How to get over job anxiety?

I want to get a part-time job but I dont know if I would be able to handle the responsibility (!) among other things like getting along with coworkers, dealing with customers, supervisors, f'ing up on tasks. Having horrible social skills and being schizoid (was finally dx'ed with it a month or 2 ago by my current psychologist) only adds fuel to the flame.

I realize that I am getting ahead of myself here. I haven't even applied for any jobs yet.

The key is to find a job with very little personal interaction. Don't kill me for the suggestions, if you're starting, you want a test job. Things like stocking shelves or data entry.

creepydork wrote:I want to get a part-time job but I dont know if I would be able to handle the responsibility (!) among other things like getting along with coworkers, dealing with customers, supervisors, f'ing up on tasks. Having horrible social skills and being schizoid (was finally dx'ed with it a month or 2 ago by my current psychologist) only adds fuel to the flame.

I realize that I am getting ahead of myself here. I haven't even applied for any jobs yet.

If you can spare the time, I suggest starting at a volunteer job while looking for a "real" job.. the suggestions inverse gave are good starters. A volunteer job is usually easier, because the people running it are usually really grateful for the help (although this isn't always the case so be picky if you don't like the people). It also looks excellent on a resume and you can possibly end up with more references. I suggest looking for something related to what you want to do as your eventual career.

And I just need to mention that I've always felt it's not optimal to limit oneself to careers that make a person feel more comfortable in their disorder and that it's a shame for those talented individuals afflicted with AVPD and related disorders to allow the disorder to cripple their chances for a fulfilling and lucrative career. Best of luck to you and please let us know how it goes.

I would also suggest looking into some volunteer work too- it looks good on a resume, and it gives you some practice in dealing with people without so much pressure. I've used it as something to fill in the gaps in my employment history when I couldn't find paid work too.

creepydork wrote:I want to get a part-time job but I dont know if I would be able to handle the responsibility (!) among other things like getting along with coworkers, dealing with customers, supervisors, f'ing up on tasks.

Try to find a job where you would be reasonably confident that you could handle the responsibility. That's half the battle. Working someplace where you're not entirely confident in your work will only make the other issues (mainly co-workers) seem worse. If you feel you are doing your assigned tasks well and with a reasonable degree of confidence, you may be too caught up in your work to let your other worries get to you.
This would apply to volunteer work as well.

If you have a schizoid Dx I would recommend you steer clear of anything involving customer service. It will make whatever your job is twice as exhausting and stressful. Don't even THINK of food service! People are at their worst when hungry. I worked food service for many years and it finally gave me a nervous breakdown. You don't want to get between an animal and it's food!

If you must work at some kind of store, maybe something like a craft store or someplace where customers are likely to be more low key and less annoying. Maybe Radio Shack...nobody ever goes into Radio Shack!