Hi all,
This is my first post here. I have Autism so please forgive me if I ramble a smidge. I am currently a university student who has a job at my university. When I first joined, the gist of my job was to warm call university alumni, have an engaging conversation, and ask for donations towards the university's scholarship and bursary programs. Thanks to a couple of promotions, my job is now to supervise/train the callers (although I still call sometimes). The pay for my position is quite good for a university position ($21.85/hour).
As someone with disabilities, I have been very fortunate here. I don't think I would have been given the same opportunities for advancement and the same accommodations in other positions. For example, I've had to call in on a semi-regular (about once a month) basis to take a mental health day, because I was just so overwhelmed. They are always super understanding of this and never question it.
We had a new employee who broke down crying during a call because of some home issues. My manager asked me to bring her to an empty office, get her some water and tissues, and be available to chat. The new employee opened up to me about what was going on, and we had a good conversation. The manager gave her a hug afterwards. There was no anger about the breakdown, and there was no penalty or docking of wages.
My partner has told me more than once that I am very fortunate to have this position, and that other places will not be nearly as understanding. So now I am wondering, what if I'm not prepared for the “real world”? I will be graduating in a year and a half, potentially taking a Masters or working for a bit first. What if I don't have the resilience to survive in the corporate world? I read so many nightmare posts on this subreddit and feel scared.
I love my job. My managers and co-workers are great. I get to have engaging conversations with alumni. I am respected and valued for my skillset, and am compensated well. They are flexible with my school schedule. It's perfect.
I am especially concerned as a person with disabilities. I guess I wanted to ask you guys, how do I prepare for my first “real job”? How do I learn to deal with a workplace that is not nearly as positive as my current one? How do you guys survive your jobs when there are some less than ideal aspects?
Thank you for allowing me to vent my feelings and concerns.