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Should I lie & not tell people I'm epileptic just to get a job!!
Sun, 07/08/2007 - 11:49I'm sorta at a loss for what to do. I've been unemployed and on Canadian EI (assistance) since December '06. That runs out in February '08. Thing is, I have a university education & 9 years experience in technology - the field I used to work in. Basically, where I used to work transferred me to marketing because to much travel was needed in the other department & I can't drive. Well, I hated working in marketing, slowly my 'stats' sucked, so that job ended - I was going to start looking for something new in January '07 & leave - they just sorta forced me to quit & processed paperwork as 'mutual agreement' in December instead.
Since I get all kinds of interviews for jobs where I'm over qualified & jobs where they'd be a match. The problem always seems to be one of 2 things - Travel! or Hours!
Travel - well, not having a license.
Hours - In order to prevent seizures I need a pretty consistent life, and can't really work until 2am.
Thing is, as soon as I tell people that medical comes first & well, as long as travel isn't by car I'm okay to travel anywhere they don't like that.
And for some jobs, if I say I want to be home by 10pm, but I'm more than willing to work from home, they don't like that!
What am I supposed to do, lie & put employment ahead of health?? My doctors would kill me, not to mention my boyfriend, family & friends.
Any ideas how to get it through to employers that "driving" isn't the only way to travel & that it is possible to work from home after 'standard hours'?? I'm freaked I won't have a job by the time my EI runs out & if that happens essentially then I'm living off a line of credit or something.
Thanks.
Comments
Re: something tells me this
Submitted by Peaches78 on Sun, 2007-07-08 - 19:57
I guess I can see what you mean. Still I don't think it should be brought up in a job interview. Then again if you can't drive or you aren't completely controlled I guess it might be a good idea to mention it. I hope your current employer wouldn't fire you. They should at least discuss it with you and ask for your resignation that way if you are able to work again future employers won't be leary of hiring you because your work history says you were terminated. I guess its good for your supervisor to know you have a medical condition. My supervisors know about my condition and have never treated me any different. But then I don't have it as bad as you seem to have. I've been fortunate to be completely controlled by medicine. I also work in the healthcare field taking care of people with disabilities, so it would definitely be a bad thing if I was to have a seizure and cause one of them to get hurt. I hope everything works out for you.
Re: Re: something tells me this
Submitted by itsmyeviltwin on Sun, 2007-07-08 - 20:34
I am going for disability, as my poor head is not in any shape to do nursing anymore..cannot drive, cannot think well, etc. Thank you for the good wishes. I am glad you are still able to work and wish you the best, as well as everybody else here!
In the same vein as I do not have the right to drive and hurt someone, I do not feel I have the right to work as nurse, and possibly hurt someone by making an eror in judgement due to my head injury from a seizure. ADA or not. So I must bow out.
something tells me this
Submitted by itsmyeviltwin on Sun, 2007-07-08 - 19:28
something tells me this isn't as simple. Jobs such as mine which have job descriptions (nurse) where we have the safety of the public to think about and if my medical condition interferes with that....well, get the picture? (I also had a head injury with my seizure so don't think well, made errors on the job, etc) I guess what I'm trying to say is I doubt we can be 100% protected by ADA. I haven't been let go yet but I may as the safety of the public is my employers' concern and my doctor had to let my hospital know of my accident and my diagnoses so I could take medical leave. I made mistakes on the job..I don't meet my job description. They can likely let me go under the law. Bottom line and sad truth. Ada may not be able to protect me. Maybe you guys, but not me.