Why I Chose Self-Employment as Being a Person with Autism

Louis Scarantino

Louis Scarantino, who is on the autism spectrum, has become passionate about spreading autism and mental health awareness as a self advocate. He has gone on to become one of the best motivational speakers of his generation. One of the things he explains based on his experiences is why self-employment has worked a lot better for him than just being an employee to someone else.

People that are on the autism spectrum may have a hard time looking and findings jobs. Sometimes, it can be hard for them to go to a job interview and disclose their autism because of how it might impact their chances.

“I get the job and I show up to work on time every day and perform to the best of my ability, but because I might not be able to read people as easily and perform tasks more slowly, I’m always going to be judged at work no matter what I do. Imagine if I have to go to a mental hospital because my medication is not working correctly? Would my boss and my coworkers be supportive? Will my boss be supportive if I have to work fewer hours because I need to go to doctor appointments?” says Scarantino to The Mighty.

Scarantino tried thinking of getting other jobs, but they weren’t helpful to him or his disability. Some jobs would make him work long hours, some didn’t offer assistance, or others would be hard for him since he wasn’t able to read people sometimes. After all the searching and lack of success in trying to find the right job for him, he found out that often people with disabilities chose self-employment.

Self-employment is actually very beneficial for people with disabilities because they would be their own boss, pick their own hours, don’t have co-workers, and people can actually make a decent living out of it. In the wake of this new discovery, he decided to start considering it.

Before he knew it, Scarantino ended up taking the self-employment route of working full time as a writer and motivational speaker. On the side, he was additionally a part-time rideshare driver and delivery person, because he loves driving and it is also very flexible.

“I did this because I struggled to find a boss and coworkers who would understand my needs, and that I have trouble reading people sometimes. I can work at my own speed, not be judged, and feel appreciated. If you really can’t find employment being a  person with autism, self-employment is an option!” says Scarantino to The Mighty.