Unemployment

            I have not had a full time job in about six years. Six years ago I got married and shortly thereafter became pregnant with our first and only child. The pregnancy was rough from the start and I was unable to work and then he was born and I was still unable to work. He was just not the kind of child who could go to daycare. When he was really little he never wanted to be put down. I’m sure you’re thinking that most children don’t want to be put down and that I should have just let him cry it out, but there comes a time when that is just cruel. I tried that and he would scream for hours on end and would sometimes not even stop once he was being held. As he got older he still wanted the full attention and he began to show aggression and so we could not find a daycare that could handle him. He was diagnosed with autism when he was around three, but still services were just not available to us.

            He is now getting ready to turn five and next year he will start full time kindergarten. I am excited he will be able to start school and I will be able to work, but that seems to be easier said than done. I have applied for so many positions and I never seem to get one. I know I am not alone in the inability to find a job, but I just want to know why. Half the time I don’t even get an interview for a job for which I am more than qualified.  Why is that? I went to a job service place to review my resume and they found it to be adequate and were unable to help me. Could it be because I am a Christian and I don’t live in the most conservative of areas? I can’t hide my religion because my primary past employment has been in Christian stores and my university was Christian as well. Do they hire from local schools first? Am I grasping at straws trying to find an excuse for my own inadequacy? I have no answers. I am a hard worker and I enjoy the field in which I seek employment. I always go above and beyond the call of duty, but here I am not even given the chance. Sometimes I hate living here because I am certain that I could find employment elsewhere, but we cannot move for now.

            Does anyone have any advice? When asked about my gap in employment, in the few interviews I do get, I tend to tell the truth: my son has autism and I have stayed home to take care of him, but he will be starting school soon. This answer gets a few eye raises or even questions about what I would do if he were sick and who would watch him. I feel like I should just lie, but I can’t even think of a good/ realistic one and really I don’t want to lie. I am honest to a fault and I would think that would be a good thing to an employer.