It's a really long and crappy story and most people don't like reading much, so here's the bullet points:

• I'm 27 with no work history.
  
• I have a GED rather than a diploma.
  
• I didn't do well in college due to lots of bad unavoidable stuff happening.
  
• There's an 8 year gap between college and now because I have psoriatic arthritis and couldn't work.
  
• I can't walk long distances or stand for long periods of time. I can't do physical labor, and because I have a hypersensitivity to heat I can't be around heat.
  
• I'm transgender.

The general question being: How would you go about finding a job in my situation?

Here's the full story:
Right now I'm 27. The last job I had was when I was 16 in high school which lasted for maybe a month, and I didn't put in a 2 week notice... I just kind of stopped going. I had straight A's back then but it wasn't a challenge so I skipped a lot of class; unfortunately, due to state regulations for attendance if you miss a certain number of days you automatically "fail" classes regardless of your grade within them. I was told at the start of my Junior year (before it actually started) that because of that I'd need to go 2 extra years to graduate. I was furious and I dropped out and got a GED instead.

College didn't go so great. My first tri I had a History professor who was a drunkard with incredibly unrealistic expectations, like read 5 chapters a night and have an extremely detailed 200 question quiz over it the next day which made up 70% of the grade for the class. He didn't even go over any of it, just rambled on about nonsense that wasn't even in any of the books or on any of the tests as if he were there. Suffice to say, even the biggest history buffs in the class failed hard and he had to grade on a curve just to make them pass.

During the next tri of college Murphy's Law happened. Pretty much everything bad that could happen did happen. I was sick a lot - with doctor's notes, mind you. The transmission in my car went out - again, with a note from a mechanic. And we also had the worst snow storm in probably the past 100 years in this area. The councilors had also put me in way too many hard classes - around 5 hard classes rather than the normal 1 or 2 hard classes. That was my first big mistake, but long story short... all of my professors worked with me through all of that and were very understanding but I was just too far behind to keep making stuff up while trying to keep up with what was going on currently. I knew I needed to withdraw, but by that point the only option was an "administrative withdraw" which basically just means you need the permission of your professor to withdraw. So, here's the thing: When I say all of my professors, what I really mean is all but one. I had one professor that would not work with me on anything. She wouldn't accept doctor's notes - told me I should have had a friend bring my work in, and/or bring work to me. She wouldn't accept my transmission going out - told me I should have gotten someone else to give me a ride (Note: I live in a very rural area far out in the country and over an hour away from the college, this was not an option). She wouldn't even accept the weather because if the college was open then I should have been able to get there - she'd just moved to our state and didn't understand how the rural areas don't get snow trucks and such... I had over a foot of snow on the road, and huge 3 ft trees over the road, it was literally impossible. So yeah, she wouldn't give me the withdraw and I failed her class.

As a result, I lost my grant. In losing my grant they also wanted me to pay them back for all the classes I had taken and in addition to that I'd need to pay for the next 2 tri's on my own and make at least B's in all classes during that time to even be eligible again. That was financially impossible for a single working mother with a crappy job (my mother).

So shortly after this - a few months - I have an injury. I hurt my knee pretty bad, figured it was probably a torn ACL/MCL or meniscus. It stayed swollen and I couldn't move it without extreme pain and could barely walk. Thing is, I didn't have medical insurance so I couldn't see a doctor for over 2 years. When I finally did see a doctor he wasn't even sure what was wrong with it but he decided he'd go in and take a look because it could have possibly been a torn meniscus but he wasn't sure. It was really inflamed inside and he cleaned a lot of it out but nothing was wrong with my knee, no torn meniscus. In the end, the surgery only made it worse.

So by this point I'm going for check ups and trying various things until finally he sends me to other doctors for a second opinion, and then a third opinion, and then a fourth opinion. By now other things have started going wrong... My ankles are hurting, my hands, my other knee, my neck, and my jaw. Finally after years of back and forths and different doctors in different fields I finally got one that sent me to a dermatologist who diagnosed my dandruff as psoriasis and then the other doctor diagnosed me with psoriatic arthritis. Insurance didn't want to pay for the medication I really needed either without going through a bunch of others my doctor didn't even want me on so it took months of waiting for approval then trying it then rinse and repeat until finally I got on the one my doctor wanted on, and it's sort of helping. Oh and a few years ago I also developed a hypersensitivity to heat, so I break out in hives if I get too hot. It's super ->-bleeped-<-ing weird.

