Blind guy needs a new career

September 18, 2008 3:25 PM

My friend needs a new career but he can't see for crap. If he had his way, he'd be a Navy SEAL or a cop. Can the hivemind come up with a new idea for what he might enjoy and succeed at ?

The medical details aren't very important, but he has extremely limited vision and a bad case of ennui.

I call him a bounce-off-the-walls kind of blind guy. Even when he had a guide dog, he often didn't use him. He performs theater on rock walls, travels everywhere, and will try anything.

He's married and has health insurance through his wife's job, so thats not a requirement.

He loves and knows lots about weapons - knives, guns, self-defense. He has this amazing "no-fear" thing - he can talk to anyone about anything. An experienced public speaker and author (likes to act and perform), good with computers. Previously worked for his state's Department of Blind Services and graduated from massage school. No college degree but well-read and intelligent.

posted by AuntLisa to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Just a thought in keeping with the military spirit of your friend; how about a police mediator or mediator adviser/psychologist for hostage situations? He would not need to know the tactical layout, but no doubt his aural senses are more visually attuned than a sighted person. He might be better able to pick up on stress notes and other clues.

If he were so inclined, I think a guy like this would also make a fantastic martial arts instructor. Imagine how confidence inspiring it would be to have a blind person kick a sighted persons butt purely on aural cues. I'd take his course in a heartbeat.
posted by fox_terrier_guy at 3:47 PM on September 18, 2008

police dispatcher. this gets him in the door in an area he's interested in, and perhaps he could even move into something more 'daring' when they get to know him.
posted by msconduct at 3:55 PM on September 18, 2008

Second dispatcher. A guy in my academy class found out that he can't be employed as a peace officer due to his vision so he's sticking with dispatching.
posted by ericales at 4:38 PM on September 18, 2008

Security consultant? Author of a hard-boiled sorta one-man-with-a-gun-against-the-system Andrew Vachss-style novel, or a deep-geek Tom Clancy kind of military potboiler? Working with the blind again, maybe as a counselor or an author of self-help guides about the partially sighted experience?

Does he know any martial arts, yoga, anything of that nature? Could he become an instructor specializing in folks with special needs?
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 6:08 PM on September 18, 2008

Spelunker/guide?
posted by blue_beetle at 9:21 PM on September 18, 2008

As police training gets more specialized, a lot of departments are relying more on so-called "non-sworn" staff. They can do things like community liaison ("Take a B.I.T.E. out of crime!") or spokesman. There are also opportunities as the federal grants that put 100,000 (or something less) officers on the street from the early Clinton years have been expiring, putting pressure on departments to keep manpower in the community and so departments like my hometown are replacing cops who did stuff at headquarters with civilians, so the cops can be out there.
posted by dhartung at 11:47 PM on September 18, 2008

Bail bondsman?
posted by OilPull at 6:32 AM on September 19, 2008

I think the mediation suggestion is a good one; I don't know what qualifications someone has to have to do conflict resolution in a professional setting but he sounds like he'd be good at it. Or the dispatching thing. Sounds like a fun guy!
posted by Neofelis at 1:57 PM on September 19, 2008