What Jobs Can You Do with Tinnitus?

[linearb]

Bit off topic but you seem to know a few people with t. Myself I'm a bit embarassed to discuss it with my Co workers but I try to see if anyone I know has any noise sensitivity and I don't think so. Do any of your coworkers with t seek out these types of forums ?if not what do they do to cope ? I'm just curious. Thanks

they do not; I only know a few people who have had T badly enough to seek medical advice; I do know a couple people who have been through all the usual rounds with ENTs and therapists and etc, but none of them have ended up on internet forums. I think it is a certain personality type who looks for information on forums.

 

[Kaelon]

I'm looking for a change of career because with T I can't be around too much noise (including music sadly). But I don't want a job that is ridiculously stressful either. What do you guys think are safe jobs to do with T? (And please don't say 'whatever you want don't let t stop you" cause we all know this isn't the case)

Hi @derpytia,

You hit the nail right on the head with your final sentence there. With Tinnitus, you are likely to have post-hyperacusis fleeting issues that will be exacerbated by loud sounds. Even if your tinnitus wasn't caused by auditory over exposure, it's still nevertheless a good idea to not overstimulate your cochlea. That said, you can still pursue music if that is what you love. Since you've acquired tinnitus, has your tinnitus improved? If so, there is reason to believe it might continue to improve with time. Additionally, also important to note that most humans habituate (in general) within 18 months, so you could be in store for some welcome gains in your ability to tune out tinnitus later this year.

Keeping you in my thoughts!

 

[Gosia]

I opt for an office job..and a quiet one, where two or three people max have their desks.

 

[ruben ruiz]

Everything depends on the severity of the T and H also meds becomes an issue.
I'm a filmmaker/musician and I'm dead in the water. I don't want to take lorazepam for everything I do.

 

[Telis]

Everything depends on the severity of the T and H also meds becomes an issue.
I'm a filmmaker/musician and I'm dead in the water. I don't want to take lorazepam for everything I do.

Why would you have to do that? Do the drugs help you focus?

 

[Mike82]

I do the same job (I'm a copywriter) that I did before I got tinnitus.

I realise that it's a very different situation for a musician, but for me, I don't see why I would change jobs because of a ringing in my ears.

 

[walkthroughwalls]

I'm looking for a change of career because with T I can't be around too much noise (including music sadly). But I don't want a job that is ridiculously stressful either. What do you guys think are safe jobs to do with T? (And please don't say 'whatever you want don't let t stop you" cause we all know this isn't the case)

There are lots of options, so let's start with you!

What interests do you have? Anything you'd like to pursue besides music? Do you read, and if so, what?
What do you naturally do when you're alone in a room?


By the way, I went from music to Computing Science, because I'm very much drawn to academic stuff and programming. I also follow the news and politics, and read books on anything from privacy-issues to climate change.
I hope to eventually end up with an NGO or in politics, because we need sensible life-saving policies more than we need more self-driving cars

 

[Sound Wave]

I don't think 'quiet jobs' are ideal for people with T - we know that in silence we hear our T the best, which causes stress for many of us. I think an ideal work location is one with enough ambient noise, that masks T and also engages us. Any work which requires social engagement with other people is a good choice in this respect.

 

[Constable85]

I work in a quiet office and it can sometimes be a curse because it allows the T to really jump out at you. Still, better than being somewhere loud and making things worse. And a quiet room is like boot camp for T in that it forces you to habituate---or get fired.

 

[Nich]

You should study what you love and then find a job that allows you be in contact with what you love. If you love music then get a music degree and then find a way to put that knowledge to use. Maybe you can't be in an orchestra or teach music in school, but I bet you could be a music reviewer or be involved in composition. Or find something that involves music but also allows the environment you need to thrive.

I'm a pathologist. I sit in a quiet office all day and look at slides under a microscope. When T hit I thought I was going to lose my livelihood because I couldn't focus. A year later and it doesn't bother my focus anymore. I have a friend who wanted to be a pilot our whole lives growing up. He went to the most prestigious school in the country and became a pilot. Then he met the woman of his dreams and started a family and he didn't want to be gone so he went to work in the industry. Now he is just as happy and passionate about flight but just works on it from a different angle.

T might force you to switch jobs but it shouldnt force you to move away from your passion.

