Career crap...I am so screwed!

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have always been a little hard of hearing, ever since I was a little kid. It never bothered me at all and I ended up working in a call center after college and turned out to be pretty good at my job. I took what started out as a $10/hr temp job with no benefits and moved through a couple of different industries and a couple of different states to earn twice that (coupled with excellent benefits) in a wonderful company after moving to Massachusetts. I’m still on the phones and while I would say “call center” isn’t exactly the right term for my work environment it is close enough for the purposes of this thread.

But I’ve noticed over the last 6 months my hearing is getting worse. Much worse. In the last week I’ve noticed it is impacting my ability to talk to people on the phone. I can’t make out their names, account information, or other details without asking for it multiple times and plugging one ear to drown out background sounds. I’ve got an appointment with a doctor on Tuesday to look into what is going on with my hearing and find out what can be done and I would bet good money they will say something along the lines of, “Seriously, you do phone work? You need to knock that shit off right now!” I have a feeling they are going to tell me wearing a headset and listening to loud people all day long is no way to protect what hearing I have left and that I should probably really consider getting hearing aids. I’m totally fine with that and I’d love to get off the phones, but somehow I have a feeling my boss is not going to be thrilled they paid to train me for four months and now six months into my actual job I’ll most likely have a disability profound enough to stop me from doing what they hired me to do. There are other things the company needs to have done, of course, but none of which I have much experience with and if I had interviewed for pretty much any other position in the company they would not have hired me, I’m sure. Oh, they will find a way to make me useful for a while - answering mail, assisting supervisors, etc. but I’m very afraid this is going to take me off of the path toward promotion and put me on a path to a corner office in the basement somewhere.

I’m faced with now finding an entirely new type of job, probably in a different industry, and I don’t know how the hell I am going to manage that, especially when you consider that pretty much all of my serious work experience is now useless given the importance of being able to hear in a service position. Hell, I couldn’t even really go back to running a cash register or waiting tables like I did in college without the ability to hear the customers clearly. And while further education is probably going to be necessary I do have a family and bills to pay so unless the classes are free through MIT opencourseware or something I don’t think we will be able to hack it financially for me to go back to school, at least not full time, so I will still need something that can be done to earn a living, even if it is only part time while I work towards an education so I can have a proper career.

So here are my basics: Bachelor’s degree (communications, of course :smack:) and approximately 10 years of real work experience with an 18 month break to be a stay at home mom. I started as a customer service rep for a worldwide company, moved briefly into a similar position in the mortgage industry, and then leaped headfirst into insurance, first in P&C and then later in health insurance but all the work was still service-based, sometimes with customers but predominately with brokers and medical providers as I moved along. I’ve never had a job that did not involve a lot of verbal communication over the phone. I need, at least for a few years, to have a job that doesn’t require additional education, even if that is only to pay bills while I procure additional education. I’m not bilingual though I’m thinking now might be a really good time to start picking up some sign language. I don’t mind working with my hands but I’m not much of a physical specimen so construction worker and Olympic athlete are probably out. We are thrilled with where we live so moving more than a couple cities in any direction isn’t high on our list of things to do.

If you were in my position-mouths to feed, sudden potentially career-ending disability, etc.-what would your next steps be? Can you think of any jobs that don’t involve being able to hear? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being a high paying job petting kittens all day and 10 being making signs out of cardboard to beg on the street corner, how fucked am I?

2

At first glance, since it’s late for me…you could still probably work and get OJT in telephony or even chat-based technical support if need be. However, I want to say, don’t panic! It may be that you are just having chronic sinus or ear infections. I can’t imagine what else would be causing profound degenerative hearing loss without you having other concomitant neurological deficits…and it does not sound like that is the case.

Best of luck with your upcoming checkup.

3

I would start by saying that an inability to have conversations by telephone would affect more than your potential as a call center employee, and I use that term probably more loosely than you do.

Many types of jobs beyond call center cannon-fodder (which I’ve been before, in several incarnations) require an ability to communicate by phone. Many is probably being conservative. I mean, most jobs require that you be able to make or receive a phone call on a pretty regular basis, but I do understand the critical nature of this problem when you spend 15+ hours a week on the phone.

