[nabs-l] Some Questions...

[Arielle Silverman]

Hi Kerri,

I think this is an excellent question. I would bet that virtually all
blind people and virtually all sighted people have struggled with this
issue. I have sighted research assistants who have graduated college
and are unsure what to do afterward. Even my father, who was a
successful doctor for twenty years, has struggled with career change
decisions and made a substantial switch in his job in his mid-fifties.
There are a multitude of careers and jobs out there, and it is hard to
choose what you want to do and how that lines up with the jobs that
are actually out there.
I think this is a common issue that has little to do with blindness or
being in training. However, I think there is a huge amount of pressure
placed on blind people to pick a career path as soon as they graduate
high school and to stick with that path forever. In my opinion this
expectation is unrealistic and puts too much pressure on young people
without motivating them. I have heard that the average person switches
jobs every three to five years. Plenty of folks get a degree, work in
one career for a while, then decide to re-train and do something else.
There is nothing wrong with that.
The suggestion I give most people is to just pick something you like,
either a job opportunity that comes up or a college major, and just
stay with it for as long as you like, knowing that you can always
change your mind and do something else later. You can tell voc rehab
that it is your career plan, and if you change your mind later, so be
it.
I also think that finding good mentors in whatever job or college
major you pick is really important for staying motivated. I had
mentors in college who gave me clear and supportive guidance about
what direction to go into, and now my mentors in grad school are
giving me the motivation I need to keep going toward my degree (which
I still don't quite know what I'm doing afterward). It sounds like you
had excellent mentors in training and you can find good mentors in
work and school settings as well. In order to find them, though, you
will need to take a step out and pick something to do, either a job or
a degree. There are plenty of professional folks who want to take on
young people as mentees, in the work world as well as in the NFB.
I believe there are several jobs a blind person could do with just a
high school degree, but getting a college degree will greatly increase
your options. If VR is supporting you, there is little cost in going
to college and getting a degree. While the degree will help you, the
mentoring connections you could make in college, through classes and
extracurricular activities, is equally if not more helpful

Best,
Arielle

On 6/7/13, brooke anderson <brookenicholeanderson at gmail.com> wrote:
> My dear I also struggle with the same. My opinion is if you want to work at
> the Dunkin Donuts,you should. However just remember that it might not be
> something you want to do for the rest of your life. also keep in mind that
> you will most likely have to fight for your job.  many people will think
> that you cannot do it. In reality, if you are good at slating, you can. do
> not give up.
> Nichole.
>
> send from my galaxy note ii
> On Jun 7, 2013 6:44 PM, "Kerri Kosten" <kerrik2006 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi Everyone:
>>
>> I don't want to say too much on a public list, so I am going to try to
>> keep this very general and just ask my questions.
>> Basically, how did you decide what you wanted to do in life for a career?
>> How did you pick your major?
>> If you do not have much confidence in yourself, how did you find out
>> what you were passionate about/wanted to do?
>> How did you find internal motivation?
>> How did you decide whether to go to school, or just get a job?
>> What jobs can blind people do without a degree?
>> What jobs can a blind person do just to gain confidence in themselves
>> until they find direction?
>> I find myself really struggling now that I am out of training. I did
>> really well in training, but the goals I set in training do not apply
>> now in the situation I am in because those goals were training
>> specific. I think I also did really well in training because it was a
>> routine and I got used to it. I was also always told what to do, or
>> knew what I needed to work on in each class.
>> I am really struggling finding motivation now that I am on my own and
>> don't have the training center staff encouraging me, pushing me, and
>> telling me what to do.
>> My problem I think is if I am scared of someone, or I really
>> respect/admire someone, or I am intimidated by someone, I will work as
>> hard as I can and make sure to do everything they say. But, when just
>> left to myself, on my own, I really really struggle to find
>> motivation, make decisions about things, and find direction.
>> Does anyone else find themselves struggling with this kind of thing
>> after training or am I the only one?
>> How have you gotten through it and found direction/your passion and
>> what you wanted to do?
>> The problem is my Rehab counselor called me today. He is someone I
>> really respect. I am now stressing out because I want to at least have
>> a plan for him when I return his call. I at least want him to think
>> that after spending so much money to send me to training, I am
>> motivated and am doing things and taking some sort of action rather
>> than sitting around.
>> But, I have no idea what jobs to look for or what to do. A Dunkin
>> Donuts just opened here recently. Is there anything I could do there?
>> I just want to show my counselor I have been doing something or at
>> least have a plan.
>> Thanks so much, and I look forward to reading your responses!
>> Kerri
>>
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