Obesity in the work force..

I have to go job hunting soon.  Just the idea of it makes me cringe.  I've always gotten hired pretty fast, but as I get older and heavier I keep thinking negatively about all the "negatives" they will see in me.  We already know it's a true fact that people judge by how we look.  It's a proven fact.  It's sort of scary for me being not only over weight, but a home maker for the past three years so there will be nothing in my resume during that time, which is another strike. 

Why can't money live on trees.  Wouldn't that be nice! :) 

Another thing is, has anyone here thought about a total career change, and for the worse?  As worse I mean less pay, less challenging?  I'm seriously considering this.  I'm almost 40 years old and I really don't know if I want the stress again of a demanding job.  I think this is where my mind is at most right now.  I just can't decide.   I want the good pay, and I loved what I did before.  But the stress really got too me, even my doctor put me on meds because of it.  But I still loved it, it was a very rewarding position.  Then on the other hand, doesn't it sound like fun just to work in the mall!ha  Work in a clothing store, or a beauty salon as a receptionist or something?!?!  I just can't decide!

I have always found that my skills outweigh my butt. 

What are the aspects of your job that you found rewarding, can you translate those into a position that does not have the stress?  Maybe as an assistant to the person who DOES have the stress and could use talented help? I think that there is not as much weight discrimination as the media would lead us to believe there is.  The fact of the matter is that I have never been discriminated against because of my weight.

Career was one of the catalysts for me to start loosing weight.  I was finishing my degree and started thinking I might meet the qualification and quality aspect but fail the medical and miss out on a job.  This was a great motivator.

As for job type- you sound like you want to work for money ultimately? Go for the better paid job because you can work less hours for the same money as a downgraded payrate job.  Plus you have experience which will see you more easily hired into your trained field. 

That said, there are days when I wish I could take on a less mentally taxing job, but I can say from experience that often sales jobs are more stressful than they may initally seem. There is often alot of lifting, deadlines for getting stock ordered/out, phone calls, bad tempered demanding customers and less flexibility on start/finish times as you work store hours.  You do get quiet times and extremely busy times- but the quiet times are the worst- the time really drags on and on.

Em

While I was laid off and all I did was workout, I realized how much I hated what I was doing.  For me, my trainer, who used to be in corporate IT and took a paycut to train...is emblematic of do what you enjoy and are good at and happiness will follow.  Money can always be managed and there are always ways to make more, but doing work that makes you unhappy is worse for you than the paycut, IMO.

Well, if you are lowering your job specs, then obesity issues aside, you will be in luck, probably! Lower paying jobs in rural areas typically have lots of turnover, so I would highlight the fact that all you want is to enjoy work, don't want the pressure, will appreciate less responsibilty, and they will likely jump all over you.  I'm well-trained in Human Resources, and sorry folks, obesity is an issue. No sane employer would ever admit it, but given the choice between a nicer looking person who has lower experience and a displeasing person (looks, personality) with high qualifications, employers will nearly always take the nicer looking person. Ture, not every employer has fat prejudice, but even they knowmany people do pre-judge fat folks and don't want to risk business over personal principle. Studies have shown that within 10 seconds of entering the interview, your chances for getting hired are established. To maximize your chances, make sure you wear good fitting clothes, and make eye contact with each person on your panel, even extend your hand to all as you intorduce yourself.  Even if you do feel self-conscious, don't ever let 'em see you sweat - own that room.

I've not faced any job discrimination that I am aware of-- got both teaching gigs I've had at well over 300 pounds. I think the discrimination is probably more intense in certain career tracks-- human service professions not so much, in my experience.

Well, I may get blasted for this but I'm going to share my experience.  There are perceptions about people who are overweight.  They may be in certain industries as I can only speak from my experience (in the entertainment industry-behind the scenes ironically)  When I was laid off almost 2 years ago I already knew that my career wasn't working for me.  At some point the tables had turned from "working to live" to "living to work".  I was also put on medication and actually finally went back to therapy to deal with certain issues without medication.  I had just gotten married and knew that having children would be an issue with my company since this is what is on their employment page "IMPOSSIBLE IS NO EXCUSE So, you have an interest in working with us? There are certain traits that are necessary to succeed and thrive here at ***************** and we need you to live and breathe our way of life.

