Work
"And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17)
Earning a living can be complicated with a disability, but not impossible. The ADA has made the employment field easier than in the past, but an individual still needs to get out in the work force and have the strength to do what is needed.
After receiving my IT degree in 2003, I looked for work in the Des Moines area in, and out, of my area of study. As required by Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), I also had a job developer assist me. A few months after graduation, I had a number of interviews, but no job offers. I signed up with a temp agency that placed me, along with 90 other people, at a three-month assignment. This was my first real job after college, and was interesting. The job consisted of answering phones and signing up United Air Lines employees with new insurance plans. From my desk, in early 2003, United seemed to be the company to work for, good insurance at great rates.
Four months passed since graduation and I still didn't have any full-time job offers. VR decided that I was "unreasonable to find work" due to possible insurance costs, and told me to go live in a nursing home. I am not always good at following some orders, particularly ones like that, so I continued to look.
A few months later, I came across another part-time job with a division of Iowa Workforce Development called CIETC. It was mainly data entry, but was at least related to my field. The job was good, and for the state, but did come to an end after a few months. The CEO, Ramona Cunningham, said I did a very good job, but they didn't have the funds to hire me. A few years later, 2007-2008, it was found that she, and other board members, had greatly misspent millions of dollars, starting about the time I was working for them. They are now serving prison sentences and the original company no longer exists. At the time, I had really wanted to be hired on, but I learned once again that God knows more than me, and what I wasn't seeing.
Vander Molen Technology
VMT as I've abbreviated it, had its beginning shortly after getting out of high school. My good friend from church, and preacher's son, Tom had made a Web
site for our church. As he was planning to leave the state after graduation, he needed someone to take over the site's maintenance. A few months after I graduated, Tom was a year behind me, I purchased a web-editing program and he taught me how to do work on the site.
Through college, I continued to work on that site, learn new skills, and started working on a few more around campus and the state. As time passed, connections and client base grew through prayer and guidance. About a year after graduation, I had not found work in Des Moines, so moved back with my parents and continued doing Web sites for clients.
Today, VMT does well, but not always as busy as I would like. Some time later, I hired Tom to help with work during busy times and when I was unavailable due to surgeries or vacation. Going full circle, the original trainer becoming staff, has been an interesting journey. It is work with variety, and one that I can do through different medical difficulties in bed or up as needed.
Speaking
As I said in the beliefs section, I have also had opportunity to do speaking. These engagements have primarily been at schools giving disability awareness talks and, where allowed, how God has worked through my life. I have also had a chance to talk with a class of nursing students about working with someone with a spinal cord injury and have spoken about CHAMP Camp. While all of these to this point have been on a volunteer basis, it is fun and very enjoyable for me. I hope to be able to continue in these talks and expand my current regular schedule to more areas and venues.