Ask Lemmy

Cruelty is not so good in nursing but is a desirable trait in a CEO.

Paranoia (to a healthy degree) is good for information security professionals but drives literally everyone else crazy. I wish people would adopt more of that, though. Maybe we'd see fewer data breaches...

A very large penis is an asset in porn but frowned upon for mall Santas.

I almost cried with joy when my boss at my new job as a massage therapist thanked me for being so quiet. I was turned down for jobs and nearly fired from one for being “too quiet.”

"Thinking outside the box" is rewarded in software development but terrifying when applied to assembling an airplane.

Most neurodivergences

ADHD is hell in a corporate setting but fantastic in a creative profession (I do both)

Logical reasoning is good for programming but won't get you anywhere in management.

autism_IT_superpower_trope.jpg

Joking aside. I struggle in everyday conversation or in most job settings because the small inconsistencies and inaccuracies that are a normal part of everyday speech accrue in my head without any discharge in a painful way and I either detach to cope (and look like I don't give a shit) or have to splurge back at someone all the minor nonsense logical inconsistencies they've been using over the last few minutes. Or people rely so much on you being in the same mental world as they are that I genuinely don't understand what they mean and come across like a pedantic asshole. From experience this is deeply unwelcome. I would not last long anywhere where normal conversation and ways of thinking is not the thing under the microscope.

In software development, I can take architects, senior devs, department heads, c-level execs.. whoever.. streaming technical info, regulatory requirements, business processes at me seemingly for any length of time because I can ask anything I want and at the end of it they'll ask me what's wrong with it and I can give them a list and how to fix it. I'm also completely immune to telling senior-whomever that they are wrong, because when I tell them, it's because they are and I can show them why.

For this I am paid $$$. Anywhere else I would be fired.

(Also, watch The Accountant, it's great)

Having a brain is wanted in most professions, however the military would preffer brainless suicidal muscle sacks.

ADHD. I'm an excellent developer... I'd probably murder someone if I had to do retail or do any other "always on" job.

Brutally beating up and killing people is seen as insanity in education but effective in law enforcement

Questioning your superior's orders in the military is probably gonna get you yelled at, probably dishonorably discharged, and if at war, could cause your country to lose a battle, or possibly a war.

Questioning your captain's orders on an airplane is a good part of Crew Resource Managenment (CRM) and sometimes can let the captain realize his/her mistake and avoid a catastrophe. And sometimes it even goes as far as just telling your captain to fuck off and you take over the controls, if the captain's capacity to fly is demininished for some reason (aka: subtle incapcitation).

There are so many jobs where looking at only the details in front of you at a given time is absolutely crucial, and yet being called myopic is still an insult.

Improvisation is a brilliant skill in something where you can just keep going if something goes wrong. Attention to detail is a brilliant skill in something where something going wrong will get someone killed. The example that comes to mind is a stage hand vs a stage hand where pyrotechnics are involved.

Soft hands.

Great for massage therapists, surgeons, etc.

Terrible for any physical work such as construction, wood working, etc

In most other jobs you need to have some level of critical thinking and some ethics. The police profession is therefore ruled out.

For me personally adhd makes factory work torture but kitchen work a breeze.

Empathy and compassion are all but useless in business, but are key tools in psychiatry/therapy.

stereoblindness is bad when you're an athlete in a ball game, good when you're a photographer

Saying no in sales is anathema to success. Saying no in HR is everything and the world will burn if you cannot.

Questioning Aurhority.

Probably the most important ability to internalize, yet rarely told by anyone. Turns out most authorities dont like being questioned in terms of legitimacy, yet its important to not blindly follow someone just because of a title. Especially if the title is worthless and does not reflect relevant skills. Everyone can act as CEO, but not everyone can be a medical doctor.

Talking on the phone is necessary in a call center but is not something you want your surgeon to do during surgery.