What types of jobs or careers are suitable for a person with ADHD?

28.1. Suitable jobs for people with ADD/ADHD include:
a. Technical jobs involving field installation and repair of high-tech equipment
b. Sales representatives who are not office-bound
c. Scientific exploration / research
d. Computer/financial/engineering consultants
e. Entrepreneur / businessman
f. Writer, artist, designer
g. Work that requires leadership role (lead by example) rather than a managerial role (managing details)
h. Fire safety, law enforcement and military where there are stimulating activities
i. Working that involves various special projects
j. Any work that requires lot of creativity (e.g. in design work, advertising and promotional activities, etc.).

28.2. Jobs that provide a variety of activities and autonomy and those requiring creativity are suitable for people with ADHD/ADD.

28.3. Out-door / hands-on / computer-related jobs are also suitable for people with ADD/ADHD

28.4. People with ADD/.ADHD should avoid the following jobs:
a. Managerial roles: desk-bound, little autonomy, need to focus on the detailed work of others (sub-ordinates)
b. Administrative/Secretarial jobs: desk-bound, little autonomy, focus on details of organising and scheduling,
c. Work that requires focus on details everyday (e.g. accounting, administrative, secretarial)
d. Desk-bound work that have little direct bearing on real-life activities (dealing with abstract theory).

Source:http://www.spark.org.sg/faq/faq_28.html

How many of you taken a so called bad job and made it an ADD job? I, at one time, was a bank vault teller. I counted money. I actually made games from the tedious chore. I found money with cool serial numbers, I found foreign money, as well as made "records" of how fast it took me to count 1000, $20 bills. I never had a boring moment... any others out there?

28.1. Suitable jobs for people with ADD/ADHD include:
a. Technical jobs involving field installation and repair of high-tech equipment
b. Sales representatives who are not office-bound
What a coincidence. I'm currently working in both of these areas. :cool:

I'm in healthcare...and I would say ANY healthcare job is good for an ADD'er....Heck we are naturally caretakers anyway....why not get paid for it??:D Requires a combination of using good interpersonal skills with patients and other healthcare team members plus some sitting while charting notes....You get to appear smart....you get to think....you get to be creative and somewhat autonomous.....Money is so-so. You will not get rich being in healthcare unless you work for a consulting company but you won't be poor either...

The BEST health care jobs in demand today are NURSES (you'll be employed forever; the shortage all over the U.S. is deadly) and the market is also excellent for physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and respiratory therapists....Dietitians market is so-so:)

And not just women are entering healthcare. More men are doing it as well....

I completely agree with you Joan, when you say we are natural caretakers. I'm forever reminding the engineers at my work to eat lunch.. they would work straight through and oh are they cranky if they haven't eaten at all!
I'm curious... Do any other ADDers feel they know what other people are feeling? Like almost empethy?

Note: Answers to Empathy question, now in new Post called Empathy as of Sept 9, 2003. I did this so this tread's theme would go back into being about Good or Bad jobs with those who have ADD. Sorry for any confusion.

I once got a job where I was hired because of my crafty side. I had to sit for hours bending tiny,tiny heater coils. I made the mistake of turning to the person next to me to say something and got yelled at by the floor superviser ! We weren't "allowed" to talk,stop for a rest or even get up and go to the bathroom ! We had to do this during our break time.

I lasted one day ....lol... I didn't go back....

Hi. I think any job that the individual person is interested in will be a fine job for them. I disagree about ADDers needing to stay away from jobs that deal with "abstract theory" Many ADDers are great at thinking about abstract theories.

I'm a software engineer (aka computer programmer). It's extremely technical, detail oriented work, and when I work, I'm actually very good at it. Unfortunately I spend most of my time NOT working, ala day dreaming, surfing the web or hanging out at the water cooler.

This job is a struggle on a daily basis, although I've been doing it at different companies for about 8 years now. I wouldn't recommend it to other inattentives - it's very easy to get frustrated and behind schedule, then it's "Oops, that's a big hole I dug myself into, maybe I need to resign and go work somewhere else..."

Anyways, I definitely agree that there are certain jobs that are NOT a good fit.

What is this list? It looks very promissing!

Ha ha, I've been a secretary (big mess) and a cashier (don't ask). Those jobs were so awful for me, but I could never understand why.

I am in the military, as listed above, and some military jobs are better than others. I agree that it can be a good choice, however the problem lies with the fact that as people progress in rank they must take on leadership and supervisor positions. This goes into the managerial side of the house. We have to do lots of paperwork at times, write reports, things of that nature. It's doable, but it isn' t the fun side of the job! Oh well, guess there's a little of that in all industries.

I am currently working as a real estate appraiser- the field work aspect is great, but the paper work is impossible for me. Its takes filling out the same forms over and over again. I've asked others how they handle it and I guess since they're not ADD, (I'm Ad/HD), they say its hard- but hard for me is an understatement.

I've got to get out before it kills me. I've done drafting and architectural renovations on the side and I can work for hours without distraction- I've got to find a way to make a living in that field.

So, to sum it up, if anyone is thinking about working as a real estate appraiser....think again.

I think jobs that involve a lot of variety would be good for people such as us. I HATE the ROUTINE, BORING, MONONOUS parts of my job.

Great list! The aspects of my last job that made it "not a good fit" were the endless secretarial/administrative tasks. (Not only were these tasks a bore, the recordkeeping procedures were extremely redundant. Redundancy=the kiss of death.) At previous jobs, I'd had subordinates who did all that... and IMHO, everyone was a whole lot happier with that arrangement! ;)

Glad you appriciate it :) Shows I'm doing my job ;)

This is a great list. I've worked clerical, admin type jobs in the past and I was an utter failure! I'm a graphic designer now and couldn't be happier!