That said, if you don’t have hearing impairment that affects your ability to function in daily life off of the phone, you can probably take steps to improve your telephonic capabilities. What’s your current work phone setup?

4

First I wish you good luck with your checkup. Hopefully it is no more than a infection or injury, and you can resume working as usual.

In the worst case, if your hearing cannot be saved, a IT technical desk job may be a good fit for you. I was a programmer, and we use our eyes far more than our ears. Most of the communications are on email anyways, and most companies have really good written documentation of stuff, so verbal communication can be kept to a minimum. You’ll still need some hearing for meetings and scrums, but the rest of the day you could be stone deaf and be no worse off for it.

At least that was my experience, at a junior level. As you progress, you’d need more and more communication of all types, but that will be years away.

It should not take you years to get a clutch of IT programming skills for an entry-level job. There should be plenty of courses available for free online. You should explore the demand in your area before you act.

Hope this helps… all the best.

5

Do NOT think you can’t handle this.

First: checkup. Problem could be temporary.
Second: you may need hearing aids. No big deal.
Third: if that doesn’t pan out, take whatever position they offer you for right now. You’ve become gold to them (a minority…disabled, with experience!)

Being “disabled” opens so many doors…you can retrain for something else if you want to. Go to school on a work program. (Making money while you learn.) Your communications skills will transfer to so many venues.

If you need a buffer, SSI is a temporary (can be extended) monthly payment, obtained through Social Security.

Best of luck, I know you have the grit to do well.

6
  1. Ototoxic drugs
  2. Wax in the ears
  3. Other things that people have mentioned
  4. Other things I don’t know about

I may have missed your age, but from the gist of your post - I get the impression you are fairly young. I am not a doctor of course, but I have had wax in my ears - which seemed like gradual hearing loss. Not saying yours is that - just giving an example of something it could be.

You mentioned that you have almost always been a little hard of hearing, and for all I know that might be predictive of future hearing loss - but I never heard that before (not that I’d have a reason to be told or know).

Anyway - I understand the desire to want to be prepared for a new career or whatever, but you don’t know that the hearing loss is something permanent - and even if it is - you don’t know that you couldn’t get a hearing aid and still do your job.

Again - I am not trying to get your hopes up, but I just think the advantage you are getting from a four day head start might not be worth the stress it is causing you. Of course maybe it’s impossible for you to think of anything else.

So my recommendation is go to a spa, or take a relaxing bath, or do something you enjoy.

I know that isn’t what you asked for - but oh well :slight_smile:

7

I have severe, progressive, hearing loss. Eight years ago I asked my PCP for a ENT referral. The ENT did an exam, hearing test with an audiologist in his practice, then a head CT scan to rule out tumor.

Then I was fitted for a hearing aid. I just got one for my left ear, as my right ear is too bad to help. The hearing aid helps a lot. At this point if my aid needs serviced, I dread going a few days without it.

ETA: most of my phone use is in the form of text messaging with my cell. I’d prefer that even if my hearing were perfect. At work (self employed) I use an amplified phone. Have you considered that?

Link to phones

8

Hearing aids seem to last about 5 years.

Maybe you can be one of those support people who communicate thru online chat or email?

In any case the sad truth is most of us will have to change careers 2-3 times in our lives. I suggest you go ahead and start planning a career move by updating your skills list.

BTW, reading your post, your an awesome writer. Your very descriptive, have great grammar skills, and overall you really get your point across well. Love the petting kittens thing!

9

Hey, fellow call center jockey! In the vein of thinking positively, your doctor may be able to put you back to work with an awesome reasonable restriction. Maybe something like having your own quiet office with a door that closes, so your work is less affected by background noise.

10

Your workplace may be open to retraining. Very few jobs are actually so difficult that they couldn’t train an adaptable person for it. The big risk is basic reliability, ability to work on teams, work ethic, etc. if you are already a known quantity in those regards, you are more valuable to the company than you can imagine. It costs thousands to hire someone new, so they would much rather find a way to hold on to you rather than lose you.

