> I've asked my current employers for a raise but because they know my situation and they know my stammer means I interview badly they know I am stuck here.
They are wrong. They are completely and utterly wrong.
You can have a stammer and still interview well. I once knew a guy named Jack. He's one of the funniest and most charismatic people I've ever known, and he had severe strabismus (lazy eye). I'm not talking about a minor case either. One of his eyes would roll off, staring in to the distance as you were talking to him.
The eyes have it, as they say, and when you have a conversation with someone suffering from strabismus, it can be extremely uncomfortable and distracting. Jack knew this, but instead of being sheepish about his condition, he would address it head on. He had a clever quip that he used to simultaneously draw your attention to his condition, as well as communicate that he understands it can be distracting. It became immediately clear that his confidence out-shined his condition.
I know this isn't easy advice, but you have to learn to do the same. Based on the work in your Github profile and the posts on your blog, I'd say you're certainly worth more £15,000 a year.
Your employers are not the ones who believe you interview badly, you are! When you stop believing that and put yourself out there, you'll grow past it. Once you grow past it, you'll earn at a level appropriate for your skill level, rather than a social limitation.
“The eyes have it, as they say, and when you have a conversation with someone suffering from strabismus, it can be extremely uncomfortable and distracting.”
Very true. I have strabismus myself, and I only see with one eye. However, someone with strabismus can get surgery to correct the position of the eyes. When I was 19, I had the surgery done, and it made all the difference (it doesn’t help you see, but it certainly improves how people see you.)
Your friend Jack has options. For someone with a stammer, there's no such ‘quick fix’ and it might very well be permanent.
I don't disagree, but my point has little to do with whether or not someone has medical options to resolve their condition. Jack didn't have surgery to correct his condition, but he didn't allow it to limit his confidence.
I understood your point but I disagree that, when you have a stutter or a lazy eye, all that's wrong is lack of confidence. I didn't have surgery to fix my self image, I did it to be able to better communicate. When you're teaching or speaking in public in general, your eyes are very important tools. With strabismus, you can't communicate to someone in a crowd that you're watching them. Jack can joke and quip all he wants, but that doesn't change the fact that he has a handicap.
Ok, I still don't understand the point you're arguing though? What advice do you have for the OP that will help him. Painting him in to a corner isn't going to help.
You're reading too far in to what I've said. I never said that confidence is "all that's wrong". I said that confidence can outshine his condition. That doesn't make the condition go away. I have empathy for his situation, and I acknowledge that he's got a challenge ahead, but I don't think that's a very good reason to lay down and give up.
“What advice do you have for the OP that will help him.”
I will give him the same advice that others have suggested. Namely, apply for jobs with large enterprises and governmental agencies. Disclose your handicap before going to the first interview, don't allow for phone interviews. Ideally, your first interviews would be done over IM or email.
Don't feel you need to change anything about yourself before applying for jobs. Work on your portfolio, tidy up your Github profile, those should do the talking for you. Working on confidence in speaking and possible speech therapy are endeavors that you should want to pursue separate from your job search.
“I acknowledge that he's got a challenge ahead, but I don't think that's a very good reason to lay down and give up.”
They are wrong. They are completely and utterly wrong.
You can have a stammer and still interview well. I once knew a guy named Jack. He's one of the funniest and most charismatic people I've ever known, and he had severe strabismus (lazy eye). I'm not talking about a minor case either. One of his eyes would roll off, staring in to the distance as you were talking to him.
The eyes have it, as they say, and when you have a conversation with someone suffering from strabismus, it can be extremely uncomfortable and distracting. Jack knew this, but instead of being sheepish about his condition, he would address it head on. He had a clever quip that he used to simultaneously draw your attention to his condition, as well as communicate that he understands it can be distracting. It became immediately clear that his confidence out-shined his condition.
I know this isn't easy advice, but you have to learn to do the same. Based on the work in your Github profile and the posts on your blog, I'd say you're certainly worth more £15,000 a year.
Your employers are not the ones who believe you interview badly, you are! When you stop believing that and put yourself out there, you'll grow past it. Once you grow past it, you'll earn at a level appropriate for your skill level, rather than a social limitation.