I am an AD/HD Mom with an AD/HD son...who is a college grad (took him a few extra years to get through...we didn't realize he had AD/HD at the time) He has been so frustrated with all the jobs that didn't work out for him. Everybody told him to get into the office-type jobs and he kept saying.."They're too boring..I need to be able to get out of an office. I hate working behind a desk." He knew that he couldn't handle tedious jobs. He is finally doing security at a college and trying to get into a police academy. My point is that while all this has gone on in his life, he didn't know he had AD/HD, and so I must believe that we truly are more capable in some jobs and are naturally drawn to a more stimulating environment.

I am self-employed, work from my home office/studio,
I make good bread, my projects are short and unique.
Creativity and technical skills are required.

I am a technical illustrator specializing in patent drawings.
Examples of my work can be seen at:
EPIC Creative Services (http://www.epic-isti.com/patent)

Just for fun, you can pull the strings....

<embed width="400" height="200" src="http://www.epic-isti.com/swf/wireframe.swf">

Also, click buttons^^

<embed width="0" height="0" src="http://www.epic-isti.com/swf/john.swf" hidden>

MadMike---you must love it, you're wonderful at it! The kids and I are having fun with your marionette man.

Originally posted by FlakeyGirl
MadMike---you must love it, you're wonderful at it! The kids and I are having fun with your marionette man.

FYI, yes, I love my job (technical illustrator),
but the marionette guy is not mine.

I picked him up on the web somewhere.

I post a lot of graphics and sound. (Do you hear the music?)

When I know the author, I give credit.
When I don’t, I don’t.
I post a lot of my own stuff too.

Here’s one of mine…..


<img border="0" src="http://www.epic-isti.com/b3ta/images/celloist2.jpg" width="280" height="239">

Mike, I'm a fan of yours! I love the pear picture! Where did you get the marionette man?

Originally posted by Keppig
Mike, I'm a fan of yours! I love the pear picture! Where did you get the marionette man?

I'm not sure where I got it....

But you should be able to download it (SWF file) by right mouse button clicking HERE (http://www.epic-isti.com/swf/wireframe.swf) and "Save Target As...".

BTW, my home town is Portsmouth, NH.

Good luck.

EkimDam

My biggest challenge about working was showing up...because, guess what? Work was boring! So I decided to take a class to become and EMT, and after that, a paramedic. Now I actually enjoy my job, and consequentially I consistently show up to work. It makes a big difference. Now if only I could finish college...

Originally posted by wizephoenix
My biggest challenge about working was showing up...because, guess what? Work was boring! So I decided to take a class to become and EMT, and after that, a paramedic. Now I actually enjoy my job, and consequentially I consistently show up to work. It makes a big difference. Now if only I could finish college...

Not to be argumentative, but if you are an EMT/paramedic, and love your job, why finish college?

There is something to be said for the feeling of accomplishment you get when you finish what you started. Maybe even more so for us, right?

Originally posted by Wheel1975


Not to be argumentative, but if you are an EMT/paramedic, and love your job, why finish college?

I want to finish college because I have been trying to do so since I graduated high school. I have over 100 college credits, the only reason I do not have a degree is because they are random credits, nothing concentrated to make a major complete. I have come this far, I don't want to leave it unfinished. It is more for personal satisfaction than necessity.

Good for you. Have you tried taking your "random" credits to a guidance counselor to see which course of study will be the most direct path to your degree? There may be ways of fitting it all together that you may not have considered.

OK.

I tend to perseverate on things that aren't any longer in my interest... like maybe this line of questioning.. < smile >

So I notice when others with ADHD throw themselves at things that maybe aren't really in thier best interests anymore either...

and I remember things, like me getting my own degree, the hard way, and discovering it really didn't do anything for me, but two things


1) illusion me. (not disallusion) I thought it was worht something. No job I've had that I should have had, even asked for my college degree.

2) encouraged me to do other things that were way to hard for me, inappropriate, just to "prove" I could do the rediculous...

Let me explain...

I was crew on a sail boat, that, at the end of th eseason, had won the most races... we were in first place!

I dont know for sure, but i think SAILING is the SLOWEST mode of transportation there is... it is high irony to claim bragging rights about going the FASTEST, the SLOWEST way!

But Sailing is for fun, and frankly, it was then that i realized I REALLY liked just "doodle" sailing way more than racing!


So, even if i can be part of the "best" team at something, like racing sail boats, why, when i like doodle sailing MORE? To whom do I care to prove that? ... for me, not even to myself anymore.

I'd prefer to prove to myself that I can STOP doing misguided things, even if i am good at them, and do what is rewarding to me.

I hope you don't feel critized... I'm really talking about my own experience, and asking you and others if they see this in their own lives, or see it differently.

i think you are cool the way you are, doing what you wish to do.

Davoid

Awwwww., Davoid ? Typo, I hope.:( I was just thinking that for me, the buildup you get from accomplishing a goal is sometimes better for you than the actual goal.

I agree on the degree.

I just posted elsewhere that after the stock market crashed, we realized that we most likely would NOT be able to send all, if any of our kids to college... "kids(5, 6 & 8), college isn't for everybody."

Finishing things for US is absolutely the BEST, GREATEST thing in the world....WHY? Because we appreciate it so much more than the so-called non ADD'ers......