 

[Ricardo1991]

Most office jobs would probably be OK. What did you do until now?

Eh, not really. I work in a quiet office with a closed door and I still got tinnitus somehow. Honestly, the only real answer to this thread is "Do whatever you want, this will NOT dictate how you live your life." My friend has tinnitus and he's a manager of a lively coffee shop. His was noise induced because he's a drummer; he told me that it's all a mental state. Which I completely believe him.
Ricardo

 

[Ricardo1991]

a quiet room is like boot camp for T in that it forces you to habituate.

LMAO! Yes! I work in a quiet office with a closed door haha some days I want to change to a loud job just so I don't think/ hear my tinnitus.

 

[Fangen]

I work for a gaming company, so I sit in an office all day. No sudden noises but not 100% silent either so it is good be able to mask T with low talking noises. I think its like 40 db

 

[Ears Hurt]

Office job is great until they test the fire alarm. Pure evil that is...

 

[Jamie m]

I work retail, music is played but I get to engage with customers and talk and most of the day I forget! Some retailers don't play music

 

[aniketpatil]

Software development

 

[NineNails]

I don't think 'quiet jobs' are ideal for people with T - we know that in silence we hear our T the best, which causes stress for many of us.

That's a fallacy! You're talking normal T here but with *reactive T* only silence, next to no noise, provides some relief after hours.

See, even the T community misunderstands T. What can we expect from anybody else?

 

[LillianLexicon97]

Could you even be a nurse with tinnitus? I'm just genuinely curious.

 

[gotyoubynuts]

Could you even be a nurse with tinnitus? I'm just genuinely curious.

of course you can be a nurse, why couldn't you? how could tinnitus interfere?

 

[squeek]

If you're still able to concentrate, technical writing is a well-paid job and one that few people apply for (people hate writing their own documentation and prefer to concentrate on doing their own tasks, which is why few people like applying for the job). Salaries are around the US$75K mark.

Essentially you're chatting to people (subject matter experts) in their departments and put their knowledge down in writing, writing procedures, flow charts, and overviews. Often the subject matter experts will write down their rudimentary notes for you and you just tidy up the grammar and presentation and match the writing to company technical writing standards.

In job interviews, applicants are often asked to write a manual as to how to operate a telephone.

 

[Lorac]

@derpytia ,
This thread has been going on for more than a year, so my question to you is.....What career change did you decide upon?

 

[Filip]

With great tinnitus comes with great responsibility, so why not a superhero? If that doesn't workout there's always DJing and WWE wrestler.

 

[whale]

I'm looking for a change of career because with T I can't be around too much noise (including music sadly). But I don't want a job that is ridiculously stressful either. What do you guys think are safe jobs to do with T? (And please don't say 'whatever you want don't let t stop you" cause we all know this isn't the case)

You could be an ENT. they all say the have T and it no big deal to them.

 

[quietmedic]

If you're still able to concentrate, technical writing is a well-paid job and one that few people apply for (people hate writing their own documentation and prefer to concentrate on doing their own tasks, which is why few people like applying for the job). Salaries are around the US$75K mark.

Just out of curiosity, are you in the field? At least in my research, it is extremely difficult to find work as a TW without years of TW experience... everyone is trying to break into it but it seems very, very few wrangle enough "volunteer" gigs to make enough of a portfolio to ever get a job... besides that fact that any job that involves "chatting to lots of subject-matter experts in their offices" sounds like the worst job ever to someone with reactive tinnitus... there are, in my estimation, almost zero home-based TW jobs.

 

[Alex Matyjasek]

I think you would be better off with a stressful job (nothing over the top though). You'd be so busy that you wouldn't have time to even think about it...

 

[Rosco99]

I'm having an extremely hard time managing my tinnitus in the classroom. I am losing concentration and the energy to be an effective teacher. I am at the point where I am miserable and each day is worse than the last. I have a business degree and pretty close to an M.Ed. 18 years as an Ops Manager at a mortgage firm. I teach Marketing and Business now.

Let's hear some ideas? Anybody have a job that they love? How about one that they can at least manage with their tinnitus? I feel totally confident that I can lead an effective professional life still (I'm only 39) but the extremes in a school building are just too much for me.

 

[B18c1vtech]

IT support in an office (or at home). Safe from all hazardous noises.

Unless that damn fire alarm goes off again -_-