[nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy

Sun Nov 17 14:26:33 UTC 2013

I've also encountered those individuals who will not assist in the
acquisition of a job amongst the Blind. That is unfortunate and selfish.  

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of melissa Green
Sent: Sunday, November 17, 2013 9:02 AM
To: jsoro620 at gmail.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy

joe.
very well said.
Good luck in pursuing the company that you want to work for.
as for the economy I don't believe its to blame for everything.
I think that there are many employers that believe that blind people can't
do anything.
So this is the aproach that they take to hiring us.
Then there is the belief that you have to have vision to do anything.
then there are blind people who are working and are afraid to help another
blind person get a job.
These have been my experiences.
I apreciate this discussion because it is giving me things to consider.
I am using my finding a job as a learning opportunity and an opportunity for
growth within myself.
It is hard.
But I haven't given up on finding a job either.
I have also taken into account that I may not find a job.
that is a scary thought.
But it could happen.
so I need to figure out alternatives.
just my two cents.
Best,
Melissa R. Green and Pj
COAGDU President
"We love because he first loved us."

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe" <jsoro620 at gmail.com>
To: "'NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLIND STUDENTS'" <NABS-L at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, November 15, 2013 9:15 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Stop Blaming the Economy

Tyler,

The difficulty in finding clients for your web development skills is a
marketing issue, not a general employment concern. I'm not belittling your
frustration of finding customers, but hustling for clients is part of the
nature of an entrepreneur, regardless of whether you set up a full business
or just sell yourself. Outside of Craigslist, which I would never recommend
because of their general decline where service advertisement is concerned, I
would look into Elance and Odesk. You'll need to be careful with clients
interested in low bids over top talent, but that's going to be true no
matter what website forum you set up shop. You'll need to advertise across
social networks, pick up the phone and make cold calls, and yes, in some
cases you'll need to volunteer at first to prove your worth before someone
hires you. That's how I picked up Serotek as a client. The crazy thing is
that even after you secure new business, you still need to devote time to
marketing for more, because you never know when the safety net will drop out
from under you.

I see you've set up a website, but it does nothing to motivate me to hire
you as a developer. That's not a personal slam. It's candid feedback from a
prospective customer.

Finding business is a full-time job, and I understand if balancing that with
school is problematic at this stage of your life. But, especially in your
high demand field, more skill really does mean more job opportunities. Don't
let the stupid media landscape of grim job statistics discourage you from
pushing the kind of service you say you're qualified to deliver. It's not
what the rest of the economy is up to. It's about what Tyler can
specifically help my company do better.

Remember, blind people were finding and keeping jobs long before we had
today's technological conveniences. The NFB operation began with a dozen
blind people working with far less at our disposal, and while some would
argue the NFB is different because it's a social cause, it's because it was
a social cause that it took grit and elbow grease to make it get off the
ground. A nonprofit is a business like any other, and if our past leaders
had just crossed their arms and said, "Well, crap, I guess that's that," we
would have never seen the organization we have today.

Before I move onto Bridgit, let me ask you something in all sincerity. I've
now written half a dozen posts with optimistic encouragement and
suggestions. You may not like my viewpoint, but I think I've done a fair job
of backing up my assertions. What's your alternative? All I've read from you
is that the economy sucks, that jobs are too hard to get and that I'm
basically delusional for thinking anything different. Never mind that I and
many others are the evidence that disprove your gloom and doom way of
thinking. Surely you are not suggesting we are anomalies. So, tell us, what
would you suggest to the struggling unemployed person who is desperate for a
job? Are you basically saying to give up and it sucks to be you? If you
offer no alternative, you're basically advocating for the status quo, and
you've already said the status quo is no good. So, I am genuinely confused
by your logic.

Bridgit,

First, let's touch on the point about the number of jobs. It would be great
if all the jobs we wanted were available where we live. I think we have to
reach a point where it makes sense to question whether the area we live in
is open to the kind of qualifications I can bring to the market. For
example, I would not live in Maine and hope to easily break into screen
writing, nor would it be as feasible for me to be a rising star on Wall
Street while living in Oklahoma. Is it possible? Anything's possible, but
certain regions of the country are better suited for my skills than others.
Grant writing is one service I offer as part of my side business, and I live
in the perfect place for it given the highest concentration of nonprofits in
the country. The persistent evolution of the Internet of things will help
bridge some of these gaps, but until our generation fully takes over the job
market, we will still have to fight against outdated views that people need
to be in a traditional office to get the work done.

Second, to your point about qualifications, it makes sense to think through
what it is we're studying in school before investing in it. Liberal arts
aren't going to make people that marketable outside of academic circles, and
that's coming from a guy who may as well have graduated with a liberal arts
degree. If the qualifications are severely restricting the kind of jobs I
can get, something's wrong with what I studied. That's why I'm a big
proponent of taking a gap year to figure out yourself and what it is you're
really passionate about before spending thousands of dollars in a very
expensive education program.

Next, employers are humans just like we are. Their reactions are going to
run a diverse range, but job hunting is a numbers game. There's nothing we
can do to eliminate people who take a dim view of blind people, and let's be
honest. Their views would not change even if the economy was booming. If
they did not discriminate against me for being blind, they might
discriminate against me for being Hispanic, male, immigrant, tall, etc. The
only cold comfort I can offer is keep applying or move to an area with more
open minds.

Finding a job after spending years as a stay-at-home parent is not easy, nor
is it fair. A stay-at-home mom knows more about running a company than the
CEO given her responsibilities of time management, budgeting, planning and
executing, but you know, the more I think about these qualities, the more
they could make for a compelling resume. You're a great writer. Something
tells me you more than others will find creative ways of conveying your
talents. Not every employer will bite, but the one that does will be an
awesome match.

And, generally speaking to the list, I guess that's all I have. There is
such a thing is diminishing returns for people who refuse to listen to
something other than the tired arguments that it's the fault of the economy
or my disability or the next-door neighbor. I am accused of being too
idealistic, but when real unemployment strikes, it's very easy to begin
questioning your self-worth. When I'm down in the dumps and wondering if I
stumbled down the wrong path in life, I would personally rather here of how
I might just make my passion work instead of constant reminders that we have
it so bad for being blind and for having to compete against so many
applicants.

To each his own. Me, there's a company I've been eager to work for these
past few years. I believe next year I'll make a resolution to get off my ass
and earn at least a part-time  contract there. Statistics be damned. They'd
be lucky to have me working for them. Arrogant? Absolutely, but it's one of
many possible ways to separating the great from the good. The key is
figuring out the approach that makes you better.

To your success,

Joe

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