[shortandcute]

I've heard people suggest certain "jobs" to people who are on disability; but many of these jobs just don't exist or a lot harder than people realize

1. copying paper
(while that is often a part of one's job requirement, most companies do not hire someone just to do that)

2. sorting red pencils from green pencils
(I personally never heard anyone looking to hire someone just for that)

3. answering phones
Ok, I'll admit that there are companies that hire employees for that. But, you have to have all kinds of skills that have nothing to do with answering phones---like being to lift 50 pounds, being able to stand on your feet for several hours at a time, work well under pressure, being able to work at a fast pace for several hours at a time, have stellar computer skills, and still have a smile on your face and not be in any pain. One of those "answering phones" places I applied at had requirements that covered a two-inch thick stack of papers! All that just to answer the (bleep) phones! I think they had all these requirements in case they needed you to multi-task occasionally.

4. "Why don't you just work at a daycare? That's an easy job!"
Oh, yeah? Who told you that line?

5. "You can work at a fast food restaurant. That's easy."
same as number 4

Any one else?

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by shortandcute

5. "You can work at a fast food restaurant. That's easy."
same as number 4

Technically fast food may not be too tough intellectually but it is tedious work - taking orders, taking payment, packing food and dealing with all the things that go wrong during those so called simple tasks. Not to mention customers with the IQ of a pet rock. One guy said to me, "so if the milk is 2% what is the other 98%"! DUH! It was all I could do to not laugh in his face.

[shortandcute]

i worked at fast food restaurants and it was very physically demanding--not just tedious at least that was my experience

[shezbut]

In my wide variety of jobs worked, I can assure you: EVERY job has is stressors. Some are almost purely physical, some are almost purely psychological, and many are in between.

Personally, I prefer jobs with mostly physical stress and some emotional. However, my disability is brain-related. I have a lot of trouble with working through emotional stressors. I can only work a few hours here and there, but it's better than nothing in my humble pie opinion.

Figuring out your strong & weak points will help you discover the types of jobs that you're best suited for. Very best wishes to you!

[blackwhitered]

I always thought that I would like to be a professional companion. Like for lonely people I guess, but more specifically for old people or people with disabilities who don't get out much. Not just a caretaker, but someone to talk to. I have some skills (I speak many languages and know basic first aid and CPR) and I think I am an interesting conversationalist (I know wayyy more fun facts/icebreakers than is healthy lol). They would not just be paying for my company, but for my assistance and skills. I would like to take people who would otherwise spend their time at home and travel with them. I would only charge for food and lodging and maybe caretaking if that were part of it.

Please can this be a real job??

EDIT: Wow, I totally misread the title of this thread. XD

[shortandcute]

Well, my disabilities are physical, emotional, and mental. It's not that I just don't want to work. It's just that people think that being disabled means that you just haven't found the right job--and sometimes they suggest jobs that don't even exist, thinking that they're doing you some big favor. And it's not that I just don't feel like working. There was only one job that ever suited me--it was while I was living in california, and I could do it from home. And it was still too much for me to handle about 80% of the time. they don't have any jobs like that where I live now. and my sparse work history doesnt look good, so no one will hire me anyway.

[shortandcute]

p.s. if i could work, i wouldn't be trying to get disability

[shezbut]

shortandcute,

No one has questioned your ability to work on this thread. I am disabled as well, physically and emotionally. So, it's very difficult for me not to take your last post as a personal insult. Just because I work 9 hours per week does not mean that my disability isn't "true". What it does mean is that I am trying my hardest to contribute to society in whatever way/s that I can.

A person doesn't have to be bedridden in order to be considered a disabled person, you know. And just because a person is disabled in some way it also doesn't mean that they can not work in any way. Perhaps they just need some time off, to get into somewhat of a healthier state of mind. Or, maybe they're just too ill to ever work in any manner. That is a very sad possibility though.

I hope that you just need a relatively short step away from work to get into a healthier state of mind.

[unaluna]

How about temp work? When i did it, it was easier to get work, and it does prove you are trying.

