Originally Posted by Catch

I've been really struggling for the past year at my legal secretary job. Boith of my bosses now complain about a general decline in my work, I can't take the stress and have even had loud spats with a couple of office mates.

I'm scared, depressed, and my ego is crushed. I know some of this is just PMS and I'll feel better in a couple of days,but it does not change the fact that the complaints about my work are true.

I can't remember what happened with a certain client, I mix them up in my head, bringing my boss the Smith file when he asked for Jones. I make changes to documents but when I print the document, the changes are not there. (Makes me feel like I halucinated making the changes.) I forget I printed something, then print it again, forget, and then wonder what I'm doing with four copies!

A disability claim in So Cal can take more than a year to process from what I understand, and you have to already be out of work for 5 months before they'll even consider your claim. The thing is I can still do a job like mine, but not in law or where my cognitive issues could cause some real problems.

I'm resigned to looking for a less stressful and demanding job, maybe closer to home. I'm also looking at a minimum $5,000 a year drop in pay, if not significantly more. Still, working would be better than not, as no one can live on disability.

So, do I dumb down my resume, or how do I explain why I want to take on less responsibility, not more? Maybe get out of office administration and into something new, but I have no idea how to highlight my skills in any other setting.

Any websites, guidance is appreciated. For free, please, I can find a zillion "Career Coaches" who will help me, but I'm not an MD picking a new career, just a lowly secretary, one of the lower middle class.