Hands down one of the best changes I’ve made since my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis
is changing careers. While I still work
in the same organization, I work in a completely different field. Still, I draw upon skills and knowledge I’ve gained from every job and
experience I’ve had in my life.
My career path has in no way been anything a career counselor
would have designed to get to the job I have today. In college, I never would
have believed that I would have my current job and love it. I also never would
have imagined that at age 38 I would get diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and realize
with hindsight that I’d had MS
since my early 20s.
The career I had previously was great for me. I was good at it,
and it pushed me daily to grow and learn. I was rewarded with promotions, pay and increased responsibility. I liked that I contributed to my
community in a way that helped people through complicated requirements and paperwork.
I liked being an expert in the field and making suggestions that would allow
them to do their projects with the least hassle. That job also required nonstop interaction
with people in stressful situations, and it took a lot of energy physically. I
would cram my weekend with rest to recharge enough to take on the next
week. Sometimes it worked, but more
often it didn’t.
When I look at my employment path since the age of 16, I see
that I consistently looked at what was available and with each choice made the best
next turn. I’ve been in industries with no
perceived connection to each other. They include food service, retail, skilled
labor, government, business, and office. I’ve worked
for myself and for others. I've worked at restaurants, a ski resort, a woodshop, a real
estate office, an art gallery, in a building and planning permitting office,
and a financial office.
A few years ago, someone approached me to assume their job when
they retired. I hadn't even known that person was watching my work! The job had never occurred to me as remotely possible for me,
but now I have it and love it. It took a lot of effort to make the transition,
but the payoff was huge for my quality of life and the pay cut worth every
penny.
In my new position, I still learn and grow every day, I contribute
to my community, and I help people. I
also have a job with a mix of tasks that allow me to engage with people as well
as have focused project work without interruption. The mix helps me accommodate
my fatigue issues immensely.
There are no guarantees for anyone for what tomorrow will look
like. An accident or unknown health condition can take anyone out of the
workforce at any time. I know my condition will progress, and someday I will
need to change my employment or even stop working all together before I’m ready to retire. My job now works for me today, and I hope it works
for me for some time.
While having MS can make me feel vulnerable with my employment
possibilities, I find I’m happier
when I don’t prematurely limit
myself. When I come from a place of
confidence in my abilities, I have hope and feel I can achieve anything I
really want.
Career advice I would give myself and others is the same for
starting a career as I think it is for winding one down.
1. Build relationships. Sometimes the people we work with see
something in us that would be good for a job we never considered.
2. Learn whenever possible. Pursue
things that interest you even if they don’t seem
related to your job at the time. I've
found in my career that no time spent learning has been wasted even when I
changed fields. Everyone brings a different set of skills, knowledge and
background to every job. It all adds value even if the fields seem unrelated.
3. Know your strengths, and
build on them. Understand you have a weakness as a consequence of that strength.
4. Know your weaknesses, and get
so good at coping skills or accommodations that they don’t hold you back.
5. Be open to opportunities that
surprise you and haven’t occurred
to you.
6. Do a good job wherever you
are on whatever you’re doing.
7. Be someone that people like
working with and want to have around. I’m a firm believer that we’re all replaceable in our
employment. If we die tonight, someone
else will eventually fill the job. People help and look out for others they
like and respect.
8. Never burn a bridge. People you thought you’d never see again sometimes boomerang
into your life again. Forgive them and don’t hold a
grudge for poor behavior, but don’t forget it
either since they’ve shown
you who they are. (I’ve had
people treat me poorly given they didn’t respect
my position, and later I was their boss or someone they really needed to work
with. Seeing them suddenly treat me much better is off-putting.)
9. Know when a job isn’t right for you anymore. Focus on making the choice that feels right
for you each point along the way. If you change later, it won't be failure.
It'll just be a redirect.
10. Be wary of making decisions
from a place of fear. It'll stifle your potential and happiness.
I’ll never
willingly leave a job without having my next life chapter ready to start. As my body declines with age and illness,
being the best me at each point will undoubtedly lead me to see the best next
turn.
