NLDline

Comments on NLD Adult Bulletin Board from January 23, 1999 (Thanks to Yvonna for posting this.)

I'd be glad to share some of my experiences with employment and vocational guidance. I don't know your background. My basic advice is to get as much education as possible. That way, you use your head, not your hands. For me, it means using my language and research skills. I became a librarian. That doesn't mean that I still didn't have struggles, however. In one job as a library director, I only lasted a couple months -- and I was oblivious to the fact that anything was going wrong. Looking back, I now realize that this was due to my inability to read nonverbals.
In any case, I'd avoid any jobs where speed and / or motor processing is a factor, such as McDonald's, waitressing, stock clerk, etc. I didn't do too badly with office work. When I worked as a temp., one of my best job placements was at an engineering firm. This is because the job duties there were very clearly defined, and all the procedures were written down, step by step, clearly and logically. You could go to the manual and look them up at any time. I hope this helps. I'm no expert -- just an NLD adult who has had lots of struggles in this area.

and later, on the same subject...

How did I become a librarian? I always loved books, then someone suggested I pursue it as a career, and I started thinking about it. Then I got a CETA job in a school library which went fairly well. The quiet environment had relatively few distraction, making it easy to concentrate on the task at hand. Most of my work was focused, where I could concentrate on one thing at a time. Since I'd spent a great deal of time in libraries, I felt comfortable in this environment. And perhaps best of all, accuracy was more important than speed, there was a need for attention to detail, and there was little or no time pressure.
When I returned to college (after being a college dropout for three years) I sought out work at the college library for my work-study. This, too, turned out to be a positive experience. So I decided to go on for my graduate degree in library science.
Most of my librarian positions were in small, "one person" libraries. Here, you do everything. That meant I had to plan everything, but it also meant that I was able to work fairly independently, organizing my work in ways that worked best for me. I had little pessure, little supervision, and no one standing over my head or looking over my shoulder.
At my current job, I work as the Reference Librarian in the Social Science Division of the central Rochester Public Library in Rochester, NY. I'm one of five librarians in my division. We work as a team. there is a lot of public contact, however, it is highly verbal -- researching and answering questions. I have only been here five months; I'm hoping things are going well. I enjoy the work. The staff seem very nice and helpful. I've made friends with a librarian in the Business division (located on the same floor; ea. flr. has 2 depts.) We have gone to single's activities together.
Speaking of which ... my lunch hour is over. More later.