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ocdgirl123
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16 Mar 2012, 11:58 pm

I am at the point in my life when people start asking and encourage you to start thinking about what you are going to do in the future, but,I can't find jobs that don't involve social skills or emotional skills (staying calm in tense situations, being able to take emotional abuse/bullying, not getting angry/anxious/crying/frustrated easily, etc.) or math. I am really bad at math and don't like it very much. When I take online career tests (I realize these aren't the be all end all but they are still fun and interesting), I get stuff like Psychologist and teacher.

I have asked my friends and family about this, my mom says I should be a over-the-computer teacher (this was 6 years ago just to let you know), my dad says I should be a musician (that's what he'd like), one of friends says I should be an advocate, another friend says I should be a journalist and yet another friend thinks I should become a psychologist. A lot of different job types there, eh?

Is there anyone else who finds it hard to find a job that suits them?



auntblabby
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17 Mar 2012, 3:07 am

have you thought about hospital coding? that is what i did until shrub laid me off. it was a nice and solitary job in a little cubicle away from most other people, it was quiet, just me and the puter and some documents. it was the only job i was truly good at.



NathanealWest
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17 Mar 2012, 3:09 am

auntblabby wrote:
have you thought about hospital coding? that is what i did until shrub laid me off. it was a nice and solitary job in a little cubicle away from most other people, it was quiet, just me and the puter and some documents. it was the only job i was truly good at.


What do you need to know to become a medical coder?



Nim
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17 Mar 2012, 3:13 am

Any kind of billing seems like mild pay. Medical Transcriptionist's I've met have worked part time for quite good money, from home. I'm considering it myself but I'm quite worried about going into such a field with changing technology and such, and more voice recognition....

But I never know what I want to do and never have. I simply go place to place blindly building up my life the best I can.



Nim
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17 Mar 2012, 3:14 am

NathanealWest wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
have you thought about hospital coding? that is what i did until shrub laid me off. it was a nice and solitary job in a little cubicle away from most other people, it was quiet, just me and the puter and some documents. it was the only job i was truly good at.


What do you need to know to become a medical coder?


From what I've seen nothing (many I've seen are walk ins). But small colleges will charge you 10-20k to give you a degree in it.



auntblabby
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17 Mar 2012, 3:18 am

NathanealWest wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
have you thought about hospital coding? that is what i did until shrub laid me off. it was a nice and solitary job in a little cubicle away from most other people, it was quiet, just me and the puter and some documents. it was the only job i was truly good at.


What do you need to know to become a medical coder?

mine was strictly OJT. i had a medical background [as an operating room technician] which is a pre-requisite for understanding what you are transcribing and coding.



NathanealWest
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17 Mar 2012, 3:23 am

Nim wrote:
NathanealWest wrote:
auntblabby wrote:
have you thought about hospital coding? that is what i did until shrub laid me off. it was a nice and solitary job in a little cubicle away from most other people, it was quiet, just me and the puter and some documents. it was the only job i was truly good at.


What do you need to know to become a medical coder?


From what I've seen nothing (many I've seen are walk ins). But small colleges will charge you 10-20k to give you a degree in it.


Yeah, I have good credit and I'm not gonna take a chance on skidding it to go to Sanford Brown.



questor
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17 Mar 2012, 3:24 am

All of the people you consulted want to help, but none of their suggestions is really relevant, as none of them is YOU. Only you really know best what you like. Make a list of things you like, including stuff related to your hobbies. Then list what types of jobs there are that are related to these likes. Then ask yourself if any of them sound interesting. You should check out those that involve less social interactions. I don't think the career tests you have been taking are comprehensive enough in your case. Both psychologist and teaching jobs require a good bit of social interaction.

You should also take some basic business courses, either in person or online, to do with things like basic book keeping, so you can manage your own finances. Some of the online courses are free, but don't include a certificate or degree. You can still mention them on a resume, though, and besides, if you take them because you want or need the training they provide, then it doesn't really matter about the degree.

You may want to look into some sort of self employment involving one of your hobbies. Some self employment jobs don't require as much social interaction. Even when they do involve some, much of the time it is limited to dealing with the customer/client.

As a variant on teaching, if there anything you know enough about to teach others, you could write a pamphlet or book about it instead, and sell that for income. That would involve less social interactions than actually teaching it in person. Another option is making an educational YouTube video of something you know about, and having people pay to put ads on your site. You see? There are ways to get around your limitations.

Besides currently doing temp computer work, my older brother also does some web design work, and occasionally refurbs old computers and resells them. He doesn't have to do much social contact with his own work, but does have to do more on the temp assignments. My younger brother has a night job, but also does some handy man and odd job work for friends and neighbors. I have a cousin who started mowing lawns for people in his teens. I think he was in his twenties when a hurricane came north and flooded the river in his town. He made some good money helping people with the cleaning up afterwards and with helping them get their yards back in shape. It lead to more yard work business, and eventually he was able to buy some land to start a nursery business along with the yard work business. That was several decades ago, and he is still at it. This cousin actually started making money as a kid doing newspaper delivery, hamster breeding/selling, and other small stuff like that, but it all added up to some good work experience for him.

So, make that list of things you are interested in, and start looking into the possibilities. Your future is in your hands. :D


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If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.--Henry David Thoreau


invisibubble
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17 Mar 2012, 3:41 am

I've had a lot of trouble finding a job I could survive in. I'm starting over as far as work goes... I have worked out from all the jobs I've had in the past that in many work places professionals that have highly valued skills (ie can name their price) get much respect - they seem the least likely to be bullied even if no one likes them - a protected species I suppose. Work in the same workplace at a lower level though and its open season all year 'round.

I found a government website which named a whole bunch of skill sets that are currently in demand or are becoming in demand. It explained the necessary qualifications, locations with the most work and why there is/will be a skills shortage. I happened upon a job description that I felt would really let me shine as it required attention to detail, good concentration and good maths skills. I'm currently getting a degree and am crossing my fingers that when I graduate it will be a whole new world for me. Not all the job descriptions that are in demand require a degree so I figure this process could work for just about anyone.

ocdgirl123 - there will be jobs you can do. Its probably not that helpful to ask others - in my experience others can never really understand your deepest anxieties and figure you'll just overcome certain things which in reality might be the last straw for you. On the other hand, sometimes you can do work you didn't think you could and there may be times in life where you have no choice but to take on jobs you can't really stand just to survive. You do tend to build some skills that way but the lifestyle is not sustainable. If I were you I'd be making a list of your strengths, thinking of industries you want to work in, thinking of compromises you can make (like can deal with co-workers but not the public, or can deal with 5 co-workers but not 10)... slowly in time some answers should come up for you.