Crohn's Friendly Careers

I know we touch on the job topic often but is anyone out there a teacher? I've been considering b/c of all the vaca and the summers off. Not having to stress about work for two whole months a year sounds like a good deal to me BUT I always wonder if I will have the energy/strength to talk/teach for a majority of the work day. Kids can be draining.

Any thoughts on the topic even if you are not a teacher? Right now I work in an office..I sit down all day which is not bad but I'm considering going back to school and want to start soon.

Yuk. I tried teaching years ago. I worked at an art college. The only classes I enjoyed teaching were the special needs kids. I loved those. Decided teaching wasn't for me though & moved on. You tend to work through the summer....so much paperwork.

I am a teacher--high school English. It's funny you ask this question today because I am having a bad day (crohns-wise) and I was wondering what other career I might do. Overall, I do think teaching is a great career. I've taught 19 years now, but was diagnosed with crohns 2 years ago. The last 5 years, though, have been torture (spent years trying to get the diagnosis).

As far as time off in the summer, it is counterbalanced by a rigorous rest-of-the-year. I actually took a job in a different program this year because of the bathroom issue. In a "normal" classroom, you can't leave whenever you want (although if you have to, you have to). There is a liability issue with kids. If someone got hurt and you weren't there supervising. . .

I don't think teaching is the best choice for crohns if you want an honest opinion. I am thinking about retiring as soon as possible because of the crohns. It's just too much to deal with on a daily basis. When you feel bad, class still has to go on.

I started off teaching English, but decided fairly quickly it was not for me. I now work in academic publishing.

Getting cussed at in Spanish by forty-three 17 year-olds was not my idea of a fun work environment. Then again this is probably a San Diego problem.

What part of New York do you live in OnlytheStronghaveCrohn's. Upstate, City, or Long Island? I know a few people that are healthy who are teachers and some teach in different areas of New York. All say the same thing, it is rewarding but draining even with the time off. Another difference in New York you do have to consider is the pay differences for different regions of the state depending on how much of a salary you need to live each month. Also it is very difficult to get a teaching job if its not within some of the city limits. If you dont mind teaching in the city it probably will be a lot easier to get a job. Depending on also where you are for instance some Colleges will allow you to teach in city schools and earn a masters at the same time and earn a salary as long as you sign a commitment of 5 years after I think.
I actually thought about teaching High School Biology a while back when I knew I needed to change careers due to the Crohns. I looked into it and decided it was not for me physically wise. I used to work in a lab and was too ill to continue and had to resign. I am only 29 and know that I need a career in something so I decided to also go back to school for my Masters in Mental Health Counseling. I love sciences but took a different avenue this time. With this I will have a lot of options (hopefully!! thats the plan!) to work around how I am feeling. Right now I am only able to go to school part time and even this feels like a challenge to get here sometimes.

I am sorry if I just went on and on!

Washroom Attendant might be a good one.

I'm an accountant. I have it made because we have flex time and my bosses are not micro-managers.

GoJohnnyGo said:

Washroom Attendant might be a good one.

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You'd spend all day cleaning up after yourself though!

I live in the city JennJenn...and yes there are a few options to teach while you get your masters. There are actually many options for the "high need" areas, aka problem schools. I had a feeling it would be in fact draining as a few of you mentioned. Thank you for the responses by the way! Even healthy pple find it difficult a lot of days.

I was looking into speech therapy. You can work in the school system BUT work one on one with children. It would fit into my communications background but require 3 more yrs of schooling full time! eek! When I'm healthy I feel like I can conquer the world of course but bad days can make three years of full time school and part time/full time employment seem like a life time.

I was actually looking into counseling also, those masters programs are a bit shorter and can be achieved on a part time basis plus I ultimately want to help people. You definitely want to feel like what you do matters and you want to feel rewarded.

Unfulfilling job + Crohn's = extra sucky days!

JohnnyGo...I wouldn't make any money b/c all the tips would come from me! Lol

"I am only 29 and know that I need a career in something ...."


Me toooo JennJenn!



And sorry you're feeling so bad hleean.