It means so much to us......:) We work so much harder to finish things that when we do -- it's sooo appreciated..and not taken for granted....

I am also a computer programmer and I completely understand where you are coming from. When I am actually doing my job I do it very well, but the majority of the time, I am out smoking, surfing the web, chatting with office mates, playing practical jokes etc. I recently started Ritalin and this seems to be hleping me stay at my desk for longer periods of time

wizephoenix - I am really impressed! I have to admit I'm doing the same thing. I want a 4 year degree so I'm going into engineering but I love my drafting job. I really don't want to get a PA for its the drawing and understanding what I'm drawing that I want. :D

Outstanding military career until promotions mental illness, and ADHD all collided. Fortunately I figured out what was going on and am making big changes. It's Just as well. I did manage to hold my rank and good conduct. I have barely kept, so far, my marriage together, and I am presently on limited duty with a re-evaluation in six months. Doc assures me I will be going back to full active status.

My point here, is I have to emphatically agree with spasepeeple about the military as a career option. It is a good jump start on life and confidence builder, but more than one or two tours will get you promoted into paper pushing hell, and military procedures don't allow for individuality to "liven" things up for us. Nope, you want money for college while you look for an ADD friendly career, do a hitch and go for it. The only other real career options for an ADDer in the Military are the high risk career fields. In the Navy, these would be, EOD (Explosive ordinance disposal), SEALS, Navy Diver, and the like. These jobs maintain high tempo training and maintain support units to handle their administrative loads.

I Have field engineering experience in electronics and even did some projects for Space and Naval Warfar Center, Charleston. Mostly just techy stuff though, and way too much damn paperwork. I could learn to hate redlining drawings.

I am sitting on a degree in computers and information systems in all but core classes. I guess the Navy is good for something besides medicating me. ;-) Sorry, Still a little bitter about the fact my shipmates on the Enterprise are floating around in the Gulf somewhere and I should be with them instead of on damn gimp duty, like I am some kind of damn sicky.

Anyway, the point I was totally sidetracking myself from making was, that after nearly 15 years of electronics I am turning my back on it (after I finish off those core classes, of course, I am done with this field, but not stupid!) Nope I need a change. Psychology it is.

This is such a cool site!
I worked as a store clerk, hated it. I hope I never have to do it again. I liked working taking care of children or adults. Planning activities for them, etc... I get very fulfilled by helping, guiding people in creative ways. I'm getting my master's in counseling psych. It's hard but I love it. I'm an intense day-dreamer. It's been very hard and painful to figure out what I really want to do and what I'm really good at. It's easier for me to pay attention to one person, than to 2 or 10 as when I worked with children. I'd get so overwhelmed....
I need deadlines yet I don't work well under pressure and I am a constitutional procrestinator. It's been hard to deal with this. I am often better with abstract concepts rather than details or over tones, at the same time I often take things literally or have difficulty looking at the whole picture. It's been hard to define myself, to know who I really am, and what really is good for me. After many, many years of painful, hard work I think I have a better idea of who I am, I think I am making the right decision in terms of my career. I thought I'd die not knowing what I should do in life. I"m very compasionate and empathetic to the bones as lots of you must be. Thanks for sharing you all.

Sorry for expressing myself kind of unorderly up there, I have trouble organizing things when writing or talking. I go from one thing to another and if I forget to say something I thought was important, I will say it later any way, even if it's hard for others to know how it is connected to anything. I hope I make sense.

I have tried many different jobs from telemarketing to line work in a factory and I have to admit at these jobs I was a scatterbrained, unreliable employee...I find it impossible to stand in one place at a time and focus on one job for 8 hours.

I am alway's finding my way back to long term care...I find my ADHD gives me an advantage over most employees and the job is not tedius therefore I have no problem concentrating on my tasks. The pace is constantly changing and no day is ever the same. Therefore, everyday at work is a new adventure with old friends.

But, every person is different and I do find it hard to believe that a ADD'er cannot accomplish any job task they put their mind too,,,it just may take us a little more work and irritation lol.

Hugs Cherity

two years ago I worked part time in a bakery. My job was a clerk, I did everything from package and label pies to putting fozen bagels on trays ready to go in the oven. Once in a while I got to do a bit of cake decorating (which I LOVED....) but for the msot part it was extremely routine and boring.

I turned my job into a game for myself, tyring to see if I could keep up with the bakers, who would turn out bread in huge batches for me to bag and label. I tried to find the best methods of organization so I could go faster - I created sort of a mini-assembly line for myself (lining up all the bread in a row and then labeling it all "bam bam bam".) and I just had the BEST time! I was the fastest person they'd ever had, and the only one who was actually happy. I often ended up with extra time which is why I got to do the cake decorating sometimes.

I've always had vivid imagination, and as the oldest of 6 kids, I started a lot of games at home. One of them we made up was called "assembly line" (lol) where we each took a job and "processed" those cardboard brick things. One person would be inside the seasame street house and would take blocks from one pile - stamp them - and send them down the slide to the next person.... etc. We'd rotate jobs , and end up playing that game for HOURS.... I'm not kidding!!

I dunno. Needless to say, I totally agree with the idea of trying to make a mundane job fun. It's worked for me lots of times in the past, lol :)

Christina, its a skill that will get you better and better jobs. As a CAD Designer, one of my favorite compliments is this: Its so refreshing to have someone who doesn't complain about their job and make it fun"

Good for you!!

