The single suckiest thing about all my LD’s has been its impact on my work life. I’ve spent my entire working life underemployed at retail gigs and poorly-paid part-time teaching jobs. I have never had a job that pays decent money, let alone one that uses my skills or intelligence.
My problem has been that my learning disabilities — dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and ADHD — make it nearly impossible to qualify for entry-level admin work. You know, those jobs where you’re supposed to keep track of who called whom, write phone numbers correctly, create the office schedule, keep the records, do the filing, and maybe even simple book-keeping … . Those are all things I need an assistant for. They’re all things that I would have an assistant for, if I could ever get past the entry-level jobs where I’m supposed to be the assistant.
Except that I can’t even get hired for those jobs in the first place. Even temp agencies take a look at me and say, “don’t call us, we’ll call you”.
And now I’ve learned that even my former retail employer doesn’t want me back.
Great.
When I went on leave, my supervisor told me that I had been a great employee and I would be welcome back at any time. I was counting on this job as a safety. I was hoping I could at least help put food on the table as I looked for something with more earning potential. Now I’ve had a blow to my confidence, as well as added stress, and both of those are things that mess with my ability to pay attention and follow up on all the job crap I need to deal with. But instead, I’m just sitting here, staring at jobs postings, knowing there’s something I’m supposed to do with them if only I could get my brain to stop vibrating.
On Thursday, I have an exam for a job with the city. The pay is good, the benefits are great, my experience is relevant. It’s a job I know I can do. Unfortunately the exam tests my ability to do basic arithmetic.
$#%^$&*#@!
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