Category: Jobs and Employment
hello everyone,
I wrote this for my blog, but I thought I'd also post it here. I'm overjoyed at my new-found employment, and I wanted to share my story with all of you, especially those who might be feeling a little disheartened by the whole search for employment. It's a little long, but I hope some of you will find it interesting.
The Suit Noob Banker - Part I
In the autumn of 2004 I struck out on my own from Prince George and settled in the drippy city of Nanaimo. After a couple months I landed my first job, that as a technical support representative for Microsoft. It was a thankless job, and I worked it for nearly four years. There was laughter, frustration, learning, corporate poo-buttery,human silliness, tempermental computers and countless muted microphone rants. It inspired what many consider my most amusing story to date – careful, a little swearing – and I gained some valuable skills, chief among them patience and low-level computer upkeep. But all mediocre things must come to an end as they say in – oh heck, I just made that up. After nearly four years I got married, and a month later I was given the bronze handshake – laid off from NCO due “officially” to accessibility issues with new software.
For the last four years I’ve searched this squelchy port city for meaningful and long-term employment, with the desire to provide Chelsea and I with a comfortable life riding on my back like a lice-ridden monkey. Rejected from Shaw Communications twice, I sought less ambitious customer service employment opportunities for a long time. It was all I knew; all I felt qualified for. I dreamed of going a different direction, but I never honestly believed I’d have an opportunity to get out of such dead-end work.
In the last two years I’ve had the opportunity – however fleeting of working with some wonderful individuals. I’ve gained experience in documentary and feature writing, narration, promotion and even audio transcription. I’ve discovered a love for audio design and have created two audio theatre pieces , the Noire inspired A Contract of Souls, and the alternate world fantasy Dreamlight. And I’ve discovered that while I have very little aptitude for it, I actually do have a little bit of talent in playing the piano and keyboard. But none of these experiences could have prepared me for the direction my professional life would take me. I said not long ago that no matter what happens this year, life wouldn’t be the same. How right I was.
Please indulge me while I create a little bit of context. Last summer I was visiting my local TD bank here at Beaufort Center, and on a whim I asked a teller one day just what sort of experience I would need in order to be considered to work there. At that point I was really willing to try almost anything besides prostitution and telemarketing. After briefly explaining the kind of work I’d done in the past, she highly suggested I apply, as they were hiring. And so I did the unthinkable in this day and age. I introduced myself and my disability to their manager, and I left her with a resume, completely bypassing the online process. I expected little, yet I was bolstered by a few positive references and a reasonably decent resume. I thought it would be perfect! I could help people, learn about the overwhelming yet essential world of finance, and walk to work every day.
Chelsea was thrilled, and very supportive. She felt that while I wouldn’t get this job, it would lead me to something else in the near future. Even though I had an in, I still had to spend some time going through the online application process. Next came the phone interview, which was a step further than I’d gotten in a long time. and then it happened. The manager who I’d already introduced myself to called me in for an interview. Though I tried to maintain a calm exterior, secretly I was ecstatic.
But the promising interview came and went, and in the end I was positively rejected. I say positively because though I wasn’t hired, it was one of the more optimistic rejections I’ve received. The manager passed my resume along to another division of TD, and after yet another promising interview for an IT position I wasn’t really comfortable with – or qualified for - I was once again turned down. Nevertheless everyone in the branch kept telling me to keep applying. For the first time I wasn’t as disheartened by a rejection. I’d never considered going into banking, but now that it was a thought in my mind, I found myself hard-pressed to let it go.
Fast forward to January 2012. Chelsea’s newly-found pregnancy turned our world upside down and stripped off all its what-ifs. Suddenly all those big decisions we kept putting off became of the utmost importance. How will we support ourselves? And where would we live? Would we stay in Nanaimo, or move to Ontario like we kept saying we’d do? At the time I was part of the Lime Connect program, which worked with participating businesses to reach out to potential employees with various disabilities. The thirteenth of January saw me attending an employment conference in Vancouver where I would have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with potential employers for informational interviews. And who was there? Not one, but three banks, one of which was TD. Perfect!
The conference went great. TD seemed overjoyed to see me again, and I was supposed to hear from them in the coming weeks. BMO seemed interested too, though I wasn’t sure what they really thought. The only bank which didn’t seem all that impressed with my credentials was RBC. They made it a point to explain that sales experience was a major asset, and while I’d done some up-selling and promotion, that’s one area of expertise I was sorely lacking. Nevertheless they liked me as a person.