So here's where I'm at now. I'm finally at a point where I think I could work again but at 27 with no work history, and a condition that's going to prevent me from doing manual labor or really standing or walking for long periods, and likely give me an inability to be around heat... I just don't know what the heck I'm going to do. I don't know how that wouldn't look like a huge liability to any potential employer.

Add on top of that that I'm transgender as well and I'm going to be going through transition, and well... ->-bleeped-<-. If I were an employer I sure as heck wouldn't hire me, not when there's some normal person's resume with a totally average work history and no medical conditions or other weird things right next to mine.

I don't really want sympathy or anything... I just really need some advice on how to go about finding a job in this situation. It's the only way I'll be able to afford my transition. I'm living with my mother right now but she's really conservative and not even remotely understanding; she's made it very clear that she won't be supportive or help out with any of it at all. I have my first therapy session for this upcoming Monday which is only a $30 co-pay since my insurance covers most of it, but that's all she'll be paying out for it. The rest will be up to me.

So with all of this in mind... how do I find a job? My only thought is that there is no way some random employer is going to want to hire me... I'm going to have to find someone that I know who is friends with someone that owns a company that can be talked into taking a chance on hiring me as a personal favor to them, or maybe find some sort of goldsmith at a Jewelry store and see if they'd take on a paid apprentice since that is something I'm actually interested in and I imagine the job market for something like that is much less in demand... you don't really hear of many people wanting to do that, so I dunno. The heat might be a problem with it though since when you actually start casting stuff you kinda need to be around some really hot stuff.

The temp agencies around here seem to really suck. 10 years ago they were decent but now you don't even see them in person, it's just all online. You put in your resume, fill in your information, then select some jobs you might be interested in and then if employers are interested then you get contacted... it's like, basically completely unhelpful.

Legally psoriatic arthritis can qualify as a disability, but I was turned down when I applied. I think the reason that was listed was that I haven't worked for 2 years or some such. Without that I can't get Medicaid either, which would be nice considering they seem to pay for SRS nowadays. Without that I don't think I can really apply to any sort of agencies that helps finding training or employment for people with disabilities either.

So, I don't know... but any suggestions would be helpful at this point because I don't really know what to do, and... sorry for this post getting so long.

You might go to a soicial worker and ask them to help you with disability.
They might have more insight.

Another point would be like you said something that interests you or that you like.
You might simply ask there if they would accept you as apprentice or a help that would be introduced to the trade.

You might say you tried college but would like to try something more practical.

I'm on disability for rheumatoid arthritis. The first time I applied I was rejected because they sais I could still work (?) . So with the help from my social worker and the hospital I was able to get it the second time.

Here's what I'm talking about: http://www.ssa.gov/planners/disability/dqualify2.html
http://www.ssa.gov/planners/credits.html#&a0=2

I don't know what natural skills you have but a desk job possibly involving phone work for an office or small business. We always had a receptionist because my boss believed that a customer shouldn't have to play with a computer to get the help they need, thus the first voice they should hear should be living. Most office paper work isn't that complicated and if you were bright enough to take college on, you should be able to learn what you need to do the job. Some of these positions could be work from home but I would expect there are far more office positions available. Expect to start at the bottom but if you are a hard worker you should have a secure position.

Product support is possible if you understand a product. It could be a simple as knowing how to set up a TV or some other form of electronics and knowing when it's broke. I have done product support most of my life on the side with my primary job being programming and design (curse of a small company, you do everything). I took my third job pre surgical as a woman and have worked as a woman to present.

The advantage of this type of job is they require little physical ability, they are indoors and the dang office space always seemed to be cold. Even in the summer I kept a sweater with me.

you need to work with a social worker because they can tell you exactly what you need. There are also work programs for the disabled where you can sit at a table and do things like salvage computer parts.

