Career choice is important
by Susan Salzberg, OT
Employment is a personal decision. For some, job choice is based on the "best way to make money to pay the bills" with the major focus of fulfilment being family, hobbies and/or circle of friends. For others, all aspects of life revolve around the job with few outside interests. Most of us fall somewhere in-between.

We may picture ourselves in various careers from early childhood and usually choose a career by our mid 20s. Once we assume the responsibilities of adulthood, it is difficult to switch careers as to do so usually requires additional training and a period of unemployment/lost wages. While there is no right or wrong career for a person with CMT, there is a range of poorer or better choices. Logic tells us that careers which require standing, balance, long periods of time on our feet or much physical stamina are probably poorer choices. The more severe our symptoms, the more selective we must be.

Our career ambitions are heavily influenced by our self-concept and who we would like to be (or become). My daughter at age five wants to be a bride. My son at age nine announced that he would save us a mint in college tuition by becoming a professional wrestler. Two years later, he decided that he would go to Harvard, become a lawyer and make his first million before he turned 23. I remember wanting to be a cowgirl at age seven and a biochemist at age 14 -- prior to not doing well in high school chemistry. I became an occupational therapist (which has nothing to do with job counselling) and have worked in a hospital helping to rehabilitate physically disabled people for the past 11 years. This has been a good career choice for me, although I know of another occupational therapist with CMT who had to retire on disability.

In recent publications, I have read about people with CMT who are successfully pursuing such diverse careers as clergyman, mime, physician and master chef. The career choices of people with CMT are obviously more heavily influenced by interests and specific talents than they are by our highly variable diagnosis. Although most of us were undiagnosed at the time we made our career choices, we had a rudimentary feeling of who we were and what we did well. But we did not plan for the unpredictable decline of function from our CMT. If we chose careers with good job security and fringe benefits and/or not many physical requirements, we did better.

When I was asked to make a list of 30-40 "occupations suitable for a person with CMT..." I found it much easier to think of unsuitable occupations -- like cowgirl, acrobat or professional wrestler. As an adult who has "made it" in the competitive work force, what career advice do I have for those who follow? There are obvious practical trends, as mentioned above. The more physical the job, the more unsuitable it would tend to be. Favor using your brains over your brawn. Job security and fringe benefits (sick leave, health insurance, disability insurance and retirement pension) are considerations that may be more important for folks with CMT. There is enough diversity in the employment world to satisfy everyone's interests (although most of us would like to be paid more for whatever it is we do)!

If your interests and talents lean towards office work, there are many possibilities: typist, computer operator, transcriptionist, receptionist, secretary or a combination. In the right job setting, you can be an engineer, research scientist, architect, lab technician, statistician, lawyer or physician. If you have the talent, you could be an artist (loss of finger dexterity might force you to switch mediums, compromise, etc.), author (you could dictate if you can no longer type) or interior decorator (steps might pose a problem here). If you enjoy working with people, you might become a social worker, guidance counsellor or psychologist. If you are in a career which has become "too physical", think about returning to school to learn how to teach your career to others -- become a professor. Low-level sedentary jobs (such as factory work) may become obsolete as robotics become more sophisticated. But there may be specific jobs in your location.

What is your thinking/learning style? Are you more artistic than analytic? Do you enjoy working with others or would you rather work alone? Are you a self-starter or do you want to be told what your responsibility is and stick to that job? Do you like more or less responsibility? Are you effective and comfortable supervising others? What special talents or interests do you have? Are you impatient and exacting or more laid back? Can you accept deficiencies in yourself and others? A vocational counsellor can professionally evaluate your interests and talents and help you explore realistic career possibilities.

In the U.S.A., disabled people with potential employment ability (age 16 to "retirement age") are eligible for free, professional employment counselling through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. There are often funds available for retraining as the government would rather have an employed, taxpaying citizen than someone collecting disability. This program is administered at the county level in each state. Information on whom to contact in your state can be obtained from the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Washington DC 20202. In Canada look in the provincial government blue pages of your telephone book under Vocational Rehabilitation.

(Written June 1989)