On a purely crohns/physical level, sitting behind a desk and having flexible working patterns is a good thing. That's what I do. On the other hand, I've been rather sidelined (probably due to health issues, which are interpreted as a form of indolence) and the total lack of mental stimulation which has resulted is quite stressful in its own way.
So I'd be tempted to say that anything that engages your brain and makes you want to get up in the morning would be a good job... as long as you can accommodate the physical realities of the disease.
All my friends who became teachers many years ago now seem to be succumbing to stress, so I'm not sure if that's a good idea... but the one-on-one type of teaching you mention may be a better idea.
I nearly gave up my day job ten years ago to become a full time musician... I wonder how that would have worked out? But the day job was easier

I'm in school right now to become a teacher and let me tell you this thread is really scaring me! I always have had a hard time a with school, so if I end up spending all this time in school for nothing. I don't even know what I am going to do.

I second what Steve said about flexible working hours. Although I have set times in which I run clinics, I am able to manage my time around these myself. I tend to work from home a lot of the time. This alleviates some of the anxiety.

Hey there I'm not a teacher but am going through school right now to become a physiotherapist eventually. Anyway you know if you like the idea of the teaching you could become a Teacher assistant (although less pay) or looking into some kinda or resource teacher/tutor position. I know all the schools I've attended albiet in Canada have had a large number of these teachers? But you know I think you should do whatever you want to do, if teaching is your passion then you'll tend to feel better doing it and the health issues with Crohn's will probably sort themselves out. Some areas of the US are so desperate for teachers especially as you say those problem schools that they may stick a TA in your class just to help out anyways even if you didn't have the Crohn's.

I was a high school English & Theater teacher and it's not at all Crohn's friendly. When you're a teacher you students really depend on you to be there and fully present every day. Just because you have the summers off doesn't mean that's when you'll need the time most. The energy required day in an day out is like nothing else. I work in a theater now as the education director and although it's grueling in its own way, it is a bit more flex. Also, I still get to do some teaching which is great except when flaring because it's really tough to get to a bathroom. YOu really can't just leave in the middle of a class and I never have a bathroom key at these giant city public schools so that's an ordeal. Sometimes they're really far away too. Having said that if you really love kids and can't imagine anything else you should do. Just don't do it because you think it might be crohn's friendly. Speech therapy or something like that where you aren't the main teacher does sound like it might be more practical. Good luck!

Jenn Jenn and OnlytheStrong -
Do you both live in the city? I live in Brooklyn!

I don't teach. Work in finance and fortunately am able to maintain flexibility by working at home on occasion. The part that's hard is my demanding travel for work. My aunt and stepmom are both teachers. It can be a demanding job.

Nice to meet you both.

Hi Fen!
I live on long island but I go to school in Brooklyn!

I am a mechanic , work on grain harvesting machines . Comines are huge , it never fails, you just climb inside or to the top , and its oh darn , climb backdown and out and run . Or sometimes on a service call middle of a field miles from a tiolet, well i have done alot af that . so agricultural mechanic is nat one. plus its stressful.

I am a music teacher at an elementary school, and though it has been hard during my flares, I can't imagine doing anything else. I am lucky enough that I have a bathroom 10 feet away from my classroom. I am lucky that my classes come in and out every 1/2 hour and I have 5 minutes inbetween to use the bathroom.
Ocassionaly, I would have to pretend I was upset with a few students so I could just sit there with a mean look on my face and concentrate on not crapping my pants. I did mess myself badly once, and had to go clean up as fast as I could. I had to leave the classroom 3 or so times while I was flaring. Risky, I know - but I had no other option. Luckily it only took me 17 seconds to let it all out at that time. A few times I had a class lined up to leave and I was about to "go", so I'd send them down the hall in hopes that their teacher would meet them halfway. I used to stand mostly all day when I taught. Now I have a table that I sit on near my dry erase board, or a squishy chair to sit in while they are on the rug in front of me, or a table to sit on if I'm behind the piano. You can make adjustments to suit your needs.
(Plus you just can't beat 14 weeks of vacation every year!!)

OnlytheStronghaveCrohn's said:

I was looking into speech therapy.