What kind of social worker? Someone like at the social security office, or something else?

Quote from: Venus on September 12, 2015, 03:11:59 PM
What kind of social worker? Someone like at the social security office, or something else?

I found mine through the hospital I go to. Any social worker can direct you to the right one. The social security office can tell you where to go

Quote from: Dena on September 12, 2015, 02:42:50 PM
I don't know what natural skills you have but a desk job possibly involving phone work for an office or small business. We always had a receptionist because my boss believed that a customer shouldn't have to play with a computer to get the help they need, thus the first voice they should hear should be living. Most office paper work isn't that complicated and if you were bright enough to take college on, you should be able to learn what you need to do the job. Some of these positions could be work from home but I would expect there are far more office positions available. Expect to start at the bottom but if you are a hard worker you should have a secure position.

Product support is possible if you understand a product. It could be a simple as knowing how to set up a TV or some other form of electronics and knowing when it's broke. I have done product support most of my life on the side with my primary job being programming and design (curse of a small company, you do everything). I took my third job pre surgical as a woman and have worked as a woman to present.

The advantage of this type of job is they require little physical ability, they are indoors and the dang office space always seemed to be cold. Even in the summer I kept a sweater with me.

I'm really good with pretty much everything on computers, and I agree that an office job would probably be best, but... I don't really know how I could get an employer to hire me given my situation. It's just not very desirable next to literally any other candidate, you know?

Quote from: Venus on September 12, 2015, 04:19:50 PM
I'm really good with pretty much everything on computers, and I agree that an office job would probably be best, but... I don't really know how I could get an employer to hire me given my situation. It's just not very desirable next to literally any other candidate, you know?

You might simply go there.
If they see you it makes a difference from online appraches.
You might say you are eager to start a job, had some bad experiences with college and want to do a job right away.
Just take it easy, be nice and show you are eager to start a job.

Another approach might be to try part time jobs. Its possible people don't look as critical there.

Your state has an employment agency run by the government and they tend to deal in people who are not highly skilled. Online websites deal with the ones who are skilled. If you are honest with an employer about the gap in your work record they will cut you slack sometimes. If you seek work as a woman, It's not uncommon for them to have gaps in their employment record. Computer skills are a plus and believe it or not age can be as well. Younger kids aren't always ready to settle down like somebody older. My niece is on her third job after graduation a little over a year ago. Explain you are ready to do what it takes to make the job work and show an interest in the job and company if you get an interview. We know Walmart is a good employer but many jobs require leg work which would be a problem for you. One of my my roommates relative went directly from working in a bank to the office in Walmart so fill out an application there. You could even get your medical treatment paid for. You didn't list a state or I would have looked up the employment office for you but google (your state) employment office and you should get a hit.

I don't know what kind of area you are in so I have now idea of the total employment pool.  I have handled HR as part of what I do and keep up with current ideas in this area.  Is there a local Jr college in the area?  Some offer aptitude testing for a modest fee.

As a potential employer I would be much more concerned about your attitude.  If you told me that the reason you haven't worked or completed your education because of "outside forces" a "bad. borderline crazy" professor etc. I would suspect that you don't really want to work.  Too bad, because I want to hire people who want to contribute to the success of this company.  I don't need (or want) someone who always has an excuse.  Sorry if you see this as harsh, but companies are less concerned with your personal misfortunes, and more concerned with you fitting in and becoming a success.  Don't tell me what you can't do, tell me what you can do. Here in the west central FL there are a large number of customer service jobs.  Modest intelligence, OK telephone presence, ability to follow rules.  Turnover is high, which means there are always job openings, but that burn-out occurs after a few years.  A smart girl uses that as an opportunity to plan for the next job where you now have an employment background when you apply for that one.  That is how you get into the system and leverage it to your advantage.  But YOU have to want it.     

