Nothing makes you appreciate having a job quite like the thought of having to look for a job. But, when you’re just getting started in your career, there aren’t many other options than to just put your best foot forward and try.
When you’re not neurotypical, however, that takes on an added level of challenge, with extra barriers to overcome and often fewer tools to overcome them. But one young man’s approach is earning him praise online and lots of help offline.
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Right now, Ryan Lowry of Leesburg, Virginia works as a barista but like many other baristas, he has other dreams, too.
Lowry, who recently turned 20, is autistic and facing unemployment as his coffee shop job will end when he graduates from high school, CNN reported. So with life about to require an adjustment from him, Lowry and his family thought it was a good opportunity for him to pursue his dream of working in animation more seriously.
Like so many job seekers, Lowry turned to LinkedIn to get his name out there, and he did so with a cover letter that touched a lot of hearts and has since gone viral.
In his heartfelt, handwritten letter, Lowry makes a plea to “future employers” that so many of us have as well.
Explaining that he’s autistic, Lowry writes that “I realize that someone like you will have to take a chance on me, I don’t learn like typical people do. I would need a mentor to teach me, but I learn quickly, once you explain it, I get it. I promise that if you hire me and teach me, you’ll be glad that you did. I will show up every day, do what you tell me to do, and work really hard.”
Lowry couldn’t have possibly been prepared for the response his letter generated.
“My hope was that he’d make a few connections,” Lowry’s father Rob told Today . “I thought, all we need is one person.”
Lowry got far more than one person, however. Within days, he had more than 2,000 people trying to connect with him, and LinkedIn suspended his account out of caution over the amount of sudden activity, Today reported. So far, his post has received more than six million views, according to WJLA .
And it’s not just well wishers reaching out — it’s also those future employers Lowry was hoping to hear from.
Lowry’s parents told WJLA that he’s had calls coming in from Fortune 500 companies, including those with neurodiversity programs like Dell, Amazon, and Microsoft.
He has also fielded some interest from Deluxe Animation Studios and Exceptional Minds, which offers a three-year program for autistic people to learn about animation, CNN reported.
Regardless of what happens, Lowry’s parents are already proud of him.
“Ryan is capable of so much,” Rob told Today. “The goal here for Ryan is independence. He can live in our basement for the rest of his life. We’d love it. But Tracy and I are going to die someday, and he needs to be able to live independently. We’re cautiously optimistic.”
“I lay in bed at night and I cry reading the messages,” Lowry’s mother added. “This raw, vulnerable letter has opened up so many opportunities.”
