In 2005, I graduated from a double degree in Marketing and Psychology from a leading Australian university. Who would have known? It was beyond my mum’s wildest expectations when she chose to make the sacrifice to migrate with me to Australia. When she had first heard about my diagnosis of a degenerating eye condition that would leave me legally blind, she never thought that I could have a proper education, let alone graduate from university. In my mum’s mind, all her sacrifices in bringing me to Australia and raising me on her own had all been worth it.
After I graduated however, reality hit. It was time for me to enter the next phase of my life.
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My search for full-time work started with enthusiasm and confidence. I naively thought with my qualifications, I would be able to easily find a job, no problem at all! After a short break following the conclusion of my studies, I started the job search process. Day after day, I casually scrolled through job ads, nit picking my way through the vacancies and settling only on a few that matched my criteria. After a few weeks, I finally culled my way through the available job vacancies and started the process of applying for these jobs. As I applied for each position, I dreamed about what a career in these huge organisations would be like. I looked forward to my future.
However, the time came for me to face the outcome of my applications. The wait was horrible. Day after day, I was glued to my email, hoping to hear back from the companies. Each time I received a response to an application, I would open up the email with excitement. But to my disappointment, I was repeatedly let down by the coldness of automated rejection letters. Was I ever going to find a job, I thought to myself. Should I eliminate some of my previously held criteria?
I soon realised that finding a job when you have a vision impairment is not an easy thing, particularly if you want to find a job that fits all your criteria.
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Unlike most people in their 20s living in Australia, I didn’t have any previous work experience, besides some casual volunteering jobs. This wasn’t because I didn’t want to work during my university years, but rather because the jobs usually available to uni students were mostly unsuitable for me. I mean, I can just imagine myself working at McDonald’s. The poor customers, thinking their getting a Big Mac, and instead of biting into some tomato sauce goodness, the shock of finding hot chilli sauce smeared all over their burger. Or how about if I worked as a waiter at a fancy restaurant. Imagine this: “Sir, may I get you a glass of red?” “That would be delightful. And one for my wife too.” “Certainly.” Then I proceed to pour the wine. “I’m so sorry sir! I didn’t mean to pour the wine all over your head. Let me get a napkin and clean up the mess… Now where’s that damn napkin.”
Rejection after rejection, over time, my heart sank and I became discouraged. Until one day I received something different in my email inbox. This time, it wasn’t a generic email. The company actually wanted me to progress to the next round of assessments! I was so excited when I finally landed a group interview. I did all I could to prepare. And you know what? I aced the group interview and assessment centre tests. I felt pretty good about myself at this stage. I didn’t need any of the other applications to be successful. All I needed to do was to do well in the final interview, and I’ve got a job with a major resources company.
To be continued.
To find out what happened next, please follow me @nextgen622 for Part 6 of my memoir.
If you missed the previous instalment of my memoir, you can read Part 4 here.
Jimmy