After that, Chelsea and I decided to give Nanaimo until the beginning of may. If nothing came of this conference, or if I couldn’t find anything else, we’d migrate to theoretical bigger and better opportunities in Ontario. At least there we’d be closer to family.
Then we lost our little one, and as quick as that, everything changed again. Nevertheless we held to our plan.
Weeks passed, and I heard nothing from TD. But RBC, the one company who didn’t seem interested contacted me, and I found myself going through the same steps as before; online application, phone interview, and after many weeks, a real interview with real people. By this time I didn’t kid myself with any expectations. Yet I found myself working hard to research the company and its values. I felt the need to work harder than I ever had before. Perhaps it was my barely disguised apprehension of moving to Ontario. Or maybe I’d traveled so far down the rope of rejection that I’d finally come to the Neuse at its end. But I was determined to leave a good impression if nothing else; one last horraw as a testament of all I’d learned about job-seeking. And so I prepared for whatever would happen.
The interview went extremely well, but then most of them had, right? I was very up-front about who I was, what I was, and what I could do. I explained that I’ve always loved people, and that working in a financial institution would give me a great opportunity to teach others to take charge of their finances, and learn about them myself. I left the interview feeling really good, but not expecting anything to come of it. By then I had resigned myself to the impending move. Maybe I wasn’t looking forward to it exactly, but I was beginning to imagine the possibilities instead of dwelling on the trials.
The call came the next day. The moment I picked up the phone and heard my interviewer’s voice, I felt sure I’d be rejected. I even shook my head and mouthed “no” to Chelsea. I can’t see facial expressions, but I imagine my eye balls must have nearly dribbled out of their sockets when he said “we would like to offer you the job”.
I felt the world dim a little. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. I almost asked him
The interview went extremely well, but then most of them had, right? I was very up-front about who I was, what I was, and what I could do. I explained that I’ve always loved people, and that working in a financial institution would give me a great opportunity to teach others to take charge of their finances, and learn about them myself. I left the interview feeling really good, but not expecting anything to come of it. By then I had resigned myself to the impending move. Maybe I wasn’t looking forward to it exactly, but I was beginning to imagine the possibilities instead of dwelling on the trials.
The call came the next day. The moment I picked up the phone and heard my interviewer’s voice, I felt sure I’d be rejected. I even shook my head and mouthed “no” to Chelsea. I can’t see facial expressions, but I imagine my eye balls must have nearly dribbled out of their sockets when he said “we would like to offer you the job”.
I felt the world dim a little. I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. I almost asked him
Is anybody still with me? Will if so, I thank you. Here's the next part. I want to sincerely appologize for the formatting. I have it all organized into paragraphs, but the zone isn't having any of it.
The Suit Noob Banker - Part II
Have you ever had one of those jobs which fills you with palpable dread and foreboding the minute you begin thinking about the next day of work? I have. But I’m pleased to say this entry isn’t going to talk about that. In truth, my first weeks of training at RBC have been educational, interesting and, dare I say actually rather enjoyable?
It took a long time to get established at RBC. Due to all the accommodations, paperwork and vacation to Michigan, I ended up starting training a month after my original start date. I mentioned in passing the accommodations assessment. Essentially it was an hour of me explaining every facet of myself and my blindness to a lady who took meticulous notes and asked a lot of questions. In the end, we established that I would need three things. A screen reader (Jaws in this case) to read the vast flow of information. A screen magnification program which will allow me to navigate, and read everything on my computer screen. And a desktop magnifier. This will allow me to read the various evil works of paper handed to me, such as cheques, bills, pieces of ID and sloppily written robbery notes. Here’s hoping that last doesn’t happen. In addition the bank also ordered me not one, but two 24 inch computer monitors. I’m not sure why they did two, and in truth I wasn’t sure how helpful even one would be. But I’ve found it makes things a great deal easier, and I am very thankful to have it.
Special mention must be made to my Smart View desktop magnifier. It’s essentially a large computer screen with a swivel arm-mounted camera which pans 360 degrees. With it I am able to see straight across a room or down a long hallway in vivid detail. I can pick out the details of someone walking thirty feet away. To put it in perspective, I’d be able to see a person at five feet. I’d know their gender and a few general features. Ten feet and I’d only be able to tell you there was a person standing there. This piece of equipment revolutionizes how I see. It also acts as a means of reading text and seeing the minute details in objects. Imagine thinking a piece of cloth is a solid color with no pattern, only to zoom in and discover a spectrum of vivid designs you didn’t even know it held. It’s a whole new way to see, and if they ever succeed in miniaturizing it to the point where it becomes completely portable, life might just get a whole lot simpler.
