I'm struggling to secure a job, and people don't seem to understand just how difficult that is.

[NKato]

I'm Deaf. That means I'm "disabled".

Let me spell this shit out for you mother-fucking jokers.

I have spent the last six months studying to become an entry-level machinist with a NIMS Level 1 Certificate for the Mill and the Lathe. That includes CNC knowledge.

I've been searching for an employer since January. I've sent out about 20+ resumes so far, and even went to the job fair held by the community college.

I have had only two responses. One from a company my instructor referred me to, and another that I had a very high interest in working for.

The first company interviewed me, and had brought on an ASL Interpreter to help with the job interview. They said they would get back to me within a month or so.

I have not heard from them since.


The second company, I met at the Job Fair last week on Tuesday. The guy I spoke with, emailed me wanting to interview me. I responded with an ideal date, and a request for an ASL interpreter. I have yet to hear back from them.

By Law, Employers are required to provide interpreters for job interviews. In some cases, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will supply those interpreters if they were involved in the hiring process.

There is a reason why I did not involve the DVR: Because prior experience has led me to believe that it reduces my value.

That is to say, there are laws and tax incentives for hiring disabled workers. The DVR would fully inform potential employers of this. But that becomes a matter of: "We're hiring this guy for the tax benefits, not for his skills."

This was exactly what happened at my last job in 2006, they hired me because they were a non-profit that "specialized" in hiring disabled workers. Guess what? Zero advancement opportunities, zero serious pay increase opportunities, and it was a dead-end job!

And y'all got the nerve to crack jokes at my expense, and laugh at my expense, when I am TRYING TO MOTHER FUCKING SURVIVE?

I am trying so very fucking hard to get by on my own fucking merits you fucking assholes.

I'm done. I'm fed up with this shit.

 

[Metal-Muffin]

Who is making fun of you?

 

[NKato]

Who is making fun of you?

Just read the Discord chat log.

I'm extremely stressed out to the point where I am actually feeling my right temple throbbing from the blood pressure spikes.

 

[Metal-Muffin]

Where do you live?

 

[NKato]

Everett, WA at present. I have arranged a temporary housing solution at an apartment with a friend, but I do not expect it to be a permanent solution at all.

 

[Metal-Muffin]

Man. That's rough. So, USAJOBS.com is a good place to look for federal jobs, and federal employment guarantees that disabilities are not an issue as long as you meet the required education/certification level. I just did a search and there are very few civilian positions available. 2 on the west coast, but you'd have to relocate. other than that, there's a position in Georgia. The only good thing about that is that you'd be closer to me. Here's the link for all available:
https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/?keyword=Machinist&Location=&AutoCompleteSelected=

If you have any other education or entry-level interests, USA Jobs is worth checking out. Federal benefits can't be beat, even if the pay can be, and there's more room for advancement. Typically, a Federal employee will be in a 'pay grade' for a while, but every grade has "steps" which is a pay increase upon a "successful" evaluation*. There are 10- steps, the first 5 happen annually with the following every 3 years after that. Once you get your foot in the door, it's a lot easier to move to another job, and some will even "PCS" or relocate you.

I hope everything works out and that you decide to stick around. Don't let a few douche bags ruin your fun.

edit: *Not all pay plans have steps. A typical "Successful" evaluation states that you came to work, were breathing, and didn't kill anyone.

 

[NKato]

I don't have a car, therefore moving is not an option.

If y'all bought me a Crown Vic and threw in a gas fund, I'd be set though.

Also, there is a Federal hiring freeze. Thanks, Trump!

 

[Metal-Muffin]

Hiring freeze- yeahhhh.... but not for ever. Look at the job descriptions that are on there and make a resume based off of what they're looking for. That way, when the freeze is lifted, you can drop it if you find something. I don't know what to tell you in the mean time.

 

[Printimus]

I'm sorry to hear about this buddy. Dont let a couple of turds in here get you worked up though. I'm here if you need me.

 

[BUTUZ]

Life is nasty isn't it :(

Is there anything you can do/make on there that we can buy? We'll buy pretty much anything!

I'd like to help!

 

[I_MIKE_I]

I can understand your frustration, but I think it would be for the best if you'd copy the chatlog and send @Montoya a private message. Not only would he be the only one able to resolve the issue, but I also think it's bad for you to "reveal your vulnerable spot" on the Internet, since some idiots will know which puttons to push this way.

