SMA Impacts Job Hunting

Last year, I decided I wanted to begin the process of looking for a job. Up until this point, I’d never worked a steady job before in or outside of my home. I’ve done a few freelance art projects here and there, but nothing major. With the cost of living increasing and my bills rising, I wanted to find a way to help supplement some of my income and not have to rely solely on my Social Security and SSI. So, I made a resume and applied to several work-from-home job opportunities I came across online, only to be turned down. I either didn’t have enough work experience or was simply just turned down with no explanation whatsoever.

Getting help in my job search

After about a month or two of searching, I decided to reach out to Job and Family Services here in the state of Ohio and asked for some assistance in finding a work-from-home position. A lot of people also reach out to Vocational Rehabilitation for job-hunting help. At this point, I was set up with a liaison to help me prepare for entering into the working world. Their job was to help me design a resume, help me hone my strong suits and weaknesses, prepare for interviews, as well as actively help me apply for jobs.

It was a really slow process and, frankly, didn’t really help me, which was frustrating. Each week, I sat through meetings and filled out applications with my liaison, which I had already done on my own. However, we did build a resume that looked a lot better than the one I had originally made on my own. Because I had no prior work experience, my liaison was able to help me choose skills that I do have that would be beneficial to highlight on a resume, such as my knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite. However, I learned that the associate degree in Web Design and Interactive Media that I had years ago is no longer even relevant. So it wasn’t all bad.

Being told my SMA makes me a poor candidate

This process went on for over two months and I still wasn’t getting any interviews. I was becoming slightly disappointed and discouraged. Around this same time I had my liaison tell me that I wouldn’t really make a great employee because of my SMA. She said that because of my disease I’d be an unreliable employee and companies wouldn’t want to have someone who would need so much time considered for their disability. I needed a job that had flexibility, something that would allow me to work when my body wanted to cooperate, not something 9-5.

Redefining my job search

At this point decided to bid farewell to Job and Family Services because I didn’t want to work with them when they thought I’d be an unreliable employee. Many people with SMA have successful careers in many different industries across the world. We have some of the brightest minds in our SMA community. While I haven’t found a traditional job just yet I have begun working more on my Etsy shop and finding freelance opportunities. During my entire job hunting journey I realized maybe I don’t need a traditional job. Maybe I can make my own small friendly career right from the comfort of my own home.

Don’t give up on looking for meaningful work opportunities, but also find what works best for you along the way. Have you had trouble finding a job? What did you experience throughout your journey?