I am pleased to report that there was enough put in place at the dawn of my first day at RBC to make participating in the e-classroom learning programs more or less accessible. I am still waiting for a screen reader, but the magnification program I use does have reasonable screen-reading capabilities which I’ve been able to adapt to.
My first few days of training were spent familiarizing myself with the branch, new accessibility software and pieces of RBC communication software – Microsoft Outlook, Office Communicator (Like Messenger) and a program called SABA. This last is a program which coordinates our e-classroom learning. We have thirty-two students in BC, Alberta, Ontario and somewhere in the North-west Territories. We meet via voice over IP for one to two classroom sessions every day. These sessions, while primarily educational are extremely interactive. We are encouraged to ask questions and discuss the answers. There is a fair bit of book learning too via an online E-campus. But some of that is out-of-date, and so we’re asked to focus primarily on the class notes and learning binder. The material started off simple enough, but more on that later. The only problem is that good old SABA uses a lot of features which a totally blind person would be lost with, such as an interactive white board which can show anything from notes, to power-point slides, to the instructor’s computer screen itself. This means I usually have to read text visually, which is something I don’t do very fast.
It’s been a little difficult getting accustomed to everything. But that’s alright. Before I even started I had the opportunity to talk to a lady in Kamloops who has worked for RBC for two years. She too is visually impaired, though to a lesser extent. It’s been really great talking to her. I felt a great deal better after doing so. She also introduced me to the Reach program, which is a sort of support group for RBC employees with disabilities. But it gets better. My instructor is extremely understanding and willing to accommodate anything I need. She sends me documents electronically, and though they’re in PDF format, they are pretty easy to navigate through. In addition I am in contact with an IT specialist in Ontario who knows a fair bit about JAWS, and Zoom Text. Knowing I can have accessibility questions answered makes me feel much more confident. That knowledge that if something really doesn’t work, RBC will attempt to find ways to make it work is something I’ve never had before.
The support doesn’t stop there. In truth, I have been overwhelmed by how supportive and genuinely interested people in the branch are with me. Everyone is incredible there. They aren’t just people who work at the same place. They’re people who work together. Cheesy perhaps, but accurate. I’ve never experienced a positive environment quite like this. It’s miles away from my time at NCO. They treat me like a human being – a co-worker who is valued an interesting as a person. They are interested in my blindness too, and I’m completely okay with answering their questions.
The training program itself is really as easy as we make it. At least that’s what I’d like to think. I’ve learned a great deal about how to facilitate day-to-day transactions. In truth I understand the how of the job reasonably well. The when on the other hand is certainly a brain-full. They teach you in a very black-and-white manner. This is what you need to conduct this transaction, this is how you obtain it, this is when you ask for that, and this is how you recognize this. Was that confusing in a vague, uninformative sort of way? Well that’s sort of how I feel. I soon learned that there is a lot of gray to this job, and a lot of it has to do with common sense. We’re quickly taught to act on instinct when dealing with suspicious transactions. This is money. And because money makes many people’s worlds turn we’re taught the various ways to recognize fraud and money laundering. And all that is pretty easy. But the sheer amount of information and policy is staggering! There are forms to fill out, and forms detailing how to fill out those forms … Okay, perhaps I’m embellishing a little. But you get the idea. The information is vast, and many times I find myself drowning in it. And even in that everyone’s been very supportive. It’s been drilled into me that there’s no way to accumulate all that information without experiencing transactions first hand. All of this will come in time, and it’s important to step back at times and realize you don’t need to memorize everything.
And so we come to the other aspect of the training: on-the-job experience. I’m beginning my fourth week of training on Tuesday, and already I’ve had a reasonable amount of experience dealing with living, breathing RBC clients. Of course at this time I’m only an active observer. I can interact with the clients who come in, but because I don’t yet have any equipment set up on the front lines, I can’t process any transactions. I just know that as soon as I can do so, many of the concepts I’m learning will fall into place. For now, I’m learning to just be me. I have been told I am pleasant and interact well with the clients. That makes me feel good, because this is one of the most important aspects of my job. Anyone who dislikes working with a wide variety of people need not apply, let me tell you.
