I have very slow processing speed, bad memory, and am looking for work--suggestions?

I'm 22 years old and am looking to get my first job. I have very slow processing speed and a bad memory. Here's an example of the impact these things have on my life:

For nearly the past two years I've been working hard to create a good life for myself and overcome anxiety I've had for most of my life due to the aforementioned issues and having Schizoid Personality Disorder. Nearly every day I would spend hours trying to figure out ways to deal with my anxiety and my slow processing speed, despite not understanding how my mind worked for a good portion of those nearly two years.

But despite spending probably 1000+ hours, the results are very unproductive for the time spent. I came to over 100 conclusions as to what caused various anxieties, or why I was having trouble thinking correctly. I constantly forgot important details and arrived at erroneous conclusions because my memory was so bad and because it was extremely easy for my mind to get overwhelmed with information and lock up. The smallest things took forever to figure out, and good coping techniques were only useful until I forgot them and didn’t remember again until weeks later.

I’ve overcome all my anxieties now, and I’ve got my first appointment scheduled with Vocational Rehabilitation in a month to help me find a job I can do. However, despite all the research for jobs I’ve done I haven’t seen anything I think I can do. In an ideal scenario, doing an activity I know extremely well, I will often perform faster and more efficiently than the average person. The problem is how absurdly easy it is for my brain to get overloaded, and bring me out of the ideal scenario.

If I’m talking to someone about a subject I’m not familiar with I’ll often forget things they say seconds after they say them. Learning new things takes a long time, and sometimes I find it’s better to give up on something rather than risking my brain overloading and forgetting important things I need to be doing. Writing things down helps, but I often forget things before I even get a chance to write them down. Simply being tired could mean difficulty remembering or understanding things I normally do every day without any problem. It’s worse if I’m sick or in pain.

On top of that, since I have Schizoid Personality Disorder, I don’t enjoy being around other people, and if ever I’m functioning at a normal or above normal level at tasks, it’ll almost always be when I’m alone.

A typical day consists of things such as reading, browsing the internet for interesting articles and news, playing video games, and other low-difficulty activities. For a lot of people it’d be an easy and relaxing life, but for me I still have difficulty getting through the day without overworking my brain, despite no longer having the anxiety I once had.

I’m doing my best to not let these things get me down, as I’m extremely motivated to succeed and I really want to get a job and to eventually save up enough money to get a house of my own. I'm content with my life for the first time in nearly 10 years, but I don't want to rest on my laurels, as my ultimate goal has always been to get a job. I haven’t been able to think of anything, but I know my own knowledge is very limited. So I’m wondering if anyone here has any suggestions for jobs I could research so I’ll be more prepared for my first Vocational Rehabilitation appointment. Thank you!

Hello, Legend of Shadow. This is a great post! These are all the kinds of things you need to discuss with the vocational rehabilitation people you will be meeting next month. To assist you, you could print your post or make a summary of it and take that with you.

I wish you every success.

U are very strong willed and have the courage. I worked with DVR but the economey is so bad here it's like they want the arein race workforce i done factory work. What about a paper route to get your feet wet.keep up the good attitude

im also struggling with confidence and belief in my abilities. very hard

I don't want to be a downer but i have to tell u the truth be ready to be bullied and harassed because that's what they call fun u can't just go to work and do your job for real it's not worth it unless u get ajob working on your own. Instead of building up your self- esteem it made me feel worse.

Thanks for the responses everyone. I haven't been active here for a long time, but I'd like to post an update on my situation. I was accepted into Voc Rehab and have several appointments so far. I'm working towards becoming a Merchandise Displayer.

My day-to-day life has become a lot easier. It doesn't look like slow processing speed was an issue. It seems to be more than my brain has a very small threshold for holding information before it gets overwhelmed. So I've worked at maximizing my efficiency at things, and not focusing on unimportant details. I can now get through most days without losing focus at all, and am able to do much more complex tasks than before.

Thanks for sharing your pathway to work with us and well done on your progress, that's great news.

That is awesome, congratulations!

Impressed by your perseverance.
What I took from your original post is the best fitting job for you would be working alone.
I would focus on that with the voc place.