Ideas for a job for a disabled kitty

[Bhu]

My current job ends in 5 months, and I'm uncertain my disability petition will be approved, so I need some job ideas. I've been looking for a second job (or replacement job) for 6 years with no success.

My back is wrecked, and I can't stand for longer than 20 minutes or so and need a cane for balance. Jobs that require standing or lifting are out.

My hands and feet are going numb from diabetic polyneuropathy so driving jobs are out.

Arthritis, neuropathy and ulnar tunnel syndrome have messed up my hands so jobs that require I maintain a typing speed are out. I'm also being investigated for Parkinsons due to a tremor in my right hand.

Education wise I have no special training or education, am the worlds worst salesman, and I have depression and anxiety issues my psychiatrist largely deems to be uncureable.

Considered all together, I'd need a desk job, but I can't think of what kind.

[Telonius]

Have you looked into government jobs (city, state, federal)? They can be a bit more likely to follow the laws about treating disabled people equally than the private sector does. I know it's a stereotype for DMV workers, but there's a reason that kind of stereotype exists. Some nonprofits might have need for an office person as well; if you can find one whose mission you can really get behind, that could be an in.

[Goodkill]

what about a phone job? only requires that you can follow a script and have decent social skills.

[Traab]

There are a number of quality control jobs out there that wouldnt require much walking. As an example, i worked at a shipping company that sold collectables. Everything from jewelry to end tables and all of it required to be inspected to make sure the batch we got wasnt damaged. Someone would bring a pallet full of boxes of say, porcelain christmas trees with a dog theme of decorations (yes really, sausage links for the bunting, dog bones for the baubles, and various dog breeds under the tree) And it was the inspectors job to check the first ten of them for signs of scratches or broken bits or whatever. But there are a number of options out there. Try checking with social services and see if they have any programs for your area dedicated to job placement for the disabled. My state has them and they are pretty good at it. Here is an out there suggestion. Security work. There are jobs out there where your main purpose is to act like a less terrified version of the 5 nights at freddys guy and basically sit there watching cameras, some times while others do patrols.

The thing is, a lot of job venues have the ability to make accommodations for disabled employees. At my last factory job, there were a few seniors who worked at a machine where they were able to basically pull up a chair and do their job while sitting down. (printing bulk mail inserts to be inserted into junk mail at another machine) Those of us able to move around did all the leg work while they collected the printed bits and packaged them up. My point is, dont dismiss anything that doesnt scream desk job to you because its possible they can be setup in a way that lets you do the job anyways.

[Bhu]

Have you looked into government jobs (city, state, federal)? They can be a bit more likely to follow the laws about treating disabled people equally than the private sector does. I know it's a stereotype for DMV workers, but there's a reason that kind of stereotype exists. Some nonprofits might have need for an office person as well; if you can find one whose mission you can really get behind, that could be an in.

Most of them seem to have educational or experience requirements I dont have :(

what about a phone job? only requires that you can follow a script and have decent social skills.

Most of them here are sales or political calls or complaint lines. I suck at sales, and I don't do well with being yelled at. I've never kept a phone job longer than a month.

[Rockphed]

Most of them here are sales or political calls or complaint lines. I suck at sales, and I don't do well with being yelled at. I've never kept a phone job longer than a month.

Look for "Inside Sales" I think. It is the one where you answer questions about product from people who want to speak to you. Sometimes you need to relay questions on to engineers or whoever, but generally you are just helping customers buy the right thing.

Alternatively, if you are willing to type for long periods at your slow pace, you could try to become a medical transcriptionist. My understanding is that they are paid on a piecework basis, so you would get paid for what you did, rather than getting fired for being a slow typist. I think it takes a certification that takes 6 months to get, however.

I had a coworker who could not stand for long periods. I don't know his typing speed, but it cannot have been faster than my 30 wpm. We were working as controls engineers, which takes at least an Associate degree. There is a big gap between how many there are and how many jobs for them there are, so pay is fairly high and companies are quite willing to hire people with 0 training and train them from the ground up. I had 3 coworkers (and one of their boyfriends) who were in that situation. Physically limited coworker, however, had about 30 years experience, so you might not be able to get in.

Can you use a sewing machine?

[Bhu]

why??? u have not longer job?????????????????

A combination of paranoia, anxiety, major depression and a personality disorder. Simply put: human beings repulse me. Talking to them online is fine, but offline I don't leave my apartment. Encountering them is nothing but stress for me, even over the phone, and I inevitably lose my temper. Also, most phone jobs are pressure cookers where you are aggressively micro-managed by bullying staff screaming at you to get better metrics.

