Unqualified but over trained.

I am 36 and I have been working in manufacturing since I was 20. I worked at one plant from 2016 to 2022. I left to care for family and now I am currently working again in a new place since 2024.

I worked my way up from and I received a lot of training and I had a bunch of responsibilities. I was the trash man problem solver. I made the scrap go away physically and systematically. I was working on high speed automation during 2020 and my company and their customer made billions. So that’s the kind of experience I have and I dealt with all the errors so I understand all areas of manufacturing.

My new job is in a new field, I went from plastic to cosmetics and I get to pretend to be a chemist, which I find to be rewarding. I understand the manufacturing part, but the chemistry is still new to me so I am not on par with traditional trained.

But they are not on par with the actual realties of manufacturing and I’m frustrated since I am bottom of the totem pole in my role and have a GED instead of a bachelor’s , no one listens to me at all. It’s hard to work dysfunctionally, especially when you can fix it. 😵

I need a new job, but I don’t know what to do. I am concerned I am just going to encounter this same problem.

I am smart, but have no title or education to get a job that is on par with my skills. I am also autistic and I am learning my social skills are also going to be a huge thing to improve if i want to succeed professionally.