Quote from: Dena on September 12, 2015, 04:36:24 PM
Your state has an employment agency run by the government and they tend to deal in people who are not highly skilled. Online websites deal with the ones who are skilled. If you are honest with an employer about the gap in your work record they will cut you slack sometimes. If you seek work as a woman, It's not uncommon for them to have gaps in their employment record. Computer skills are a plus and believe it or not age can be as well. Younger kids aren't always ready to settle down like somebody older. My niece is on her third job after graduation a little over a year ago. Explain you are ready to do what it takes to make the job work and show an interest in the job and company if you get an interview. We know Walmart is a good employer but many jobs require leg work which would be a problem for you. One of my my roommates relative went directly from working in a bank to the office in Walmart so fill out an application there. You could even get your medical treatment paid for. You didn't list a state or I would have looked up the employment office for you but google (your state) employment office and you should get a hit.

I checked out Walmart, they don't really seem to have anything in my area. It was a good idea though, their corporate stuff seems like it'd be nice.

I'm in Oklahoma. They seem to have a few different sites with the same title...
http://www.ok.gov/oesc_web/
http://www.ok.gov/section.php?sec_id=3

I definitely wasn't aware that we had an employment agency run by the government. That's some really good info.

Quote from: Cindy Stephens on September 12, 2015, 10:07:10 PMAs a potential employer I would be much more concerned about your attitude.  If you told me that the reason you haven't worked or completed your education because of "outside forces" a "bad. borderline crazy" professor etc. I would suspect that you don't really want to work.  Too bad, because I want to hire people who want to contribute to the success of this company.  I don't need (or want) someone who always has an excuse.  Sorry if you see this as harsh, but companies are less concerned with your personal misfortunes, and more concerned with you fitting in and becoming a success.  Don't tell me what you can't do, tell me what you can do. Here in the west central FL there are a large number of customer service jobs.  Modest intelligence, OK telephone presence, ability to follow rules.  Turnover is high, which means there are always job openings, but that burn-out occurs after a few years.  A smart girl uses that as an opportunity to plan for the next job where you now have an employment background when you apply for that one.  That is how you get into the system and leverage it to your advantage.  But YOU have to want it.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. I can't think of a single employer that would want to hire me when they had literally any other choice.

I mean, I can show you my resume... it's pretty pathetic to say the least:

Spoiler

SKILLS PROFILE
8/10 – Office – I am proficient in Microsoft Office and Open Office equivalents.
8/10 – Leadership - 3 years of MCJROTC Leadership Training with Platoon Sergeant position.
10/10 – Typing – 120WPM typing speed.
10/10 – Computers – I am extremely good with computers and can do just about anything you'd want.
10/10 – Photoshop – I'm an expert in Adobe Photoshop.
10/10 – Availability – I am willing to work nights & weekends.

CONDITION
I have psoriatic arthritis and although I am on medication to manage it my employer should be aware that I will be unable to perform physical labor, stand for long periods of time, or walk long distances. I also have a hypersensitivity to heat and won't be able to work near heat sources.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

(company name), (city), OK / 2004 (~1 month)
Customer Service Representative
Served customers by providing product and service information; resolving product and service problems.
Opened customer accounts by recording account information and maintaining customer records by updating account information.
Resolving product or service problems by clarifying the customer's complaint; determining the cause of the problem; selecting and explaining the best solution to solve the problem; expediting correction or adjustment; following up to ensure resolution.

You will note that I have an 8 year gap in work history when not in work or in school. I am not lazy nor unmotivated. In 2008 I suffered a knee injury that triggered my psoriatic arthritis and I have been unable to work (which my doctors can confirm), back and forth with doctors, and have only just recently got onto medication to manage my condition. I am ready to work and I want to move forward with my life.

EDUCATION
(school), (city), OK
General Education Diploma, 2005
(college name), (city), OK
Biology Major, 2006-2007

I regularly hire people in my position. Three pieces of advice for you as you move forward, they may seem harsh but you can take it or leave it.

1) Get your resume fixed up. Your skills profile is good in some areas and not in others. I would change "Computers" to something more specific. You have Office, Photoshop, and your typing speed on there. Can you work with hardware? Can you provide Tier 3 support? Can you code? If you say you can code, do you have a portfolio of work? Can you work with less common operating systems?