While I'm not deaf, I have some health issues myself and encountered a lot of situations like the one you described.

 

[Takran]

Yeah, most of the federal job listings are just "collect resume" listings for whenever the freeze ends so they can start hiring quickly; you can put in for them, but that's not a good short-term plan.

I know this sucks to hear, but sending out dozens of resumes and getting little to no response is par for the course in a lot of career fields. Make sure you're tweaking your resume for each job listing - try to include the specific wording they use for things like skills and experience in your resume, where applicable (obviously don't lie). That makes it less likely that you get filtered out by a computer program that's looking for those key words (some companies use these, some don't), and also makes a hiring manager more interested in your resume when they see exactly what they asked for on it.

I don't know what your friend/family network is like career-wise (i.e. if you know anyone in similar jobs or working for companies that employ people in your field), but if you haven't already, make sure everyone you know knows that you're looking for X job in Y location. If you know a guy that knows a guy that works at a company that's hiring for your skillset, you have about a 10,000% better chance of being hired. It's all about who you know, and don't believe anyone that says it isn't. Professional references land jobs. I've had 6 jobs in the past 13 years, and for 4 of them I got an immediate interview and thus was likely hired because I knew someone on the inside (or multiple someones, in one case).

Other than that, it's just work and perseverance. Keep applying, keep sending resumes - if you can find an email address for their HR department or the hiring manager for the position, follow up after a week or two to express your interest in the position (unless the listing specifies a longer time frame before contacting them). Keep trying. You might have to send 100 resumes, but you only need to get one job offer.

You've probably heard all this before, it's all common job-hunting advice, but sometimes it's worth refreshing. Best of luck to you.

And yeah, people on the internet are shitty. Probably best to keep your troubles amongst your close friends, whether online or offline. Just avoid/ignore/block the haters, they're on the internet, they can't walk into your bedroom and shit talk you, they're stuck behind their computer trying to act hard because they're bored. Don't give them the satisfaction of a response.

 

[Plagueis]

It's hard getting a job period. I've known people that are well qualified but to have to get entry level job instead because it's very difficult to secure a job. Sadly some people even lost their homes due to not being able to get a job that could pay their bills. Just hang in there.

 

[NKato]

Life is nasty isn't it :(

Is there anything you can do/make on there that we can buy? We'll buy pretty much anything!

I'd like to help!

At level 1, I'm just a machine operator for CNC mills and lathes. I cannot "make" anything, not without receiving ATA-level training in Precision Manufacturing. That includes training on Solidworks, Mastercam, and other aspects related to the field. Alas, the DVR (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation) would rather that I focus on getting a job, and that is what I am doing. They've paid more than enough for my education (Associate's in Fine Arts, and Machinist certificate training).

I am an artist, but haven't invested much time into that lately because 1) I'm bad at marketing myself and 2) People don't seem interested enough to buy my art - it's often when I offer to help someone develop a character or some such that I manage to get any kind of income from this field.

Snippity-snop.

Network-wise, my family is pretty much spread out. I can't rely on my Dad, who's retired as an electronics engineer, and my mother is already looking for work (both of them were divorced 15 years ago). My sister is a trainwreck.

I'm also not a fan of LinkedIn, because it's a form of social media. It just isn't my thing at all.

And owing to my disability, it's very difficult to network in the first place.


Ultimately, everyone, I do appreciate the words of support.

 

[Doyzer]

Hang in there. Your time will come.

 

[NKato]

Hang in there. Your time will come.

That's assuming my health doesn't take a sudden turn for the worse. This twitching is getting worse every week.

 

[GrammarGestapo]

involve the DVR.

