What kind of work should I do, and how to get it?

November 17, 2008 1:06 PM

What kind of work should I do, and how to get it? Help me figure out my career.

This is a loaded question, but here some background:

I'm turning 29 this week, and I've been in a school for a decade (due to depression among some other things). I've finally managed to graduate with a degree in Graphic Design, but the problem is that I've realized that I hate the field, and it never was what I really wanted to do.

Now I have absolutely no idea what kind of job to look for (especially in this dire economic climate).

I'm a good designer and have interned at prestigious design firms, but I've grown to hate the type of work design entails (I become extremely bored and it doesn't give me much satisfaction). So I want avoid design jobs.

-I am good with numbers and even though I never really studied high level mathematics, I do enjoy math.

-I write fairly well (technically, not expressive)

-I'm addicted to information (and the internet)

-I'm interested in finance and money management (no experience though)

-I enjoy building things

-I'm good with details

And the kicker: I'm deaf. I can't speak nor hear, and am a poor lip reader. So, this does limit my prospects somewhat.

So, what kind of work I should be looking for in New York? And how to get it (online job listing, etc).

posted by pakoothefakoo to Work & Money (4 answers total)

Have you ever tried programming? It uses some of the skills you mentioned, and if you find that you really like writing code you probably won't get bored. The other plus is you can pretty much just learn a programming language on your own and see if you like it before spending a lot of time and money.

Being deaf would impact your ability communicate with other team members, but it would probably be less of a big deal as a programmer than in a lot of other fields. My team at least uses email and IM for most of our communication anyway, and the actual coding work itself wouldn't be affected at all.
posted by burnmp3s at 1:24 PM on November 17, 2008

Are you familiar with the New York City DPHH (Deaf Professionals Happy Hour)? If you are not aware of this group, it may be a great place to meet and network with people in the area you would like to work in. Also check your mefi mail.
posted by chillmost at 1:30 PM on November 17, 2008

I had a deaf coworker that we all IM'd with. It wasn't an issue, assuming the job lets you do IM (as it did when she was here).
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:32 PM on November 17, 2008

Hello, I'm also deaf, myself. I can totally understand where you're coming from. I've somewhat struggled with obtaining good jobs that are relevant to my degrees (see my earlier post). One of the things you might want to try (if you haven't), even though the quality of services you may get varies, is to connect with your local vocational rehabilitation agency (in NY, they're known as VESID).

It's a state agency that helps people with disabilities obtain competitive employment. Worth a try if you haven't made the connection yet. Again, I stress... the quality of service you may get varies.

Good luck.
posted by msposner at 2:14 PM on November 17, 2008