Jaire Sims's Blog, page 8

Employment: My Journey Being Employed As An Autistic Adult

Getting a good job can be a challenge and for many people on the autism spectrum, the road to stable employment is not easy. As a college graduate with autism, this has certainty been my experience. Statistically, at least 85% of college graduates with autism are unemployed and at least 79% of young adults with autism only work part-time.

After graduating college, I’ve been able to work multiple full-time positions. But being on the autism spectrum makes it much harder for me to find and thrive in a workplace that is typically suited for neurotypicals. Here is my employment journey as an autistic adult.

Finding & Maintaining Employment

My struggle with finding employment began immediately after I graduated college. Prior to graduation, my only job experience was working a part-time work-study position at my college for a few years. My goal after college was to find a permanent full-time position, but that was easier said than done. 

It took me almost a year after graduating college to receive my first job offer. My first job post college was a temp position that lasted less than two months because I was terminated for not being able to work fast enough.

Over the next couple of years, I was only successful at getting low-wage temp jobs that were short-lived. After being terminated from my first full-time position, I worked at four more temp jobs. However, I was terminated from two of those jobs because I could not keep up with the pace of the work. There was clearly a pattern with my job terminations. As I eventually learned, I do not perform well in jobs that required me to multitask in a fast-paced environment.

Being Underemployed

It took me two years after graduating college to get my first direct-hire job. However, I was working at a job that barely paid above minimum wage. It wasn’t enough for me to get a permanent job anymore. I had to raise my standards and start seeking higher paying quality jobs. Eventually, I left my first direct-hire job for another one.

My second permanent position was a little better than my first. However, despite making a little more money, I was not satisfied with my salary because it wasn’t a livable wage. Furthermore, I was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the work environment and the job itself. Soon enough, I began searching for other jobs to apply. However, before I could get another job, I was laid off from my current job because of the pandemic.

Continuing the Journey

Eventually, I was able to find another job during the pandemic and, so far, it’s the best position I’ve had compared to my previous jobs. However, I do continue to experience similar employment challenges I’ve encountered in the past.

Being on the autism spectrum means I have to be incredibly selective with the jobs I choose to apply. Because of my compromised social communication skills and other physical and mental limitations, I’m at a much higher risk of only getting jobs that are not of high quality.

However, I will say I’ve made progress since graduating college. I started off working only at temp jobs to working multiple direct-hire jobs within recent years. I believe my success is partly due to me improving my interviewing skill and gaining multiple real job experience.

Although I’ve struggled to find quality jobs over the years, I am determined to find solutions that will ease my employment troubles in the future.  Hopefully, with hard work and some luck, I will find a way.

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Writing: How I Wrote My Next Book

I began writing my second book four months before I launched my debut novel. Sixteen months later, I completed my first draft of my manuscript for my next story. My second novel will be a sequel to my first book, which is currently titled Patience.

It took me four years to complete my manuscript for my first novel. I wrote my manuscript for my next book in less than half the time. Because it took me ten years to eventually self-publish my debut novel, I never imagined I would have the drive to write another story. So, how did I end up writing my next book?

Inspiration

My debut novel is an entirely fictional story. However, I did use some of my personal experiences from my teens and early twenties to build the plot. Probably the most prominent example would be me and my main character having Asperger Syndrome.

My experiences of navigating adulthood while having autism ultimately convinced me to write a continuation of my debut book. For my next story, my lead character’s experiences with having autism will play a much bigger role. As with my debut novel, my next book will be a fictional story with some of the plot based on my own personal experiences.     

Writing Process

Initially, I had started off strong with writing my second novel. I was writing a lot, and I was consistent with when I would write. One of the reasons I was able to write so much was because I had a lot more leisure time than when I was writing my debut novel. I didn’t have homework, college applications, and school to take time away from writing a book.

