OCD may be a large part of your life, but that absolutely does not mean that you can’t do anything you like to. Just like everybody else, people with OCD can have any job they aspire to, with some hard work and motivation. However, there may be a few jobs that match your outlook perfectly.
If you’d like to work at place where you can turn your preoccupations into something useful and productive, while not letting them get out of hand and overpower your life, there are certain career paths you might want to consider. Think about the type of OCD you have, as well as your passions, hobbies, and what you’d like to improve about yourself. The combination would provide you with an idea of the criteria that your perfect job should meet. Below are some suggestions, but please do not feel limited by them.
A place where books are neatly stacked and labelled in categories might be perfect for someone preoccupied with order and symmetry. In addition, this type of job allows for peace and quiet, as well as acquiring a lot of knowledge form the books you work with. There are various educational courses you can take, some of which being extremely accessible, in order to become a librarian.
Watchmaking might be become a lost art, and so more specialists in the field are needed. If you believe you have perfectionistic tendencies, enjoy detail-oriented work and love to create, then watchmaking might make you very happy.
This career path encompasses productivity, creativity, responsibility and great attention to detail. Although it may be a significant challenge to some of us, other would feel right at home in the financial sector, especially keeping in mind that you often have the opportunity to work on your own, and abide by your personal standards.
If your preoccupations are centered around cleaning, washing, scrubbing and dusting, then you might enjoy a job as a housekeeper, domestic cleaner, a nanny, or something similar that would help you utilize your tendency to be neat.
The rigors of military life are clearly not for everyone. Fortunately, working in the army is a true blessing for people who are preoccupied with order and discipline. Being a soldier means going to sleep and waking up at the same hour each day, performing repetitive tasks, and following a strict set of rules.
Since people who struggle with OCD often feel the need to carry out activities in a certain way, working in the field of information technology might provide a certain amount of comfort. Besides, it allows you to be creative, work in your own pace, and is a sought-after career.
Being an archivist usually involves working with old, or even historical, documents. People who enjoy order and meticulousness, as well as being interested in the past, might find this occupation to be very enjoyable.
This is by no means and exhaustive list of the occupations that can help you utilize your unique skills and specificities. In fact, these are merely very few of jobs you can aspire towards, and were meant to help you gain a baseline. The most important step to take, when deciding on a career path, is being completely honest with yourself.
It might be difficult to find a balance and avoid underestimating your skills or pushing yourself too hard, which is why reflection is always useful. Before you decide on any job or career, research its realistic requirements and daily responsibilities, in order to see if it would suit you and make you happy.
Liya Panayotova (Mar 11, 2016). Working with OCD. Retrieved Oct 11, 2024 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/e/working-with-ocd
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