The resume determines whether you are physically capable of doing the job. The interview determines who the best candidate is. If you are getting an interview, they have determined you are capable of doing the job. Other people are however being interviewed in addition to you. This is not a "can you do this" question. It's a "what do you offer compared to this guy" question. You are directly competing against these people for a single or a limited number of job slots, and your performance in the interview compared against their performance is what determines whether you get the job.

you're asking a company to pay for the right to interview you when you could contact the DVR and they could get an interpreter for free- this is a disadvantage compared to other applicants

you are not informing employers of benefits that offset your very real disability. This isn't discrimination based on race, this is discrimination based on the perception that you have an actual, objectively visible disadvantage compared to non-disabled workers.- this is a disadvantage compared to other applicants. The tax benefits are meant to offset your very real disability and allow the company to hire you without fear of losing money due to costs associated with a disabled worker

you are not understanding that your ability to advance has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that you give employers benefits. Advancement opportunity is determined based on where you work, what your job is, how long you have worked there, and how well you do your job/how qualified you are. Your old job was unskilled labor on an assembly line, correct? Of course there were no opportunities. It was basically a company built entirely around providing some form of job to people who otherwise couldn't get one. A real company will evaluate you based on your performance and qualifications and provide you with advancement opportunities after you have worked there for an extended period and proven to have meshed well with the environment. That's how it would work at a good company at least. Some terrible companies refuse to promote clearly qualified people due to irrelevant disabilities. In case that happens, you contact a lawyer and build a civil case regarding unjust workplace discrimination. It is your job to find a company that offers advancement opportunities, and at the same time improve yourself and prove yourself worthy of them. If the company does not offer advancement, you cannot fault them. If the company overlooks you, a proven qualified employee, and advances another who is measurably less qualified while refusing to advance you- that is when they are showing true discrimination in the vein of racism and you can legally get them for that.


My point here is that by disadvantaging yourself this way, you're asking employers to hire you based on charity when there are other workers available who can potentially do the job just as well without incurring the costs inherent in hiring a disabled person. The DVR is meant to offset the VERY REAL disadvantages inherent in your disability. Without their services, you look increasingly more like a liability when there are normal workers to take the job instead.

This is not bullying. I'm trying to help you.

In regards to people who are bullying you rather than offering actual advice, fuck them. They're cancer and we should ban them.

 

[Han Burgundy]

My fiance' works as an employment specialist who finds work for those with disabilities and she operates closely with DVR in Washington state (We are over in the Tri-Cities) I can absolutely confirm your difficulties through stories I've heard about some of the bullshit her clients have had to put up with. It seems that, universally, people tend to categorize those with obvious external disabilities as "useless" or "Not worth the effort of putting up with" and showing up with an interpreter in tow doesn't exactly help with that assumption. (How the hell else are you supposed to communicate if you don't want to bring a boogie board into the equation?)

Were you born Deaf? If so, my fiance is saying that there may be beefier, state & federally funded, programs that can help you out. The one she was thinking of is called DDA and it is a program funded by Washington state. If there is a Deaf and hard of hearing center near where you live, they may also have some resources for you. Getting a job these days is hard enough without a disability to work around, but keep your head up. The loudest, most well informed, and squeakiest wheel gets the grease. Good luck, man.

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/dda

 

[NKato]

My fiance' works as an employment specialist who finds work for those with disabilities and she operates closely with DVR in Washington state (We are over in the Tri-Cities) I can absolutely confirm your difficulties through stories I've heard about some of the bullshit her clients have had to put up with. It seems that, universally, people tend to categorize those with obvious external disabilities as "useless" or "Not worth the effort of putting up with" and showing up with an interpreter in tow doesn't exactly help with that assumption. (How the hell else are you supposed to communicate if you don't want to bring a boogie board into the equation?)

Were you born Deaf? If so, my fiance is saying that there may be beefier, state & federally funded, programs that can help you out. The one she was thinking of is called DDA and it is a program funded by Washington state. If there is a Deaf and hard of hearing center near where you live, they may also have some resources for you. Getting a job these days is hard enough without a disability to work around, but keep your head up. The loudest, most well informed, and squeakiest wheel gets the grease. Good luck, man.

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/dda

I am indeed born Deaf.

As an aside, I just got a reply from the apartment complex my friend lives at, and they said that they cannot add me to his lease because the ownership group is being a bunch of fucking namby-pamby dumb fucks with no sense of humanity. And here I was hoping to keep housing off of my list of immediate concerns to deal with.

Great.

 

[CosmicTrader]

And y'all got the nerve to crack jokes at my expense, and laugh at my expense,

I'm not laughing @NKato

I am trying so very fucking hard to get by on my own fucking merits y

Good for you. But if help is needed, use it.

I wish you all the very best.