Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain unemployed and underemployed at greater rates than individuals in all other disability groups (Shattuck et al., 2012; Roux et al., 2013). It is well documented that competitive employment outcomes for adults with ASD are poor when compared not only to the general population but also when compared to adults with other developmental disorders (Howlin, 2013). The barriers to employment for individuals with ASD continue even after completion of postsecondary education (Bissonnette, 2013), however, adults with ASD who earn a college degree have better odds of obtaining competitive employment and earning higher wages than individuals with ASD who complete only high school (Sung, Sanchez, Kuo, Wang, & Leahy, 2015). This qualitative research study was conducted using in-depth phenomenology to answer the research question of interest in the proposed study, how do adult college graduates with ASD describe their vocational experiences? Interviews were conducted with seven individuals who met the three study criterion. These criteria were: (1) were members of an ASD social skills development group, (2) had a college degree (minimum of an associate’s degree), (3) and had experience in the workforce. The data for this study was collected using semi-structured interviews investigating: (1) how adults with ASD and a college education describe their experiences with work, (2) what barriers the participants describe that currently prevent/ or prevented them from obtaining or maintaining employment, (3) what supports have been beneficial for the participants in obtaining or maintaining employment. The results of this study indicated the following: First, the study data indicates that individuals with ASD have varied unique academic and social challenges at the postsecondary level. Second, such social skill deficits continue on and impacted the participants’ vocational processes of obtaining and maintaining employment. Third, the majority of the participants in this study were not utilizing their postsecondary degree at their current employment. Lastly, the study results indicated the participants in this study were underemployed, earning low wages, and working in low skill positions even with their completion of postsecondary education. The participant experiences shared within this study align with current ASD employment literature. Implications for rehabilitation counselor educators, practitioners, and employers, as well as recommendations for future research are discussed.
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