my parents, usually my mother to CES and look through the job boards and apply for jobs and struggle with getting responses or the option of a job interview. I applied for one job which was a nursery hand in a nursery and the woman was not very clear to me who I rang up when I applied for the job. She said for me to come in at 9am on Monday morning to start work and when I prepared myself to go to the job, and do what I thought I was required to do, she informed me that she had actually hired somebody else and gave me a $20 cheque and sent me home. From then on I began the difficult process of applying for jobs and not getting much luck. At the time my parents thought it would be a good idea for me to enrol in a Lorraine Martin Business Course. This course went for 19 weeks and I learned the basic duties of touch typing, bookkeeping, cheque writing, Attache 4, Word Processing, Switchboard Operating and other office duties. Back then I had an obssession with sports coats and ties, and at the age of 19, I had a wardrobe of sports coats and ties and I wanted especially a blue pocka dot tie and a checkered brown sports coat. I remember seeing a movie with Lee Majors in it and he was wearing a checkered sports jacket and I wanted one as well. I felt like a Junior James Bond in Brisvegas and I felt comfortable wearing sports coats and then pursuing my next obsession which was for a Fedora Hat. I even went to one extreme of wearing a vest so that I could wear a pocket watch and as you can imagine, I felt and looked very "odd" in Brisvegas. In early 1992, I finished the Lorraine Martin Course and was again without employment. It was back to CES and looking for work and picking up odd jobs with one of them being a veterinary assistant at UQ. This was a terrible job, it involved cleaning out cages and doing crap work in the Vet School. I also had a cold and that was no fun either. It was only for a few days so I got through as best I could. I also had a brief stint in Coles, and Bilo and hated every minute of it and was bullied badly. I worked with idiots who thought they were good stuff and I was given poor direction and this as well as annoying customers really gave me severe sensory overload. For instance, I was instructed to lift up a box which obviously was overloaded to begin with, with the contents being spread all over the floor as the person who was supervising had little or no training in Occupational Work and Safety. I put up with working here and furthermore confronted hostility with one Supervisor when I transferred to Coles in Armidale. She told the staff how bad they always were and kept on criticising my inadequacies within the job I was supposed to be doing at Coles. I thought enough is enough as I spent large amounts of time on the Dole. I thought I have to do something rather than rot my brain with not allowing it to be productive so I decided to better my poor academic results to eventually re-enrol in Senior Certificate again. I enrolled in the subjects of Ancient, Modern History, Economics and English. My intention was to look at going to university as I thought at the time I could be some academic like Dr Frank Bryant in Educating Rita. As I worked hard and only passed these subjects, that I was offered a place on the second round of offers at the University of New England in 1994. I enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts in English, Modern and Ancient History and Philosophy. I struggled through the first year and was failing more than I was passing to eventually be excluded from the Faculty of Arts for one year and the requirement of the University of New England to show cause for re-admission. 1995 was spent in limbo trying to better myself so as to be re-admitted in 1996. I was able to do so and finally pass and graduate in 1999 majoring in Politics and Sociology and having a minor in History. In 1999, I joined CRS (Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service) and despite continually hounding them and not wanting to sit around feeling wasted, I was offered a brief internship in the Queensland Parliamentary Library. I worked here in early 1999 and filled in for a lady on Long Service Leave. I worked in audio visual and did some other work experience but sadly when there was no work available, I was unemployed again. I was back on the Dole, back at CES and looking around again for employment. I was offered a traineeship at Qleave in 2001 and despite attending the interview with Employment Consultant I worked in the traineeship for 12 months being moved around from section to section and getting extremely anxious as a result. I was also having issues with performance and at one point feared the contract being broken as I was struggling to cope. I had criticism that I was using Asperger Syndrome as an excuse, the workplace was against me and despite some juggling from the Employment Consultant and him taking the Line of Least Resistance when confronting the employer and me receiving criticism rather than being listened to, I was again without employment and back to square one. I went back to CES, looked on the boards getting nowhere and thought enough is enough I will do volunteer work and was able to get some volunteer work in a council library and some other volunteer work in the Brisbane Grammar School Library. Despite the possibility of a job at the Middle School and working there as a volunteer the work went to someone else and I was without work again and had a break down. I then was having really bad anxiety and nobody understood. I went to the GP and was prescribed an anti depressant and I joined with Comepass Employment with my last minute desperation. I was eventually placed in CODA (Carers of Disabled Adults) and could only and still handle part time work. The work was good here or a while as I worked with 2 ladies but in the end was just getting them cups of coffee in the morning and not really involved in duties. I also was made redundant and I was able to with help work in the Queensland University Library where I am at present. My working life has not been very pleasant and a constant struggle and without being in a continuing appointment, I am sure I would be unemployed again. It is and was just so difficult and I hope things change for other adults on the spectrum and hope that Specialisterne comes to Australia to employ adults as it really is so sad when we have adults who could offer so much and are overlooked in employment.