Colour Visually Impaired - big deal?

DeltaWhite

Hi all

Basically I am colour visually impaired. I have known since I was 8 years old and I have been to an optician and it has been clarified that I am indeed, colour visually impaired.

The problem is, i am stuck in a career that I despise, mostly because of how boring it is and I get treated like a skivy which p*sses me off. I am extremely creative and I was excellent at art my whole life - how ironic! I wanted to pursue a course which would be perfect for me but one day in FAS a few years ago when i was out of work I mentioned to the course co-ordinater that I have this colour vision problem and I wanted to be a make up artist or nail technician. She shot me down straight away and said it would be pointless.

So since then I guess i took her words to heart unfortunately. I have been a lost soul, stuck in a job that's going nowhere and I can't stand it. No college qualifications except for Art and a course I did last year for Payroll (which I hated) I just feel lost and like a total failure

So today an incident happened in work and I've just decided fcuk this. I am not letting this hold me back anymore, I'm going to apply for a Nail Technician course and go for it. I'm just going to throw myself into it.

TBH my colour vision is not really bad. I can see all colours I just sometimes get confused with shades. In the long run, how can I let this hold me back from what I'm good at and what I want to do

Just looking to see if anyone out there has been through similar?

Also I work with 2 electricians who have the same thing as me and they are still able to do their job!! I just can't accept that I'm stuck in a crap area of work and I have no other interests other than art, design etc, I am desperate to do what I love

Some input and advice would be appreciated!

Neyite

Well, I'm studying Accountancy, and strongly suspect that I have undaignosed discalcula. I was always terrible at maths. Slow to get new concepts, but if I kept doing them or understood how to apply them I was fine. To this day I dont remember certain times tables. I could memorise them tonight and in 3 days it would be like I never even read them before. Yet, I'm a bit of a whizz at formula in excel, great at figuring out % mark-downs in the sales in my head, great with figuring out payroll deductions and all that, so I'm not stupid, there are just certain mathamatical situation that are like a mental block to me.

Sure, I know I have to push myself a bit harder than the rest of my class. I may have to factor in work-arounds to ensure I remember things, but its do-able.

Go for it. You should spend your life doing what you love.

DeltaWhite

Neyite wrote: »

Well, I'm studying Accountancy, and strongly suspect that I have undaignosed discalcula. I was always terrible at maths. Slow to get new concepts, but if I kept doing them or understood how to apply them I was fine. To this day I dont remember certain times tables. I could memorise them tonight and in 3 days it would be like I never even read them before. Yet, I'm a bit of a whizz at formula in excel, great at figuring out % mark-downs in the sales in my head, great with figuring out payroll deductions and all that, so I'm not stupid, there are just certain mathamatical situation that are like a mental block to me.

Sure, I know I have to push myself a bit harder than the rest of my class. I may have to factor in work-arounds to ensure I remember things, but its do-able.

Go for it. You should spend your life doing what you love.

That's mad that you mentioned discalcula because I have it too!! I found The course I did in Bookkeeping and Payroll hard but I still managed to get distinction in both modules! Thank you so much for your kind words I really appreciate your response, it definitely lifted my mood today!

Would it be necessary to even say you have color blindness? I mean, I think in certain occupations you would have to, but in the areas you're interested in, it doesn't seem like it'd be important. Does it affect you when you're doing art or anyone's nails? If it doesn't and you're confident in your ability, then go for it.

DeltaWhite

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Would it be necessary to even say you have color blindness? I mean, I think in certain occupations you would have to, but in the areas you're interested in, it doesn't seem like it'd be important. Does it affect you when you're doing art or anyone's nails? If it doesn't and you're confident in your ability, then go for it.

I think that was my mistake in FAS all those years ago, I shouldn't have said anything. It doesn't affect me really, I am excellent at doing Nail Art and it's the only thing I am genuinely 100% confident doing, so I can't understand why I wouldn't be allowed do it! Thanks for your comment!

I was a big fan of Vincent Van Gogh when I was younger, he was colour blind but yet managed to paint "Sunflowers" - there are 28 shades of yellow in that picture, he may have been mental but if he could do that, why can't I do I what I'm brilliant at!!

MissFlitworth

Sounds like the Fás co-ordinator was talking out her hoop to be honest, or just making an assumption and presenting it to you as fact. If you are good at art then I guess you're good at knowing or have a system for deciding which colours match despite not being able to see them 100% properly. Even if it comes down to it, most nail colours have a very definite colour description as well as their flouncy name and where they don't if you're happy to do a bit of research on the bottle you can find out exactly what colour it is and what it goes with/what skin tones it works with. So if someone wants a manicure to go with a blue dress you can offer them a range of colour options based on what you know goes with blue rather than what you can see goes with blue. Things like shaping/filing/painting/building acrylics etc, I can't see any reason why your ability to see colour would come into it at all.

