Now before I scare you off with this massive wall of text? I promise there is a TL;DR summary at the end of it all for those of you with shorter attention spans or those of you who simply want the general idea of things before seeing if it?s worth thinking on to a greater extent. So I?ve been trying to find a job that works for me for a while now, but as the years go by fewer and fewer options seem realistic. I've read many of the posts on this forum over the last two weeks, but as my situation is somewhat unique, I figured I would try asking here and see if anyone has some good suggestions based on their own past experiences that also might happen to match up with my own personal circumstances. Some details about myself are?
-I?m a 26 year old male with a bachelor?s degree in Psychology. I had great interest in the field, particularly in the focus of research, before actually earning my degree and doing research projects in the field disillusioned me to the truth of the matter; that modern day research in the field is not what I had been lead to believe/chasing after (far too many rules and requirements that greatly detract from the end result of most studies). As such I?ve no interest in adding to my already substantial debt to seek out my master?s or doctorate so that I can properly work in the field.
-While I?ve been doing volunteer work for nearly all my life to various degrees (from the occasional day helping to mulch a very large playground or working a night at a poverty simulation to doing learn-as-you-go IT work each day for several months at an office where my mother is the boss (and as such I only had to report to her), I?ve never worked a proper job for which I was paid a consistent salary. (I have worked the occasional odd job, mostly for relatives, in which I was paid.)
-I have been diagnosed with Asperger's. As such you can guess that I?m not a fan of a bunch of various things that other people have a perfectly fine time with. While I can socialize to an extent if there is a need, I tend to find it quickly draining (and my interactions are logical guesswork rather than being able to read the moment. It often helps that when I?m nervous I?m prone to smiling and laughing in a fitting enough manner for general social interaction, though this has caused me some trouble in more serious situations like interviews.). I cannot stand telephones (it usually takes a couple of hours to work myself up into making a call to someone I don?t know or an automated machine, and even then usually only after I?ve exhausted all options of trying to bribe a parent or sibling to do it for me) or mic chat.
-I?m also diagnosed with OCD. This one?s a bit less important these days, though it used to rule my life when I was younger (had to touch those blue things!). Now it mostly just means I?m a bit stressed out if I need to open a door without my shirt on the knob, or shake someone?s hand, etc. till I can wash my hands. I?m also a touch of a hoarder but only to the point that my room is comfortably cluttered, as opposed to being properly out of control. (They also diagnosed me with ADHD but I?m pretty sure this one is incorrect.)
-Mystery Illness! For the last couple of years we?ve just settled on it being Hypermobility Syndrome, possibly extending into Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. This one?s pretty important. What it essentially means for me is this? I can?t drive (my fingers feel like they have been shattered with a rock after about 15 minutes), and I live nowhere within walking distance of a place I could seek employment (and it obviously takes money and a commitment to a full time job to get an apartment somewhere that I could). I can?t stand for more than about 30-45 minutes in a still or semi still position (say waiting in line for example). I can?t engage in a wide variety of strenuous physical activities without paying for it dearly a few hours later. Sometimes I can?t engage in extended periods of mild activities either (typing has set me off at times, though rarely, for example). I always am in at least mild to moderate pain regardless of what I?ve done, though I can usually push it back to background noise so long as I?m occupied for the mild. Aaand lastly, sometimes I just have crazy flare ups of pain for absolutely no reason at all that might last for a mere hour or stick with me for twelve. To give you an idea of the pain involved? I?ve had bad kidney stones, been in so much pain I?ve thrown up, and even so much that I?ve blacked out. At its worst, including when it?s simply random and for no reason, it can go as high as any of these. To top this off, I?m highly pain med resistant. The only thing I?ve ever had my hands on that can take the bite out of the pain is Percocet, and as of yet, I don?t have a steady supply of them. I?ve been hoarding the precious pills I?ve had since my last kidney stone surgery about two years ago, not using them till I cross over into somewhere between rocking, shaking, and pacing with pain and that of tossing about in bed, clawing mindlessly at the wall till I wake/come to some time later in a tangle of sheets. Hopefully this lack of pain meds will be at an end soon, but it still pairs poorly with the fact that this can come on me at random, and doing ones job somewhat high is not typically recommended (enough to at least dull the pain also makes me feel dizzy, happy, fuzzy, prone to humming absentmindedly, etc.)
-Insomnia, of a sorts. Up till recently this was another huge issue. About half my time in bed was spent actually managing to get some sleep, and I never seemed to enter the proper deeper waves of sleep. I?ve been doing better since they put me on Clonazepam (a type of benzo/anti anxiety), though as more and more stress gets added to my life, it works less and less well, and leaves me feeling groggy in the mornings. I also respond horribly to being woken up in the mornings, with the effects usually being more severe than if I?d simply not slept at all (nauseas, no energy, mind fogged).
-Girlfriend. She works odd and inconsistent hours (not an hour in our twenty-four hour days where she hasn?t been working it at some point) and this of course leads to varying degrees of resistance to working a fixed schedule of my own, and all the things that go with it. It?s largely out of her control and just about any part of full time work slot could result in our not being able to talk at all for days, and would almost assuredly result in consistent days in which we see very little of each other. Obviously this one is in my control much better than the others but? it?s a hard thing to ask someone to give up a large portion of what makes them greatly happy.
TL;DR: I?m a 26 year old with a bachelor?s degree in psychology, no work experience and somewhat poor (Asperger?s) social skills (also quickly drained by being subject to socializing even if I can get through it in bursts successfully). I?m subject to random (and predictable) versions of mild to ?extreme? pain that render me unable to drive at all, stand for prolonged periods (30-45 minutes), do most any kind of moderate to heavy labor, or generally predict what days I need to be somewhat buzzed on pain medication. I have varying degrees of sleep issues, especially relating to being woken up by a person or alarm clock in the morning. I?m resistant to inflexible/consistent work schedules for a variety of reasons listed above.
Essentially my ideal job would be something that I could do working from home with my own hours that does not require me to get yet another degree for me to be able to do it (and also doesn't require working twice as hard just to stay in business). Even if the pay isn?t going to end up near so well as a full time job that I could theoretically get outside of the home as of now, the tradeoff would be well worth it, especially as a starting job. Regardless I?m interested in any and all things people feel might work, so long as they at least take into consideration the ?fixed? issues listed above (For example, I can get over having less time with my girlfriend if I must, but I can?t magically stop suffering from the physical pain or suddenly buddy up to telephones). If you?ve any other relevant questions to the matter at hand, I?ll be happy to answer them. Thanks in advance!
~Daniel
Last edited by Yeshua on 08 Jun 2014, 3:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.
07 Jun 2014, 2:38 pm
for supporting trump. Because doing so is deplorable.
