Already a Voltie? Sign in!

Escape to Voltra!

Join for free

Forums Serious Talk Job suggestions?

Donator — He/They Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/18 22:22:43 )
I'm going to be out of a job soon due to my health, and I can only hope that I'll be able to hold out long enough to put in my two weeks notice and quit properly instead of getting fired for attendance. I was told to have request forms sent in for medical-related intermittent leave, but I don't expect to be here long enough to wait for all that to go through and be effective, nor do I have any idea how much leave I'd actually be able to get, if any. It's too much complication and waiting for too little benefit, especially when the bigger issue is the job itself, not just how much time I spend there.

So long story short, I need to be looking for a new job ASAP.
But what should I be looking for? I'm not qualified for much of anything, as I have only a high school diploma and a few years' worth of retail experience. No management/leadership jobs, no office work, no degrees. So my options are limited enough as it is. Even more so when considering the reason I need to leave my current job: my health problems.

I have Crohn's disease, which is an autoimmune disease that mainly affects the digestive tract, but it also causes other problems like joint pain, muscle pain, and fatigue. The medication I take for it suppresses my immune system, so I'm also more at risk for catching illnesses like cold or flu, and more likely to have a harder time with those things than others if/when I do get sick. With my medication, I'm usually fine while in remission, but I could have a flare-up at any time (could be months or years between flare-ups), which could last from weeks to months, during which my symptoms will be bad enough to keep me from doing much physically at all. When not having a flare-up, I still have to watch out for stress, which is my number one trigger for symptoms.

Lately, my life has been nothing but stress, and it's really starting to have an effect on my health. Paired with the physically demanding nature of my current job (I do maintenance in a retail store that combines this position with cart pusher, and I am the only maintenance person on my shift), I've been having a lot of trouble keeping up lately and frequently have to call in sick. The attendance policy recently changed so that we only get half as many sick days as we had before, so I'm already only one day away from losing my job.

As if that weren't enough, I've been having mental/emotional symptoms keeping me from being able to get my work done, on top of the physical symptoms. I don't know if it's the constant stress or another underlying issue or a combination, but I've been having a lot of anxiety and other problems cropping up here and there, some of which have also been bad enough to keep me from going to work.

Nothing I have is "bad enough" to get Disability (their requirements are extremely specific), and the accommodations that my current workplace would offer just aren't enough. An extra sick day or two each month, if I even qualified for it, wouldn't solve the problem.
I need a job that's less physically strenuous and less stressful. There's not much I can do about my current living situation, which is a major source of my issues, but a change in job would be doable if I could just figure out where to go.

The problem is, most jobs that you can get with my kind of experience and education are just more of the same. I'm a little afraid that I'll end up getting a job and then have to leave or get fired for the same reasons, or worse yet that I won't be able to get a job at all because no one will want to hire someone with health problems that doesn't have a documented disability.

There don't seem to be many options that match my "resume" besides more retail work and food service, but I'm trying to see what's out there. Ideally I'd love to work with plants or animals, as I feel that would really help with my stress and be less physically demanding (depending on the position, of course; being a landscaper or animal control assistant are unfortunately out of the question, despite me having seen openings for these positions that didn't have any required experience). But I know beggars can't be choosers, so I'll take what I can get--as long as it's something that won't drive me back to the hospital after a few months.

So if you guys have any recommendations for jobs that are low-impact for someone with chronic illness, jobs that are understanding and willing to work with people whose health may be unpredictable, or anything else you think I could/should do about my situation, I'd love to hear it.
Report

Donator — She/her Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/18 22:37:23 )

@Uncledaddy: Hey. Things are looking rough right now but this is the beginning of the next chapter of your life. If you are in the US if you get fired from a job you can apply for unemployment. Just don’t sign any papers on your last day of work. You don’t have to sign them to get your money of paycheck. Even if they claim that to be the case.
Then you can be on unemployment while looking for your next job.

I don’t know what part of the US you are in but I have found a lot of work though being a temp employee. Type in temp agency into google to find places near you. There are different companies but they pretty much work the same.
You give them your resume, you get interviewed by them. They ask you about what you would like to do, your goals and if you don’t know they will help you. You could start out doing office work like paper filing, front desk work or I even got to work at a museum for a day checking people in.
They will call you up when they receive a job that matches you. The job could be for a week, a day, several months they are all different. You can decline any job if you don’t like it or can’t do it. They can’t make you take the job.
The pay will be a little lower than if you weren’t a temp but honestly they are the ones finding you work and you can get a lot of experience then leave to find something permanent.