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My best work friend is a speech therapist. (We jokingly call it "peech" because that's how some of her kids say it.) Most of your job will be working with small groups of children on a 1/2 hour schedule too, so you will have time for bathroom breaks. This won't be too physically demanding, as you will be able to do table work with them, you won't have to be standing 8 hours a day. A lot of what you are teaching them can be through games. Who doesn't want to play games with kids all day? You will have a lot of paperwork, but the more you do, the easier it will get. I say go for it!

I wouldn't recommend a TA job. Our TAs make next to nothing. You could make more in 40 hours at McDonald's.

Ocassionaly, I would have to pretend I was upset with a few students so I could just sit there with a mean look on my face and concentrate on not crapping my pants.

I was cracking up at this one! LOL...I often do the "don't talk to me!" face at work..I appreciate the advice. Speech therapy sounds rewarding to me and the demand is growing. How far upstate are you MY Butt Hurts? I'm going to sit with a couple of therapists to get a feel of the career.

Hi Fenway! I live in Chelsea and work in the Bronx, an hour commute. The sad thing is my job has a site located 10 minutes from my home! but there aren't any openings there for me. If bychance I go into a bad flare I will speak to HR about changing my location.

I was talking about this with my boyfriend. I am getting my BA in social work in a yr and will be working on my Masters. My internship is most likely going to be at an HIV/AIDS social services agency and I am switching all my classes to online (hopefully they allow it) and I really hope my internship hires me- that would be cruel if they dont understand that I may have a chronic illness. Theres bathrooms in every corner so I am covered lol although D is not my major symptom- hoping it stays this way. With my Masters I was hoping of getting a behind the scenes job like writing grant reports and such. The social worker I work with now does all the behind the scenes stuff for our agency. I havent even been diagnosed and I am already planning out my life with chrons..Fantastic!

Didn't see this thread until today. I actually left a career in finance to become a teacher, and haven't missed a day yet. While not in remission, it is the closest that I have been in over 20 years as a Crohnie. For me, late nights in the banking world and constantly shifting schedules did me in. The stability in the schedule at school had brought a good measure of health back, and the rewards of working with the kids are amazing! Should have done it years ago!

shamrock15 said:

Didn't see this thread until today. I actually left a career in finance to become a teacher, and haven't missed a day yet. While not in remission, it is the closest that I have been in over 20 years as a Crohnie. For me, late nights in the banking world and constantly shifting schedules did me in. The stability in the schedule at school had brought a good measure of health back, and the rewards of working with the kids are amazing! Should have done it years ago!

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It makes feel good to meet a finance person here. I am a graduate student in fin and will have to work for a financial institution, in order to get enough money to pay for the medical services. Things like late nights really scares me.

OnlytheStronghaveCrohn's said:

I know we touch on the job topic often but is anyone out there a teacher? I've been considering b/c of all the vaca and the summers off. Not having to stress about work for two whole months a year sounds like a good deal to me BUT I always wonder if I will have the energy/strength to talk/teach for a majority of the work day. Kids can be draining.

Any thoughts on the topic even if you are not a teacher? Right now I work in an office..I sit down all day which is not bad but I'm considering going back to school and want to start soon.

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I'm a child care teacher, and while I don't have summers off the company I work for has excellent benefits and I get 5 weeks paid vacation each year. It can be extremely stressful even though I love it. I never really had too much problems with the Crohn's in this job till recently.

I just want to remind everyone about our meds, if you are on aza or 6mp, you immune system is compromised, and you have a greater chance for contracting communicable diseases. Gastro bugs are known for running through schools and if you are taking these medications the results could be disastrous!:stinks:

Hi there~ you mention being a teacher. Have you ever taken a peek at being an Education Specialist for Homeschooling Students? They check in and keep on top of the kids assignments, projects, etc. It is a job that requires some driving - but can be a bit more flexible than in a school room.
Just a thought

@ David - your hours depend in some measure as to what you do in finance. Mine was due to shift work, we had to cover 5 time zones for our coverage. I would imagine if you go to work for a North American call centre, you would be working opposite your own country's time. That just wouldn't work for me. I think being an accountant and having the year end crunch would also be rough. That said, many jobs in finance are still essentially 9-5 jobs.

As for teaching, I have now had contracts for most of last year and am still doing well. Looking forward to the possibility of a permanent position next school year!

