commentr/StutterMarch 18, 2017

Content

I'm an EMT at a county jail, and in the Marine Corps Reserve. At the jail it's not so bad since I repeat pretty much the same things over and over again (allergies, injuries, med/ psych history, etc...). I do get the occasional shit-your-pants terror that elicits my stutter, but it's so rare there's not very many people who notice it. In the Marines it's a little different. When I was the Platoon Sergeant, I would address 50+ Marines at once. I hardly ever stuttered because I was focusing so hard on not looking like a weirdo, but when I talked one on one with them I could hardly get my words out because I was either: a) ripping a new asshole b) sorting out trivial bs Both of these get me pretty worked up, so it was usually the first "you" sound and I would be tripping over my words. Luckily I'm an inside dog now, so I don't do much "correcting" anymore. Eventually I just learned to live with it, and let the occasional smartass remark bounce off me, both from inmates and Marines. The one tip I can give is to just own it, and not let it appear to bother you. If I start to cringe or make a face or whatever when I stutter my confidence drops to zero, and I no longer "own the conversation." Hope this helps, and good luck with your interviews and career.

Themes

School & WorkAnticipation & AvoidanceIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Employment & CareerHiding & ConcealmentIdentity & Self-PerceptionStigma & Bullying

Codes (1)

intimidation_authority