jobs for stutterers

[llw03c]

ok, i'm searching for jobs and i realize that sooner or later i'm obviously going to need to do some talking. the ideal job where i'm isolated from everyone doing minimal speaking is too good to be true and doesn't exist. taking my disfluency into account, i realize that i'm so limited in my options. i have an MS in engineering but i don't get any responses and i blame that on my problem. somehow, my delays and pauses and blocks must make me look incompetent. all the people that copied my homework in undergrad/grad now make a ton of money because they know how to run their mouth and ace job interviews appear to have "people skills" while people like me suffer.

since i'm out of luck and will probably never get the job i really deserve, i have to settle for something else in the meantime to pay the bills. does anyone have ideas for jobs?? needless, customer service/clerical type stuff is out of the question.

[Asif]

Bummer!
Let's face it: who is going to hire someone who can not speak fluently over someone who can?
I've faced this one all my life, and it has deeply affected who I have become. Although this may actually not be an altogether bad thing :)
I have long been amazed at the fact that, in the current "hire the handicapped" climate, somehow the stutterer does not seem to qualify. We can easily become cynical victims of a system in which we can not compete.
I found myself mostly working only FOR myself.
I was a signwriter for a while. Then computers made my skills obsolete.
So I became a computer technician, and sometimes was able to find work sitting in the back room, somewhere, fixing computers. But even that needed verbal skills fairly often.
More often I do small jobs for individuals, or sometimes schools and small businesses. Once a customer knows how good I am at my work, they return and/or recommend me to other people, and speaking is not the issue it might otherwise be.
But face up to it: your life is NOT going to be easy. Neither should it be. One thing you can count on: if you can avoid suicide and/or starvation, you are going to become a very interesting and very real person :)

[Sup2u]

Don't Let Stuttering Control Your Lives People!! You Don't Have To!!!!

[Sam]

No talking needed in the computing industry ;) Well not much anyway, I find the computer a good way to communicate.

[Asif]

Sup2u: your reply initially made me rather peeved. How glib. How shallow. How uninformed...etc...
I wondered why you would say something like that, as if stuttering was such a small, no-account thing. Then I discovered you are 13 years old. That explained a lot. Maybe you were just trying to offer encouragement?
I imagine your stutter is a small thing that really does not make much difference in your very young life. But please be aware that for many others, stuttering is a truly huge affliction, and more than capable of destroying a person's dreams.
The unending anguish that can result as the years go by with no improvement, is no small thing, and for many people, there is no relief to be found. People really suffer terribly from this awful handicap. Just thank your lucky stars that you are not one of them.
So please: try to have a little empathy for those who are so much worse off than yourself.
End of rant. "Sup2u" to make what you will of it.
Asif.

[Sup2u]

You seem like a very wise person AsIf. I don't know how much i stutter. I just know that i can control it most times... I'm sorry if i upset anyone i didn't mean to.
Thoes of you who are adults. How has stuttering affected your lives? Did you accomplish your childhood dreams. Or has it set you back in anyway. When i mature i want to become a psyciatrist. I really hope this dream becomes a reality.

[Asif]

Thanks Sup2u: your reply was a much truer indication of who you really are.
Don't worry about upsetting anyone: sometimes people are going to be upset with you anyway, no matter what you do or say :)
My stutter was so bad for so long that any dreams I might have had in my youth were doomed to fail. That was a crushing blow when I was actually IN my youth, but all that is now a distant memory. Now I get by pretty well with my malfunctioning speech apparatus, and it does not bother me nearly as much.
If you really want to become a psychiastrist, then the first thing you must do is learn how to spell it :)
But i wonder why you would want to become one?
I've met two or three of them, and they seemed a very drab, uninspired bunch.
But everyone is different...
As for being wise: maybe. I would not be nearly as wise if I had not had such a severe stutter. It made me seek an alternative lifestyle that saw me lost in the north woods, alone, lost in the southern deserts, alone, and lost in the vast Pacific, alone. Anything to avoid having to talk to anybody :)
I finally became so detached from society that it no longer mattered that I was different from other people, and I was able to interact with them without feeling less, or inadequate.
I have learned to know my own place in the universe. And probably that is what you are referring to when you use the word "wise".
My apologies if I seemed a bit sharp with you. Your post was so short that it said nothing about you. I know more now.
Best wishes:)
Asif.

[Sup2u]

The reason i want to be a psychiatrist is because i like to help people. And I am a very good listener. Also the mind has so many hidden wonders. Like dreams. Dreams are very interesting...

[wenchnwitches]

I mean when was the last time some celebrity spoke out about Stuttering and pledged for support? We hear ALL the time about how AIDS and Cancer is devastating, but nobody ever gives airtime to the debilitating affliction of stuttering. Yes, it is not as painful or life-wrecking as these two major diseases but it IS painful and effects sufferers lives.....

