Introduction

Greetings my name’s Damon Cooper, aged 22, I have Asperger’s Syndrome and I’m currently residing in my home city of Leeds.  The situation I’m dealing with at the moment is unemployment; the career that I’m seriously pursuing is in the creative industries.  Currently I’m still at the job centre every fortnight and on the verge of participating in the work programme which I’m finding very daunting indeed.  

Looking back at my years of long term unemployment it has being difficult for me to find a job because I’ve had no focus or guidance into employment.  My advisors at the job centre always told me to apply for as many jobs as possible and I might just get lucky.  Going by that logic I could buy a lottery ticket and I might become a millionaire if I choose the right numbers.  But very few of the long term unemployed get lucky in finding jobs the way the job centre wants you to find them.  It’s alright for them though because if you have over a million youths looking for a job then the probability is that some of them will find a job.  
For those that do manage to find a job this way, their story gets sensationalised as an example of why the system is the right way to go about things. Meanwhile the unlucky ones struggle on because no one wants to hear about failure.

Experiencing long term unemployment has at times left me struggling to deal with the realities of day to day life. At my lowest ebb I’ve vowed to never apply for jobs again because life is too short to be wasting time on organisations that aren’t the least bit interested in my plight to try and earn a living.  Above all I felt abandoned by a society that was leaving me to out to dry on the benefit trap lifestyle which isn’t something I ever expected to experience. School taught me a good work ethic and it was frustrating when I couldn’t channel that into anything constructive whilst looking for employment.  It’s not the working world our kids today need to be more prepared for, it’s the world of long term unemployment.

Way back in 2009 I was bluntly addressed by a disability mentor that I’d never attain experience in the creative industries because I didn’t have relevant university qualifications.  Since that hurtful encounter I’ve appeared on BBC Radio Leeds twice, had my podcast idea endorsed by a senior politician and BBC Radio 1’s Rob Da Bank has even seen my work.  In the past year I’ve found myself becoming more at ease, gradually working my way up into the of the creative industries which has allowed me to showcase my talent for writing.  Because of my focus and the guidance I’ve been getting, I hope I’m now on the verge of doing very well indeed.

Picture: Damon Cooper