While I have been unable to perform transactions on the front lines, I have had the opportunity to play around with some of the tools which RBC employs to perform various tasks. They are all quite straight-forward and intuitive. They’re also very keyboard and screen-reader friendly, which makes navigating and utilizing them much easier than I ever dreamed it would be. There are hotkeys and other commands which allow for easy and swift keyboard navigation. I’m quite confident that after some time I will be as fast as anyone else on the technical side of the job.
This brings me to my only real concern with the job, and it is the one that many of my visually impaired readers may be wondering about. This would be the sheer amount of paperwork involved in the job. We’re talking cheques, money-orders, bills, bank statements, forms, bills, cheques, cash, cheques and of course, that ever daunting robbery note. Now, I haven’t written anything aside from a few slight notes and general signatures since I was in grade 1. After that I began reading and writing Braille, and now that I’m out of high school, everything’s electronic. I find myself needing to relearn how to write, or even print. There won’t be a ton to write, but there will be enough to make relearning necessary. I’m concerned about this because I don’t write well, and I don’t write fast. It’s also hard for me to write, even when the paper is magnified because the way my magnifier works, a camera is pointed at the piece of paper, and when I move my hand to write, my hand obscures the page. It’s writing blind in a different way! More daunting yet is the sheer amount of penned writing I’ll need to read visually. Signatures, dollar amounts, messages,. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you’ve got a client waiting, and you can’t read their writing, you can’t really act fast. And let me tell you dear readers, nearly all the people who come in might see better than me, but you wouldn’t know it with their penmanship! When you get to the point where you can’t even read your own printing, you might want to consider other options.
Many of my previous fears were laid to rest when I realized this isn’t a job that demands immediate action. It’s okay to take a moment to look over everything. Better that then cashing a fraudulent cheque because you didn’t make sure the cheque was authentic. Everyone I’ve shadowed there takes their time, and rarely do clients get impatient. I think after a while I’ll be alright.
There’s just one more thing for me to tell you, dear readers. Last week was “Employee appreciation week”. Every day we spin a wheel to win prizes. The first two days I one two paid hours off. Perfect for going to get myself a much-needed haircut! They also fed us Tim Horton’s breakfast on Tuesday, A Pizza lunch on Wednesday, and a delicious barbecued lunch on Friday, a day where we all had the opportunity to strip off our suits and skirts (at home) and come into work wearing jeans and only semi-dressy shirts. It was great!
That Friday night a number of us hopped on a multi-seated bike and rode around the Woodgrove vicinity to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The bike had three columns of seats, with maybe ten or more seats to a column. They put me, the resident blind guy front and center on the bike. Had they also expected me to steer us around the streets, the night might have ended quite differently. But the steering was done by the man to my left, and so together we all raised a few thousand dollars. Not bad for a hard twenty-minutes peddling.
There’s little more I can think to say. The past few weeks have been very interesting. I am pleased to call myself an RBC employee, and I look forward to the weeks ahead. I’m sure it won’t always be as great as it has been, but for now it’s been a great experience, and I’m excited to see where it will all lead.
Note - I'll be happy to keep posting if people have managed to read to the end of this beast and are still interested. But in either case, while the hunt for a real job is often times daunting, and maybe even frustrating, with the right adatude, a little experience, and a healthy dose of networking, there is always hope. So please, do not give up.
Two comments:
First, congratulations on your job, and how well it has worked out. I hope it continues to, and that you are able to do as well for them as they have for you ... and you have thus far.
I also remember being jobless with a baby on the way, now she's headed towards senior year in high school and I'm afraid I'm up for another round of coping after that, though of quite a different kind.
My other comment has to do with accessibility and how they're helping you. I realize this company iss probably the notable exception and not the rule, but when I started out, nobody used that word. Nobody talked about this stuff, and had I not known something about the technology - my own study and research - plus owned my own gear, I would not have landed a job. What that means is you will be able to dedicate more of your time and energy to getting the job done, rather than a whole load of it to tinkering with hardware and software to make your job doable. I am glad to see this, on so many levels!
Leo
Congratulations! I'm very happy for you, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading your story. I remember reading your post about your gruelling and frustrating job hunt, and I'm glad it's finally at an end. When I moved back to Murfreesboro and was not yet back in school, I looked for a job for six straight weeks and exhausted every single resource I had. The main problems were that the economy was still in the beginning stages of recovery and I had neither a college degree nor a particularly long resume. I made a few good contacts, but overall it was an epic fail. Then, in the summer of the following year, when I was back in school and not even really looking, Out of nowhere I was offered, and accepted, not one but two jobs. It just goes to show that employment can find you where and when you least expect it. I wish you all the best in your new job.