[Professor]

yes i definantly agree on that so much^

[Insha]

Stammering is kind of slow poison,the moment u think it's got lesser the next day its even worse.I have written quite a number of songs in hindi and english.And also wrote some letters to the newspaper and everyone encouraged even my aunty who is a author by herself.So its quite inspiring,but at the same time stammering affects every sphere of my life.I am very now in my beggining of my12th grade and in a years time i have to decide which proffesion i have to choose.I had thought about being a lawyer but my family says i dont talk much so how do i be lawyer.I dont agree with them its what i talk matters not how or how much i talk.I have also thought about Mass Communication but i stil have to deicide.

[wenchnwitches]

Don't let your stammer stop you....as for your family, I think they see you as painfully shy because you don't say much, and lawyers have no time to be shy and have to talk a lot....

I agree that stuttering is a poison, because it destroys any feelings of self-worth or confidence that we have, we beat ourselves up all the time, but we DO have the antidote - tell that voice to shut the heck up....

I would like to hear one of your poems sometime.

[llw03c]

Stammering is kind of slow poison,the moment u think it's got lesser the next day its even worse.I have written quite a number of songs in hindi and english.And also wrote some letters to the newspaper and everyone encouraged even my aunty who is a author by herself.So its quite inspiring,but at the same time stammering affects every sphere of my life.I am very now in my beggining of my12th grade and in a years time i have to decide which proffesion i have to choose.I had thought about being a lawyer but my family says i dont talk much so how do i be lawyer.I dont agree with them its what i talk matters not how or how much i talk.I have also thought about Mass Communication but i stil have to deicide.

i don't know if thats a good idea. certain occupations just aren't appropriate for us "speech disabled" persons. wouldn't life be great if we could type, IM,email our way though our daily lives instead of talking.. :D . i for one, have been focusing on jobs where there's little "customer service" involved. i realize i'll never be able to avoid the inevitable but at least you know your limitations and that you'll have a job you like. why would even want a job thats heavy on the speaking anyway?? those jobs require marketing skills, interpersonal skills and stuttering gets in the way of that. its not cool. to be a lawyer means you have to be very persuasive with your speech, can you handle that??? decide for yourself.

[Insha]

I maybe can handle it once i get rid of stuttering

[llw03c]

would you tell a potential employer that you stuttered up front (especially if its mild) or do you "fudge" your way throuh an interview??

i'm afraid that if i admit it up front it gives them an excuse to NOT hire me since all the other candidates are "normal".

all of "us" are pretty smart compared to the "normal" people but are we doomed to survival type jobs because we don't possess one of the important skills they looke for which is communication skills?

[Gary1450]

My former employer told my new employer that I stuttered when they called for a reference and that helped me get the job bacause they UNDERSTOOD what the hell was going on.

Most people think I'm nervous - they don't realize that it's just me struggling with the words.

[Asif]

Lucky you Gary:
But you should have told your new boss you stuttered, yourself.
Trying to hide something like that is bound to come back and bite you in the leg later on.
"Hello: I am not weird, I just have this bloody stutter :)"
Asif.

[Gary1450]

For the first time in my life while taliking on the phone I told the other person - "I'm sorry, I have trouble speaking , please be patient."

It calmed me down and enabled me to talk better - so you're right Asif - letting the cat out of the bag really helps with overall fluency.

[mos]

For the first time in my life while taliking on the phone I told the other person - "I'm sorry, I have trouble speaking , please be patient."

It calmed me down and enabled me to talk better - so you're right Asif - letting the cat out of the bag really helps with overall fluency.

i do the same as yourself.
say for instance i wanted a insurance quote.
i let the other person on the line know that i stutter.
this helps alot for me and also for the listner.

:D

[llw03c]

My former employer told my new employer that I stuttered when they called for a reference and that helped me get the job bacause they UNDERSTOOD what the hell was going on.

Most people think I'm nervous - they don't realize that it's just me struggling with the words.
that really is lucky..i 've had interviews and i'm sure that the interviewers thought i was insecure or lacked confidence or something..i knew what the problem was. i just know what to say but can't say it. its really really hard to tell them up front but its probably the best thing to do after all..

[Asif]

The strange thing about letting the listener know I have a speech impediment is that once I've done that, I seem not to have any trouble speaking !!!
I almost wish - sometimes - that I would stutter more in the conversation, just to let the listener know I really DO have a problem :)
Hehe: how weird is THAT?
Asif.

[Gary1450]

Another thing you can do I read on the web -

When you submit your resume include a cover letter which you are supposed to do anyway.

The cover letter should include basic info - the job your applying for, how excited you are for the interview, etc...

Also include that you stutter and that you work everyday to improve. Don't make it sound like a monumental thing but something that they should be aware of. So when you get the interview they already know, Helps ease the tension.

