I’m hunting for a new job right now. I’m trying to change careers, my current line is toxic. So that means ground floor, no experience. I’m finding my search curtailed not only by the usual, can’t sit down too long or I’ll fall asleep issues, but also driving distance.
I know if I go over 20 minutes I’m pushing it. Last year I pushed it to 30 minutes once. A half mile from home I fell asleep for 7 seconds and totalled my car.
Does anyone else have to choose jobs based on proximity?
Hey Mark,
“Does anyone else have to choose jobs based on proximity?” Yes. Although now that has been deemed irrelevant as I have been told I can no longer work. My situation is not directly related to narcolepsy but rather a brain injury, which affects my sleep and my awake hours. I have endured a few neurosurgeries, each one having more of an impact. Prior to the last few surgeries my role involve vast amounts of travel with lots of driving. But post surgery I had to reduce the amount of travel time dramatically, this meant I needed to change my role. I had made the change and done so ‘fairly’ well, but then required yet more surgery and this restricted my driving even further.
The dr’s have now deemed that I can no longer work and this has been very difficult to accept. In fact, one I do not like to admit to, it is something I battle with to this very day. I hate it. I had a role I truly enjoyed and to have that taken has been a huge adjustment. I tried to ignore it and just push on through, but that was a VERY bad idea. It did me more harm than good. The reality of it all is that I have no control over any of it and that too has been hell to accept. But life goes on and we have to learn to adjust and move forward, if anybody tells you that is an easy process, they are wrong, very wrong. As I say I still battle with it today, years after.
Merl from the Moderator support Team
Hey there Mark
Sounds like you need to look into managing a major life change, and what comes with it. The job search will only be part of the changes you are going to confront, and its a different ballgame today with computers scanning the cvs rather than people, but you can learn it I’m sure. You may need to embrace some other skills training too, as technology very rapidly ages all of us in the workplace. If you enjoy learning, maybe you can have fun with it.
I do have narcolepsy, with cataplexy, which I manage through diet and exercise, as well as stress management. Due to problems with driving, I have chosen to live in a place where I can use public transport. The worst thing is how it affects my confidence in public and with people, especially after a relocation two years ago. All my life whenever I had a full time job I had to have an office and I had to lock the door and sleep under the desk during lunch. There was no other way to get through it. I have been unemployed for two years despite my skills, and have more recently been searching for remote work I can do entirely online through Flexjobs.com. Maybe that is a way forward for you, although make sure you get out and see the sunshine too!
*K
Wow, Kaisa! Welcome to the group. I’m sorry it’s taken so long for you to get a response, but you know what happens when people take holidays in August.
Let’s revive this thread and see whether we can get some good discussion here.
All the best to you.
Seenie from ModSupport