I had a job when I began writing my second book. However, because of the pandemic, I had a lot of downtime. During the lockdown, I had at least a few weeks of paid time off from work, and I used that time to start writing my next book. When I returned for work, I had a week off every other week, and I used that time off from work to continue writing. I was also writing whenever I had downtime at my job, and I had plenty of it.

However, as the months passed during the pandemic, my motivation to write began to significantly dwindle. At the time, I was going through personal struggles and eventually, I would only write in sporadic moments. There were times where I didn’t write anything for weeks. There were also times where I knew what I wanted to write, but I didn’t have the motivation to write it. If I had remained consistent with my writing, I would have finished my manuscript a lot sooner than sixteen months. But I’m proud to say that I did finish writing it.

What Now?

Although my manuscript for my next book is complete, I have no intention of getting it published soon. After all, it’s only my first draft. There’s a lot of revisions and editing that needs to be done. But more importantly, there are some things I want to work on before I begin the process of publishing my second novel. With any luck, my efforts will build a foundation for success with my next release.

The post Writing: How I Wrote My Next Book appeared first on Jaire Sims.

Writing: How I Wrote My Next Story

I began writing my second book four months before I launched my debut novel. Sixteen months later, I completed my first draft of my manuscript for my next story. My second novel will be a sequel to my first book, which is currently titled Patience.

It took me four years to complete my manuscript for my first novel. I wrote my manuscript for my next book in less than half the time. Because it took me ten years to eventually self-publish my debut novel, I never imagined I would have the drive to write another story. So, how did I end up writing my next book?

Inspiration

My debut novel is an entirely fictional story. However, I did use some of my personal experiences from my teens and early twenties to build the plot. Probably the most prominent example would be me and my main character having Asperger Syndrome.

My experiences of navigating adulthood while having autism ultimately convinced me to write a continuation of my debut book. For my next story, my lead character’s experiences with having autism will play a much bigger role. As with my debut novel, my next book will be a fictional story with some of the plot based on my own personal experiences.     

Writing Process

Initially, I had started off strong with writing my second novel. I was writing a lot, and I was consistent with when I would write. One of the reasons I was able to write so much was because I had a lot more leisure time than when I was writing my debut novel. I didn’t have homework, college applications, and school to take time away from writing a book.

I had a job when I began writing my second book. However, because of the pandemic, I had a lot of downtime. During the lockdown, I had at least a few weeks of paid time off from work, and I used that time to start writing my next book. When I returned for work, I had a week off every other week, and I used that time off from work to continue writing. I was also writing whenever I had downtime at my job, and I had plenty of it.

However, as the months passed during the pandemic, my motivation to write began to significantly dwindle. At the time, I was going through personal struggles and eventually, I would only write in sporadic moments. There were times where I didn’t write anything for weeks. There were also times where I knew what I wanted to write, but I didn’t have the motivation to write it. If I had remained consistent with my writing, I would have finished my manuscript a lot sooner than sixteen months. But I’m proud to say that I did finish writing it.

What Now?

Although my manuscript for my next book is complete, I have no intention of getting it published soon. After all, it’s only my first draft. There’s a lot of revisions and editing that needs to be done. But more importantly, there are some things I want to work on before I begin the process of publishing my second novel. With any luck, my efforts will build a foundation for success with my next release.

The post Writing: How I Wrote My Next Story appeared first on Jaire Sims.

Book Award: Getting By Named A Finalist!

I want to share that I received a book award for my debut young adult novel, Getting By. Not long after I released my debut book, I submitted my novel for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. After my submission, I had to wait at least half a year to hear any announcements.

At the time, I thought my chances of winning anything were low. With so many competitors, I had doubts that my story would make much of an impact. Then by May 2021, I learned that my book was named as one of a few finalists in the African American (Fiction) category.

Although I wasn’t the grand prize winner, receiving a book award in a reputable literary awards program made me feel that sharing my story to the world was worth it in the end.

Book Award: What’s Next?