• You must be willing to relentlessly push forward, no matter how big the obstacle ahead.
• You must be willing to put our clients before our company, and even yourself.
• You must understand that while efforts count, results count more.
• You must drive yourself to do more than others would think possible -- and never rest once you get there.

If you can see yourself committing to these statements and you truly believe you have what it takes, then keep looking around our site...because you are exactly who we'd like to talk to."

I'm a classic overachiever and I could not live up to the standards. I felt the same way as you do now.  Is the pressure really worth it since the money is good?  Nope.  I do miss the money, but I realize that not taking care of myself put me in this position and if I can't take care of myself, I can't take care of my family.  The answer, I find, is somewhere in the middle.  Well, for me it is.  I decided to start my own business.  It's taken longer than it should have only because we've been faced with a great deal of challenges.  We've made a lot of sacrifices but it has definitely been worth it.  I've also interviewed with some companies in positions with less responsibility but it is difficult for some employers to understand willingness to shoot for less.  The best way to handle this is to be prepared to put a positive spin on how this will benefit the company. That inner voice is very familiar to me though.  If I go to the hospital, I often think I wonder if I could work in the office or maybe take some classes and be an x-ray tech.  I could do my job and go home.  Also, I've found that losing weight has given me a new possibility of starting over in some ways.  I can do whatever I want with my life and I think that comes from the confidence of taking control. I hope you find the answer you are looking for.  Only you can pick what is best for you, but I hope that maybe something in my experience is helpful or something you can at least relate to.

To answer your other question on a new career, at age 40, I would ask myself - how does my retirement look? Will expenses be down (house paid off, kids out of school) so that I might only have to work a little or not at all?  Basically, in my opnion, if you can find sometihng not real stressful, but pays good, probably you better do it at least for the next 10 years or so.  lay tracks to do something low key after that, less pay if finances allow.  It is hard, when you have children at home. My mother never had to work...most mothers in my 'hood did not. We all know it takes one person to hold down the fort ideally, and one to go forth and multiply $.  There are two ways to improve the bottom line in the house budget - cut expenses or increase revenue.  Can you cut any expenses that would be meaningful? Car payments, smaller home, cell phones, etc? I think nowadays, it's as though couples are roomies, gliding in and out of doors, working, throwing food at the kids, dropping kids off, etc. Nobody has the time or energy to keep the home rolling to its optimum. The other thing is, Em had a really good point - everybody is working harder. I'd want to learn how to manage the stress and get the max amount of dough for my efforts.  Stress is always present...try looking into ways to deal with it better...exercise is one way that does miracles for me.  I meditate in motion every day!

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Wow Beth, I would of got out of there so fast.  When you got into it you must of really loved it.  I couldn't do any job with those kind of standards.  And your right, my health does come first.  I have four kids and a husband to take care of.  Okay, he might be able to take care of himself.. :)   I guess I will try to look for a "middle" job. 

  Neece brought up a good point, retirement....I don't have much so I probably should invest more into that.  Heck, I thought that's why I married a younger man to take care of me!hehe  But with that aside, I really do need to start thinking more into the future.  I had forgotten all about that.  My mom has also been a homemaker all of her life.  I was scared for her for the longest time.  After my dad died I was wondering how much she would be hurting.  Evidently he did quite well for her, so it all worked out.  But many women aren't so lucky.  I had clients in my last job that I felt so sorry for because they had  literally nothing.  I really don't want that to be me.

I have also hired many people, so I do realize weight is an issue.  Since I've done the hire process I know to walk in there full of confidence and sale myself.    Think I need to go clothes shopping now! :)

Another thing to remember is that if you are doing something that you don't dread everyday, it is easier to get more accomplished.  I completely understand about retirement.  I'm going to be 37 in January and am back to zero for retirement.  That's why I decided to start a business.  I'm hoping that it will grow over the next few years and I will be able to put money away and then decided whether to go back and work another job in addition to doing the business on the side.  I spend as much time on getting my business going as I worked for "that other company" but I think I am a better investment as far as my time goes. It's worth taking the time to figure out what you could do well with, financially and mentally, and go from there.  Work is work but if you can find something that you don't mind (or enjoy) your life will be so much better in terms of quality.  Go for it! BTW, are you good at office type/personal assistant type work?  There are several companies that let you do this from home/home office.  There's one that is a professional concierge and is full time with benefits.  I seriously considered doing it but need to focus more energy on getting my own business going right now. Wishing lots of success in the hunt!