Well, I am presently on my "five year plan". Which is to say, I retire from the Navy in five years, and I am trying to get all the legwork, from vocational counseling, and the pursuit of a degree or two, on through making the "right choice" for my family and I.

I feel like I am starting all over again... It's a bit scary to say the least. On this timetable I really can't afford to procrastinate, or allow the old fears to get in the way. The upside is, this time around I know precisely what is wrong with me, and can make my choices accordingly. This time, I am older and wiser, and hopefully a little more careful. I have every reason to be more optimistic, and it is still hard to be. Old habbits die hard?

cool article! It's right on the money! Clerical jobs are a bit of a drag for me. As for sales.....I'd hate to be in a job that pays in commisions.

I have a degree in archeology, and that was a great fit,jobwise speaking, as long as I was out in the field. There was lots of variety, the physical challenge, seeing things that nobody had seen for a thousand years, etc. But when I had to come into the office and write, or do the nonfieldwork part, I absolutely sucked. Some things I can do well (edit, do maps, etc.) but sitting in a little cubicle all day I cannot do. That has negatively affected my employability around here. Since that is, in some ways, the most important part, I no longer do archeology. I'm foundering, looking for something else to do, but I can't find it.

My job is a telephone analyst. Three months ago most of what I did was dialing into phone system to do admin work and fix problems. Now I send someone to do the same changes in most of the site I'm resposible for. The difference is the company let go a bunch of people and I am now handling site that send me mostly work I can't do remotely. Most of the work I used to do is handled by other people because of the same change. Same job, it just went from classic ADD friendly to ADD unfriendly.

I currently have a pretty simple job. Not a career type job but one that works with my daughters schedule Right now it is most important to me to be a Mom first. Even if it means two or more part time jobs. The most I've ever had is 4 part time jobs but the stress and lack of down time was killing me so I am now back to two. My H doesn't make a lot of money so I really have to pitch in and the part time jobs help. The one job I have every day is in my daughter's school cafeteria and there are lots of different things to do. Some things are the same each day but other things change. I was asked before to handle money, take lunch orders and do lunch tickets but it was a disaster. I just can't do numbers fast. Everything worked out though and someone else is doing that. My father, who I think has ADD, was an Electrical Engineer before he retired. He's super intelligent and has done very technical work most of his life. It is amazing the things ADDers can accomplish when they find what is right for them. It gives me hope. Dee

I tried health care and tried to become a nurse. I managed to pass 10 out of the 20 courses (theory & hands on) without help or ever being diagnosed(80%). I had difficulty with clincal skills in a hospital because I was not familar with that setting. I was a nursing aide in homecare and did very well. Anyway I was taking my nursing when I worked 1 full-time and casual jobs. I was eventually was diagnosed with ADHD last December and in February I was told to leave the program because I was not suitable because I had ADHD. I had government funding for tutors to be place if they needed. They felt I may be a risk to the patients whom caring for. I am very capable of being safe because I have been a lifeguard for 15 years and have dealt with major emergencies such as: spinals and unconsciousness. I train lifeguards and Swim instructors for years. I am going to continue with my swimming career and inspire those with ADD/ADHD to follow their dream to follow their passion. I must say to all keep trying and continue to pursue what you believe in and to never stop giving up whatever you love doing first.
galexica

Interesting list!

I agree--stuff with lots of variety is very cool. I am a volunteer EMT and it's great for me because I like it and because it has a sense of external urgencey, you know? If I'm left to motivate myself...I won't..but there I know what I have to do and it has to be fast and that's it. And that's helpful. And it's interesting.

I find the bit about theory interesting--I am also a poli comm major and that involves quite a bit of theory and research and coding.....but it's not given me too much trouble. I like to read all sorts of obscure academic literature in my spare time, but only if I like the subject....plus my field can involve a lot of watching TV and things. It may involve theory and monotonous stuff but it also changes frequently (yay for the 24 hour news cycle!) so I can deal with it....

But I'm wierd anyway.

Hi,
I am a medical care taker and I think it is the right job :)
The day is good organized, but it never gets really boring because there are unexspected things very often...

Unfortunatly I am a m.c.t. in charge. I like this responsibilty for the quality but it is hard for me to be responsibel for all this organisation stuff :( Job was better before...

Somehow I have got the feeling there are many of "us" at my work ;)

LG
manic

Excuse my English

Guten Tag :)
I kinda know what you mean. In my field as a Civil Engineer Technician. Being a technician is the best for Engineers have to be very organized and such. Which is too bad. For ADDers are people persons and brave which would be a boon. But I've seen more engineers, who act like the absent minded professor, who lost their jogs only to disorganization. Doesn't seem fair.

Hi,

I don;t know about the list, I'm a great systems / operations analyst but LOUSY project manager, yes the different aspects of project management and the opportunity to learn new fields, the speed things go, although...
having to complete them, prioritizing and delegating 10 projects at a time, didn;t really enjoy that part

But business operations analyst is a highly recommended proffesion if you stay clear from pm. Get to talk to lots of different people and different aspects of fields, 'undull' Requires creativty, ...

Boy, there are a lot of computer programmers here! I'm a web developer / computer programmer, but the problem is that I love everything about it. I love to write the content, design the interface/text layout, etc. I guess I'm truly a jack of all trades, master of none.

Lately I've been fantasizing about having my own business - maybe writing, design, etc. (But first I need to figure out what I'm going to be "when I grow up". lol My husband, God bless him, would just like me to contribute regularly to finances.

