Dealing with hearing loss can often feel like an uphill battle, but there’s no reason for it to negatively impact your career goals. If you’re dealing with a hearing problem, the first step is educating yourself on what changes you might expect and how you can go about making sure that your career path only changes in the ways you want it to. here are three top tips to make sure your quality of life and your experience in the workplace don’t change along with your hearing.
Get the care that you need
First up is to make sure that you have a hearing solution that works for you. If you haven’t already done so recently, be sure to visit a hearing health center. Even if you already have a hearing aid or another form of hearing health care, getting a hearing test done regularly will help make sure you have the right hearing solution. Hearing Health USA has health centers in convenient locations across the United States and, according to them, there is a whole range of different factors that can affect your trouble hearing. To truly help you manage your hearing loss and hopefully get better hearing overall, they can provide you with cochlear implants, a hearing aid, or other options according to your preferences. An audiologist will be there with you every step of the way to make sure the solution you choose is the right for you.
Seek help when you need it
Once you have the physical side under your belt, it could also be beneficial to seek some direct career advice. Dealing with hearing issues doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your meaningful career or stop being ambitious in your career choices. Receiving a diagnosis for hearing loss can result in a loss of confidence, an increase in anxiety, or even depression. According to Therapy Group of DC, an organization providing career counseling in DC, any of these issues could have a serious effect on your career path if left unmanaged. If that sounds familiar to you, talking to a career counselor could be a great help. A career coach will listen to your goals and concerns with compassion, whether it’s fears about lack of future opportunities, a practical issue of having difficulty understanding your coworkers, or concern about the job market, experts in career counseling will be able to help you rediscover your professional passion or even advise on a career change if that’s the best option for you.
Speak up for what works for you
It’s always up to you when it comes to how much you want to disclose to your workplace, but reports from other professionals with hearing issues all agree that the more honesty and transparency in the workplace, the higher the chance of mutually beneficial fixes and greater opportunities for high achievers. Put simply, your boss and coworkers can’t do what they can to help you in your workplace if they don’t know what issues you’re up against. If you speak up about what you need to do your job to the best of your ability, whether that’s in how they speak to you at work or finding a quiet place where you can work undisturbed, the better it is for everyone involved.
Hearing care starts with you and your doctor, but it’s also up to you to include other people in the process. Most likely, your coworkers will care about you and take a personal interest in making sure you get what you need. Of course, this can be daunting, especially when starting at a new job, so make sure not to push yourself to disclose personal information when you’re not ready. As said above, you can always seek advice on this from a career counselor or hearing specialist.
