Build a Business Career: Tips for Young Professionals With Disabilities

​For young adults with disabilities, making decisions about your future career can be difficult. You may not necessarily know which industries will be the most accommodating, or you might be hoping to secure a remote position so that you can work from home. However, you could be perfectly suited for a career in the world of business! Here are a few tips to get you started on your journey.
 
The Benefits of a Business Career
 
Why should young adults with disabilities consider studying business and entering this field? You’ll find relevant job openings no matter where you live, and today, you can easily translate your business skills to remote positions. Plus, employers will generally offer good benefits packages, which means you’ll receive the coverage you need to cover any medical expenses.
 
Another benefit of a business career is that you have the opportunity to complete your work from home. Remote work has become more commonplace, especially for those who work in business or own their own business. However, make sure you are legally allowed to work or operate a business from a home, especially if you rent.
 
Choosing a Lucrative Degree
 
“Business” is a broad umbrella term, so if you’re interested in going to college, you have plenty of degree options to choose from! Majoring in a subject like finance, economics, business administration, or management information systems could lead to particularly lucrative job offers.
 
Whether you’re enrolling in an online degree program or attending classes at a brick-and-mortar campus, you are entitled to reasonable accommodations from your professors. University Business states that you will need to get in touch with your school’s disability services office before your program starts.
 
Landing Your First Internship
 
While studying for your degree, you can also pursue internships! You may want to reach out to your university’s career services office to see if they can recommend any companies to look into. Make sure to polish up your resume and practice your interview answers before you send out applications.
 
You can always request accommodations in the workplace—and yes, this applies at your internship! Whether you need schedule adjustments, certain technical tools or programs, or even structural accommodations in your office space, you can talk to the human resources department about these matters.
 
As part of your internship search, it’s a good time to set up a LinkedIn profile if you haven’t already done so. While it is a social networking platform, LinkedIn is different from others in that it is professionally focused, so there are mistakes you want to avoid. Be sure to complete your profile including adding a professional headshot. When listing your personal information and professional accomplishments, always be truthful. Lastly, keep any status updates you post generally positive.
 
Starting a Freelancing Business
 
Many people with disabilities turn to freelancing for the flexibility that this career path offers. You can take on clients whose needs mesh well with your own schedule and turn down time-consuming projects if you know that they would prove to be overwhelming. Plus, you can work comfortably from home! If you need to flesh out your resume, or if you haven’t landed the job you want yet, freelancing is a good way to advance your career.
 
Which professions allow you to freelance easily? There are plenty of options! For instance, you could work as an app developer, a business consultant, or a digital marketer. To begin looking for your first clients, check out online job boards. You can make a profile and browse available projects. You’ll be able to evaluate delivery times and rates before pitching, and clients can also check out reviews of your previous work.

If freelancing is your passion and you decide to pursue this as a career path, don’t forget to officially start a business by establishing a business structure, registering your business name, purchasing a domain name, starting a website, starting up a marketing campaign, and so on.
 
When choosing a tax designation and deciding between C corp vs S corp, know that S corps are subject to special tax treatment, meaning that profits and losses are passed through to shareholders, who then report them on their individual tax returns. C corps, on the other hand, are taxed separately from their shareholders.
 
When you're ready to start your business, you'll also need to start thinking about how to get funding. One of the first things you'll need to do is pull your credit report. This will give you an idea of what potential lenders will see when they look at your credit history. If you have a strong credit score, you'll be more likely to get approved for a loan or line of credit.
 
Getting a Job Offer
 
If you were happy with your experience at a particular company as an intern, you may want to inquire about job opportunities with the same employer. But if you’re ready to try something new, you can ask your former supervisor for a positive reference and begin looking elsewhere! No matter where you work, it’s important to remember that you always have the right to advocate for yourself.
 
Being a young adult with a disability in the workplace is not always easy. Unfortunately, barriers to gainful employment do still exist. But by starting your own company or working toward a career in business, you can find jobs that allow for necessary accommodations while providing a sustainable income and benefits.
 
 
Tanya Lee
abilityvillage.org
 

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