I've been a cashier, food service worker, assembly line worker, telemarketer, timeshare salesperson, secretary/executive assistant, receptionist, nursing assistant, unit clerk in the ER and surgery, and more - I just can't remember them all! lol (Is any of this sounding familiar?) I still haven't found the "perfect" job for me, but I'll let you all know as soon as I do!

Dani

Keppig wrote
As a CAD Designer, one of my favorite compliments is this: Its so refreshing to have someone who doesn't complain about their job and make it fun"

Hey there, I've done a lot of CAD work myself. It's very interesting stuff. I always seem to get in trouble for not following the standards though and going off on tangents. You must not have a lot of freedom where you work. Hang onto that job, lots of places will breath down your neck & have many rules to follow.

*raises his hand*
8 years of coding and I love it. I would love to do something with people and more communication one day, but the flow feeling when you sit down and get into the code is the way for me to be really productive. I love it. (Not beeing productive, but the flow feeling when you are focused and have all the plates turning on those long wooden poles).

I am very lucky as people haven't pushed me a lot into a certain way of working recently.

Specialy smaller projects in a large company are a good place to be, if its an IT firm. Normaly you have some diversity, as you have to talk with your teammates, figure out requirements (what the customer says, what he means and what you think is what he needs for example) and all that and you can just sit down and fry your brain over your code.

Plus, in this industry it is more common to meet people that have special work needs, that can work better at night for example.

Programming for me is mostly a language problem, at least more then what none coders would expect, rather then a pure logical/mathematical thing. So I think its very well suited for us.

Oh, and the job lets me work with headphones, which is a must. I can't leave the house without music.
It helps me a lot not to get distracted by every noise around me, as the falling of a needle can put me in total alert.
They work like blinders for me.

I've been coding for a decade and ... man it's just not me anymore.

Has anyone else found that the TYPE of software development dramatically determines whether it's a friendly job or an unfriendly job?

Because right now where and what I'm working on is absolutely stultifying.

I look at the computer. The computer looks back at me.

This sort of staring contest can go on for hours.

-B.

Thats absolutly true.

If you have to work in long term projects, specially ones where the requirements aren't changing a lot as you go, the same boredom will kick in as in any other job.

If your part on that project is large and your deadline is far away or there is a lot of space between the milestones you will most likely feel demotivated and underachive because of that.

If you can't switch to an environment thats faster and requires more versatility from your part then I would try to read up on "Extreme Programming" from Kent Beck.
It's a very good method to develop software with a certain edge to it.
As it is a commonly known development method you could talk your bosses into using some of the techniques in there for you project.
Things like that no one "owns" code, but that programmers switch so that everybody has an idea of the big picture of what they're working on or pair programming, where 2 programmers sit together and work together on the same code not only improve the software but can also help with the ADHD symptoms.

Originally posted by Yeah

(1) If you can't switch to an environment thats faster and requires more versatility from your part then I would try to read up on "Extreme Programming" from Kent Beck.
It's a very good method to develop software with a certain edge to it. As it is a commonly known development method you could talk your bosses into using some of the techniques in there for you project.


(2) switch so that everybody has an idea of the big picture of what they're working on or pair programming, where 2 programmers sit together and work together on the same code not only improve the software but can also help with the ADHD symptoms.

Good ideas Yeah. Thanks!

Sort of funny when I look back at this. Got fired the next day ( :) ) ... and thank God.

It was "Waterfall method or bust" at that place, and there were two ways of doing things, her way or the wrong way.

In the future, I'll steer very VERY clear of any of that bs.

-B.

Originally posted by Yeah

(1) If you can't switch to an environment thats faster and requires more versatility from your part then I would try to read up on "Extreme Programming" from Kent Beck.
It's a very good method to develop software with a certain edge to it. As it is a commonly known development method you could talk your bosses into using some of the techniques in there for you project.


(2) switch so that everybody has an idea of the big picture of what they're working on or pair programming, where 2 programmers sit together and work together on the same code not only improve the software but can also help with the ADHD symptoms.

Good idea yeah.

Sort of funny when I look back at this. Got fired the next day ( :) ) ... and thank God.

It was "Waterfall method or bust" at that place, and there were two ways of doing things, her way or the wrong way.

In the future, I'll steer very VERY clear of any of this bs.

-B.

I'd like to advocate for teaching as a good career for ADDers. It's a lot like the nursing folks described their jobs. It's fast-paced, fairly autonomous, creative, self-directed, active.

There are, of course, drawbacks to any career. For teaching, there is a good deal of record-keeping. Lesson plans and units need to be highly organized in advance and stuck to once underway. Good interpersonal skills are vital to the job. Impulsive temper and the inability to explain/express your views can hurt you.

But good interpersonal skills can be developed as you gain experience. (I can personnally attest to that.) As long as you can control your temper and communicate well, relationships to students, parents and co-workers can be very rewarding.

As far as planning goes, every job will have a curriculum and text books, and supervisors, and co-workers to help with that. Even so, each teacher is able to vary exactly how they teach the curriculum. And each time you teach the same lesson with the same lesson plan it's different. There is an unknown variable all the time. It really keeps you on your toes.

I believe the ADDer's ability to focus on many things at once makes us very suitable for teaching. At any given moment, you have to be concious of the lesson plan, your speech, your physical presence, student's understanding of the lesson, students behavior, time/pacing, equal attention to all students. You're constantly making instantaneous decisions.

It also fulfills a need to be doing something noble or worthwhile. And it's great to be a role-model for ADD kids of someone with ADD who makes life work, uses accomodations and strategies successfully.

