Matthew74
Stalwart
- Messages
- 597
- Reaction score
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- 93
I know this has been rehashed about a thousand times, but I want to hear what you think. My experience with telling people I have epilepsy is EXTREMELY POOR. I really want to emphasize this, because I know lots of people can work it out, but that's not my experience. My thinking on this is that I'm just not the kind of person who can get away with it.
So, basically I'm not working. My rental assistance ends this month, with no possible renewal. My rent alone is more than my total disability payment (almost twice). I called a school where I studied IT stuff for job placement assistance. I talked to them about getting leads. I feel like it will be ok to tell one of the administrators there, but I don't know how to go about it. Mostly I'm looking for a job, but I am considering possibly taking some classes (which would be paid for).
I don't need "accommodations". I need flexibility that isn't possible in most work situations. Working 40 hours is near impossible. I can do it if I have to, but I have no energy left for anything else, and it makes me feel like I'm wasting my life. I worked full time for two years before Covid, and I can honestly say they were some of the emptiest years of my life. The work situation was ok, but work didn't mean anything. It was just stuff to do. I don't have a family, or anything else, to make something like that worth it. I can't pursue other things I like on the weekend and nights because I'm exhausted.
I've tried extremely hard to prepare for other jobs that would be good for me, but it's not easy with epilepsy. The jobs I would fit in best with hardly exist anymore. The problem isn't identifying what I could do, it's finding an available position - and being placed to take one if it did come up. I didn't get the help and support I needed when I was young, and now I'm getting old.
So, I earned an IT certification. Basically I really don't like computers very much, but out of all the things I've done, it's the only thing that makes sense right now. Honestly it's not a very good choice for me. That said, I absolutely have to be making better than $20 an hour, and I just don't see any other available option. I have to earn a living. Theoretically I could do something that I like better part time, but I have no idea how to get there - I've tried. I'm not 20 something and living on college loans anymore. I'm also stuck in Boca Raton. Boca is a place you retire to so that you can do nothing - not a place you start out.
I can tell the school exactly what sorts of things I'm looking for in a job, but I don't think I can communicate that in a way that they will understand.
Q:
How can I have a positive discussion about this with someone from the school? Obviously I don't have to say all that I just said. I need to communicate that I have different strengths and limitations. I need to communicate that being part of the "system" just won't work. I need something a little "different" and "low-key". I don't see the word like the tech crowd does. I DO think more like the particular guy at the school I have in mind.
So, basically I'm not working. My rental assistance ends this month, with no possible renewal. My rent alone is more than my total disability payment (almost twice). I called a school where I studied IT stuff for job placement assistance. I talked to them about getting leads. I feel like it will be ok to tell one of the administrators there, but I don't know how to go about it. Mostly I'm looking for a job, but I am considering possibly taking some classes (which would be paid for).
I don't need "accommodations". I need flexibility that isn't possible in most work situations. Working 40 hours is near impossible. I can do it if I have to, but I have no energy left for anything else, and it makes me feel like I'm wasting my life. I worked full time for two years before Covid, and I can honestly say they were some of the emptiest years of my life. The work situation was ok, but work didn't mean anything. It was just stuff to do. I don't have a family, or anything else, to make something like that worth it. I can't pursue other things I like on the weekend and nights because I'm exhausted.
I've tried extremely hard to prepare for other jobs that would be good for me, but it's not easy with epilepsy. The jobs I would fit in best with hardly exist anymore. The problem isn't identifying what I could do, it's finding an available position - and being placed to take one if it did come up. I didn't get the help and support I needed when I was young, and now I'm getting old.
So, I earned an IT certification. Basically I really don't like computers very much, but out of all the things I've done, it's the only thing that makes sense right now. Honestly it's not a very good choice for me. That said, I absolutely have to be making better than $20 an hour, and I just don't see any other available option. I have to earn a living. Theoretically I could do something that I like better part time, but I have no idea how to get there - I've tried. I'm not 20 something and living on college loans anymore. I'm also stuck in Boca Raton. Boca is a place you retire to so that you can do nothing - not a place you start out.
I can tell the school exactly what sorts of things I'm looking for in a job, but I don't think I can communicate that in a way that they will understand.
Q:
How can I have a positive discussion about this with someone from the school? Obviously I don't have to say all that I just said. I need to communicate that I have different strengths and limitations. I need to communicate that being part of the "system" just won't work. I need something a little "different" and "low-key". I don't see the word like the tech crowd does. I DO think more like the particular guy at the school I have in mind.