Earlier this month, I received an email about a new opportunity to use my AI training skills. I was excited and reached out to an acquaintance I worked with on another AI project a few months ago and invited him to join me.
One of the things I like about working with AI is the opportunity to explore different facets of the AI industry:
- Writing training
- Conversational training
- Image processing
- Expression/emotion training
My AI journey has reminded me of a valuable lesson I learned nearly 30 years ago, after my accident, I was offered a new position at my workplace because I was unable to do my old job due to my disability and limitations. I accepted the new position and continued there for almost a decade.
Most people with disabilities are unaware of the numerous resources available to help them acquire new skills and find meaningful employment. Opportunities abound for disabled persons to learn new skills and to find work they enjoy.
What Are Opportunities
You don’t have to be disabled to need more work opportunities. Opportunities in the job market have become challenging even for new graduates. The job market is pretty tough right now in America, and many people are looking for a new opportunity.
Opportunity is defined as “A favorable juncture of circumstances: a good chance for advancement or progress.”
Many people looking for new opportunities or side hustles to make some extra money, even writers.
The Writing Life
It’s common knowledge that writers can’t make a full-time living solely from book publishing. Even the best writers struggle to get published or land an agent. Still, writers need to pay the bills and put food on the table.
Because of the uncertainty and struggle of the writing journey, many writers give up altogether. However, if a writer is determined, there are endless opportunities to make money as a writer:
- Editing and proofreading
- Copy writing
- Report writing
- Ghost writing
- Proposal writing
- Technical writing
- Newsletter writing
- Public speaking
- Writer in residence
- Teaching
If you have a passion for writing, there is a market and a way to make money. Writers some of the first people to set the stage for the gig work community. These workers are self-employed, with more freedom and flexibility in their daily lives. This is also known as freelance work.
The downside to this type of work is that there are no guarantees of employment, and often dry spells, which, as a gig worker, I understand the struggle and the fight for work.
Enjoy the Journey
Regardless of what type of work we choose to do, we must hone our skills and enjoy the journey. We all know the cliché, “If you love the work you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
One of the perks of gig work is the flexibility of being your own boss and deciding what work you take or refuse. No one wants to have a job they don’t enjoy, especially if it doesn’t pay the bills.
After writing for over a decade, I have come to a point where I no longer enjoy writing like I used to, so I looked into the resources that are available for disabled persons:
- Disability job fairs
- Vocational rehabilitation
- On-the-job training
- Workplace assistance
I never thought that being disabled would open the door for new job opportunities that excite and motivate me. Depression can be more common among persons with disabilities, and I have struggled with it more than normal for the past year and a half.
Persons with traumatic brain injuries are more prone to depression and an inability to focus than other disabled persons. Even the process of learning new skills can be overwhelming for persons with disabilities. The thing that keeps me going is knowing that once I finish this rehabilitation process, there will be job opportunities abound!
Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Traumatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at MartinThomasJohnson.com and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.
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