Becky
Wow, what a great story! i also went through all the frustrations of finding a job. but it pays off if you just keep trying. I now am a massage therapist in a very nice day spa! Dreams do come true!
Waw man congrads!
Waw I red through the hole thing...It was worth it.
Nice story, its so cool that there doing so much to accomidate you.
I'm still in school now, but I want to be something when I grow up, I dont want to sit at home all day, and this story gives me insperation, that I could do and be something.
Thanks, and good luck man.
All the best, my friend! I am thrilled for you and Chelsea. Sorry to hear about the baby, though.
I am thrilled that all this happened for you; gives me a little hope that I may not be stuck here *smiles*
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences, and for the encouragement. I'm pleased that you enjoyed this and took the time to comment.:)
wow, congratulations, and thanks for sharing your employment experience! :) Hope all continues to go well for you! :) This offers a lot of encouragement to those like me who recently graduated from college and are beginning the job/career search.
The Suitnoob Banker - Part III
Today marks one week since I began my slow rise towards actually doing my job. Had I the opportunity to work as long on the front lines serving clients as my fellow trainees, perhaps I would feel more confident in my abilities to perform the expansive myriad of daily tasks required to make me successful. The others have had a few weeks to learn the basics, but Due to technical hiccups however, tomorrow will mark only the first official week of part-time client serving. And what a week it has been.
My first week of on-the-job training has been severely bitter-sweet. It has thrust me into the public eye in a way I have never before experienced. Everything from angelic pre-teens to little old men with expectations of routine and sullen dispositions have marched through our doors. And how many have I had the opportunity to serve? All told, about eighteen. It’s been wonderful to learn, to have conversations with such a wide range of people, and to perform the duties I’m being paid to perform. But the unfortunate reality is, while my mentors are very good about guiding me while they are sitting with me, their first priority is to the clients. This is a great thing! But it lessons the amount of hands-on time I get learning the ins and outs of my job. And how I feel I need to learn. Clients are very patient nine times out of ten. But every once in a while a client comes along who wants his business conducted yesterday. That’s what my insecure sub-personality keeps telling me will happen anyway. While it’s true I haven’t run into that particular lady or gentleman yet, I know it’s only a matter of time.
By this point in my training, I am more or less comfortable doing basic deposits, withdrawals, dispensing and receiving of cash and bill payments. I feel like posting a sign at my wicket that says “training in progress, this way for basic transactions” or something to that affect. At least then I can get practice doing the basics while my mentor is otherwise engaged. Unfortunately I’m not yet permitted to handle even the most rudimentary transactions without supervision. And while intellectually and technically I understand the vast majority of what I’m doing, I realize that from a visual standpoint I’m not yet ready to be on my own.
For one thing, people’s handwriting remains a serious obstacle. While I am slowly getting better about deciphering the layouts of cheques and bills, translating the squat and sprawling squiggles into a language my hampered eyes can actually interpret is very difficult. Their written numbers aren’t so bad so far. But their printed name, and the written-out numbers all cheques require are another matter entirely. I’ve found that by first reading the numbered digits and comparing them to their hand-written counterparts I can usually see that I’m looking at the same number. The numbers have to match too, otherwise there are steps that need to be taken to ensure the cheque is legit. By comparing the name on the account with that of the “payee to the order of” section, I can usually ensure the names are also the same. Reading signatures on the other hand is like trying to decipher words written by a child who’s never learned their alphabet.
Reading cash on the other hand usually ends up being pretty simple. I’m not very fast at it, but I’m usually accurate. That goes for Canadian money at any rate. Don’t even get me started on the nightmare that is American money. Sorry my dear American readers, but whoever designs your bills needs a serious lesson in the necessity of CONTRAST!
All in all, it hasn’t been a bad week. I believe I have a reasonable ability to interact with the clients. Most have been very understanding. One of them even shook my hand and called me by name, which was a nice gesture. I’m trying to train myself to focus on the client experience, rather than worrying about the speed with which I complete their transaction requests. Engage a client enough and they might not even realize you’re a snail. That’s what I keep telling myself at any rate. Everyone seems to say I’m doing a pretty good job. Barb, my trainer in New West has told two separate people that I am the best trainee she’s ever had. I think she’s just being nice. Maybe it’s because I talk more than most of them. Or perhaps she’s trying to give me a greater sense of personal security. Either way, it was nice to hear.