Report
By Ghost
https://www.threads.net/@hannahfoll____
Discord: Totalanimefan
@me
I'm friendly and will chat with anyone!


Donator — He/They Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/19 01:42:06 )
As far as I'm aware, I can't get unemployment if I quit my job or get fired, only if I get laid off. I don't know much about temp agencies, but I can look into it more.
Report

Donator — He/They Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/21 21:34:32 )

I appreciate your response; not a lot of people would bother taking the time to go over all that.

I had looked into transcription work at one point, though it didn't seem like a good solution for me at the time, I think due to needed training/experience. I will look back into it, though; there might be new opportunities with different requirements.

The temp agency is not my favorite since they've got poor reviews around here, but I'm keeping it as an option if I can't find something on my own.

Other remote stuff like surveys, etc might be OK to fill in some of the gaps, but of course not a long-term solution as those won't pay the bills (which I have a good few of, unfortunately).

As for VR, I have a very negative experience with that due to some past issues, so unless I came down with a very obvious physical impairment of some kind, I probably won't be touching them with a ten foot pole ever again. I don't have any documented disabilities and never have, so I doubt there'd be much they could do anyway that I can't do myself.

I think I just need to keep looking and applying for nearby jobs that don't sound like they require a lot of physical work. I don't know what to do yet about future long-term career goals; I know where I'd like to go, but I'm not totally sure what sort of "backup career" would work best for me in the meantime. Probably something with plants or animals, which is where I'm focusing most of my search efforts. If I found work in a floral department or something, I could move up to some kind of floral design or greenhouse job after I got more experience. If I started off in a pet store or animal shelter, maybe, having more experience caring for pets could lead me to something like pet sitting, training, or more involved shelter work. I'm more iffy on that one because there's definitely more stress and physical exertion involved, as well as more training and experience required for most related positions. Pet care isn't really in line with my ultimate goals; it's just something I'd be OK with doing as opposed to normal retail or food service jobs. I've also looked into some places like Starbucks, because even though they don't pay much (nothing I'm qualified for does), they have some benefits for part-time employees and it would at least be less physically intense than what I do now. Not sure how I feel about going to another big company like that, but at least there's some security in it vs working for a smaller local shop. I like the idea of being in a small shop, as it would definitely be less stressful, but it's much harder to find any openings among those, as they tend to be family run and/or don't have more than a bare-bones website, and often can't afford to take on new hires.

So either way, I guess I just need to start looking again and putting out applications. I'm going to put in my two weeks notice at work today. I wanted to wait until I had something else lined up, but I'm just too sick too often to wait it out. I haven't even had the time to apply anywhere because of my job.

Report

Donator — He/They Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/21 22:37:59 )

Thanks

I ended up calling in sick today, which is my last attendance point, so if I come in late or call in again, I'm fired. But at this point I don't care much any more; I just started another medication and came down with a cold on the same day and haven't recovered from whatever's been going on lately (chest/rib pains, trouble breathing, etc). I think that's more important. I'll start looking through my bookmarks and applying for stuff tonight, and put in my two weeks' notice tomorrow.

Report

Donator — UWU/ Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/21 22:42:21 )
@Count Trashula: Hi there, I think you can still apply for unemployment benefit in USA according to the site: https://employment-law.freeadvice.com/employment-law/firing/receiving_insurance.htm

you can only not get qualified if you get fired from misconduct in which you dont. I hope it helps.

in the mean time, have you considered looking at free courses that matches your need for employment?
Report

Donator — He/They Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/21 22:53:50 )

@Kairu: I have; it's just that those will take time (and money if I can't find a free one that suits my needs) and what I need is a "right now" solution, as I don't think my job will hold out for however long it would take to get some kind of certification and find a new job using that. Basically I plan to find online courses and certifications instead of trying to go back to college, as that's more trouble than it's worth these days. But that will have to wait until I'm a little more stable. In the meantime, I just need a source of income so I can pay my bills and not have a huge gap in my employment history.

As for unemployment, I just looked it up for my state. You can't get it if you get fired for "violating a written attendance policy", but if you can be proven to have a "good reason" (which is apparently subjective to the person you take the case up with), you may be able to get it after quitting. If I cite my health problems as a reason for not being able to continue my normal job duties, it may or may not qualify. I guess if it comes down to it and I don't find a new job before my two weeks' notice is up, all I can really do is go and ask about it.

