As a 23 year old ADDer who has yet to choose a career path, I'm curious to know if there are any positions where it might be beneficial to have an ADD brain. Anybody out there found careers they are happy with and feel they excel at? I'd love to hear from you.



"When life smacks you in the face, you kick it in it's balls."

I had to put yes...I've learned ways to cope....because no matter what job I'm doing...I always always figure out the most efficient way to do things. But some of my jobs....like personal training and house painting lend themselves well to an ADDer....they keep me interested because people/things/situations are always changing and there's virtually no downtime. My current job...which I've had over a year now...does the exact opposite...it's a desk job/call centre work...and I am certain has contributed to my depression...boring, repetitive, unpleasant, stab-yourself-in-the-eye-for-some-excitement kinda crap, LOL

I love my job but I don't feel I hold onto all the threads well. As an Information Technology Support geek most days are slow. Those days, I can help users and get distracted all I want. Sometimes, tho, things are insane and I just can't keep track... Always makes me fear the axe, ya know?
On the good side, my 'dynamic thinking process' allows me excellent trouble-shooting skills. If you can find a way to keep it together, I think IT's perfect for ADDers...

I can identify Ottscott, I was doing IT support up until a few months ago and I was also very good at troubleshooting, it is a very creative process, but unfortunately my contract ended and now I am doing more call centre work like Struggling and it is boring.... I have never in my life stuck with one job any longer than 2 years and like thoughhopping, I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up... and I am 49!

TH,
There are a couple of really good threads in the Careers/Job Impact Forum about jobs that are good for ADD'ers.
They are not so much about exact careers, but more the things to look for in a job or career field.
I've always had jobs I've loved, but I wondered why so many people here had jobs they hated; when I read one of those threads, I realized that somehow I'd almost always picked ADD-friendly jobs.
For me, half the battle is picking an ADD-friendly job; the other half is learning to cope, organize, work, etc in ways that work for [i]you[i/].

TH,

I love what I do. I'm a writer, opinion and commentary.....political, and lots of social justice stuff. I also freelance and write a lot of music related pieces. I knew it was my calling long before I knew about the Add cause it was the only thing that never bored me.....I take in information like a sponge and the more I can get, the better. So for me, it's just perfect.

one of the reasons i like my job is that i can listen to books on tape or music while i type. and i like the people (most of the time, when i am not feeling an out-of-place alien).

I am a programmer and find myself bored to tears all the time. Sitting behind a desk and having to concentrate for long periods of time really gets to me. I worked construction for 7 years before that and really loved it, but the winters here in Missouri killed my wages in the winter. I do like trouble shooting and repairing computers much more but those jobs can go fast and don't pay as well. i wanted to be a physical therapist but my grades weren't PT material. It was a very competative field, but i think that i would have loved working with different people everyday.

I've been thinking lately of trying to become a lineman for an electric co. Good pay and different working conditions to keep me interested

I work in Information Technology as well. I went from an automotive technician to computers. I guess we all have the troubleshooting trait.

I am a cook/chef in a private club. I love what i do. Everyday is a different challenge, thius i am forced to be on the ball all the time!

Sheesh, I go away for a couple of months, and look at all the newbies!!

I'm an archeologist, and I was going to vote on the poll, but...I can't. While out in the field, ADD helps me think on the fly, notice everything, etc. But in the office, it's a definite liability, because I can't stay focused on what I'm supposed to be doing. I HAVE to get up, wander around, talk to others, etc. which means I'm not doing what I should be doing. I lost one job because of this, and it contributed to loss of another.

I work in a 911 Center in Colorado, dispatching police, fire, and medical services as well as answering the 911 phones and regular lines. I nearly lost my job in the first six weeks of training, because I couldn't concentrate, etc. I met the mighty savior Effexor, and I've been doing this job for the last eight years. It works out really well, because when we're rockin' and rollin', you don't have time to 'dig in' to anything, you just skim all the surfaces, throw information here and there, and react your heiny off!

i'm burned OUT.
i put yes, even though, i think my main failure in the working world has been my lack of patience, and my level of frustration.
my job run seems to go:
1: get job, very positive attitude-very motivated
2: get to vet status by blowing everyone away with my
'tons of energy and devour' strategy (it isn't a concious strategy if you didn't guess that already)
3: get irritated with the constant rate of careless errors i make with any job at this stage, doesn't matter what it is.
4: become embittered, start hating my company or the policies or whatever, where it didn't bother me before it now causes a rage that could make me borderline postal. except i wouldn't excercise this other than verbally and by throwing my monitor out the 11th floor and cussing out my customers.
5: the stage i am at now. daydreaming about quitting, look at my calender, yes its been approx. 2 years or 2 1/2 max and that is the stage i am now...it always happens i could incinerate myself with my pulsating NO NO NO NO going on in my body at work.

oh yes, boredom is a constant state at all of the jobs i have worked and am working. it doesn't matter what it is. being confined to a specific role, set of tasks, building, schedule, movement or lack of movement feels like being in prison.