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Just wondering what possible trades there are where I could possibly work alone?
I'm good with my hands - I think I'm skilled/qualified to do most any trade, but I have almost crippling social anxiety. There isn't really any other way to describe it other than "crippling".
In the interest of full disclosure I've had work issues in the past plenty of times where I got haze or treated poorly (men thought I was gay or whatever because I'm terribly reserved, painfully introverted - some would have viewed me as "antisocial") I think because of this. It's held me back my entire life (I'm now in my mid/late 30s).
I'd like to make more money than I am right now as a janitor and I have a bachelor's degree (liberal arts - history major with a minor in political science).
mortuary technician - plenty of work anywhere you go - never any complaints or arguing from the clients
Do you see anyone to deal with attempting to overcome your social anxiety? That is the first step.
Actually, people do not "overcome" social anxiety disorder. It's a life long battle. It waxes and wanes with life, and is improved - but not cured - by medication and therapy.
There is no cure. The OP is wise to consider this disorder when making a career choice.
I wish people would take the OP's question more seriously. They are not being lazy, and the rude and sarcastic comments are really unnecessary.
Other ideas - Nurse Anesthetist - since you have a BA, this can be accomplished with a master's degree. Many programs admit students who are non nurses. Starting salary is high. $100,000 to 125 - depending upon where you live.
X-ray technician - since you already have a degree, you can go to a certificate program. Only 18 months.
Park ranger - especially good if you enjoy the outdoors.
Work performed at night - toll collector - probably not very high paying - but the benefits will be good.
Heating and air conditioning technician.
Last edited by sheena12; 06-06-2017 at 07:25 PM..
Reason: Wanted to give some help - sheena
Carpentry or something similar comes to mind - reupholstery. Something where you can work in someone else's shop so they have all the customer contact and you just work.
Actually, people do not "overcome" social anxiety disorder. It's a life long battle. It waxes and wanes with life, and is improved - but not cured - by medication and therapy.
There is no cure. The OP is wise to consider this disorder when making a career choice.
I wish people would take the OP's question more seriously. They are not being lazy, and the rude and sarcastic comments are really unnecessary.
Other ideas - Nurse Anesthetist - since you have a BA, this can be accomplished with a master's degree. Many programs admit students who are non nurses. Starting salary is high. $100,000 to 125 - depending upon where you live.
X-ray technician - since you already have a degree, you can go to a certificate program. Only 18 months.
Park ranger - especially good if you enjoy the outdoors.
Work performed at night - toll collector - probably not very high paying - but the benefits will be good.
Heating and air conditioning technician.
I don't think the poster was being unkind by asking if the OP has gotten a professional diagnosis and treatment. Not all symptoms have the same causes, and it would be presumptuous of us to assume a diagnosis without the OP saying otherwise. There are people who have various symptoms and diagnosis it themselves or a family member has told them, when it turns out to be something which can be treated. We don't know until the OP tells us.
You have some good recommendations as do others, but the problem is getting past HR and the interview stage. Because someone who has the qualifications to do lab work 3rd shift or IT work when no one else is around might not get hired for the position because of how they come across during the interview due to the social anxiety. So that's something that certainly needs to be addressed.
Actually, people do not "overcome" social anxiety disorder. It's a life long battle. It waxes and wanes with life, and is improved - but not cured - by medication and therapy.
There is no cure. The OP is wise to consider this disorder when making a career choice.
I wish people would take the OP's question more seriously. They are not being lazy, and the rude and sarcastic comments are really unnecessary.
Other ideas - Nurse Anesthetist - since you have a BA, this can be accomplished with a master's degree. Many programs admit students who are non nurses. Starting salary is high. $100,000 to 125 - depending upon where you live.
X-ray technician - since you already have a degree, you can go to a certificate program. Only 18 months.
Park ranger - especially good if you enjoy the outdoors.
Work performed at night - toll collector - probably not very high paying - but the benefits will be good.
Heating and air conditioning technician.
Thanks for the post. Those are some interesting ideas that have my interest and I appreciate the support.
$14.60/hr right now isn't the end of the world. That's okay pay for fairly straight forward work. But It's frustrating to be doing janitorial stuff and I don't know if it's sustainable for me from a spiritual and mental aspect, however.
Also, who doesn't want to get ahead in life? $15/hr is hard to get squared away - owning a house or new car is certainly out of the question. I'm pretty frugal and don't like to spend money, but even so, $15/hr is just hard to get ahead on.
Actually, people do not "overcome" social anxiety disorder. It's a life long battle. It waxes and wanes with life, and is improved - but not cured - by medication and therapy.
There is no cure. The OP is wise to consider this disorder when making a career choice.
I wish people would take the OP's question more seriously. They are not being lazy, and the rude and sarcastic comments are really unnecessary.
Other ideas - Nurse Anesthetist - since you have a BA, this can be accomplished with a master's degree. Many programs admit students who are non nurses. Starting salary is high. $100,000 to 125 - depending upon where you live.
X-ray technician - since you already have a degree, you can go to a certificate program. Only 18 months.
