I was recently fired because of my mental illness. Yes, that's illegal, but they conned up an excuse that I didn't call in sick every single morning. Even though I said I would be out "indefinitely" and I was unsure when I would return. Truth is they were sick of me not showing up to work so often, because of my illness. They knew about it, I had to tell them last summer when I wound up in the hospital multiple times due to 3 suicide attempts in 2 months. I have both Bipolar II Disorder AND Borderline Personality Disorder.
So....that said....I know you're not supposed to even mention anything related to a medical condition on a job application or interview. So how do I explain why I was fired? How do I explain my short job history - I have not held down a job for more than 2 years at a time, mostly due to my illness. And how do I tell them I am dependable, when the fact is I really have no idea when I'll need to take more time off work?
I live in Oregon, and our unemployment rate is even higher than the national average, and I think my county is dead last in the state for our unemployment rate. I have the degrees and certifications, there are just no jobs out there for me, period.
I did get approved for unemployment benefits, so we are fine financially for six months. But after July...I just don't know how we are going to make ends meet. I was the main breadwinner in the family. We got into a mountain of debt because I missed so much work last summer, and I racked up a $7,000 credit card when I was hypomanic. We do own a plot of land that we intended to build a house on. If that land sells, we could pay off all our debts entirely and put some money back in savings and be just fine on one income. But land can take YEARS to sell. It was on the market for 2 years before we bought it.
I'm just praying for a miracle (and I'm Athiest!) that someone will buy the land, or a perfect job will show up and I won't screw up the interview like I always do.
I'm an accountant, so of course I did the math. We only have enough money to make it until August, before we go in the red. After that, I really don't know what to do. We both have excellent credit ratings, and I really hate to let that slide. I have never fallen behind on any payments, and I really don't want to now.
Of course the stress over money doesn't help my situation either.
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