Work & MECFS
Hey folks, I’m not super familiar with reddit so I wasn’t able to search this subreddit to see if this has been asked before, though I’m sure it has.
My specialist suggested I ask communities on Reddit and Facebook for input from other folks with MECFS. I’m currently working retail, trying to save up enough money to go back to school in September to finish my Master’s. The past few years, I’ve usually worked research jobs, which pay well and allow me to work remotely, but I haven’t been able to find a research job in the past almost-year. Currently I’m working at a Home Depot, doing an extremely physical job (I’m not a sales associate) surrounded by overstimulation (sound, people asking questions, radio calls going through my bone conduction headset, overhead fluorescent lights, etc.). The job starts at 6AM and I get out at 2:30. I’ve got accommodations for “short breaks as needed”, but the way the store’s decided that works is that the mini-breaks (which are actually for PTSD flashbacks, which are NOT breaks for my body or my mind) are subtracted from one of my two 15-minute breaks. Needless to say, I don’t take my “mini-breaks”. The job is really taking a toll on my body, even with another accommodation that says I need 1 day off after/before every day I work. I spend those days off just recovering in PEM, which means my house is turning into a disaster and my pets don’t get taken care of unless my partner does it, etc. Long story long, I need a new job but have no idea for what would be better.
I also have autism and ADHD, so I will *absolutely* get fired from any kind of admin/reception role because I don’t (personally - I know some AuADHDers do!) have the right skills.
In case it matters, my undergrad is in Political Science and History, and most of my work history has been in public administration and governance research.
What’s the best job *you’ve* ever had? What should I look for in a job? If I get an interview, is there anything I should ask specific to my MECFS?