[shortandcute]

I didn't mean to offend anyone on here. I just personally have had friends that do not quite get that I'm disabled; they just think that I simply do not how to look for work or don't know what's available. I get frustrated sometimes because they'll say things like "Well, why don't you just..." or whatever. Or sometimes they'll suggest "jobs" that don't really exist, and they think that's somehow helping me.

And, hankster, it's not just about having experience. I AM DISABLED! The point is just that I get frustrated with people who say things just like that because I feel I'm being invalidated.

[Webgoji]

Whoops!

[-jimi-]

I'm very lucky that I got disability benefits because the rules here became much more stringent than used to. Oddly I got it because the LEAST of my issues, and the WORST of my issues would not get me disability!!!

Politicians here say you can always do an easier thing if you cannot do your regular job anymore. A TV show took them up and started asking employers if they would hire a person of a certain disability, and of course they would not. Those tasks don't exist! And if they did, a healthy person would be preferred for the employer anyway...

I have been told (by some people online) that because I can use a computer I can work. I can do some amount of work. Yea really... like WHAT? Posting on forums does not pay much. Someone said professional blogging. Eh. Who can spit out high quality posts enough to make that kind of money? That is ridiculous! Sure I can type.... when I feel up to it.... but say I have to do it on a regular basis... then forget it. Then I wouldn't get the rest I need and I'd get the stress I cannot take.

This doesn't mean I FEEL worse than people who actually can work. That fact has messed with my mind up to this moment basically. I have questioned myself because I don't have severe depression anymore. So why can't I work? But I realize sometimes you cannot do something no matter how you feel. Before I understood that I thought I was being lazy because sicker people could work. But I had a friend who actually needed her job when she went through a crisis. So it's that too.

Originally Posted by blackwhitered

I always thought that I would like to be a professional companion. Like for lonely people I guess, but more specifically for old people or people with disabilities who don't get out much. Not just a caretaker, but someone to talk to. I have some skills (I speak many languages and know basic first aid and CPR) and I think I am an interesting conversationalist (I know wayyy more fun facts/icebreakers than is healthy lol). They would not just be paying for my company, but for my assistance and skills. I would like to take people who would otherwise spend their time at home and travel with them. I would only charge for food and lodging and maybe caretaking if that were part of it.

Please can this be a real job??

EDIT: Wow, I totally misread the title of this thread. XD

You betcha! You probably have to do some additional nurse related training but absolutely it could be. Meals on wheels provides this but that is volunteer and only for meal time. With an aging population I'm sure you could make a small business out of this! It sounds like a great idea too. If you are serious contacting a private home care company for informational interviews would be a great way to find out if it is indeed viable. And I think it would be worth an actual salary.

I have to say I WOULD find it difficult. It would be a bit out of my comfort zone. Although I am a good conversationalist

Or you could be a professional hugger! 60/hour. Not too shabby!

http://www.dailycamera.com/lifestyle...nuggle-parties

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[shortandcute]

Originally Posted by jimi...

I'm very lucky that I got disability benefits because the rules here became much more stringent than used to. Oddly I got it because the LEAST of my issues, and the WORST of my issues would not get me disability!!!

Politicians here say you can always do an easier thing if you cannot do your regular job anymore. A TV show took them up and started asking employers if they would hire a person of a certain disability, and of course they would not. Those tasks don't exist! And if they did, a healthy person would be preferred for the employer anyway...

I have been told (by some people online) that because I can use a computer I can work. I can do some amount of work. Yea really... like WHAT? Posting on forums does not pay much. Someone said professional blogging. Eh. Who can spit out high quality posts enough to make that kind of money? That is ridiculous! Sure I can type.... when I feel up to it.... but say I have to do it on a regular basis... then forget it. Then I wouldn't get the rest I need and I'd get the stress I cannot take.

This doesn't mean I FEEL worse than people who actually can work. That fact has messed with my mind up to this moment basically. I have questioned myself because I don't have severe depression anymore. So why can't I work? But I realize sometimes you cannot do something no matter how you feel. Before I understood that I thought I was being lazy because sicker people could work. But I had a friend who actually needed her job when she went through a crisis. So it's that too.

