Workplace Nightmares·
LOW IQ, BIG DREAMS
A 17-year-old with autism and ADHD grapples with two IQ scores and a shrinking sense of possibility, asking strangers online what jobs might fit his uniquely wired mind.
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At 17, he walked out of an assessment with a number that hit like a door slamming shut: an IQ score of 70.
The teenager had already been told he lived with two neurodevelopmental disorders, autism and ADHD. During the evaluation, he was tested for IQ and scored 70 the first time. Later, he was told he could take the assessment again once his medication was sorted out. Two months passed. Then he went back, medicated, and took it again.
This time, the score was 79.
On paper, that was a gain. In his mind, it still left him staring at the same math. He pointed out that the average IQ is 100, with a standard deviation of 15, and said the results confirmed what he already feared: he was below average.
The numbers landed hard. He said the test result worsened his already very low self-esteem. He also described broader difficulties that go beyond the score itself, saying he has severe problems with intelligence and executive functioning. Following orders is hard, he said. So is working with his hands. Because of that, he worried trades were off the table.
His autism, he added, heavily affects his social functioning too.
That left him with the question that framed the whole post: "I have a diagnosed low IQ. What career path can I take?" He repeated the uncertainty in plainer terms, asking what kind of career or job he could possibly do with this diagnosis he has.
Still, he didn't leave the post with only limitations. He also mentioned one clear skill set: he can speak three languages. Spanish, English, and German.
The full picture, as he laid it out, was a 17-year-old male with autism and ADHD, two IQ test results of 70 and then 79, and a growing fear that the usual paths into work may not fit him. Trades seemed impossible to him. Social work seemed difficult. Anything requiring strong executive functioning felt out of reach.
So he turned to strangers online with a direct plea, hoping someone could point him toward a job or career that might actually make sense for the life he says he has now.