Report

Donator — UWU/ Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/21 23:08:17 )
@Count Trashula: that makes sense. My mom is relying on job agencies to get her what she needs in employment. I know that agencies are tricky. but because of the situation, I'd try for them instead.

Can anyone else in your family help you with your bills? or a friend who can help while sorting out the job hunt?

I would offer you an interesting free course. Its Software Testing. You can become an office person in IT field and I think the envronment is good in general. https://alison.com/courses/software-testing

the official certification is usually paid but letting employer knows that you are learning this might give you a boost.
Report
月の兎 ☆★☆ 鹿の光
カイル • WISHLIST

Donator — He/They Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/02/22 11:19:14 )

@Kairu: I have some money saved up, so I'll be OK for at least a few weeks/months if I'm careful. If I really need it, my friend who's going to be living with me when the house gets fixed up has said she's willing to help me out while I search for work. Hopefully it won't have to come to that.

tbh I'm not very tech-savvy and never had much interest in computer stuff, but I appreciate the link; I'll give it a look.

Report
ALWAYS PING ME

Donator — She/her Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/03/2 00:26:16 )
My sister in law has a serious immune disorder as well that limits her job option. She loves legos and over the past few years she has created a a rather good business buying and selling legos such as buying bulk orders and breaking them up for consumers dont have to buy 50,000 of one type of brick when they only need 2. or buys limited edition sets and makes a profit.
something i personally suggest is starbucks. if you can find a part time position youd get medical (if you need it) great sick AND vacation leave, super flexible hours (at least at everyone ive ever worked at.)
I used to work with a woman who had cancer. She was a stubborn woman and worked every day she absolutely could. She was doing low impact work or on register most of the day. and her sick time built up fast so when she did need to take a week off for health, she was actually able to since she had the time and our manger was helpful.
But i mainly say Starbucks because they will pay for your college to ASU online, and i did that. And if you have the extra time you can get a free degree to better your life in the future. And it is online so you wouldnt have to lug yourself to a class on the hard days (i was thankful for this)
Id also think a front desk job would be good, maybe at a school, office, or anything that has a secretary.
Report

Donator Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/03/26 04:56:05 )
I had similar problems when I was in college and working for just minimum wage. Just about the only things you can do are food service and retail, and it was very hard for me to stand up for long periods of time due to a back injury. I'd get home after work and collapse. I literally had to crawl to get into the bathtub or into bed. It was killing me.

My solution was to work for a call center. The job is really, really terrible. Strangers on the phone will say things as nasty as any internet troll while you're trying to give them customer service, sell them a product, request a donation, or ask for payment on a bill. I've worked at several of those jobs. They're not pleasant. But I stuck with it until I graduated from college and could get a cushy office job. Because those jobs have a very wide variety in hours, they offer great bonuses and often good benefits, and they let you sit down all day. I made twice minimum wage at the time, got frequent bonuses, had the option of insurance, and picked my shift. I know that when you have digestive issues there are other considerations to worry about, but for joint and muscle pain...that was a really great relief. And call centers are everywhere. We have Sprint, General Motors, and Amazon all in my very small town!
Report

Donator — He/They Posted 5 years ago ( 2019/03/26 10:03:02 )

I had looked into call center type jobs at one point, though I don't really think it's for me.
As far as other experience/skills go, I really don't have any. I don't have my own home, so I can't explore any sort of hobbies or passions that would have any job potential; I have been too busy/tired/not on the right schedule to do any kind of volunteering or join any clubs/groups. TBH I'm just trying to survive without going back to the hospital at this point, and in the past few months I haven't even been managing that very well. I haven't had the opportunities and experiences afforded to me that others my age have had, and I feel like I have nothing to offer except what little is on my resume. Two jobs, both with the same company, which didn't teach me anything other than basic low-level retail labor. So I feel like I'm stuck with similar low-level jobs until I either inch my way up by getting slightly different/more specialized jobs over time, or find the time and money to go back to school and learn a trade.
So far, I did apply to Starbucks because while it's still a fast-paced environment that would have me at the register a lot (not ideal), it's hopefully a better work environment than my previous job and has better benefits. I need to get my own health insurance, but I can't afford it with the crappy pay these kinds of jobs give, so maybe at least getting a discount through an employer would make it doable. It's the only company I know of that offers insurance to part-timers, at least among jobs I'm "qualified" for.

Report
AKA Count Trashula

You must be logged in to post

Login now to reply
Don't have an account? Sign up for free!
Having you as a Voltie would be awesome.