I received my award in a small package in August. Inside the package were a silver medal, 10 gold stickers, and a pamphlet that revealed all the winners and finalists in their respected categories. Currently, I have some copies of my book, and I intend to put my stickers on each cover.

I still have a lot more plans goals for this book. I’m in the process of updating my book cover. The new cover will feature an award emblem sticker, and I’m currently waiting to receive a copy for myself. I’m also working on getting more reviews for my book.

Lastly, I recent completed my original manuscript for my second novel. I’ll probably discuss more about it in my next blog post. I have no plans to publish my second story soon because I still want work more on building my platform and marketing my first book. Once I feel satisfied with my efforts, I will likely begin the publishing process for my next book.

The post appeared first on Jaire Sims.

Social Media: Why I’m Happier Using Facebook Today

I currently have multiple social media outlets, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. However, my preferred platform to engage is Facebook. It was the first social networking platform I used after LinkedIn, and it is the platform that I am most familiar and comfortable using.

In the beginning, Facebook was fun and entertaining for me. However, over time, the site began to negatively affect my mood. Whenever I would go on Facebook, I often found myself displeased by the content people were posting or sharing. Such content would make me feel depress, irritated, or envious.

Eventually, I decided that it was time for me to do a social media cleanse. Because of the decisions I made, I rarely experience those negative emotions I experienced previously. So what did I do?

Unfollow Facebook Friends

Currently, I have over 270 Facebook friends. However, I follow less than 80 people. I used to follow everyone on Facebook. But in time, I realized that a lot of people I followed were posting or sharing content that upset me. So I decided to start unfollowing (not unfriending) people on my account. When you unfollow someone on Facebook, you’re still friends with them, but you won’t see their posts on your timeline.

I decided to unfollowed people gradually rather than all at once. If I noticed someone consistently posting or sharing content I did not like, I would simply unfollow them. As weeks passed, my follow count decreased significantly. As a result, I noticed a positive change in my mood when I would go on Facebook. Today, I follow people who post and share content I enjoy, such as entertaining TikTok videos, amusing Twitter posts, and funny memes. 

Follow Facebook Pages

Since I was unfollowing a lot of people, I knew I was limiting the content I would see on my timeline. I didn’t want to see the same posts repeatedly from the people I was following. So, I decided to start following Facebook pages that interest me.

Facebook often recommends me pages to follow based on my activity on the site. Currently, I follow multiple Facebook pages relating to Disney, memes, cats, and other things I like. So not only do I see posts from people I follow, but I also see posts from pages I follow too.

Because of the decisions I made on Facebook, I’m a lot happier whenever I visit the site. Sometimes you have to filter what you can see on social media to avoid or limit content that may trigger you. I certainly did, and I don’t have any regrets.

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Recreation: What I Like to Do In My Spare Time

I previously discussed that I have restricted interests. As a result, I don’t partake in a lot of recreation activities, and I currently don’t have any hobbies. However, there are a few things that I do like to engage when I have some free time.

I am and will always be a homebody, so I really value having a private space where I can do what I want for an extended period of time. My choice of leisure activities may not be particularly exciting, but it makes me happy and that’s all that matters to me. So what do I like to do for recreation?

TV Series & Movies

One of my preferred ways to relax and de-stress is to watch my favorite television series and movies. Naturally, I like to watch TV shows and movies alone. That way, I don’t have to hear people’s commentary, and I can express my emotions and thoughts without judgment. 

Typically, when I arrive home from work, I will eat dinner while watching an episode of an old or new TV series. These shows can be animated or live-action. I would say that I can be picky when it comes to watching TV series, but once I find a show that I like, it will easily become my escapism. 

This applies with movies too! I prefer to watch movies on a Friday or Saturday night rather than on a weekday. Typically, I watch movies from big animation companies like Disney or DreamWorks. When it comes to movies I’ve seen before, most of the time, I don’t watch them from beginning to end. Instead, I like to skip around and watch my favorite scenes over and over again. Similarly, I like to watch scenes repeatedly from episodes as well.