2) Make an effort to get involved in something currently. A lot of places have remote or work from home volunteer opportunities. I know a lot of the local VFW and animal rescues have people who run their Facebook groups or listservs. You could also consider enrolling in community college - by law they'd have to accommodate your needs. Your resume says that you are ready to work and want to move forward - but that's just a statement. Show me you're taking it upon yourself to move forward by doing something more than just sending me this resume.

3) Change your attitude. Bad things happened to you, now deal with them. To that end, I would drop everything about your condition off your resume and stop explaining the gaps in time. If you have skills I want, I will bring you in for an interview and you can explain to me in person why your resume looks the way it does. I am much more likely to care once I've met you in person. But seeing it on paper? Nope.

Looking through that OK employment site, it doesn't really seem to be jobs for untrained/unskilled people. It just links to some other site and they nearly all require some level of advanced education or experience (or require physical labor that I can't do). I don't know if I'm looking in the wrong place or what.

Quote from: ftmax on September 13, 2015, 10:20:36 AM
I regularly hire people in my position. Three pieces of advice for you as you move forward, they may seem harsh but you can take it or leave it.

1) Get your resume fixed up. Your skills profile is good in some areas and not in others. I would change "Computers" to something more specific. You have Office, Photoshop, and your typing speed on there. Can you work with hardware? Can you provide Tier 3 support? Can you code? If you say you can code, do you have a portfolio of work? Can you work with less common operating systems?

2) Make an effort to get involved in something currently. A lot of places have remote or work from home volunteer opportunities. I know a lot of the local VFW and animal rescues have people who run their Facebook groups or listservs. You could also consider enrolling in community college - by law they'd have to accommodate your needs. Your resume says that you are ready to work and want to move forward - but that's just a statement. Show me you're taking it upon yourself to move forward by doing something more than just sending me this resume.

3) Change your attitude. Bad things happened to you, now deal with them. To that end, I would drop everything about your condition off your resume and stop explaining the gaps in time. If you have skills I want, I will bring you in for an interview and you can explain to me in person why your resume looks the way it does. I am much more likely to care once I've met you in person. But seeing it on paper? Nope.

#2 - I have literally zero interest in volunteering, and community college again is not on the table financially... I wouldn't even want to at this point. To be perfectly honest, I'm not ready to work... I still feel awful despite my medication and half the time the medication makes me feel worse than the condition itself (I actually had to completely stop taking it for 2 days and start back up on 1 pill a day rather than 2 just a few days ago because it made me sick to my stomach, poop all the time, and feel utterly awful for 5 days in a row... and it's not the first time I've had awful side effects... some days it's nausea, others it's an awful headache and/or upset stomach, heck even depression is a side effect). I just have to work because to qualify for disability I have to have worked a certain amount of time depending on the age that it occurred, and if it weren't for needing to fund my transition I wouldn't even be considering it. But that's not something you can tell an employer.

#3 - That's not ever really going to happen. I can't change my attitude. I can however omit things from my resume if that was your true intent with that statement. I included it because I read that employers prefer to know up front why you have a gap in your work history. Unfortunately though, the skills I have aren't all that relevant to the vast majority of jobs I'd be applying to - if any.

#1 - I made some changes... I don't know if they really help... I think most of it is pretty pointless to list as I'm not seeking jobs that involve those skills.

Spoiler

SKILLS PROFILE
8/10 – Office – I am proficient in Microsoft Office and Open Office equivalents.
8/10 – Leadership - 3 years of MCJROTC Leadership Training with Platoon Sergeant position.
10/10 – Typing – 120WPM typing speed.
7/10 – Computer Hardware – I have a moderate knowledge of computer hardware and can build systems or install components.
4/10 – Coding – I have moderate knowledge of coding in HTML and very basic knowledge of others such as CSS and languages similar to C.
10/10 – Forums – 17 years experience installing, setting up, and administrating forum software.
10/10 – Photoshop – I'm an expert in Adobe Photoshop.
10/10 – Availability – I am willing to work nights & weekends.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

(company name), (city), OK / 2004 (~1 month)
Customer Service Representative

• Served customers by providing product and service information; resolving product and service problems.
  
