[agentcooper]

hey guys...i usually don't start topics and especially negative ones but i have had a really bad couple of days and i guess i just wanted to talk about it.

i have been having a really hard and stressful time teaching lately, which in turn has been making my dr a lot worse. it is just so crappy, because over the summer i remember thinking that i hadn't had derealization once, and now i get it almost every day. sooo, i've been thinking about finding a new profession but i would really have no idea where to start looking. i have a degree in fine arts, spanish, and teaching so i'm not sure what i'm qualified in. any suggestions, guys?

so that is one of the things preying on my mind lately, but it really isn't the biggest thing. see, last night my mom called and told me that a week ago my dad had a huge stroke. he is doing o.k. now, but the doctors have no idea what could have caused it. i'm so scared that he's going to work himself to death before they can figure out why he would have a stroke of that size. i'm just terrified...

anyways, i just had to get all that off my chest...

thanks for listening
-brica

 

[terri*]

There are many jobs open at businesses, doctor's offices, hospitals, attorney 's offices for interpreters. You could even start your own business if you have another source for health insurance. I have a friend that is doing it and enjoys the traveling from place to place, meeting the people, being helpful for those that are in need of help explaining themselves. I think you can even get some kind of "degree" in doing it for the medical community. Does that sound interesting?

So sorry to hear about your Dad. As far as him working himself like crazy...some men will do it till they drop. It is their way of coping and ignoring. It drives me crazy!!! I'm sure they put him on blood thinners. I hope that brings you a little piece of mind till they pinpoint it. That will keep his blood running nice and thin so the clots won't have a chance of forming. At least it helps me when I think of my husband having future problems. It doesn't take all the fears away, but it helps.

Hope the times get easier for you.
terri

 

[Tom Servo]

Hi Coop,

Re: your dad, please see PM.

As far as work goes, man, I'd have never thought that teaching junior high would be stressful. What could be more relaxing than 7 hours with a bunch of 13 & 14 year olds? At least it pays hand over fist so you never have to worry about money (<--sarcasm).

Career choices are tough for people with DP/DR, huh? It has to be low on-the-job stress, but it has to pay a lot so you don't end up with financial stress instead. I'll ask my wife and a few other people what they'd recommend for you. They all have fine arts degrees and some of them have done management-type stuff, and they all know someone (me) who should keep his stress level low. Maybe they can suggest something.

 

[agentcooper]

hey guys thanks for replying.

terri*, yup, men are so wierd when it comes to stuff like that. my mom and i keep telling my dad that his job isn't worth his LIFE....but he just keeps working 16 hour days and only sleeping like 4 hours a night. grrr!

i don't know if i speak spanish well enough to be an interpreter. i would need to live in a spanish speaking country a bit longer than 6 months, i think. but thanks for the suggestion and any more suggestions would definately be appreciated.

tom, yeah, i'm really rolling in the dough! :lol: sometimes i wish i could just quit and be a barista at starbucks for the rest of my days. that has to be the lowest stress job in the world.

 

[rainboteers]

Sorry to see your having a tough time... as far as a jobs go I would look in the occupational outlook handbook. Just click on the letters and you will see many career ideas. It will tell you significant points, nature of work, working conditions, employment, what qualifications you need, job outlook, and earnings. Heres the link...

http://www.bls.gov/search/ooh.asp?ct=OOH

And with your dad I can really relate. My dad is the same. He has been telling me he sees flashes of light out of one eye and gets dizzy, but he won't go to the dr., and he is in love with his job. It is very frightening I know. When I am with him I do my best to TRY and make him relax. I have also explained to him that he wants me to take care of myself and its only right that he does the same. Thats seemed to help a little bit. Maybe talk to him about it... Hang in there.

 

[enngirl5]

Maybe you could look into a management position somewhere like a coffeehouse if that's where you like working. You have a degree so that's a plus. Or maybe you could work somewhere like that parttime and move up to management. Although, I had a math teacher in college that was a manager at a coffeehouse and she said she hated being a manager so went back to school for her Masters and became a teacher. She was a really cool, artsy kind of person. Maybe offer some freelance art classes? What would you really like to be doing? I'm going through the whole, "what should I do with my career/degree" thing too, so I feel you.

 

[dakotajo]

Quit working and just find yourself a sugardaddy!!

 

[agentcooper]

my dad called last night and we had a good talk. he said he's going to try to cut down to 50 hrs a week (which still seems like WAY too much time). he does sound pretty freaked out about the whole thing so hopefully he'll change his lifestyle.

joe, :lol: i'd love to do that...are you offering?

thanks again everyone for replying. your responses really do help out!

 

[agentcooper]

I'm going through the whole, "what should I do with my career/degree" thing too, so I feel you.

what is your degree in? if i could just figure out what i really wanted to do, i'd go back and get my masters. i wish i could just quit my job and paint all day...that's what i'm really interested in...well, that and travelling but it's really hard to have a stable career in "travelling". i know, i've tried.

 

[Homeskooled]

Look into being a sales-person. A lady aquaintance of mine sells diamonds for DeBeers. She jets from New York to Europe and Asia all the time, and sales for any large corporation is incredibly lucrative. Pharmaceutical sales is the next biggie...up to 6 figures a year with a whole lot of time on the road. You could indirectly help out people with problems like DP, hormonal disorders, etc....too. If you were looking for something using your degree, I would think that journalism fits your pedigree fairly well. And as any watcher of CNN knows, journalists get to travel a LOT. Or you can work at a Spanish speaking Carribean resort....Sorry I dont have anything more insightful to say, but honestly, I'm going through my own "No life, what the heck am I doing with it" crisis since I've been sick and unemployed, and I feel a bit like the bitter old uncle in one of Janine's other threads. Good luck though....

Peace
Homeskooled

 

[enngirl5]

My degree is in Finance, but my passion is Psychology. I would also like to have gotten a degree in Sociology or Philosophy. But I wanted to kind of assure myself that I could get a good job if I only decided to go 4 years so I did business. Now I'm getting my MBA. I've been looking into Master's programs in psychology, but they would be hard to get into without a psychology undergraduate. I'm starting to get into the investing aspect of finance so hopefully I'll find a niche there. We'll see. But everyone says to go with your passion when you pick a major or career. I'm still not sure if that's true or not. I don't know..