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In my experience, minimum or low-wage jobs tend to have management that is draconian and somewhat insane. LOL.
That sounds right to me – the part about not connecting due to distraction. There are many things other people say that I can’t listen to no matter how hard I try. They sound like the adults in the Charlie Brown cartoons. Wa wa wa wa wa. But other times, people will say things that I can key into with a high degree of focus. Probably it would be good to track those times and look for patterns.
Thanks for the kind words. It is a big deal to be the breadwinner. And the people I worked for are, in fact, the worst personnel managers I have ever worked for – it just isn’t their thing. They are in their own world. Like a lot of creatives, they are not good at tracking their finances, either.
It took them years to figure out what they really needed as opposed to what they thought they needed from employees, so they used to hire people who were super well-qualified, who would then get frustrated and quit, because the truth was the partners never wanted to delegate or share creative responsibility with anyone. I eventually pointed out to them that they should hire less qualified people who would just show up and do the grunt work – and after they started doing that, they had much higher employee retention.
I have thought about retraining as a bookkeeper/accounting person. What I know, I learned on the job. I have no formal training. I also have marginal math skills – which are not needed if I have an adding machine, an Excel spreadsheet, and a computerized check ledger – but I really don’t understand the broader meaning or context of what I’m doing. If I wanted to get that training, I’d need to take remedial pre-Algebra math at the community college, and then take accounting courses over a span of years. It would be, I think, a good practical skill – and one that can travel into all kinds of industries. It’s just that it is not in my area of natural aptitude, and it might bore me so much it would take me a long time to learn and be a very painful process. Been there, done that, with skills that don’t come naturally. Once I knew how to do it, I’d probably be fine, because I like methods and routines that are repeatable and verifiable and not open to interpretation.
What would be great about it is that it is a low-key job most of the year (except during tax season) – people wouldn’t bother me, I wouldn’t have to talk to anyone, and I could just quietly trundle in, do my thing, and go away. That’s the type of job atmosphere that works best for me.
I wouldn’t want to be a public school teacher, although I do really enjoy high school kids. What I’d like to do is be an ADHD coach, maybe go into schools and explain to their Special Ed people what kids with ADHD really need, what ADHD is and how it impacts learning. Because from dealing with my son’s school, it is obvious to me that not even the Special Ed teacher understands. But I don’t know how realistic a goal that is – it’s just something I think about and care about because I don’t want other people to suffer needlessly. In reality, I’d probably be at my best coaching one-on-one.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to be a writer.
But everything I want to do costs money, instead of being a source of income.
Also, I’ve done retraining a couple of times and not been able to find employment. I’m not good at self-promotion – I could probably learn to be if I had confidence in the skills I was offering. I’m not a schmoozer or a big personality. I’m easily overstimulated and prefer a low-key environment.
People are getting out of college and not finding jobs. There was a story about an older guy who went back to school and got a computer science degree – and then no one would hire him because he was old.
So, I’m wondering what jobs might fit my temperament. I’m also wondering what jobs are good for older people, where age is perceived as an asset instead of as a liability. A counselor can be old because age is supposed to include wisdom and maturity, LOL. Where does age lend credibility to a role? Professional wizard? I don’t know.
😉
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