I can’t believe it but it’s already week 12 of my blog!  This will be the last one for awhile.  I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts and experiences with all of you.  

It’s back to the waiting game for me- the interview last week with the Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC) went well but I won’t know anything about whether or not I’m a newly employed man until after September 17th.  Again, waiting is hard but I’m not sitting still- I’m continuing to look for other opportunities and applying for anything I’m remotely qualified for.  

The interview with RSC was actually kind of uncomfortable because the two interviewers spent the majority of the time writing information down, as opposed to making eye contact. Therefore, I couldn’t gauge their reactions to my answers. This is mainly because they are going to send the notes they took down during the interview to Columbus, where someone there will make the final decision. Essentially, the people I interviewed with were merely a proxy to the actual decision maker at the state level. 

I was intimidated when I walked into the interview environment because an older woman was just leaving the interview room and there was an older man who was to interview after me.  I thought that perhaps this would mean they were more experienced and that I was less likely to be able to compete with them for the job.  It’s discouraging when you read the ads for employment opportunities and it always says a minimum of 1-2 years experience-it’s that recent college grad dilemma again! Competing with older, apparently more experienced people always makes me nervous. However, I realize that, in today’s job market, this is something I will likely see more often than not, so I have to be prepared to be as competitive as possible. 

Interestingly, however, in my job club, the dynamic is the exact opposite. Most of the participants are much older than me and they are out of work because they have been laid off but are ‘too experienced’ to find another job.

 Wait…how can someone be too experienced, you may ask? 

Well, in today’s market, companies are looking for the cheapest experienced labor possible. A lot of people in the job club have worked in generally the same position for 20 to 30 years and therefore, could use that experience to ask for a higher starting salary at a new company. This makes them an unattractive candidate to a perspective employer, when the employer could just as easily hire someone just out of college for the same job and just train them and hope for the best.  This job club experience has shown me both sides of being unemployed and helped me put my own job seeking into perspective.

My previous blogs have all tried to encourage parents of children with disabilities, as well as other people in the disabled community, to advocate for their needs and be mindful of what you’re entitled to in order to facilitate a smooth integration into the professional community. With the help of agencies like The Achievement Centers for Children, families can learn how to effectively express their opinions and how to seek the resources that their children need in order to succeed later in life.  Anyone can become an advocate in their own life and can help bring awareness and change into the lives of others. 

Remember, all you have to do is tell your story. It is what I have I have tried to do here these past 12 weeks, and by doing so, hopefully, I have helped educate you about the value of expressing your unique perspective. 

In the end, you never know who is listening.