I get asked this way too often. I worked at a few fast food places in the past. I quit all 3 within a month. One of them I only lasted about 2 days. The only one I was able to last at for 2 years and it was still on and off was a delivery job at a fast food restaurant. At the other 3 jobs I was inside all day in a crowded area with my coworkers serving my customers and that was overwhelming for me. I didn't have a set schedule at any of these jobs. I worked at Panera Bread as a delivery driver and left because I was working 2 jobs and going to school and it ended up being too much on me. I came back and left again due to moving a few hours away. Once I moved back Panera let me come back and eventually I just couldn't manage to come in anymore because they had changed so many rules due to COVID-19 and it was stressing me out. I don't do well with change. I worked at a grocery store for not even a day. I ran away out of panic on my first day. I don't do well with multi- tasking, loud noises, or a lot of questions. I was being trained by someone who was rushing to teach me, so I didn't fully grasp what I was supposed to do. She left me alone a lot and I had customers asking me questions while I was trying to bag cookies (I was working the bakery). There was a lot of background noise and I couldn't focus on what I was doing because my heart was racing and I was trying to stop myself from screaming out of frustration. I have only ever worked morning shifts and at this job they wanted me to work nights, which was new for me and I didn't like that. I walked out on my very first day about halfway through my shift. No one understood why. Everyone around me was irritated because I can never last at a job, this place had great benefits, and it was the highest pay I've ever gotten. I had been out of a job for a while, so I get why everyone was mad at me, but they didn't stop to listen to my reasoning. I like a schedule and I like routine. I like to do the same thing every day. Most part time jobs give their employees different tasks every day and you never know how busy it's going to be or what the schedule is until a week before. This was all in the past couple of years, so I was an adult already.
I got asked "How are you going to be able to get a job in the future if you can't even work part time?" "It's going to be a lot more stressful. There's more work and more hours." My friends would say. Well, what no one thought about was that at a full time job usually there is more routine and you're doing the same thing every day, so there's nothing that will change suddenly. At least not as often as a part time job. I wanted to apply for a job with the school board and everyone told me it's a bad idea because I'm not ready. I can barely last working as it is. I was told it may ruin my chances of becoming a teacher if I give up too fast. I got told I'm not putting enough thought into my decision. One of the best decisions I ever made in my life was to ignore all this advice. I got so tired of everyone telling me what to do or that I couldn't manage that I just applied. I was so tired of being looked down on. I wasn't sure if they were right, but I knew what I wanted and that it would look good on my resume in the future since I wanted to be a teacher.
I instantly got an email for an interview within about 3 hours of when I applied. I thought it might be fake because of how quick it was, but I went and hoped for the best. I got called in the next couple days and heard I got the job. It was surreal. I almost cried tears of joy. I had been wanting this for so long. I had no idea if they would hire me. The interview was terrifying. It was the principal and two assistant principles. I was so nervous. I went through the fingerprint process and background check. Finally, my first day of work came. It was terrifying the whole first week. The students were great, but I was so unsure of what to do as a Paraprofessional. I was supposed to help the teacher, but I didn't know who needed the most help. I didn't really know the students or the teacher well. It was hard at first. I knew I sucked at my job, but I had reassurance from my boyfriend that it's normal to suck at first, so I came back the next week still a little nervous.
I started to grasp the classroom a little better. After a few weeks I learned which students needed the most help and the structure of the classroom. The teacher quit around my third week of work and things got a little hectic. I still didn't quit. This is a full time job. I work Monday - Friday normal school hours. I work in a self- contained classroom (all students are special needs). I see the same kids every day and know their disabilities and their personalities. I focus more on their abilities to show them that they can achieve more than they think. This is the best job I have ever had.
I have a lot of students with autism and because of that I can relate to them. I feel like I'm really making an impact on someone's life every day and it's an amazing feeling. I think working full time for me personally has been so much easier than any part time job I've ever had. I am able to have a normal schedule, we have the same routine in the classroom every day, and I know how my students behave every day. I know what I'm getting into every day and I feel like going to work is worth something now. It isn't just a paycheck anymore it's making an impact on my students. I've had a lot of people tell me they couldn't do what I'm doing or working with special needs students would be too difficult for them. Most of my friends are still at part time jobs and I have no idea how they do it. Working a register and working at a grocery store were two of the most difficult tasks I've ever had to do. I don't think I could ever do it again knowing how much easier my job is for me. Knowing that my job seems difficult is crazy to me. I am thrilled that I found this job because I couldn't imagine working anywhere else.
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