Brainstorming Career Ideas

I teach. I like the rhythm of the day. Teach a few periods, have a break the next. Have the freedom to change the day’s plan if I need to. Have the summers off and have the stimulation of children’s energies to help keep me focused, attentive, and involved.

Actually, the last is the most important. I once worked in a bank. I just couldn’t stay on task. Having one minute conversations with people as they stepped to the window, handed me slips of paper and money all shoved together… it was a disaster.

At the present I am working as the Disability Specialist for Head Start. I have a Masters Degree in Special Education and a LD Teaching Creditional. The Special Education field was a real eye opener for me personally because it confirmed I had learning disabilities and was not stupid as some of my teachers and fellow students had made me feel. I have taught middle school and high school special ed. classes and have taught my students to look to their strengths and to figure out how there brains work. When we talk about furture employment we talk about there strengths and weekness, career demands, tranining and how college ain’t for every body. We really need to bring back the apprentice system for the hands on learners. We need to gut the education system so it will better serve all students better. I have learned my learning disabilities aid me as teacher because the students see that learning disabilities arn’t neccessarly a disability and I can better relate to some of their issues.

AA,

You didn’t sound negative, just a bit frustrated with the whole situation, which I can relate too, completely.

I’m afraid to take on different jobs for fear of failing. I can’t figure out what to do. I wish someone could just tell me this is it—do this and you’ll succeed.

Have you ever used or heard of a curriculm build from Churchill called Project Heroes? This allows your students to explore their learning issues as well as learning about famous people. It teaches the students how to interview, write and learn about their biagrophies and in the end a hero comes to the classroom for the children to interview. the interview allows the hero to show and tell the children there is life after school as well as still being LD.

AA and LDMom:

Wow!!! I can relate to both of you! I have held all clerical jobs. Much of it has been data entry, which is starting to get very boring!!! I’ve even tried my hand at reception work. However, I have a problem with multi-tasking, so I’ve only lasted two weeks at both tries. Actually, both times I was let go :( Now I know that reception work is out of the question because it’s too difficult for me to juggle the phone lines and visitors that might be coming in to the office.

The highest I’ve ever gotten was just about secretary level at a medical manufacturing company. That was a disaster too, because I often had to juggle competing demands from different managers. Luckily, I was able to hang on for two years before I got married and moved. I currently am doing a mostly data entry job in a human tissue bank. I too feel very disatisified. Although my organization is really neat, I feel I am in a job that is way below my level of being a college graduate (BA in Psychology). There is plenty of room for advancement, but it doesn’t have the career track I want.

Ultimately, I’d like to be involved with the disabled. I’ve thought of social work and even recently thought of Rehabilitation Counseling. However, I can relate to LDMom; I am also afraid of taking on different jobs for fear of failure. Part of it comes from not having a full understanding of my LD, particularly in the presence of slight hearing and vision problems. That is why I’m getting retested, so that I can get a better understanding and to figure out better what kinds of jobs are okay for me. I suspect that I also have NLD, but I’m not certain. I did really well in school, particularly college. So, it’s hard to tell people I may have LD. Many people don’t believe it, they say they don’t see it and that I’m so smart.

LDMom, I’m sooo glad you started this thread! This has been killing me for a long time and can’t wait to get some answers, move on and maybe go to grad school. I’ve even thought of Medical Trnascription, but I don’t think my auditory processing is good enough to keep up with it. So it’s either secretary or counselor—my mind spins all the time and I hate it.

Sorry this was so long. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to express my confusion. Thank you all for reading :)

Christine

Hi!

I’m new to this board. I’m Canadian, I wonder how many of you are Canadian?

I’m about to graduate from University this June. My parents never thought I’d make it through high school. I will graduate with two degrees. A BA in archaeology and a BA in linguistics. I’m currently looking for a full-time job but have been unsuccessful thus far. I want to do something different. Everyone in linguistics either becomes a teacher or a speech-pathologist. It seems, however, that I am heading towards teaching. I hoping in Literacy.

I really don’t know what my LD is but I have an envelope with all the documentation that some psychologist breazed over. All I know is that I have trouble with reading comprehension and abstractness. I am also ADD. I recieved very little help in public school except through my parents and two tutors.

I may have a job as a “teacher” for a 13 year old LD student who is being homeschooled. But this is only part time. I’m currently looking into becoming a teacher’s aide but this has yet to prove successful. I’ve been told that I am perhaps overqualified. But I’d have to go back to school for two years to get my B.Ed. I do not want to do that now - I just finished 6 years of post-secondary with no break between that and High school.

Nice to know that there is such a board for us! I only wish there was one for Canadians. This site and aboutld.org are great.

Erin

Have you thought of working with adult literacy? Perhaps fewer “certification” kinds of requirements.

I am currently a police dispatcher and am going to police academy in the fall and testing for state police in November!

The only problem I have ran into is transposing letters and numbers on license plates but I have worked through that and am doing much better with it.

Grace