I’ve been a caregiver for my father for 10 yrs and am 37 now. During that time, I’ve had several part-time jobs, a couple of which I had to quit because of caregiving. One job relocated, another went out business because of the pandemic. So I’ve had a lot of change which resulted in each job lasting no more than a year/ a half to 2 years.
I recently got rejected for a PT job at a library even though I had quite a bit of experience. I also got rejected at a job I previously had. They went behind my back and reposted the job after saying they wanted to rehire me. They never even followed up with me. So I’m feeling down right now. Pair that with the struggle of 24/7 caregiving. Sadly, I don’t qualify for paid caregiving so I just feel lost in a lot of ways.
I don’t want to drown in self-pity but I also need to be realistic about what I can and can’t handle at this period of my life. My life as a caregiver is so unpredictable but I also need to make a bit of money for bills and personal expenses (thankfully my father gives me free rent in exchange for caregiving). I’ve thought about a remote job but I don’t know how realistic that is. I’ve done temp work but it still is obviously quite a commitment (my last temp job wanted me there 5 days a week even though it was part-time).
I don’t know what I’m asking for. Maybe what would you do in my situation? How have you managed to juggle work/caregiving?