Jobs for shy people

Generical

Generical

Well-known member
You could probably get used to any job if you're willing to get one. The problem with me is I think I just have a massive lack of initiative. I don't even really know how to apply or look for a job and the only reason i do have one is because my sister got it for me. Even that is an extremely loose part time job so i need to think about career or something, then again maybe i'm thinking too hard and should just get a crappy but full time job that'll maybe motivate me but seeming just typing 'job' into google pisses me off (do you have a degree - no - oh, search results...Zero) it's unlikely, just really annoying.
 
meatcake

meatcake

1
I really don't mind working, like if it was a garden that was growing my own food or something. Dealing with other people is so stressful though. There should be more jobs with no social interaction whatsoever. Even data entry jobs I've done have had WAY too much interaction. I just want to go somewhere, do my work alone, and go home. To my cat.
 
princess_haru

princess_haru

Well-known member
Ok, here's a horror story... the worst job I've ever had was working in a jewellery shop. I was basically having a constant panic attack, all day long! We were supposed to remember loads of info about the jewellery (stones, metals, sizes etc) and where it was kept in the shop, plus how to operate the till and fill out warranty forms, plus keep an eye on the stock and tidy/rearrange it if needed, plus advise customers and persuade them to buy stuff... it was all thrown at me at once, not learning one thing at a time. I just couldn't cope with it while I was feeling panicky over all the interaction with staff and customers. To make things worse, another girl had started just before I did and was basically Little Miss Perfect, doing everything easily and confidently. Did she help me or give me advice? Hah! :p She just looked at me with an expression of contempt and avoided talking to me as much as possible. All the staff were like that; snooty and contemptuous. The manager tried to make me do a role-play exercise with her as a customer, in the middle of the shop in front of all the staff!! I lasted about a week and half there, then was sacked for calling in sick too many times, lol! I just couldn't face going in so I'd called in sick about three times in ten days... ::eek::
 
B

Beyondshy

Well-known member
princess_haru said:
Ok, here's a horror story... the worst job I've ever had was working in a jewellery shop. I was basically having a constant panic attack, all day long! We were supposed to remember loads of info about the jewellery (stones, metals, sizes etc) and where it was kept in the shop, plus how to operate the till and fill out warranty forms, plus keep an eye on the stock and tidy/rearrange it if needed, plus advise customers and persuade them to buy stuff... it was all thrown at me at once, not learning one thing at a time. I just couldn't cope with it while I was feeling panicky over all the interaction with staff and customers. To make things worse, another girl had started just before I did and was basically Little Miss Perfect, doing everything easily and confidently. Did she help me or give me advice? Hah! :p She just looked at me with an expression of contempt and avoided talking to me as much as possible. All the staff were like that; snooty and contemptuous. The manager tried to make me do a role-play exercise with her as a customer, in the middle of the shop in front of all the staff!! I lasted about a week and half there, then was sacked for calling in sick too many times, lol! I just couldn't face going in so I'd called in sick about three times in ten days... ::eek::
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How did you stop that from affecting you getting another job, princess_haru?
I think I went from being shy to having social phobia because I had to do work experience in a health food store when I was 15. I, like you, was thrown in at the deep end and expected to cope. The people I worked with weren't very nice and would blame things on me if they did something wrong. At the end of the week the boss had to fill out my report. She was asked about different aspects of the job and how I performed with the options being excellent, good, satisfactory or poor. I was given satisfactory for most. Everyone I spoke to at school was given excellent or good. Even though I KNOW I did a good job and should have just ignored her (especially as she said my numeracy skills were only satisfactory when in fact I was the best in my school at the time!) it really affected me badly and I think it's the main reason why I am absolutely terrified to get a job now. I don't know what to do about it now though. How can I get over it?
 
elliegrindhouse

elliegrindhouse

Member
I once had a job at a resteraunt, as a waitress. they fired me because my lack of socialization towards my co-workers and customers. T.T are there any like, good part-time jobs out there for say, summer jobs where you don't have deal with many people on a daily basis? and is it a smart idea to let your employer know before hand that you believe you have social anxiety?
 