I have been able to install all the software I could possibly want in order to make my work station’s computer accessible however. There are many programs already available on RBC’s server which help me greatly. Unfortunately there’s an inordinate amount of beaurocracy to circumvent in order to get certain things installed. The decisions whether certain RBC programs are accessible by programs such as JAWS (A program which translates on-screen text into speech) and Zoomtext (which magnifies the computer screen to the point that even a blind man can see it) are made very high up. Certain programs are considered incompatible, even if I as a noob do not feel they are, or find ways to make them compatible. I’m sure that the people who make these decisions do the research and know what they’re talking about. But it’s hard to have others who have never experienced my eye condition for themselves make that decision for me. That said, I have a lot of access technology in place. My only hope is that I’ll be able to find a better way to read printed material. At this point that wonderful piece of hardware the Smart View works, but the closer I get to the screen the fuzzier the image seems to become. Perhaps it is due to the shadow I cast on the paper, but I really don’t know.
RBC continues to be a very nice place to work. If I can manage to find my way around (or dislodge) the personal and accessibility barriers that are impeding my progress, I think I will do alright here. After all, I’m not the only blind person doing this job. There are others, and one of them, a man named Michael has advanced to the point that he’s got a very corporate sounding name.
Wow, that was very encouraging. :) I'm in the process of hunting for a job too and have found myself getting disheartened. Even simple clerical jobs are asking for about a year to two years of prior experience. A question i often hear people asking is, "How am I suppose to get that experience if you don't hire me?"
That question stands as a testament of the vicious cycle of employment. Sadly, I feel there are only two ways to break the cycle: know someone who can get you in, or volunteer in a meaningful capacity similar to the job you're applying for.
To The_Blind_Guardian, truly, you are an extremely engaging writer, and your story was heartening. While I couldn't do your particular, job, being that I'm totally blind, I'm sure that you've given some hope to those with some vision, for a new choice in career. If nothing else, it's great to know that there are such wonderfully accomodating companies out there. You really lucked out, and given your determination and work ethic, I think you totally deserved it!
Gracesong, I know exactly what you mean about basic jobs requiring experience. Some even specifically state that they're entry level! How could it be entry level if it requires experience! Then, as we all know, there are jobs which require you to have your own transportation or which are otherwise visual in nature. Some visually-impaired people can modify them, at times, but those of us with no sight at all often either stand no chance of doing some of these jobs for practical reasons, or won't get hired for perceived ones.
Congratulations man for making things work out for you. It is very hard for someone who is visually impaired to find a job. I am not saying impossible, but just a little harder. I found myself in a similar situation when I graduated from high school. I thought I was going to be able to find a job fairly easy. However, It didn't take me to long to realize how difficult it was for a person with a disability to find a job. I attended workshops and also recieved some help from the rehab department to prepare for a job. I went on like this for a year without luck. I did also some internships at different places hoping that they would count as experience. That was when I decided to apply for college. Now I am currently attending a university and am less then a year from getting a BA. Hopefully this will make it easier to get employed. Again, congrads and keep on pushing.
Keep it up! I am casually on the job hunt again - in an enviable position not to have to look for work, btu not happy at my current place of employment... reading this again gives me a little more hope.
Way to go, BG. Great writing and an even better story. Way to keep putting yourself out there. I hope things continue to go well for you.
PS, can I have a loan? ha ha ha
Thanks to all of you. I'm flattered this topic is still going. A great deal has changed for me since my last entry, but definately for the better in many ways. Keep your chins up everyone; it only takes one yes to make all the rejections into mere memories.
Congratulations on your job. Perseverance totally pays off. GraceSong, if possible try to gain some relevant work experience. I did a lot of volunteer work in college, joined AmeriCorps after college for two years, had ten months of nothing, then, in the spring of last year, started a Situational Work Assessment, which is basically like an internship. it paid off, I'm now a Case Manager. For those who scoff at volunteerism, the operative phrase is relevant work experience. I know it sucks, but unfortunately, I've known many blind people who've had to take this route just to get a foot in the door. Believe me, it works. If you're willing to commit some time, it will probably pay off. If your town has a Vocational Rehabilitation center, talk to them. I had a great Outreach Specialist who suggested the Situational Work Assessment. Boy, did it pay off. If that hadn't worked, we would've worked together to find something that would. Patience, hard work, and perseverance are the names of the blind job-hunting game. PM me with any questions/concerns, I'd be glad to help if at all possible.
Volunteering and networking are not at all a waste of time. It might seem like it at first, but it only takes one positive experience to make the hastle worth while in the end.