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Bit o' personal news 
I've decided to step back from actively looking for work in the radio industry. Similar to One Direction's hiatus I have no idea when or if I'll come back to it, but I've reached a point where I can't cope with that world any more.
I've decided to step back from actively looking for work in the radio industry. Similar to One Direction's hiatus I have no idea when or if I'll come back to it, but I've reached a point where I can't cope with that world any more.
I still love radio with my whole heart, the radio industry however, is an unbelievably volatile and often hostile place to be openly queer, nonbinary & autistic.
See, in radio some of the first advice you're given is never to "burn bridges" - which could mean... anything...
See, in radio some of the first advice you're given is never to "burn bridges" - which could mean... anything...
but what that tends to manifest as is "be nice to everyone, no matter how awfully they treat you" - which incubates an environment where you are metaphorically walking on thousands of tiny shards of glass all pointing upwards at you, waiting for one wrong move.
That alone is a warped hellscape to navigate, but speaking strictly as an individual disabled queer person, that environment is next to impossible move through.
The 'niceness complex' that this industry is built on relies heavily on neurotypical communication methods
The 'niceness complex' that this industry is built on relies heavily on neurotypical communication methods
which I tried so hard to mimic for years & years as I fought to find work in this industry, but niceness is subjective. The people who hold the power here may be nice to you, but that won't be everyone's experience.
This industry, like many others, is not accessible. I know people will dismiss this, or just outright ignore it, and I'm not here to argue over this. I'm too tired for that. This is just how it feels through my lens.
I've been masking on the daily since I was 17 years old. Suppressing my autistic self in the name of appearing neurotypical to find work in a field I LOVE, only to find rejection around every corner, even radio 1 stopped talking to me unless I initiated conversations
*which is not something I'm good at as an autistic person* (it's about time I stopped pretending I am)
I started to self-isolate in February 2020 for what felt like no reason, but looking back this was the start of my autistic burnout, the pandemic happened at just the right time to make it appear like I was fine, but when I say I haven't left the house in over a year, I mean it.
Unconsciously or otherwise I've been told to GTFO of this industry for a long time now, spite has kept me going longer than I should have and so now is the time to take a backseat and watch the world burn from afar for a bit.
Let me know if the industry suddenly becomes autistic friendly overnight, I likely will never be able to mask the way I used to so don't stand a chance at finding and maintaining work in the radio industry without big changes, but, for what it's worth, it's been fun to dream 
*the profile picture design is just some artistic fun on my part, solely for dramatic purposes! (but low-key i've been too chicken shit to post this for months now so ahhhhh here we goooooo!!!)
***this won't affect me volunteering at Gaydio, Early Breakfast is a blast to host from my bedroom, I've not felt more comfortable or able to be myself at a station in my life, so don't intend to stop anytime soon 