[heatguy]

Also include that you stutter and that you work everyday to improve. Don't make it sound like a monumental thing but something that they should be aware of. So when you get the interview they already know, Helps ease the tension.

are you out of your god damn mind?
the minute you let an employer know you stutter the job is not yours..
You dont tell anyone you stutter.. :eek:
could you stack the chips against yourself any more?

[Gary1450]

That's true sometimes heatguy - but let's just say your interviewing for a job that doesn't require to do that much speaking.

I don't know - a warehouse job for example - you don't need great communication skills for that but the interviewer won't know whats wrong with you and might think your just strange.

[llw03c]

That's true sometimes heatguy - but let's just say your interviewing for a job that doesn't require to do that much speaking.

I don't know - a warehouse job for example - you don't need great communication skills for that but the interviewer won't know whats wrong with you and might think your just strange.
i wouldn't think there are too many stutterers that would apply for position requiring a lot of speaking. i was once recruited for an engineering position but when i found out that there is a marketin component and a lot of customer interaction, i declined to interview for the position. i know all jobs have some communication but you have to know your limitations.

i'm sure you all agree with me in wishing that we could type our way through life instead of speaking sometimes..like typing you answers to job interview questions or typing what you want when you are at restaurants, etc.. we're not that lucky, unfortunately.

by the way, as asif mentioned, whenever you do come around in admitting your problem, it magically disappears. i was once on the phone with a speech therapist, telling her about my problem and i was perfect. i was also talking to a speech therepist student, and the same thing happened. :rolleyes:

[Perad]

ok, i'm searching for jobs and i realize that sooner or later i'm obviously going to need to do some talking. the ideal job where i'm isolated from everyone doing minimal speaking is too good to be true and doesn't exist. taking my disfluency into account, i realize that i'm so limited in my options. i have an MS in engineering but i don't get any responses and i blame that on my problem. somehow, my delays and pauses and blocks must make me look incompetent. all the people that copied my homework in undergrad/grad now make a ton of money because they know how to run their mouth and ace job interviews appear to have "people skills" while people like me suffer.

since i'm out of luck and will probably never get the job i really deserve, i have to settle for something else in the meantime to pay the bills. does anyone have ideas for jobs?? needless, customer service/clerical type stuff is out of the question.

OK give yourself a slap, just because you have a stammer it doesn't mean you can't do a job. Your only problem will be at the interview stage, just convince them that while you have a stammer it will not stop you from doing a good job. unfortunately i having exactly that problem.

At the end of the day do what you enjoy. Express how much you like the area of work, then just go over why your stammer will not stop you from doing the job.

Also be confident, i am in the same situation, at the point where i am unemployed and i see a stammer as a barrier to employment. But that isn't stopping me from looking for the job that i want to do.

[llw03c]

OK give yourself a slap
just did..lol!! :D

[spaz98]

As a stutterer, I know how difficult it can be to find a job. Whether or not to tell a potentail employer about your stutter depends on the situation. I only stutter using certain sounds, so I have never told a potential employer that I have a stutter. I could see telling a potential emploiyer about your disability if you stutter most of the time and are required to be on the phone or in front of customers a great deal of the time. Most employers will not ask you about it because of American Disabilities Act. If they do ask you, just be honest. An employer is most likely going to tell you stutter anyways.

Unfortunately, there are not many jobs out there that do not require speaking! A few jobs that come to mnd are data entry, filing, and court reporting. I wouldn't not go after an opportunity just because you stutter. For example, being a customer service repreentative might improve your stutter. It would give you practice of talking in front of people and it might decrease your problem. On the hand, it could make you experience panic attacks.

I read that many of you tell people you have a stutter at the start of a conversation. Although it might make you feel at ease, you should refrain from doing that. I feel like apart of my problem is self defeating thoughts. I think I am going to stutter, therefore, I do. So...Saying that you stutter out loud prodcues negative thinking. If you tell yourself that you can't do something, then you will never be able to do it. The first impression lasts forever. Instead of telling someone what you can't do, you should tell them what you can do!

I know there are alot of people out there who desperately want their stutter to disappear. Although these techniques may not work for you, I thought I would share them anyway. A big problem that contributes to stuttering is breathing. You should try to remain clam when you are speaking. Yoga might help you in this matter. You should also try to say your first word slowly. The main sounds I have trouble with are l's and w's. Placing your tongue on the back of your front teeth could help you say words that begin with an l. I can not express positive thinking more! Picture the word you have trouble saying in your head and imagine yourself saying it clearly.

There are many speech devices out there now that help with stuttering. The Fluency Master and Speech Easy are two popular ones. I used the Fluency Master. Although it helped me a great deal in the beginning, it does not work well for long term use.

Wouldn't it be great to take a pill that would make your stutter go away? There are several on the market now. However, they do not correct the problem completely. I have heard there are many side affects to these medications, as well.

If you really want to speak with fluency and clariity, I would suggest you check out the speech therapy programs in your area. They teach you a great deal of techniques and how to handle the anxiety that comes with having a stutter.