Legal Question in Disability Law in Massachusetts

Re: Can I become a engineer with Asperger Syndrome

There is no legal answer to this question. Asperger's Syndrome has very different manifestations in individuals, and some aspects of Asperger's would not affect the job requirements of an engineer. Some job requirements might be met with "reasonable accomodation."

You usually start either with a specialized training school or working in a rail yard doing all kinds of work, then a stint as a conductor, both of which can be difficult for someone with Asperger's. If you can talk to other people without difficulty and have done well in a regular classroom setting, you should do OK.

Engineer jobs are getting scarce and do not always pay well. You mainly drive freight trains, and those are set up when there are enough cars going to a particular location to make a "train." That means you go when the train is ready. If you aren't ready, someone else takes the train (and the order is usually determined by how long you have been an engineer, called seniority). Miss enough and you won't be an engineer very long.

Check out the different websites available about becoming an engineer, and ask yourself if it's really what you want. It sounds like fun, but if you're in the middle of the desert broken down, you might not find it so exciting, Most of the work is boring after you get used to it, but you have to be ready for derailings, "hot cars," hobos and thieves, not to mention people stupid enough to stop on a railway crossing.