NF and Career

[doey]

Hello! It's me AGAIN and AGAIN.

I want to have a variety of topic for the testimonials in my book. If there is just 'NF and pregnancy' and 'NF and relationship', I'd be siding the women. So I thought of having a topic that interests guys as well.

So I decided to make another topic about NF AND CAREER. Ladies and gents, please give me your piece of mind about being in the working world while suffering from NF. Any discrimination, incompetitive performance, et cetera? Or for the younger ones, did NF made career choices a hard decision to make? Feel free to spill your opinions to me.

Thank you in advance for your contribution.

[kyboy]

i have nf1 and it is visible i work for one the largest home improvment store for over 11yrs now and my nf doesnt get in the way of me doing my job at times i make joke about my nf which upset some coworkers saying i shoundnt be that way i say why not lol but it doenst stop i have been in high postions and work and on the bottom of the ladder also now i am in a postion i enjoy very much work days off weekends which is great for those work in retail i hope these are things u looking for doey any more questions feel free to email me

[shortypower]

I don't think NF really affects my career. I haven't had a stable job yet, as in what I majored in. I've worked in retail for almost 3 years and its been great. People are accepting because I guess either they don't notice it, or they know each and every person is unique and different. Somtimes you see ppl who have similar bumps and moles all over thier body. So I don't really think they think its a big deal. Then again, I am pretty healthy and the only visible sign of my NF are the CALS on my face since the rest of my body is pretty much covered all the time:) But no one has ever given me a problem nor have I had rude customers!

[Tygermouse]

NF hasn't affected my career much. I work with children that have specail needs. The only thing I can't do is heavy lifitng and some of these kids are heavy in wheelchairs and need to be lifted onto the change table. Luckily I haven't had to do much lifiting on my own.

[doey]

hey these inputs are awesome! will fit it into the book when time comes. thanks!

[4theloveofJesse]

I know it's been a long time since this post was active, but I'm just seeing it for the first time. My little guy with NF1, almost 8, has a dream of becoming a police officer. Anyone out there who is an officer or knows of any regulations that would prohibit him from fulfilling this dream? Just want to know, so that I can start preparing him well in advance. He wants to work at Petco in high school! LOL He loves animals.

[MelissaS]

I have been diagnosed with NF since I was a young child . I am now a 36 year old woman. My problem has been my learning disbility which has hindered me career wise. After alot of soul searching as well as professional advise I choose job/career that allows me to use my strenghts not my weakness. We all have to use coping skills. I work in retail/sales. As for appearance - I am lucky -my NF side affects on a physical level is cafe-au-lait spots. When people ask - I simply say something similar to a birth mark.Surprisingly -not to many people are aware of what NF is.

[32chiliken]

I just got terminated from my job for a very foolish thing I did. It has been 2 months and no job. I am a 32 year old male with NF1. I know it has a lot of affects on me. A lot which I need to be tested for. I had problems at my job but it was still a good job. I have the support of my family but I find I'm scared because I don't know what I want to do. There are so many fundamental things I should have been applying that I'm learning to do now. All I want rght now is to find a job to support myself. I feel so stupid. Does that make any sense?

kkellen@carolina.rr.com

[vester]

My husband actually started his own business, in large part due to NF. He was working, and because of the time he needed to take off from work (to go to the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, etc.) left him with no time for vacations, etc. On top of that, the medicine he takes makes him occasionally sleepy, and sometimes, his leg just plain hurt.

He owns his own business now, and is doing FANTASTIC. He works from home, and runs a graphic design - web design company. This is his first year, and its gone unbelievably well. I'm very proud of him. It lets him take off for appointments, lets him take a nap if he is tired, he can wake up when he wants, and can take a vacation anytime!

Vester

[Orangecera]

Very interesting topic. I think having NF may have influenced my career in a very subtle way. I am a Speech Language Pathologist. I work with children with speech and language problems. In most cases they are caused by some form of learning disability or neurological problems.
I do not have any type of learning disability personally, and acutally did not know that people with NF have a high rate of learning disabilities until after I had decided on my major. However, it certainly did heighten my interest in the cause of learning disabilites, and the complexity of the lives of children with them.
Actually if having NF really influenced my choice, I would guess it happened long before I hit college. I had always had a sense that I wanted to have a career working with people, and one in which I could really help people in a very meaningful way. I think much of this came out of the sense that people are so often judged by society by what is "on the outside". Even though I was never really teased that much about my CAL's and bumps, I had a deep sense of sympathy for people who did get teased for such reasons. I remember watching the play "The Elephant Man" and being so shocked at the cruelty humans are capable of. At that time they still thought that Joesph Merrick had NF. Even though I knew that his must be an extremely severe case, and I really had no fear that I would ever be in such a situation personally, I think it had a big impact on me, and made me realize I should try very hard to never judge people on things that were out of their control.
So many children and adults with speech and language problems are teased by their peers. Stutterers, children with problems pronouncing words or certain sounds, and even children who simply have a hard time understanding social language skills. These kids are often thought of as being "clueless", or even "careless" when they make socially inapropriate comments. Unfortuantely, they ofen are deeply caring people, and feel horribly that they don't understand why their comments make others feel uncomfortable, and why they can't make friends more easilly.
So, I really love what I do. It is a great career. I am glad I found it.