[nfb-talk] Some Job Questions...

Sat Nov 23 14:33:25 UTC 2013

Hello:  You indicate in your e-mail that you don't know what you want to do.  One thing you might consider is going to your local Workforce Development Center and taking one of those career tests, or whatever they call them.  It might get you pointed in a direction you didn't expect.  You might exhibit interests you didn't know you had.
Dick Davis at Blind Inc. in Minneapolis would be an excellent resource to tap as well.
Best of luck to you, and I do hope you can get your life turned around, my friend.  

Best Regards,
Michael D. Barber, President
National Federation of the Blind of Iowa

Cordially,
Michael D. Barber

> On Nov 22, 2013, at 10:45 PM, Kerri Kosten <kerrik2006 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Everyone:
> 
> Thanks so much for all your responses!
> Maybe I should give a little more details about my situation.
> I have had two years of college previously. Last January, I graduated
> from LCB. The problem with me is I have a very hard time motivating
> myself. At LCB I thrived because I was always pushed and was held
> accountable for everything. But, since I've graduated I've really
> struggled with motivating myself, with my self-esteem, my
> self-confidence, and thinking positively.
> I am trying to turn my life around and so I figured I'd check the
> classified ads in the newspaper every day and apply for jobs that seem
> like simple jobs I could possibly do. I have also applied back to
> school. I figured if I were to get one of these jobs I could just work
> for a while, and if none of these jobs work out I could go back to
> school.
> I don't exactly know what I want to do;I just know doing nothing is
> making me miserable and depressed.
> I don't necessarily want to go into the food/restaurant business. I
> just saw the ad for Panerra Bread and the pretzel place.
> If I contact my business enterprise cafeteria will that prepare me for
> a temporary job like I am looking for or will they expect me to
> actually enter the food/restaurant business as a career?
> Thanks,
> Kerri
> 
>> On 11/22/13, Michael Bullis <bullis.michael at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I think you're on the right track if you think about how to do a job rather
>> than how to get the job.  Because, once you're comfortable that you can do
>> it, you can more likely get it.
>> So, go down to your local Business Enterprise cafeteria and ask them to let
>> you learn how to run the dishwasher and operate the cash register.  Maybe
>> at
>> first you just start out with the dishwasher and get comfortable with how
>> it
>> works and then where the dishes go, Etc.
>> Then, you ask for more responsibility.  Along the way they may or may not
>> pay you.  But you shouldn't focus on that.  Just focus on learning what a
>> food service kitchen and operation is all about.
>> I've owned several restaurants and started out in the Randolph-Shepard
>> (Business Enterprise) program.
>> As far as making pretzels, try to read some things about how pretzels are
>> made and see if they help you see what's involved in doing it.  Then, go to
>> a pretzel making place and ask them to show you how they make them.
>> If they do it by hand or machine it will be different, or, if they do it
>> Like Ben and I did it, like buying them frozen, that's different as well.
>> Most modern places make them themselves.
>> The reason I would start out with business enterprise is that they're going
>> to be more comfortable with a blind guy.
>> Even today, even having run several food operations for ten or fifteen
>> years, I'm not sure your average restaurant manager would be comfortable
>> with me wandering around in his kitchen.  The average employer doesn't know
>> what you can do and will be nervous about it.  If you are comfortable that
>> you can do things, that helps grately.
>> Cash registers in the average business don't talk, so, unless you get very
>> lucky, that's going to be a problem.  Although, I do hear some talking
>> registers now and then.  Otherwise, they're all digital and not accessible
>> without substantial modification that costs far more money than a minimum
>> wage employee is worth.  But, again, you have the business enterprise
>> program to learn at because they will have talking cash registers, or, some
>> very old cash registers that don't talk, but also don't do much else, like
>> tracking inventory as it is sold, or processing credit cards.
>> I'd be glad to talk with you more about this off line.  It's a very doable
>> thing you want to do, but, you'll have to know your strengths and skills if
>> you want the average restaurant or pretzel seller manager to hire you.
>> Mike Bullis
>> Baltimore
>> Bullis.michael at gmail.com
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfb-talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Prows,
>> Bennett (HHS/OCR)
>> Sent: Friday, November 22, 2013 1:46 PM
>> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] Some Job Questions...
>> 
>> Kerri and Listers,
>> 
>> There are a lot of blind folks in the food industry. The "business
>> enterprises" programs in your state could probably answer some of your
>> questions. I don't know the ins and outs of running a food business, but
>> there are devices that will help a blind person function nicely at a cash
>> register, cooking, etc.
>> 
>> Not knowing the pretzel making duties, I wouldn't' advise in any way, but
>> imagine that it isn't hard to use alternative techniques to make them. I
>> know, that the NFB of Oregon sold "hot soft pretzels" at an October fest
>> for
>> several years, and that only required the microwaving of the pretzels after
>> preparing the frozen pretzel with proper amounts of salt, etc. But that's
>> about as much info as I have on the whole subject. I'm sure there are
>> others
>> on the list that can and will respond.
>> 
>> If you are interested in food businesses, contact our Blind Merchants
>> Division for much more help than I have been.
>> 
>> /s/
>> 
>> Bennett Prows
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfb-talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kerri
>> Kosten
>> Sent: Thursday, November 21, 2013 3:12 PM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list; Blind Talk Mailing
>> List; NFB Talk Mailing List; Ed McDonald
>> Subject: [nfb-talk] Some Job Questions...
>> 
>> Hi Everyone:
>> 
>> I am considering applying for some jobs and had a few questions.
>> Antians Pretzels (a pretzel place in the mall) is looking for "crew
>> members." I have been told this means someone to make the pretzels and
>> serve
>> them to the customers, and someone to likely run the register and take the
>> pretzel orders.
>> There is a restaurant called Panara Bread (a popular sandwich chain)
>> opening
>> soon in my area and they are hiring for all positions.
>> I am considering applying at these places.
>> Is there any way a blind person can run a cash register?
>> Is there actually anything I could do at these places as a blind person or
>> will they immediately look at my blindness and turn me away?
>> I won't go into full details on a listserve, but I am trying to turn my
>> life
>> around and one of the ways I thought I could do this was to find a simple
>> job that would give me confidence, something to do, and to show me that I
>> can in fact work.
>> I'll admit, this is my first time applying for a job. If I apply, and they
>> ask me to come in for an interview, and they say something like "So, what
>> can you do?" if I'm not sure myself what I can do how do I respond?
>> In the past I've just made the excuse that because of my blindness there is
>> nothing I could do when looking for jobs and just given up but if I want to
>> turn things around I have to do something and applying for jobs is one of
>> the things I can think of to do.
>> Thanks,
>> Kerri
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfb-talk mailing list
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nfb-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/bennett.prows%40hhs.go
>> v
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfb-talk mailing list
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nfb-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/bullis.michael%40gmail
>> .com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfb-talk mailing list
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nfb-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/kerrik2006%40gmail.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nfb-talk mailing list
> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nfb-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/michael.nfbi%40gmail.com