The Best Jobs for People Living With Lupus
Finding and holding down a job can be difficult when you’re living with a chronic illness like lupus. Even after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it isn’t always easy to find a boss who doesn’t mind when you miss work for sick days or doctors’ appointments, or who understands that you might need special accommodations and is happy to provide them.
If you live with a chronic illness, it’s also important to choose a job or career that does not push you past your physical limits. Excess strain can be detrimental to your health both in the long term and in the short term. Many lupus patients aren’t able to do intensive physical work, like waitressing or working in a grocery store. Jobs that involve standing for long periods, like working a cash register, greeting customers, or being a hostess at a restaurant, can be physically tiring as well as rough on the joints.
Jobs for people with lupus
The following jobs are jobs that can be done by employees with a low degree of physical endurance. Each of these jobs also have flexible hours.
Entrepreneur
All over the country, thousands of small businesses offer services or goods every day. To start your own small business, first, find your skillset. Do you knit, sew, or create beautiful crafts? Try starting a shop on Etsy. Are you good at managing people or finding the perfect person for a particular job? Consider starting and coordinating a babysitting service or personal shopping service in which you hire employees to perform tasks, then keep a percentage of the earnings. Are your organizational skills on point? Try advertising your services as a professional organizer, home designer, or event planner. Many small businesses, particularly the ones that provide services instead of goods, don’t even require any money to start. The best thing about owning your own business is that you’ll never have to put up with a difficult boss again.
Writer
Becoming a writer requires no degree, no previous experience, and no contacts within the field. Writers are needed everywhere; the articles you read online and in magazines every day could have been written by someone just like you. Because writing is all about having a “fresh” or unique angle, having a disability might actually give you an advantage because you have a perspective most people don’t. The New York Times, Elle, Glamour, and many other magazines have verticals devoted to chronic illness and health. Try taking a writing class online or at a local community center to learn the ropes and get started.
Online tutor
Do you enjoy working with children? Did you whiz through math or English in high school? Do you speak a foreign language? Consider tutoring online.
Social media coordinator
If you’re interacting on this site and others, you might already have what it takes to be a social media coordinator. With companies relying heavily on social media for advertising and interactions with customers, this is a field that will only grow in the future.
Software engineer
If you enjoy solitude and want to work with computers, try finding a job as a software engineer. An associate's degree in IT or a B.S. may be required. The median salary for a software engineer is $86,840, according to PayScale.com.
Virtual assistant/call center worker
The ubiquity of the internet has led to a rise in remote jobs. These jobs were especially important during the pandemic. Apply for a job at an established company, set up a Fiverr account, or advertise your services yourself online. Then schedule appointments, answer calls and help customers from the comfort of your own bed.
Have you had to stop working due to lupus? Do you struggle with the inability to work?
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