Remus

Remus

Moderator
Staff member
That's a very demanding social job! I worked for starbucks for a while as a barista, was quite stressful but helped me improve my mediocre social skills
 
princess_haru

princess_haru

Well-known member
Beyondshy said:
How did you stop that from affecting you getting another job, princess_haru?
I think I went from being shy to having social phobia because I had to do work experience in a health food store when I was 15. I, like you, was thrown in at the deep end and expected to cope. The people I worked with weren't very nice and would blame things on me if they did something wrong. At the end of the week the boss had to fill out my report. She was asked about different aspects of the job and how I performed with the options being excellent, good, satisfactory or poor. I was given satisfactory for most. Everyone I spoke to at school was given excellent or good. Even though I KNOW I did a good job and should have just ignored her (especially as she said my numeracy skills were only satisfactory when in fact I was the best in my school at the time!) it really affected me badly and I think it's the main reason why I am absolutely terrified to get a job now. I don't know what to do about it now though. How can I get over it?
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Well I basically had no choice about getting another job, as I needed the money badly. I've found that, as long as the job isn't unbearable (shop work's not for me!), having to go out and interact with people every day at work helps me improve my social skills and builds up my stamina for being around other people. It's hard at first but it gets easier with time and practice. I suppose it's what psychologists call exposure therapy. I know some people say it doesn't work for them, but for me it seems to help.

The main problem I have is taking the first step, as it feels like walking out on a high ledge and trying not to look down as I step out into thin air, willing myself not to fall!! :eek: But now that I've fallen a few times I know it's not the end of the world and I won't break any bones if I do. Climbing back up to try again is tiring and difficult, but I've done that a few times too now and I believe that if I can do it (scared, grumpy creature that I am!) then anyone can :)
 
2Crowded

2Crowded

Well-known member
Good line i heard in a movie once...(i know..one shouldnt pay much attention to movie dialogs)... but I think it was a real good one & i think is probably true: "Some of the most satisfied & content people come home everyday from work stinking to high heaven"...never under estimate the value of good old fasion simplistic manual labor..whatever that might be..Janitor, pig farmer, or porta john cleaner...it dont matter..a job well done is satisfying & can be almost therapudic i think...no matter what it is or how simple or isolated or if it's looked at as being a loser dead end job by most.. or whatever....i dont think a special career is always the most important thing, although im sure they may pay better then the average job...but I think being happy & content would be more important to me.
 
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Remus

Remus

Moderator
Staff member
yup thats true, when I was a well paid high flying engineer I found it chronically boring and soul destroying.

My fav job was working on a stables at 14-16 after school, loved it!
 
recluse

recluse

Well-known member
I've had some shit jobs. The first job i had was a summer job in a local bakery, filling tins with dough and slicing bread 3 days a week. The hours where 2 pm untill 10pm, but on the last day i worked there i worked untill midnight slicing bread endlessly without a break! The worst thing was recieving just £20 for three days work.

My second and first full time job was at a bicycle assembly factory. A lot of the people working there were horrible, there was always fighting going on there and one day one guy got pushed through a window! I was treated badly because i was quiet.

Factories are the most soul destroying places anyone can work in.
 
princess_haru

princess_haru

Well-known member
recluse said:
Factories are the most soul destroying places anyone can work in.
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I worked a couple of nights at a food factory once, and kept getting shouted at for not being fast enough. My job was to put liners in cake trays that moved past quickly on a conveyer belt, so that the machine could squirt cake mix into them... for eight hours... in the middle of such hellish noise from the machines that everyone had to wear ear protection and scream at each other to be heard! If you didn't put the liners in quickly enough, the mix would go into the trays anyway and get wasted, so I was constantly stressed from being shouted at for not having five pairs of hands! ::p: Basically you had to work really quickly at a mindlessly repetitive task, without talking (no point when no one can hear you!) in a noisy factory room with no natural light for hours on end... it was pure hell! :eek:
 
recluse

recluse

Well-known member
I worked in another factory for a few months. I had to do 12 hour shifts with just a half hour break. The hours were two days of 6am till 6pm and then two days of 6pm till 6am with a 3 day break between them. It was hell!
 
Argamemnon

Argamemnon

Well-known member
I've had some shit jobs too. I worked in a very busy restaurant kitchen (in a big hotel) once. I can't describe the horror I faced. I would like to go back and shoot those people.
 
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princess_haru

princess_haru

Well-known member
recluse said:
I worked in another factory for a few months. I had to do 12 hour shifts with just a half hour break. The hours were two days of 6am till 6pm and then two days of 6pm till 6am with a 3 day break between them. It was hell!
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*shudders*

Some people can cope with factory work and some can't. I'm far too nervy and easily stressed to deal with the noise, pace and eeevil strip-lighting :rolleyes: Sounds like it's not for you either!

sabbath9 said:
one word: hydroponics
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Grow weed in the attic, you mean? Lol ::p:
 
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