YouTube Videos

I’ve been watching YouTube videos since at least 2007, and I haven’t stopped since. Over the years, YouTube has become one of my preferred platforms for entertainment with its abundance of videos to watch.

Currently, there is a popular trend of YouTubers making reaction videos, and I really like to watch people react to content that I’ve previously watched. In my opinion, the best reaction videos are movie reactions, especially if there are animated movies.

It is fun seeing people react to some of my favorite animated or live-action movies. If there is a reaction video for a movie that I haven’t seen, this may encourage me to see the film before seeing someone’s reaction. But for movies I have seen, it’s exciting to watch someone enjoy the same content as I do. For me, it’s the closest thing to knowing someone who shares the same interest as me.

So, that is what I typically like to do for recreation. It’s not an exhausted list, but it covers most of what I do in my personal life.

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Drawing & Sketching: A Former Pastime

Me Drawing Pocahontas In College (Dec. 2013)

If I had any sort of skill that could be described as a talent, it would be drawing. I’ve been doing it since I was a child, but a part of me has always doubted my abilities because of how limited I am when it comes to the activity.

As demonstrated in the above photo, I can only draw illustrations that I can see in front of me rather than from my own imagination. I believe this is referred to as eyeballing – when you produce a copy of an existing image without tracing it. For years, I would print out my favorite images, and then draw them on another piece of paper.  

I briefly revealed in my previous blog post that I don’t draw as often as I used to. In fact, I haven’t drawn much of anything since college. So why did I stop drawing?

Lack of Passion

My High School Drawing of Boris & Balto (Sept. 2009)

After I completed my education by graduating college, I realized that there was no motive for me to continue drawing. I never had a passion for it. While there were times I would draw for fun, most of the time, I would draw because I had to for school assignments or because I was bored.

When I was in high school, I would frequently draw in my sketchbook during lunch period or class. Although I sat with friends, I wasn’t very sociable, so sketching gave me something to do to pass the time. Even though I didn’t have much enthusiasm for it, I did enjoy drawing characters from my favorite animated films and television series.    

My High School Drawing of Jenny & Oliver (Dec. 2011)

I continued to draw animated characters in my sketchbook when I went to college. I failed to make friends in college, so drawing kept me busy when I wasn’t working on school assignments. Instead of sketching in the cafeteria or class like I did in high school, I would typically do it in my dormitory.

My College Drawing of Esmeralda (Jan. 2015)

After graduating college, I didn’t see any reason for me to continue drawing. I had found other leisure activities to keep me entertained, and I can honestly say that I don’t miss drawing at all. However, I do wish I had drawn some more characters when I was in high school and college. It’s possible that I will start drawing more in the future, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

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Living With Asperger Syndrome: My Restricted Interests

In my previous blog post, I revealed how I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at 21. A common symptom of Asperger Syndrome is having restricted interests in specific topics or objects. That was certainly the case for me.

During my childhood, I had participated in multiple activities, such as piano, karate, aikido, clarinet, and swimming. All of these activities are now faded memories, but what I do recall was losing interest in every activity that I participated.

I had never participated in an activity that I was passionate about. I didn’t have a lot of interests growing up, and my interests today are still quite limited. So what were my past interests and what am I currently interested today?  

Past Interests: Meteorology

During my early years as an adolescence, the only topic that I had an intense focus on was meteorology. As a child, I was certain that I wanted to be a meteorologist. I didn’t want to be a weather forecaster and be seen on TV. Instead, I wanted to work in a more private sector.

I recall reading multiple books on meteorology from my local library and wanted to learn all that I could on the subject. I would even learn to craft homemade weather instruments, such as a making my own barometer.

My interest for meteorology ended entirely by the time I was a junior in high school. When I realized that the profession would require me taking multiple advanced math classes in college, I decided that meteorology was not a career for me. Even though I consistently had good grades in math, it was one of my most disliked subjects in school.  