Park ranger - especially good if you enjoy the outdoors.
Work performed at night - toll collector - probably not very high paying - but the benefits will be good.
Heating and air conditioning technician.
Sometimes you have to be blunt and to the point to get that point across. That isn't being rude, but honest. A lot of the problem with society now is that every time someone is slightly different from what is considered normal they are diagnosed with some disorder and stuck on medication to "correct" it. Or, people begin to treat them with velvet gloves and tiptoe softly around them until it gets to the point that they begin to believe that they are stuck with this disorder for the rest of their life. People are afraid to say suck it up and deal with it because it might hurt feelings.
The reality of the world is that people have been around for thousands of years and have been able to survive and even thrive. Having difficulty being around people isn't new. In the past people just had to deal with it, get tough, and work through it. Avoiding the situation will never fix it. It only intensifies the discomfort with being around others. When I began having these problems it was crippling. I had to make a conscious effort (one of the toughest things I ever did in my life) to change so that I could function in the real world.
Yes, it IS curable by a change of mindset. It doesn't require medication nor therapy. Those are crutches, not cures. It requires putting on your grown up shoes and realizing that there is no choice but to fight the battle and win it. It's difficult but achievable. It all depends on the person and their willingness to step outside their comfort zone. The longer you are outside of your comfort zone, the more normal that becomes and the larger your comfort zone will be. As said before, originally I couldn't be around anyone outside of close family. Today I never meet a stranger. I am friendly to everyone and will often be the ice breaker. This wasn't by medication or therapy, but by choice.
OP.... I hope you don't take any of what I said as a bash because I assure you it is not intended that way. I sincerely hope you can take the advice and work on this. If you can overcome it, you open up the door to numerous possibilities for a successful future. Letting anxiety hold you back will never get you anywhere.
Sorry if my words "Overcome your social anxiety" caused any confusion. I meant no ill well or intent. I do understand what social anxiety is and I'm just saying overcome in terms of finding ways to cope with it and function in the world with it
Being a dental technician, you need to have a very good technical skill and pay attention to small details to pour models, to make dentures, or to bend wires to make braces for kids or adults... and more than those examples above. But mainly you get orders from your boss/dentist, and you do your work in your lab. Of course there are times you still have to talk to your boss and interact with your co-workers in the lab and you need their help too when it's very busy.
About being a lab technician, I think there are many kinds. From what I observe, I see that some goes around in the city to collect samples and bring them back to the lab, and whatever they do afterward, I don't know; some collects blood in the lab; some does something else with the microscope in the lab. I think you don't need to talk too much while doing this job, just the basic and terminology talk.
Some job, you need to talk more. Some, you don't need to talk so much. As long as you do a good job and be professional, you are okay with your boss. Smiling and knowing to break the ice are helpful to make your job and your day easier. Try to practise.
Another thing is running your own business. Do the research first to find what kind of business to suit your life.
But for any career or business, you always need to take some course first. You need to invest and work hard before you can harvest. And you have to talk to people more or less anyway. Talk to yourself: "I have to be brave, I have to have courage to talk to people. They are just people like me. They won't bite. What am I afraid about?"... Write down on a paper your strength and weakness, what you are afraid about, what people might react after your saying something. Whatever happens, it's not the end of the world. Learn to change the negative to positive.
I know it's easier said than done. But practice makes perfect.
While it's wonderful to want a job more interesting to yourself than janitorial work, and all the trades people are listing could be great options, I wonder that no one is trying to suggest things that seem to align with your degree and assumed interests of history and poly-sci.
Ever consider writing non-fiction? Or offering online history tutoring or some such (Often, online interaction easier than in person and it expands your market.)? Library work? Being a research assistant of some kind?
I think it might be easier to go learn a trade than launch a business like the above, but they can be done while you're still working at your current job and then grown. Just some ideas.
Thanks for the post. Those are some interesting ideas that have my interest and I appreciate the support.
$14.60/hr right now isn't the end of the world. That's okay pay for fairly straight forward work. But It's frustrating to be doing janitorial stuff and I don't know if it's sustainable for me from a spiritual and mental aspect, however.
Also, who doesn't want to get ahead in life? $15/hr is hard to get squared away - owning a house or new car is certainly out of the question. I'm pretty frugal and don't like to spend money, but even so, $15/hr is just hard to get ahead on.
No. It isn't horrible, depending upon the region of the country that you live. It's a far cry from what you expected to do when you entered college, though. The internal conflict between performing a job that is below your intellectual capacity and educational achievement might create additional stress - and anxiety. It isn't so much about the salary, as it is about the job title or type of job. Also, almost anywhere in the country, you are ruling out marriage and a family, especially with the type of person who you would find interesting.
Have you thought about an advanced degree in your undergraduate major? I have known many academics who have social anxiety disorder. They are fine when they are lecturing in front of a class about a subject that they feel passionate about. Acedemia is very different from the profit sector. I am NOT talking about teaching at the K-12 level. That requires a high degree of social interaction.
Shyness is tolerated.
I know this may sound counter-intuitive, but I have found it to be true, in some instances.
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