• Opened customer accounts by recording account information and maintaining customer records by updating account information.
  
• Resolving product or service problems by clarifying the customer's complaint; determining the cause of the problem; selecting and explaining the best solution to solve the problem; expediting correction or adjustment; following up to ensure resolution.

EDUCATION
(school), (city), OK
General Education Diploma, 2005
(college name), (city), OK
Biology Major, 2006-2007

Quote from: Venus on September 13, 2015, 11:54:45 AM
Looking through that OK employment site, it doesn't really seem to be jobs for untrained/unskilled people. It just links to some other site and they nearly all require some level of advanced education or experience (or require physical labor that I can't do). I don't know if I'm looking in the wrong place or what.

Oklahoma seems to do stuff differently than other states I looked at in the past but I found two possible links to check out. The first is state but the second I am not exactly sure what it is so understand it before you give it your social security number.
http://www.ok.gov/oesc_web/Services/Workforce_Services/
https://okjobmatch.com/ada/

Quote from: Dena on September 13, 2015, 12:27:24 PM
Oklahoma seems to do stuff differently than other states I looked at in the past but I found two possible links to check out. The first is state but the second I am not exactly sure what it is so understand it before you give it your social security number.
http://www.ok.gov/oesc_web/Services/Workforce_Services/
https://okjobmatch.com/ada/

Yeah that second one is the one that I found some job listings at that I mentioned. I didn't enter any information, I just clicked the "Conduct a quick job search" button then set it to 10 miles of my zip code and hit go.

I'll call up one of those numbers on that first one for the location nearest and see what they can do Monday after my first therapy session.

Thanks for having a look, that first link seems like it might be what you're talking about with a state employment agency thing, though it is pretty unclear.

Update: I think I might contact a social security disability lawyer too. They only take a 25% fee of your past-due benefits if they win and it's otherwise free. If it's possible to get it I bet they're my best shot.

So, I have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow it looks like!
1. Go to my therapist for my first session (yay! so excited... and nervous at the same time!).
2. Call that place I worked when I was 16 and get the exact dates I was employed there since it might matter...
3. Call the first place I went to about my knee and get the date & doctor.
4. Call a social security disability lawyer and see if they'll take the case.
5. Open my phone book up and start calling local jewelers and see if they have a goldsmith, then ask to talk to said goldsmith, and see if they'd be willing to take an apprentice.
6. Call that state employment agency and see what they can do for me.

It sounds like working in a telephone call center might be just right for you.  It's not all telemarketing and cold calls.  My community has call centers for Chase, Sprint, Bass Pro Shops and Expedia.  These are incoming calls. There are other call centers for Wyndham resorts and various time shares.  Other centers serve whatever clients want their services.

With all those 800 numbers for various companies, someone has to be on the other end.  They don't care what you look like and if you have a pleasant voice they will train you.

Best Wishes,

Randi

Quote from: Randi on September 13, 2015, 09:24:53 PM
It sounds like working in a telephone call center might be just right for you.  It's not all telemarketing and cold calls.  My community has call centers for Chase, Sprint, Bass Pro Shops and Expedia.  These are incoming calls. There are other call centers for Wyndham resorts and various time shares.  Other centers serve whatever clients want their services.

With all those 800 numbers for various companies, someone has to be on the other end.  They don't care what you look like and if you have a pleasant voice they will train you.

Best Wishes,

Randi

To be honest, those are actually the only jobs I'd prefer to completely avoid. The one job I did have, for like a month when I was 16, was a call center. It's completely soul draining. The worst part was that at the time I was dieting & fasting and it was a call center for a pizza place so I was having to hear people order food all day while I wasn't eating. >_<

But yeah, I'm going to try to avoid that kind of job if possible. It'd make the voice portion of the transition a lot harder too.

  Ok folks, here is deal. Lets please keep it civil and avoid ridiculing or attacking others. Please keep in mind TOS 5, 10, and 15,
Thanks
Mariah