Barring that, some organizations make a point of hiring based on disability. I remember going to a job panel at a conference in my very buttoned up industry. After a few generic questions, a young woman dressed in sloppy jeans and a sweater (the only non-suit in the room) stood up and asked a wandering question about hiring for people with learning disabilities.

The corporate guys and the NGOs gave stumbled replies that amounted to “we aren’t interested and don’t offer help.” Then the federal government rep gave an explanation of the different programs for hiring on disability and the various accommodations they offer, and offered to meet with the young woman after the panel.

11

The Americans with Disabilities Act probably requires your workplace to find you a new job in the company that works around your disability. If it’s very small, and has just a few employees, the company may not be covered, but it’s the essence that a person cannot be fired for becoming disabled. There are a few rare cases that won’t be covered, and they don’t have to give you a salary bump, even if the only jobs they have are in higher pay slots, but they are supposed to try to find you something.

Another option, if you don’t like any of the position your company has to offer you, if continuing your education with support from Vocational Rehabilitation. VR is meant exactly for people who need to retrain for new careers because of a disability, although it helps people born with disabilities train for their first careers as well.

If you are worried about money in the meantime, you can apply for Social Security Disability. Don’t be ashamed to do it. It’s available to anyone who has paid into Social Security, and it might be something you need just while you are, say, getting an AA degree. There’s also something else Social Security offers called Supplemental Security Income. It’s for people with disabilities who are working, but can’t make enough to fully support themselves. If, for example, you found some kind of part-time work while in school, you might use SSI to fill the gaps.

That’s assuming that you really are losing your hearing further. Maybe you will turn out to have an infection, or something, like others have suggested, and all will be well in a couple of weeks.

12

Is that actually how the ADA works? I thought the company had an obligation to provide a reasonable accommodation, but if she can’t perform the essential functions of her job with or without a reasonable accommodation, they don’t have to retain her and they’re not obligated to move her to a different position. My understanding is that the obligation to provide an alternate position for her is only if she was out on job-protected leave, such as FMLA. She can’t be fired for being disabled, but she can be let go for being unable to perform the essential functions. I do know there have been some changes, though, so perhaps I am wrong?

Anyhow, pbbth, I am also in Massachusetts and used to work in disability services. PM me if you’re so inclined. Maybe I can help.

13

Thanks for the replies everyone. I’m still freaking out a little bit but I’ve calmed down a lot since yesterday and I’m just going to try not to worry about it until I talk to the doctor and they figure out what is actually going on. I appreciate all the comments (and offers of help lorene!) but I’m just going to try to shelve the issue for a few days and not be freaked the hell out all weekend.

I am going to start looking into developing a new skillset that could turn into a career path though. If something happens and I do go deaf (or, I dunno, a sea witch steals my voice and keeps it in a seashell necklace or something) I should probably have a backup plan. And I will also double up on the disability insurance just in case.

14

Have you had hearing problems when not on the phone? If your hearing has generally been getting worse for six months, you should go to a doctor earlier. Sorry but this is for others who notice hearing problems; it could be a symptom of something more serious than just bad hearing. If it’s both ears then I have no idea other than two bad infections, but it could be a build up of tissue under your ear drum which needs to be cleaned out. You won’t lose your hearing and it should get better after the operation(s).

I’ve had ops on both ears (and a brain operation because I ignored an ear infection for far too long - bummer) and continued to work on the phones afterwards. You might need a hearing aid or just a louder phone. I don’t think the volume on a phone can damage your hearing, otherwise there would be class actions galore against phone manufacturers. My hearing is certainly not the best and if I get a build up of wax in my ears or am using a faulty handset I need to pay attention and get it fixed.

15

If your doc doesn’t have a good answer for you, ask for referral to ENT. Good luck. Deep breath, don’t freak out til you have more information.

16

Oops, missed the edit window. OP if you have established with a doctor who knows you, you might want to just ask them for the ENT referral directly. Cut to the chase if you can.