Now, that is what I was talking about.

Originally Posted by shortandcute

I've heard people suggest certain "jobs" to people who are on disability; but many of these jobs just don't exist or a lot harder than people realize


1. copying paper

(while that is often a part of one's job requirement, most companies do not hire someone just to do that)


2. sorting red pencils from green pencils

(I personally never heard anyone looking to hire someone just for that)

Any one else?

Seriously? These are actual suggestions?!

-- WFH customer care or inside sales. Everybody knows telemarketing is hard. People think at home customer service would be easy but you have to have a certain kind of patience for it. You also have to have discipline to sign in and work.

--craft assembling. There's a company in NE that sends you materials to make crafty thing they sell at fairs and in stores. They get to say made in the us one at a time. Completely ligit. I actually curious if anybody has done this.

--mechanical Turks/micro tasks. Amazon company where companies or individuals do menial tasks that cannot be done by machine. An example would be to enter information in from a photo of a receipt. I'm calling it weird because a. It could be things you never even dreamed of and b. it often pays literally pennies a task. In my example that would mean entering in 100 receipts to earn $1 usd. I honestly don't understand how this works to even earn a cup of coffee.

--online surveys.

--apparently running the mail is difficult because they always seem to be so cranky

--supermarket demos. Ugh! I did this before college when I needed anything.

--jogging on a newspaper assembly line. I bet they do in small town newspapers. I wonder if this is even a job anymore. You pick up stacks and "jog" them into a neat stack and then put them on the machine that wraps it with those plastic ties. The bottom of your shirt would end up black with newspaper ink. Girls that somehow avoided that got promoted to filing.

I've don't a few weird job but never got to work in a McDonalds.

On the other side of the coin... I worked for a company that took a receptionist and a general office worker position and merged them. They had two people who would do one job half the day and the other job the second have. I thought this was genius. The reception job can be so boring and tedious. The office worker job can be on your feet all day. The office worker part involved the normal things you think of plus things like cleaning out the communal fridge every other week and putting the meeting room schedule next to the corresponding meeting room which was so nice. The receptionist knew as much about the working of the office as the worker so you never had issues hunting somebody down. The people doing it said it was so much nicer then doing one or the other all day. Have never seen this anywhere else.

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"sorting red pencils from green pencils"

This has got to be a scene from Office Space cutting room floor.

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[shortandcute]

Originally Posted by Michanne

"sorting red pencils from green pencils"

This has got to be a scene from Office Space cutting room floor.

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probably-lol

[atomicc]

Originally Posted by Michanne

You betcha! You probably have to do some additional nurse related training but absolutely it could be. Meals on wheels provides this but that is volunteer and only for meal time. With an aging population I'm sure you could make a small business out of this! It sounds like a great idea too. If you are serious contacting a private home care company for informational interviews would be a great way to find out if it is indeed viable. And I think it would be worth an actual salary.

I have to say I WOULD find it difficult. It would be a bit out of my comfort zone. Although I am a good conversationalist

Or you could be a professional hugger! 60/hour. Not too shabby!

Need a hug? Boulder business can make that happen - Boulder Daily Camera

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I really would love to break into professional snuggling!

I've worked in a funky old cafe as a barista for 11 years. Most customers have no concept of how demanding a job like mine is. Customer service, the ability to make excellent drinks (and some foods), and the physical ability to do many, many very tiring chores. Being able (and willing) to chat with/listen to (long-winded) customers when I'm so tired I can barely stand up, the cafe is packed and noisy and I have sooo many chores left to be done.

I'm amazed at myself that I've been able to do my job for all these years. I would never suggest a food service job for anyone who is disabled.

Originally Posted by atomicc

I really would love to break into professional snuggling!

Could you imagine what a great job that would be for somebody with a (relatively functional) MI? You wouldn't want somebody getting overly attached or manic or emotional but for someone fairly functional enough that they can stay distant enough it could be such a win win!

I find it interesting that if people would just speak their dream job no matter how crazy it sounds somebody has an idea on how it can work. And the craziest ideas are often the best

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[StephanieBsad]

I'd buy your friendship if I could