Great thread. I'm going to need a more Crohn's friendly
career once this flare is finished. I've been
seeing a career counselor and researching
some options. I'm considering becoming a business analyst in the
health care field. Anyone hear have experience in that field that
could pass along some relevant information.

Thank you
Dave

I'm a cardiovascular icu nurse. 12 hrs night shifts. Not the easiest but work the pain cause what I deal with is easier than what my pts deal with

I am a lawyer focusing on capital markets transactions. There can be quite some intense times with work into the night, on the weekend and up to 100 hours in the office in a given week. It's not ideal for Crohn's, but it still works.

However, I wouldn't recommend anyone taking up this type of job. If I could go back and do things over again, I would have stayed with computer engineering (which I started out studying initially).

I always thought working in purchasing a sweet job with this condition.

When I was sick, tired, feeling cranky and didn't want to talk to others much, salesmen and women seemed to sometimes believe I was disappointed with their product, and/or had found someone new to buy from.

I'd could find myself unexpectedly receiving better pricing and delivery deals from vendors during the worst stomach flares. :ytongue:

I've been an elementary music teacher for 7 years, but I'm looking for a new job now. I'm not sure what, but at least it means I'm keeping my options open. I've made it through two years of teaching with the Crohn's, and while the first year of it wasn't too bad, this past year was just too much for me. Extra stress at work, changes in the job expectations and evaluations, and additional illnesses...I'm done. Not to mention the bathroom is a little too far from my classroom to be able to do what I need to do in the 5 minutes I have between classes, and they're probably taking the music classroom away for population increases next year anyway, which means teaching on the stage or on a cart.
I'm not 100% sure if I can really keep up with a normal full time job, but I need income and insurance, so I have to try something. Hopefully some sort of desk job, low stress, low demands, with at least a little flexibility in the hours (like if I'm running late because my bowels won't let me leave on time, I can stay late to make up the time, or maybe they just won't care as long as my work is finished), or else work form home.

I am a University lecturer which suits me as I don't have to be in every day and the research part I can do at home. It is very competitive and I have struggled to find a permanent one since losing my job four years ago (the place I worked at closed their humanities department down). I did work in an office before I retrained and couldn't go back there.

Currently unemployed and don't know what to do because I'm so weak and dizzy all the time.

I've been in the mortgage business for 30+ years - in management for most of them. The mental/long hours demand were very difficult. Mortgage is not Crohn's Friendly as everything is stressful!

I sit behind a desk and analyse navigation data, it's brilliant, I sit with my iPod on for hours and rarely get disturbed despite being in an open plan office.

I love my job. I genuinely do. I have lovely flexible working hours and easy access to a bathroom. I think I've lucked out, really. Office jobs seem to be the way to go for Crohn's sufferers. I've toyed with the idea of retraining and being a crash investigator but the thought of needing to 'go' when you're trying to measure skid marks at 3am on a freezing cold December morning on the M25 and there's no toilet in sight kind of stopped that idea in its tracks.

I'm really hoping to find some sort of office job. From what I've seen, my degree is meaningless to prospective employers, and everybody wants years of experience for office work around here, at least that would pay enough to live on.

nogutsnoglory said:

Currently unemployed and don't know what to do because I'm so weak and dizzy all the time.

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I truly hope this passes soon and you can get on with life. You've suffered WAY too long.

Thank you it's getting pretty depressing I won't lie.

I really enjoy my construction job (union electrician) when I'm feeling good...Right now i'm getting hydration 4 days a week, barely making through the work day just to go straight home, hook my port up and pass out from exhaustion, pain, nausea, piss liquid stool, cramping....blah blah blah O the joys of Crohn's disease and barely surviving but needing to work for insurance that some of the time can not be used or they won't approve meds or procedures........I've been working in construction for 7 years now and have had Crohn's for 20....

I am an elementary school teacher and would not survive doing anything else. I have a bathroom within 10 feet and a teacher right next door that can watch the students while I use the bathroom. She knows I have crohns and is very understanding. I also get a decent amount of sick and personal days that seem to help during flares. I also find the hours very good, I find children help lift my spirits if I'm not feeling well, I work with an excellent staff, excellent health benefits, and decent pay, I couldn't ask for anything more. I feel very fortunate and lucky. There are two other staff members with colitis and they have voiced they feel the same way I do.