On any given Tuesday night, St. Michael’s Harbour Inc. in Hermitage serves as a haven for about 10 young adults with autism spectrum disorder who are delving into the world of work.

That’s when the peer groups meet as part of the agency’s Transition to Adulthood Program. The 20-somethings get together to talk about their trials and triumphs and share a few laughs.

They’re just like any other young adults hoping to find a job that they like where they can make a living. They just need a little help to get there.

“With autism, you see things in a different light,” said John Dutcher, 25, of Sharon. “Autism is not a bad thing.”

Autism spectrum disorders cover a broad range of symptoms and affect social skills. Most members of the group have Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.

The common ground with all on the spectrum is they “don’t have the code” to navigate relationships, program director Christina Long said. The goal of the program is to help them create that code and find success, she said.

Dutcher, who works at Walmart in Hermitage, credits the program with turning his life around.

“I used to be, basically, a nobody,” he said, adding that his success is a “monument to the program.”

“I don’t know where I’d be without this program. I’d probably be under a bridge or on the street,” said Dutcher.

Finding a job in these trying economic times can be tough, but Ms. Long said the program’s staff has created good relationships with area businesses that have partnered with St. Michael’s Harbour to give the young people a chance to succeed.

They share the individual’s personal story and once that connection is made, employers can identify with the young adult, Ms. Long said.

“A lot of people know someone or someone who knows someone with autism,” she said. “(The employers) understand how they need this opportunity to shine.”

Michael Mondak, 23, of Hermitage, is heading into his final year at Penn State Shenango and works at Dunham’s Sports in the Hermitage Towne Plaza.

“They’re actually paying me — real money!” Mondak said, to laughs from the rest of the group.

A bit of a cutup, Mondak is also majoring in business management at Penn State Shenango, where he came “this close” to making the Dean’s List — something he said he couldn’t have done without the program.