You probably also have a system for organising a work space so you can tell where everything is/what's in each bottle when other people might judge by colours

Go for it. You'll know yourself after trying the course out whether you can do it or not but don't take Fás lady's word for it.

m'lady

Don't allow some jobs worth in FAS turn you off something that you have a major interest in OP. They had no right to say what they did, and probably just let it slip off their tongue without realising. Personally I wouldn't mention this at time of application and just go for with it!

Good luck with pursuing your ambition :-)

kat.mac

My input comes from having been in a job that didn't suit me - and I say get the hell out! You invest so much time, energy and emotion in your job/career that you owe it to yourself to pursue happiness through it. Without hesitation - make the change you feel the need to make!

Morgase

Go for it, OP. I've come across plenty of people who have colour-blindness and working away the same as anyone else (it only ever came up in conversation with these people). Don't let the words of that FÁS woman get to you and enjoy working in a profession that you're passionate and knowledgeable about.

IrishEyes19

DeltaWhite wrote: »

I think that was my mistake in FAS all those years ago, I shouldn't have said anything. It doesn't affect me really, I am excellent at doing Nail Art and it's the only thing I am genuinely 100% confident doing, so I can't understand why I wouldn't be allowed do it! Thanks for your comment!

I was a big fan of Vincent Van Gogh when I was younger, he was colour blind but yet managed to paint "Sunflowers" - there are 28 shades of yellow in that picture, he may have been mental but if he could do that, why can't I do I what I'm brilliant at!!

I love your positive attitude, OP. I dont have any of those conditions mentioned and I still hold back sometimes because fear over takes me even though I know Im well capable of pursuing what I love.

Go for it. You have answered your own question here. Don't mention your condition at all if you can get away with it. I dont know the ins and outs of it, but unless its really obvious, pursue what you love and are good at it.

LegacyUser

I went to art school and one of my best friends from the course is colour blind. He's had a very successful career and now runs his own greeting card company. Whoever you were taking to at FAS doesn't know what they are talking about. I find when it comes to anything creative the likes of FAS or career guidance people generally haven't a clue.

DeltaWhite

IrishEyes19 wrote: »

I love your positive attitude, OP. I dont have any of those conditions mentioned and I still hold back sometimes because fear over takes me even though I know Im well capable of pursuing what I love.

Go for it. You have answered your own question here. Don't mention your condition at all if you can get away with it. I dont know the ins and outs of it, but unless its really obvious, pursue what you love and are good at it.

Thanks so much I feel lot better about it all since so far everyone here has confirmed what I knew all along myself! Good kick up the backside I needed
I have to do this for me and my sanity haha! I'm going for it! And thanks everyone for the comments! Always appreciate the boardsies input!!

Catphish

I'm sorry I can't be of help with your own situation Delta, I've been in and out of the opticians lately myself, but I wish you luck, go for it

MadMardegan

I found out I was colour blind about 7 years ago, never had a problem with colours before then (and still don't!), I mean I can see and distinguish any colours and everyone will agree but unfortunately I just can't see the numbers in the colour vision tests.

I had hopes of joining the fire brigade here but I've been told it's pointless to try because they won't accept me. Was a kick in a face to be honest. I'm not letting it hold me back though, if I can't be a paramedic here I'll be a paramedic in a different country.

Don't let it hold you back either!

Gaz

Sorry MadMardegan but you are unlikely to be accepted as a paramedic anywhere if you suffer from colour blindness. I have red-green issues myself and had to give up on the idea of being a Garda when I was a teen.

Same goes for electrician , doctor and many other careers.

m r c

To the op those guys who are electricians deffo should not be doing that job. If I'm correct they couldn't have qualified in any case(at least in ireland)

I tried to become an electrician, found a sponsor and had actually begun to work as an apprentice then when registering with fas found out I couldn't.

I wanted to be an electrician, then Garda, then paramedic then had to train as a carpenter because I wanted to get a qualification in something.
It's a great pity IMHO I'd have been a really decent Garda or any of the above tbh but because I'm colourblind I couldn't do most if the jobs I really liked.

I honestly never properly took to carpentry although I'm fairly handy if I say so myself ðŸ˜႒

Look op we all have to accept our lot and learn to enjoy what we're dealt. I spent a week or two pissed off tbh but things work out in the end when we put in the graft. I think it was Gary Player who said "the harder you work the luckier you get" I love that quote and believe it to be true.