The story of how Flora found herself.
My name is Flora, and for the past four years, I’ve been an IT Consultant at auticon. My professional journey here is far from typical. I had only a mild, daily interest in IT, and for most of my life, the thought of being autistic hadn’t crossed my mind. So, how did I get here?
As a child, I was deeply curious and drawn to math and science. I followed that passion, building a career path in research. Everything was fine till the end of my PhD, when I was absolutely sure that I was not fit for a career in research… Then, the COVID pandemic struck.
Like so many others, lockdowns and the uncertainty of the situation took a heavy toll on my mental health. Thankfully, the crisis also gave me the necessary resources and space to turn inward. It was time to finally understand the reason for my lifetime quirkiness and seek an explanation.
My autism diagnosis and the resulting clarity about my priorities led me straight to auticon. What I found here is not just a supportive place to work, but an incredible opportunity to discover new parts of myself and to grow both personally and professionally.
The supportive environment here has enabled me to discover powerful ways to express myself. In these four years, I’ve been able to achieve things I never expected: I’ve written book chapters, perfected my English skills through dedicated translation work, and most importantly, faced my great fear of public speaking. This newfound courage has allowed me to speak at public events, conduct interviews, and even participate in a podcast.
auticon isn’t just a job for me; it’s been a place to overcome my prejudice on autism, to meet incredible people, to truly accept and express myself. I’m excited to see what else I can achieve here.
