Sunday, August 2, 2009

Hey employers! Got a Noisy job? I want it!

G'day Everyone.

You know, I am fretting over the job market lately. I've done everything from dressing the best I can, hair cuts, shaving down to the point my face looks like a *LIGHT HOUSE ON A BODY* (wonder if there's a job for me at night on Cape Fear?), and having *army shiny* shoes.

But, that's no longer a case these days. It's all about what you do on the 'net these days as well as social networking sites. Big *sigh*.

Anyhow, Jamie Berke posted something on her Deafness.about.com blog and here's the link:
http://deafness.about.com/b/2009/08/01/lose-your-hearing-because-of-your-job.htm

I said to myself: "If people are not taking noisy jobs because they don't want to lose their hearing, then I want it! Just as long as I can take off my hearing aid, I can focus on the job a lot better!".

When I thought about that, I said that I could take any loud job and do it better than a hearing person could do. Only if that happened in real life more often for me.

When I worked in a very noisy data center some years ago, like a computer printing room, nearly every hearing co-worker hated that room. There was one time that a co-worker challenged our supervisor that if I could do the job in the printing room alone and better than them, I could have their job and they'd wind up my console job. I took the challenge. Once I had a strobe light installed on the phone, I put my hearing aid right by the phone and got right to work. I loved the printer room. Noise? Without a hearing aid, it didn't bother me not one bit. I worked that room like a pro! Things were done faster and I did the job so easy, it was fun to me.
My co-workers got jealous with me. They wished they were deaf. I told them "Don't wish for deafness. Be happy you can hear!".

When I lived and worked in the DC area, I have never forgotten of how bad it was working in an office. I hate phones. I had to deal with them often. But I loved to work with instant messenger of AIM and Yahoo. Even though some businesses don't mind that they should give their deaf employees a videophone, but they'd rather have a direct access of employees through the IMs.
Some times I like a quiet office. But I rather face a noisy computer room where I can do my job, take off my hearing aid and work professionally.

There are many noisy jobs out there. How many will actually quit and how many deaf people can be hired to replace them? That's the question in this age of economics.

As I don't have a job these days, I still search hard. When I need a camping time, I used to go to knoebels amusement park, my friend and I were often given the LOUDEST place in the campground. That is right where the roller coasters are. I never minded that loud camp area. People got jealous. The years later, I'd learn that hearing people would adapt and learn to live in that noisy corner of the campground. They'd pretend they're deaf too to get the site. I said "That's OK. They'll have a temporary hearing loss after their camping time."

As summer is starting to wane, many internships are ending. Employers will soon advertise for their replacements. I hope and pray I'm one of the people that will snap up a permanent job as the economy is suppose to be picking up and ending this recession. A true end? We should hope so. If I ever break lucky for another job in a noisy environment, I'm going to be happy as I can ever be and being thankful that I'm proud to be deaf.

Semper FI.

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