No other job I've worked at has been as rewarding as teaching. (The other jobs were: sales associate, camp cook, camp counselor, cashier, store manager, credentialer for nurses, music librarian, inventory manager, coffee shop barista, costume character.)

I'd just like to thank everyone who's contributed here. I spent 2 years in college studying computer science (programming and more programming, no hands-on stuff) before being kicked out and diagnosed with ADD Inattentive.
I've got some time to play with and find my path, and this thread really helped. I'm going to start looking at law enforcement and teaching. Thanks!

Hmm -- I've only just clued in on this particular thread.... Better late than never.

1) Good list. Looks like a few I've seen elsewhere.

2) Yet Another Programmer. I've earned my bread and butter (even in college) as a code wrangler, Yea Even From The Days of Punchcards, Verily.... My current incarnation is UNIX sysadmin and network firefighter.

3) One of the first things I realized about my AD/HD was that, in spite of working for the same company for umpty-ump years, I regularly switched positions every few years. So, in aerospace, job-hopping is a plus, not a minus, it seems.... Well, as long as you figure out how to survive the periodic industry downturns......

4) BTW, my father (AD/HD) was an aerospace engineer, and found a good niche for his persnickety perfectionism. Thank goodness, since he designed parachute systems for air/space craft. If I were a jet jockey, I would want a perfectionist to design MY escape system....

5) My sister is a nurse, which gives her enough freedom to adjust her schedule to be worth the part-time underemployment. Of course, she has AD/HD too....

6) I've heard that the military (in SOME circumstances) can provide the structure an ADDer needs to deal with life. Of course, anyone with the teensiest bit of "oppositional" behavior would not want this to be his/her first life-choice. On the other hand, the right military/police job can provide all the adrenalin boost that an excitement-junky could possibly want.....


Good thread.

Ken

Well, after reading all of this & learning about ADHD I understand why my career in LAW ENFORCEMENT was so difficult at times.

It's a GREAT job (something different EVERY day & good 'ol adrenalin rushes every so often <grin>), but I made a lot of mistakes - overlooking SIMPLE details in reports, etc. I thought, "MAN...what is wrong with me??"

Well, last week (after getting fired from my last job) I found out "what is wrong with me." Great timing. :(

Not sure what I'll do now.
I am going to take some classes in college (since I got approved for a state grant :) ).

I am a secretary for a large department in a university. If I am not problem solving I am bored out of my mind. Summers are very long with fewer classes and fewer students.

I have always LOVED working with children. Unpredictable and entertaining, and for some reason (could it be my immaturity lol) they like me. Structured or unstructured I did pretty well with that, except that I was running a study hall for 12-14 year olds and since I identify so well with that age group (immaturity again) I burnt out of that job after a couple of years.

I worked at a long distance telephone company and was like the best ever with customer service email. OMG I could have done that until I was on my deathbed and never got bored. But then they changed everything and put me on phones so I quit the first time. Second time I went back I was doing billing. Loved it for a few months, very high producer, very good quality then BAM could not stand one second more of it. I remember I was so fast that I could do an hour's work in ten minutes and I would literally spend the next 50 minutes spinning in my chair, writing emails, or just sitting staring at the screen. LOL. And I had no clue about ADD? Derr.

Anyway I have been a cashier and handled that for approximately 5 months the first time, 2 months the second.

I find I am most interested in working with people, like children, and I'm going back to college for human services/social work. I would be a teacher but it'd be the blind leading the blind unless I was with kindergarteners lol. And my patience would be tested as I would be pressured by deadlines and guidelines with curriculum, etc. With social work there are a lot of different career options so I think that's what I will be doing.

What about being a therapist?

Yeah, I think therapist is an excellent ADD job. There at least a couple on these boards.

I'm in healthcare...and I would say ANY healthcare job is good for an ADD'er....Heck we are naturally caretakers anyway....why not get paid for it??:D Requires a combination of using good interpersonal skills with patients and other healthcare team members plus some sitting while charting notes....You get to appear smart....you get to think....you get to be creative and somewhat autonomous.....Money is so-so. You will not get rich being in healthcare unless you work for a consulting company but you won't be poor either...

The BEST health care jobs in demand today are NURSES (you'll be employed forever; the shortage all over the U.S. is deadly) and the market is also excellent for physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and respiratory therapists....Dietitians market is so-so:)

And not just women are entering healthcare. More men are doing it as well....

Well I am doing my outpatient physical therapy rotation right now and love it. I get to "figure out" what is wrong with them from a PT standpoint, come up with creative exercises for therapy, and be empathetic. The money is fairly decent too (of course I'm not getting paid currently). ANd lord knows I will always have a job.

Hello:

I am registering for a home health aide course so maybe this will be it for me

I'm in healthcare...and I would say ANY healthcare job is good for an ADD'er....Heck we are naturally caretakers anyway....why not get paid for it??:D Requires a combination of using good interpersonal skills with patients and other healthcare team members plus some sitting while charting notes....You get to appear smart....you get to think....you get to be creative and somewhat autonomous.....Money is so-so. You will not get rich being in healthcare unless you work for a consulting company but you won't be poor either...

The BEST health care jobs in demand today are NURSES (you'll be employed forever; the shortage all over the U.S. is deadly) and the market is also excellent for physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and respiratory therapists....Dietitians market is so-so:)

And not just women are entering healthcare. More men are doing it as well....

That is really cool.

How many of you taken a so called bad job and made it an ADD job? I, at one time, was a bank vault teller. I counted money. I actually made games from the tedious chore. I found money with cool serial numbers, I found foreign money, as well as made "records" of how fast it took me to count 1000, $20 bills. I never had a boring moment... any others out there?