Video Editing

Shortly after my passion for meteorology ended, I had another short-lived interest. During my junior and senior year in high school, I took interest in video editing. This was during a time where I was using video editing software to make fanvids in a process called vidding.

My interest in editing videos led me to believe that I should be a video editor. However, the college that I attended didn’t have a department that focused on video editing. More importantly, in time, I realized that editing videos was something I would enjoy doing more as a hobby than a career. It wasn’t long until I lost interest and stopped making fanvids entirely.   

Current Interest: Disney & Animation

Although I lost interest in editing animated videos, my fondness for animated films had continued to grow. I’ve been watching Disney and animated films since I was a child, but my appreciation for animation, particularly 2D animation, didn’t develop until I was in high school. During that time, I would draw a handful of my favorite characters from animated films, and I would continue doing so in college.

I almost never draw anything these days, but my adoration for animation grew exponentially after college. Currently, I like to watch scenes from my favorite Disney and animated films and TV series. I also like to watch videos that inform me how an animated film was produced, designed, and created. Additionally, I like to watch new animated releases, listen to Disney songs, and looking at Disney memes.

Unlike my previous interests, I don’t see a career path that ties with my interest in Disney or 2D animation. At least, not one that I would enjoy doing. If I could make a living income watching or writing about my favorite animated releases, that would be awesome! I’m confident to say that my passion for Disney and animation won’t disappear anytime soon.

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Asperger Syndrome: How I Was Diagnosed With Autism

I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome when I was 21 years old. Although I had displayed social-communication deficits during my high school years, there were not addressed until I was a junior in college. Unlike high school, I was entirely friendless in college and was ultimately displeased with my social and academic experience. After expressing my dissatisfaction multiple times, I was eventually taken to see a licensed clinical professional counselor in my hometown Chicago during spring break. This is how I was officially diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.

Diagnosis

During my evaluation, I sat in a private room with a professional counselor and was asked many questions regarding my past and current social experiences. I answered each question honestly and never felt ashamed about sharing my personal experiences about interacting and communicating with people.

I felt that I was in a safe environment that was free of judgment. In my mind, each question was to help my counselor gain and record data in order to properly evaluate me. I would have been doing a huge disservice to myself if I responded to questions untruthfully to avoid embarrassment.

Post-Diagnosis

A couple of weeks later, I was informed by my counselor to having multiple symptoms consistent with Social Anxiety and being on the Autism Spectrum. I easily accepted my diagnosis, as it was confirmation that there was a reason why I behave the way I do socially.

Unfortunately, not much had changed after my diagnosis. Despite knowing that I was mildly autistic, I didn’t know how to navigate my autism through the rest of my college years and as a young adult. Although my college experiences didn’t improve, I’ve never looked back and wondered how things may have been different if I had the right assistance and support. That is my story of how I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome.

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Book Release: My Debut Novel Is Now Available!

I am pleased to announce that my book release! My debut novel, Getting By, is now available for purchase across several venues! After almost ten years since I began writing my novel, my goal of becoming a published author has now come to fruition. It has been a long journey! Through perseverance and patience, I achieved an ambitious goal that I set in motion a long ago. But I know that this is just the just the beginning of my journey as an author. So what’s next?

Now that people can buy my book, I need to ensure that it reaches its intended audience! One of my goals is to have my novel reach as many readers as possible. My novel tells a story that is sorely needed in our current world circumstances. I hope that my story will resonate with my target audience and leave a positive impression on those who read it. I also hope for increased sales! I’m currently working on marketing strategies to increase awareness of my book and get it in the hands of those who most need it.

I’m investing a lot of energy in my book and publishing efforts with the hope it will be successful and have a positive impact on my readers. I’m hopeful that my investment will pay off someday. Until then, at least I can share that I am a published author, and the journey has been an experience. Cheers to my book release!

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