Lucy Charlotte Aiken

Ideal Workplace Values

I would feel most comfortable in a position where there are people who identify as neurodivergent in leadership positions. One of the challenges I've had thus far has been feeling isolated being the only (openly) neurodiverse person in most of my workplaces. My ideal workplace would be one where individuality is valued, where employees have the opportunity to work remotely, and where clear feedback is given. I did very well in college (I graduated from Berklee College of Music early and Magna Cum Laude with both a major and minor-something rarely done at that particular institution given the demanding courseload), and I realized it was because of two things: 1) I can rock a deadline like nobody's business. I tend to always turn in things early 2) I did very well with a syllabus where I knew exactly what was expected of me 3) The nature of most classes is that there are usually multiple graded indicators of how you are doing throughout the semester, and therefore there was seldom a major surprise as to how I was doing towards the end. The ideal workplace would be one in which the employer will give the employee time to adjust to the role, rather than feeling the pressure to "prove yourself" or do things perfectly on Day 1. Also, I would prefer a job where there isn't a ton of verbal directions given, and employees have the chance to write things down. I would prefer a job where I be an neurodiversity rights activist and not feel like I have to hide that at work to be taken seriously. I am a very progressive person, so generally speaking a conservative workplace is probably not for me. I also tend to do better in environments that contain the following: 1) Collaborative vs competitive culture 2) Egalitarian vs authoritarian culture. Since I plan to continue to pursue my career as a professional performer, my dream job would also be one where bosses are understanding of my need for a flexible schedule. Finally, I find micromanaging from bosses to be massively stressful, and therefore would be better suited to a boss with a more laidback management style.