I have found a state agency that assists the disabled in finding work, but they have 30 days to decide whether or not to accept you, and they're budget is limited so you may go on a waiting list. If they accept you they have 90 days to decide to go about how to get you a job. I have 5 months till I lose mine.

I haven't heard of inside sales, I'll have to give that a try. Medical transcription is possible, but the bar to get into it here is very high as every disabled person in ohio (there are legions of us here) are pushed into that field. It's so overcrowded there's a waiting list even for training.

I cannot use a sewing machine no.

[Bhu]

Are there any keywords I can use for 'inside sales' positions? I keep trying at the job sites but all I find a commission jobs for selling product.

[Rockphed]

Are there any keywords I can use for 'inside sales' positions? I keep trying at the job sites but all I find a commission jobs for selling product.

Unfortunately, I cannot think of any. I only know about them because I saw a job listing for it once and have dealt with them from the other end. I think I was literally just typing out every stupid thing that popped up in my head. I'll see if I can find a listing and PM it on to you.

[cobaltstarfire]

Most of them seem to have educational or experience requirements I don't have :(

You should still apply for jobs at places you want to work at or in areas you are interested in if you don't meet the qualifications, you may not qualify for that job, but they may have a job they'd like to give you in another area.

I know it sounds really counter intuitive, but it's the number one thing everyone and their dog tells me when it comes to looking for jobs. Don't be discouraged by the requirements.

Even just office jobs want people to be able to lift move stuff on occasion, but most of them ask "can you move xylbs with or without accommodation?" You probably can meet those requirements with accommodation as long as the job doesn't revolve around lifting and moving, so apply for them anyway.

[Winter_Wolf]

Per a friend who currently has a government job, you don't necessarily have to meet the education requirement for many government positions. If you're lucky enough to know someone in a position to give you said job the application is really just a formality; if not then a combination of education and work experience can help you out. But really the main thing is being able to write convincingly: the KSA is essentially your bragging opportunity and you better exploit that to its fullest. It is the make or break point.

I haven't applied to any positions in a while, but my buddy keeps trying to convince me to do field agent stuff; the other areas are probably a bit more to your spec.

[Bhu]

Per a friend who currently has a government job, you don't necessarily have to meet the education requirement for many government positions. If you're lucky enough to know someone in a position to give you said job the application is really just a formality; if not then a combination of education and work experience can help you out. But really the main thing is being able to write convincingly: the KSA is essentially your bragging opportunity and you better exploit that to its fullest. It is the make or break point.

I haven't applied to any positions in a while, but my buddy keeps trying to convince me to do field agent stuff; the other areas are probably a bit more to your spec.

Whats KSA??

[Winter_Wolf]

Whats KSA??

Knowledge, skills, and uh, well I'm not 100% sure about A. Maybe achievements. Basically a it's not enough to say you worked at job X and your daily duties were Y, you gotta have something at lease a little bit noteworthy beyond basic competence. Mainly the reviewers are looking for your ability to spin (within reason) even something completely mundane into a positive and demonstrate an ability to make even the barest of connections between what you did and the job you're applying for seem relevant. It should probably go without saying, but do not ever fabricate things on government applications. You can definitely play up the relevance of your past experiences to the job, and you should, but lying to the government isn't a great move.

Like I said though, I was being passively recruited for field work, so it's a bit different than office or support roles.

[MrZJunior]

Knowledge, skills, and uh, well I'm not 100% sure about A. Maybe achievements. Basically a it's not enough to say you worked at job X and your daily duties were Y, you gotta have something at lease a little bit noteworthy beyond basic competence. Mainly the reviewers are looking for your ability to spin (within reason) even something completely mundane into a positive and demonstrate an ability to make even the barest of connections between what you did and the job you're applying for seem relevant. It should probably go without saying, but do not ever fabricate things on government applications. You can definitely play up the relevance of your past experiences to the job, and you should, but lying to the government isn't a great move.

Like I said though, I was being passively recruited for field work, so it's a bit different than office or support roles.

The A is for Abilities.

[Brother Oni]

Are there any keywords I can use for 'inside sales' positions? I keep trying at the job sites but all I find a commission jobs for selling product.

In my line of work (pharmaceuticals), we call that 'Technical Services' - essentially we have a technical question regarding their product and the manufacturer can advise us on either on the capabilities of their product or offer other products that can solve our problem.

Depending on the range of products sold, there's a wide variety of questions requiring different technical expertise - a rep could potentially be fielding basic level questions you can read off a script to quite complex ones that need data analysis and some thinking.

As an example, here's the page for a HPLC column manufacturer: Hichrom.

[factotum]

In my line of work (pharmaceuticals), we call that 'Technical Services'

I would hope Bhu would have discovered that himself in the 28 months since he asked that question...