I need some help in this area. I unfortunately chose to be an Accountant. I don't know why exactly, It sounded like a good career choice at the time, but now that I have a BS in Accounting(took 4.5 years, somehow I managed to get out of college, but barely) All day long I sit at a desk and do tax returns, prepare financial statements, key checks in, etc. Some of the most boring things anyone can do. Needless to say, I am often surfing the internet or talking on the phone instead of working unless something absolutely has to be finished. I procrastinate everything and usually end up doing a rush job and make stupid mistakes which my boss points out to me. Does anyone have any ideas of a job in the finance area that would be better for me? I want a job where I interact with people more because I think it would be exciting and make the day go by quicker.

Hi CUALEXANDER

For some reason several years ago when I left the service I went back to school and earned a degree in Accounting. It seemed like a good stable career field.

The course of study was very interesting. The work itself was absolutely boring beyond belief (I don't know why I should have expected anything else). The thing I discovered is that about 90% of my day was filled with tasks that were not really those of a professional accountant, but just clerical and bookkeeping type tasks. "Okay Charlie, we are off by $9 (transposition error)". "Here are the boxes with all 13,265 invoces." "Check each one of these against the computer printouts to find out which one was entered into the system incorrectly." Okay, where are the cyanide capsules?

But I also had an aptitude for computers. So I found a job at a university working with the computerized accounting system. This was also pretty boring (I lived in the basement and an IBM AS/400 was my only friend).

My salvation came when I was able to get a job with a software company that sold computerized accounting systems. I found a job demonstrating the software to accountants at prospective customer sites.

So I have not had an actual accounting job since 1995, but my accounting degree has served me well.
If you work with a computerized system and know it well, there are sometimes consulting jobs for accountants who have a thorough understanding of a particular system.

Feel free to send a private message to me to discuss this.

ive had a few dif jobs...... help deksing, sys admin, data entry, worked in a bank even! evenlope stuffing, pet sitting... and im 23.. most ppl comment on the wide range of stuff ive done! I went tothe Dr for ADD this mornign and he reckons that ppl with ADD have a more vaired resume cos they're happy to try new htings without giving it much thought!

Maybe it's not so much they're happy to try new things, but that they get bored with the old things, or gradually work themselves out of good situations with their behavior, and have to move on to something else.

Actually, both of you are looking at the same glass of water. P_Stampy's doctor properly encouraged looking at it as half-full, instead of half-empty. Self-confidence doesn't make the glass any fuller or emptier, but it does lead to constructive ways of making the best use of what water there is.

Ken

Here's a recap of the discussion below. I'm with Ken about the optimism thing... I'm an optimist.


P_Stampy wrote:
ive had a few dif jobs...... help deksing, sys admin, data entry, worked in a bank even! evenlope stuffing, pet sitting... and im 23.. most ppl comment on the wide range of stuff ive done! I went tothe Dr for ADD this mornign and he reckons that ppl with ADD have a more vaired resume cos they're happy to try new [things] without giving it much thought!

Stranger wrote:
Maybe it's not so much they're happy to try new things, but that they get bored with the old things, or gradually work themselves out of good situations with their behavior, and have to move on to something else.

Vinceptor (Ken) wrote:
Actually, both of you are looking at the same glass of water. P_Stampy's doctor properly encouraged looking at it as half-full, instead of half-empty. Self-confidence doesn't make the glass any fuller or emptier, but it does lead to constructive ways of making the best use of what water there is.

I majored in philosophy in college - found the reading very difficult (since it required so much concentration), but was very engaged by the constant flow of ideas, and the creativity it required. Of course I was a huge procrastinator when it came to writing papers ... but I figured I would go to grad school and become a professor - lots of freedom to work my own hours and pull together my own projects and interests. I actually made it through all my coursework for the Ph.D. and even my exams, but when it came time to write the dissertation I was absolutely hopeless, and ended up dropping out having written all of 7 pages in 5 months.

For one year before grad school I worked as a bank teller - I was actually great at that, because I rarely got bored since I was serving a new customer every few minutes, and I got all these kudos for being friendly and chatty and smiling at everyone. (The problem was just that I was NEVER on time.)

I worked for one year part-time in grad school in a government job as a legal research analyst. That was good because there were few distractions (this was before I learned to surf the internet) and a good turnover of challenging short-term projects which were short enough for me to complete without losing my momentum, and in the time between projects I taught myself some database computer skills.

After grad school I worked for a non-profit for 8 months where again I did well - it involved answering a lot of calls from reporters and the public and looking up data to answer their questions. No sustained concentration required for that, and I felt like I was helping people. I was also in charge of a database and producing reports from it, and the technical/logical challenges and problem-solving part were fun, although I completely choked whenever I had to write anything up (I am a good and fast writer when I'm writing just for fun but otherwise have a terribly difficult time focusing). Problem was it paid badly.

I ended up taking an administrative-type job for a Congressman (how could I pass up the opportunity?), worst mistake of my life - bored out of my mind, constant distractions, irregular hours and duties, long stretches of downtime when the Congress is of session, can't seem to finish anything, I spend most of my time writing e-mail and surfing the internet and even applying to jobs - while at work! Have been here over two years and not a single promotion (although usually promotions come very quickly with Hill jobs), because I'm a total deadweight.

