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Diabetic Career

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Frantastic

Frantastic

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello folks
I'm currently in between jobs because I'm relocating to Oxfordshire in a couple of months but I've also been signed off work for stress for 4 weeks because I suffer from anxiety.
It's got me thinking though, maybe it's time for a change for career.
So what i'm wondering is what do other diabetics do for a living? Do you find diabetes any trouble when it comes to your working day? And are there any jobs that you wouldn't recommend trying?

I've been working in financial services for 2 years and I'm not that interested in staying there.

I'm keen to hear your thoughts.

Thanks
 
Well... I'm currently a temp because it's hard finding a proper job! Right now I'm at the Borough Council housing department, before that I was at the local PCT before it died.

P.S. If you need to temp in Oxfordshire, Champion are very good. Upstairs from McDonalds in Cornmarket.
 
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Hi Fran, how wonderful to hear from you again! 🙂 I'm afraid I'm probably not the best person to ask, because prior to being Admin of this forum I was not diabetic and also was in between jobs when I was diagnosed. My previous job was in the IT department of a financial services company, but they were outsourcing to India and I got out before I was pushed, mainly due to the stress of how the job had changed, I might add.

I was therefore at a bit of a crossroads myself. However, I did read a couple of books that I found very helpful, which centered very much on discovering what my actual skills were and what I enjoyed doing - this was a different perspective for me, as I'd not really considered what transferable skills I had, I'd been in pretty much the same line of work for 25 years. One was What colour is your parachute?, might be worth a look 🙂

Obviously, my current job is well-suited to a person with diabetes, but I don't think diabetes would have been a problem in my previous one - in fact I know it wouldn't as I discovered after I had been diagnosed that one of my colleagues and close friends had been diagnosed Type 1 15 years earlier - I'd worked with him for 8 years and never knew! 🙂

I'm sure others will have some suggestions, they're a varied bunch! There was a thread on here a while back called 'What do you do', I'll try and find it 🙂

edit: Here it is (didn't realise it was so long ago!):

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=768
 
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Hee hee, I was an international corporate insurance broker and tried to escape several times over the years, but no-one in a different line of work ever wanted me, yet other insurance brokers were banging on my door. eg on the last occasion I tried I had to give up trying, so rang the insurance staff agency on Thursday afternoon. Had an interview Friday morning, started work again on the Monday .....

Eventually some years later the stress of it - deadline after deadline, no spare manpower, your work did not get done if you took a holiday, only the dead urgent stuff - sent my diabetes over the top, then me over the top and I had a complete mental breakdown.

By then I was 58, so I retired.

You do have to have a good think about your transferable skills as Alan said. My prob was I hadn't got any !
 
I'm a barristers clerk which is only good for stress & being bad tempered but its a very interesting job.

I wanted to join the police & after trying to join again, they won't have me as I'm type 1.
But I am at the same place as you & have been looking into going back to college to train to be a DSN
 
I work in a large reference library in London. Diabetes doesn't affect the way I work too much, although I am advised not to go into storage areas before others start work incase I have a hypo and no one finds me. My hours tend to be 7.30 till 3.30 most days.

My employer allows me a little extra sick leave each year because of the diabetes, and the condtions I am working in are quite good
 
Hi Fran I left school with just my 'o'-levels but through a combination of determination and studying as an adult I've worked on local, national and international publications, been a Training Services Manager, managed a small institute and been an academic - combination of lecturing, presenting conference papers and writing academic publications. I retired at 43 and I'm now studying for a degree focusing on history. 🙂.
 
Thank you everyone for your replies. It's really interesting to hear what others do and how it affects them.

Caroline your employers sound very considerate to your circumstances, I've certainly never come across that before.
My current job would let me work a half day for hospital appointments but requested I made up the missed time elsewhere. Employers before that wouldn't even let me where my medical bracelet so I just got used to employers being unfair toward me and accepted it.

Laura, I wanted to join the RAF and my back up was the police, that was my life plan as a teenager and half way through Uni I was diagnosed type 1 and I've been lost ever since really.

I like the idea of retraining but I just don't know what as. A lot of my friends say I should be a teacher but I see that as being stressful. i'm only 28 but I feel like I need a quiet life now 🙂

Thanks northerner for your input and the link to the old thread, it's made for some interesting reading. I'm still at a loss though of what I shall I do with myself....... x
 
My employer is pretty good and under the disability discrimination act there are certain things they should do for you, although I don't fully understand it. You should certainly get reasonable time off for medical appointments although even the good firms ask for them to be as early or as late as possible to minimse disruption and you need regular breaks for food and medication.

While you rae thinking about the things you'd like to do make a list of the things you are good at and the things you'd like more training for and hopefully that will give you a pointer towards a job that is just for you. Good luck with it all.
 
I like to change my career from time to time - I've been a maintenance electrician, cable tv installer, quality assurance technician, printer and for the last 20-odd years a computer programmer.

I've always enjoyed my various occupations but ending up in a desk job tapping away at a keyboard writing programs was probably the worst thing I could have done health-wise. Whereas previously I was very active all day I now only get up to go to meetings/toilet/tea/lunch, and I still sit down for nearly all of those :D

If had a more active job I'm convinced it might have staved off the D for a few more years, I'm not far off normal weight and do eat healthily. Programing is the best fun though.
 
itsallgood said:
If had a more active job I'm convinced it might have staved off the D for a few more years, I'm not far off normal weight and do eat healthily. Programing is the best fun though.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean about being more active. Due to various circumstances over the last 5 years I have become less active and feel worse for it😡
 
I'm a toosetter working 11 hour shifts with one half hour break, it is quite physically demanding and until two months ago I had only ever worked a standard 8 hour shift which was a worry when I started. However I have managed the transition quite well and my diabetes isn't an issue at all where work is concerned nor would I want it to be.
 
Caroline said:
I know what you mean about being more active. Due to various circumstances over the last 5 years I have become less active and feel worse for it😡
Click to expand...

I wish I could ditch the desk chair for an exercise bike and fit a keyboard to it :D
 
I work for BT Openreach in the telephone exchange's. I was on the road, up poles ect. As i work 4 days a week and have a differant day of every week, i find it easy to keep my appointments. D doesn't affect my work, i do get hypo's time to time, and i never know how and where i'll be working. Days are 9 hours, but i do work late some nights, up to 18 hours. Some exchange's are very hot, and if running up and down the ladder, it can take its toll, but i have learned to live with it.

If you are stressed at work, dont like it and can move on, do it. We spend more than half our life working to live, might at least try and do somthing we like🙂
 
Have been self employed since 21. Now 50. Have worked all over the country beeing an Electrician. Oxford st Bond st & shop nxt Harrads. Left house at 4am in van(drove all way). In oxford st with toolbox open at 9.30am. (in my youth 😱) Dont belive in a job that we cant do 😎
 
Hee hee, I've been happily retired about 5 years and this morning I was asked if I'd like to help with some diabetes research !
 
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