Making a Living, Getting a Job

[Mozart22]

How do you guys make a living despite having a very sweaty face, forehead,
hands, underarms? I'm not talking about a little job for when you're young and mostly a student, I'm talking about a career or job that makes you enough money to live off of and raise a family with. A job that is consistent and makes at least $3,000 a month.
(that's not much money these days, everything is so expensive... rent, car, gas, electricity, insurance)

One problem is that you have to shake a lot of hands during job interviews, and you also have to shake a lot of hands even if you get the job. A lot of professional jobs require handshaking whenever you greet a client, your boss, or even a coworker.

Although sweaty hands are no fun, let me assure you that facial and forehead sweating is by far the worst because it's there for all to see. If you have sweaty hands you keep them out of sight most of the time. If you have sweaty underarms you can find certain clothing that masks or absorbs it. But if your forehead and face sweat, there is nothing you can really do to hide it, it's there for all to see. (most good paying jobs do not let you wear a baseball cap or hat while working. especially if you have to wear a shirt and tie you can't have a hat on your head)

So what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to make a decent living when our faces and foreheads drip with sweat when we get nervous or walk up stairs or we have to give a presentation to clients or coworkers?

I think being able to have a decent career despite a very sweaty face and hands is a very large challenge.
Already for people who don't suffer from HH, getting a decent job is not easy. But for us, not only do we have to deal
with a weak job market, we also have to put a lot of consideration and planning into finding a job where the heavy sweating
and clammy hands will not make things so embarrassing and awkward that you feel you want out.

 

[Aussie_Lad]

Office type jobs are overrated. Get a job out in the mines or something, then you are on really good money and noone will even raise an eyebrow when you are sweating up a storm.

 

[mikebird]

Sweat happens to me, but i can cope. Office stuff is no good cos i go nuts and get angry with people who want to tell me what to do.

I fancy mines or building sites. How do i start? No point showing my IT CV to a new boss

 

[Mozart22]

Office type jobs are overrated. Get a job out in the mines or something, then you are on really good money and noone will even raise an eyebrow when you are sweating up a storm.

Well one advantage of office jobs is that you do a lot of sitting and you don't move around too much, and most offices are air conditioned. Honestly I don't think working in a mine would be a good idea for someone with hyperhidrosis. If you have to do a lot of manual labor outside and in a mine you will likely sweat so much that you would get severely dehydrated. Plus when you have facial and forehead sweating the sweat will drip all over your face and make it hard to work. The sweat will even get into your eyes sometimes if you are sweating profusely. You can wipe it off but it will come right back. If anything I would say very sedentary jobs that don't involve a lot of people would be best

 

[MoniqueNS]

I don't make a living currently. Ideally, I want to be a freelance writer and work from home. If that doesn't pan out, I'm f***ed.

 

[superfluouslyme]

Well one advantage of office jobs is that you do a lot of sitting and you don't move around too much, and most offices are air conditioned. Honestly I don't think working in a mine would be a good idea for someone with hyperhidrosis. If you have to do a lot of manual labor outside and in a mine you will likely sweat so much that you would get severely dehydrated. Plus when you have facial and forehead sweating the sweat will drip all over your face and make it hard to work. The sweat will even get into your eyes sometimes if you are sweating profusely. You can wipe it off but it will come right back. If anything I would say very sedentary jobs that don't involve a lot of people would be best

I've actually found that moving around and doing some sort of physical activity helps me feel less anxious at work. I've had a desk job and I was bouncy and anxious and wanted to get up and run away. It doesn't have to be something super active, but just having to stand or walk a little might work.

I don't have a job at the moment, but I would like something that has a physical aspect to it. I enjoyed being a sales associate and a dishwasher. I like having something to focus on. It keeps my mind distracted from being scared/nervous and gives me a clear task that I must finish. Maybe that's just me.

 

[Mozart22]

I don't make a living currently. Ideally, I want to be a freelance writer and work from home. If that doesn't pan out, I'm f***ed.

I do wish you well, but those kinda jobs are not very consistent. First it's hard to get started with that because a lot of people try to do the same thing and only the best will make good money. And secondly, it's just not consistent. You will have some months where you might have demand and then some long periods where nobody is hiring or requesting your services. A few lucky people can have success with freelance work but for most people who try it you never know when your earnings may fall flat

 

[Mozart22]

I've actually found that moving around and doing some sort of physical activity helps me feel less anxious at work. I've had a desk job and I was bouncy and anxious and wanted to get up and run away. It doesn't have to be something super active, but just having to stand or walk a little might work.

I don't have a job at the moment, but I would like something that has a physical aspect to it. I enjoyed being a sales associate and a dishwasher. I like having something to focus on. It keeps my mind distracted from being scared/nervous and gives me a clear task that I must finish. Maybe that's just me.

I have excessive sweating all over but the worst is my face and forehead. While hot temperatures and being nervous can trigger the sweating, the surest way of triggering my sweating is any sort of physical activity. I think when the brain senses a rise in breathing and blood pressure from physical activity, it signals the sweat glands to start sweating profusely.

I don't know about you but for me a job in retail or dish washing would be almost impossible because like I said any sort of moving around makes me sweat profusely. Even without being overweight I will start sweating a lot just from going up 2 flights of stairs or from walking from one point of the parking lot to the other.

One last thing, jobs like retail and dish washing don't really count because it's hard to make a decent living with those kinds of jobs. Sure you can do those when you're 20 but if you're 40 and have kids you're gonna need a much better paying job if you want to afford rent, groceries, car, insurance, etc