Job options for those with an unstable sleep schedule?

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PintoNess
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22 Feb 2014, 11:04 pm

I dunno if this is the right category - if maybe I should have put it in the category for people with other ailments than ASDs - but I was hoping I could get some opinions/advice.
I have a sleep disorder. When I allow my sleep to run naturally, going to sleep when I get tired, waking up when I wake up, I go to sleep two to six hours later each day, on average. I sleep for six to eight hours (rarely, ten), wake up feeling rested, and, combined with my meds (for Bipolar, mostly), am fairly stable. Then I'm awake for eighteen to twenty four hours (rarely, as long as thirty six) before I get tired, and I can stay up for another few hours after that if I'm not bored. When I get tired and go to bed, I fall asleep within five minutes for a great, comfy sleep.
When I force my sleep to stabilize, I have to use melatonin to fall asleep, and the sleep isn't very restful. Often I'll wake up multiple times. Then I'll wake up after nine hours, feel fatigued, fuzzy, and allover icky. It makes me less stable, even with my meds, and it causes me to have suicidal thoughts. (They were there for twelve years, nonstop, literally not a second's respite, until the combination of a new med and allowing my sleep to go back to drifting, which happened a little less than a month ago, allowed them to stop for the first time since I was five. This week I had to stabilize it (I can drift again starting tomorrow) and my suicidal thoughts came back.) It also causes my moods to destabilize, I become more irritable, more prone to bouts of rage, less able to process things, have a huge (painful) rise in appetite, and gain weight.

Forcing my sleep to stabilize permanently would be dangerous, detrimental, and not worth the income. Does anyone have any ideas for jobs that would work with an unpredictable sleep schedule, don't require using the phone (I can use the phone if I have a script, but not without one and preferably not at all), don't require a college degree (I do, however, have a HS Diploma), preferably don't include much handwriting, and definitely don't require a driver's license?
My skills include; typing at apprx. 70-80 wpm (peaking at 130 wpm, low at 60), good memory, fairly good salesman, (normally) good at writing, very creative, good at following the rules, willing to do the dirty work (except bodily fluids or bathrooms but I mopped the jewelry store that I worked at for a bit because no one else wanted to and I was willing), willing to do pretty much anything (as long as it's legal and not gross or inappropriate) like I'd be happy to make coffee for everyone, very hard worker who follows the rules and does (sometimes more than) their share, is good at dealing with difficult customers (due to coping skills and the firmly held belief that most rude people are having a bad day or have some other reason for it and being nice to people can sometimes cause a butterfly effect that causes something good to happen), a very fast learner, good computer skills, knowledge in basic html, good at finding something on the spot (I once got a freelance gig to remove the logo from a video, I had no idea how to do it but figured it out and had it done within two hours, got $75 for that), very good at googling, good at researching, good at planning things (not so good at putting them into action), good with deadlines, good at multitasking... and others. Ask if there's a skill you'd like to know if I have.

If there's nothing I can find, I'll be trying to apply for ssi disability in May, and my mother is willing to support me until I'm making a living off my novels. But I would prefer to earn my own living.



ASPartOfMe
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22 Feb 2014, 11:27 pm

I would think any job where you work from home and you can set your own hours wouldbe good for those with sleep disorders.

This topic does belong here. Sleep disorders are very common for people on the spectrum. There have been a number of threads here and google search reveals many pages of articles on the subject


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PintoNess
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23 Feb 2014, 12:25 am

Well, yes, obviously a job that works from home would be the best, but there are many of them and not all would be workable for me. (For example, a call center rep job can be done from home, almost always can have you set your own schedule, typically you can work as much or as little as you want within a certain range, but there's the phone aspect, which I can't do.) I'm looking more for specific ideas than "work at home!", because that's easier said than done, especially when you don't know which, exactly, jobs can be done by you in that certain area.



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23 Feb 2014, 3:33 pm

PintoNess wrote:
Well, yes, obviously a job that works from home would be the best, but there are many of them and not all would be workable for me. (For example, a call center rep job can be done from home, almost always can have you set your own schedule, typically you can work as much or as little as you want within a certain range, but there's the phone aspect, which I can't do.) I'm looking more for specific ideas than "work at home!", because that's easier said than done, especially when you don't know which, exactly, jobs can be done by you in that certain area.


Without knowing your special interests and weaknesses (besides sleep) it's hard to give you more then a generic answer. Data entry from home maybe http://workathomemoms.about.com/od/data ... Entry.htm?. Becoming a consultant might be an option but at some point you would have to be able to set up and show up to appointments with your clients.


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PintoNess
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23 Feb 2014, 9:21 pm

ASPartOfMe wrote:
PintoNess wrote:
Well, yes, obviously a job that works from home would be the best, but there are many of them and not all would be workable for me. (For example, a call center rep job can be done from home, almost always can have you set your own schedule, typically you can work as much or as little as you want within a certain range, but there's the phone aspect, which I can't do.) I'm looking more for specific ideas than "work at home!", because that's easier said than done, especially when you don't know which, exactly, jobs can be done by you in that certain area.


Without knowing your special interests and weaknesses (besides sleep) it's hard to give you more then a generic answer. Data entry from home maybe http://workathomemoms.about.com/od/data ... Entry.htm?. Becoming a consultant might be an option but at some point you would have to be able to set up and show up to appointments with your clients.


PintoNess wrote:
Does anyone have any ideas for jobs that would work with an unpredictable sleep schedule, don't require using the phone (I can use the phone if I have a script, but not without one and preferably not at all), don't require a college degree (I do, however, have a HS Diploma), preferably don't include much handwriting, and definitely don't require a driver's license?
My skills include; typing at apprx. 70-80 wpm (peaking at 130 wpm, low at 60), good memory, fairly good salesman, (normally) good at writing, very creative, good at following the rules, willing to do the dirty work (except bodily fluids or bathrooms but I mopped the jewelry store that I worked at for a bit because no one else wanted to and I was willing), willing to do pretty much anything (as long as it's legal and not gross or inappropriate) like I'd be happy to make coffee for everyone, very hard worker who follows the rules and does (sometimes more than) their share, is good at dealing with difficult customers (due to coping skills and the firmly held belief that most rude people are having a bad day or have some other reason for it and being nice to people can sometimes cause a butterfly effect that causes something good to happen), a very fast learner, good computer skills, knowledge in basic html, good at finding something on the spot (I once got a freelance gig to remove the logo from a video, I had no idea how to do it but figured it out and had it done within two hours, got $75 for that), very good at googling, good at researching, good at planning things (not so good at putting them into action), good with deadlines, good at multitasking... and others. Ask if there's a skill you'd like to know if I have.

I wrote in the first post what my weaknesses and skills are...



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24 Feb 2014, 1:41 am

I drive semi trucks.. usually days 3 days a week, nights for 2 days. No set schedule at all, it's work you to the legal maximum, take 10 hours off.

It requires you to be attentive when awake though, so, depends.


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PintoNess
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24 Feb 2014, 1:19 pm

Unfortunately, that's not an option: I haven't learned to drive because every time I try I get overwhelming an anxiety. That's why, in the very first post, I said that one of the requirements is "doesn't require a driver's license". But thank you for trying to help.