I feel like I won't ever be able to get a job

[Walilamdzi]

I don't have much work experience because I planned to study, but each time I went back to study after my first breakdown I ended up having another breakdown so I've ended up with no post high school education and only a few part time jobs to show on my CV... does anyone have any advice for if I try to not kick the bucket, how to address these periods of serious illness and find some kind of work that doesn't trigger more hospitalisations? Also if I end up doing something soul destroying, how to not see it as the be all and end all? Or do you think this scenario spells disaster?

 

[terry_a_davis]

I don't think you can really get around big gaps in your CV, I'd face similar problems. You could fib and say you were travelling or self employed, or you could be honest. But what employer wants someone with a history of illness (and hence possible further absence). It's a difficult situation. About what type of work you should seek, might be stating the obvious but something you enjoy and isn't too stressful but I know jobs like this don't often come along and may have high entry requirements like qualifications and previous experience. I found I could stick not particularly interesting jobs if I was part time, may be part time might suit you.

 

[darkhorse256]

I feel similarly. I don't think I could ever get a job because my memory has been horribly affected from a traumatic situation. It's so bad I can't even remember conversations I've had with people and my brain always feels like there is a mental block. It's one of the few reasons why I want to ctb. I'm useless in my current state and I feel like I could never get better.

 

[last_tour]

Well having a job means meeting and interacting wiith people everday. Commuting to work everday staring at depressing scenery. All of it gives me killer anxiety so its not something to look forward to for me.. I hastily put my CV and portfolio together trying to make up a story about unemployment gaps and what i was doing. I self medicate with some nootropics during the interview to kill the anxiety. Interview is over and I start to ruminate over what i said or forgot to say. Anxiously wait for weeks only to receive a letter of rejection and im back at square one, and I'll be too burnt out to do anymore. Its insanity, i've done it probably a dozen times over the past decade but no more, ive made up my mind. It's either live free and CTB or being kept alive by prolifers slowly rotting to my death...

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

I am not a fan of lying, but I am a fan of survival.

I have never had an employer contact any of my universities to verify I graduated, nor asked for a diploma. If I were in your situation, I would consider filling in those gaps with a bachelor's level education I didn't complete. I'm an honest person, so I would feel nervous and guilty, but if it came down to it, I would make that choice. And if they ever did follow up, either I wouldn't get the job, or I'd get fired later, but lots of people get away with lying on their resumes and job applications, so I'd try to stay calm about it and do what I needed to do. A BS or BA is so common it's not worth checking on unless it's a highly specialized field, while an MS or MA may be followed up on, especially if one doesn't seem to have the commensurate knowledge to answer interview questions or do the job.

I can't respond as to what kind of work you would be able to do and not be triggered into another hospitalization. I don't know enough about you, your triggers, or even your interests.

 

[Walilamdzi]

I am not a fan of lying, but I am a fan of survival.

I have never had an employer contact any of my universities to verify I graduated, nor asked for a diploma. If I were in your situation, I would consider filling in those gaps with a bachelor's level education I didn't complete. I'm an honest person, so I would feel nervous and guilty, but if it came down to it, I would make that choice. And if they ever did follow up, either I wouldn't get the job, or I'd get fired later, but lots of people get away with lying on their resumes and job applications, so I'd try to stay calm about it and do what I needed to do. A BS or BA is so common it's not worth checking on unless it's a highly specialized field, while an MS or MA may be followed up on, especially if one doesn't seem to have the commensurate knowledge to answer interview questions or do the job.

I can't respond as to what kind of work you would be able to do and not be triggered into another hospitalization. I don't know enough about you, your triggers, or even your interests.

What country are you in if you don't mind me asking? Maybe I ought to do that, also what sort of positions were you applying to if you don't mind me asking? To be honest I would consider going to university as a mature student anyway, so maybe I should just try to do that as soon as possible. I think some of the responses here are a bit pessimistic since a lot of people have times when they're not working to raise a family or for all kinds of health issues so I don't necessarily think I should consign myself to the waste pile quite yet.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

I'm from the US originally.

Just to be clear, I've never lied on an application, I was just trying to figure out a way that you could get a job. I'm in my late 40s, I've done a variety of jobs in a variety of industries. Much of my work was a combination of clerical and customer service, from low levels to high as I progressed in experience. I worked primarily in telecommunications, insurance claims, and community mental health. I also did a lot of temp jobs, and always got work quickly because I type fast and accurately, and knew all the needed programs like Word, Excel, etc. My first clerical job was when I was 17, so I always had that experience and had no problem finding work

Nothing wrong with being a mature student. I worked through college and didn't graduate until I was 29, and was in a couple of grad programs in my thirties and early forties, neither of which I finished, but if I wanted to, I could easily lie on an application and say I have an MA, I just was never in a position where it was worth the risk to do so.