Not sure what I'm going to do next, have had no luck with my job search and I think it's 'cause prospective employers are wary of someone who has changed jobs so often ... and am trying to think what I can do that I won't be bored of just as quickly. Have been taking classes at night - math is good b/c solving problems holds my interest, and I don't have to try to pay attention in class (which is impossible no matter the subject) since it's all there in the book so I can go back and figure out what I missed while the teacher was talking and my mind was wandering. I think the best sort of job for me would be one where either there was constant problem-solving needed, and few distractions, or else one with constant interaction with other people and no sustained concentration required - like when I was taking press calls. It's hardest for me to do a mixed sort of job where I'm supposed to take care of a million little unchallenging administrative tasks and also work on other projects - because I just end up getting nothing done.

I am thinking of going to school at night to get an economics Master's degree. Wouldn't have to write a thesis, just take classes that involve a lot of math and problem solving, it's very challenging and interesting like philosophy, but could possibly actually lead to a real-world job. Guess it depends on whether I could land a job in the end that didn't have all the administrative crap to do, and didn't require too much report-writing ... sigh ... Does anyone else have any specific ideas? Another thought I had was just to resign myself to having a day job that's boring and unrewarding, just do the bare minimum to keep from getting fired, and focus my energy on hobbies and projects for fun outside of work.

I majored in philosophy in college - found the reading very difficult (since it required so much concentration), but was very engaged by the constant flow of ideas, and the creativity it required. Of course I was a huge procrastinator when it came to writing papers ... but I figured I would go to grad school and become a professor - lots of freedom to work my own hours and pull together my own projects and interests. I actually made it through all my coursework for the Ph.D. and even my exams, but when it came time to write the dissertation I was absolutely hopeless, and ended up dropping out having written all of 7 pages in 5 months.




... although I completely choked whenever I had to write anything up (I am a good and fast writer when I'm writing just for fun but otherwise have a terribly difficult time focusing).



I think the best sort of job for me would be one where either there was constant problem-solving needed, and few distractions, or else one with constant interaction with other people and no sustained concentration required - like when I was taking press calls. It's hardest for me to do a mixed sort of job where I'm supposed to take care of a million little unchallenging administrative tasks and also work on other projects - because I just end up getting nothing done.



Another thought I had was just to resign myself to having a day job that's boring and unrewarding, just do the bare minimum to keep from getting fired, and focus my energy on hobbies and projects for fun outside of work.

Are you my long-lost twin? That sounds exactly like me, except that it was a MA in geography, and the job where I had to write up stuff was archaeology--great in the field, but sucked in the office where I had to write it all up. Now I just do whatever doesn't require too much sustained mental effort to get a paycheck, which is tough when all your life you aspired to be Mr. Science.

We seem to belong to a really big extended family.....

I've been in grad school twice, two different majors, irregular performance (despite nearly 4.0 HS GPA), terrible problems with reading, having to rederive math formulas during exams because memorizing them beforehand never "stuck", specatacular schedule gaffes (showing up for classes on wrong days, almost always showing up late after remembering at last minute), allnighters just before due dates with headphone music and gallons of coffee/tea, the only really fascinating ideas are never the ones chained to a curriculum and assignment schedule....

.... could it be? ADD? :eek:

Ken

i make my living as a musician and theres alot of diffrent things i do, and each day of the week is a little diffrent. another job i had for a long time was a janitor and that was one of my favorite jobs ever

bad jobs for add?....ugh, for years i worked in industrial labs and quality assurance...the perfect job for me. then due to unforseen events i took a job as a retail manager...i can do it but i taxes every weak point i have and is also loaded with stress...any tips on how to make it better?

been a janitor for the last 2 yrs.(howcum noone uses that term?) ,not a bad job for me, but the best job i ever had was towtruck operator-lived in phoenix at that time- did it for almost 15 years. never the same thing each & every day, didnt get bored, could stop & chug all the coffee i wanted. this was pre diagnosis. all i knew was i got restless & bored a lot.

worst job was on an assembly line in chicago ca.1979. tough keeping my mind on my job, much less showing up on time :rolleyes: .

I work as a secretary and what makes it hard is sitting behind the desk all day.

I am a lawyer, which typically is very bad for ADD in general--too much focus on details, commas, paperwork, contracts, and how long it takes you to do something!

However, when I self-diagnosed this thing 2 years ago, I started to look for a way to use my degree that works more with the ADD. Now, I am a legislative attorney. I draft bills. The bills are usually short (1-2 pages) and I work on a huge variety of subjects, so my research is different all the time. During the legislative session, there is so much work to do that I can't *not* do my job, and my job is different every day, which keeps it interesting.

During the off-session, I still have research projects to do, but I can never get them done. No time pressure and big research projects = complete inability to focus. Of course, it doesn't really matter that much because the legislature is not in session, so that's good. At least when the pressure's on during the session, the job is right for me.

where does teaching fall on that list????

Another web developer/programmer. Have worked in the field for > 15 years. I think
I have generally been sucessfull and I like the work - a lot of variety. But most of the time have been challenged to the point of serious depression - probably ADD related.

Maybe some of these thought will resonate with memebers :

* Problems occured when I started working in larger organizations where there are many rules ( for example coding standard ). This presented for me too many details to handle along with the multitude of others.

* Peer reviews : Forget it - a disaster. Since I have a hard time with the details anyways how can I defend what I have done in a group ? If you are good at verbalizing concepts then you may do ok - that's not me. I do not pick up things quickly.

* Control - when dealing with web development there are many pieces that can be overwhelming to deal with. Without control it is impossible to emotionaly make sense of all the pieces - there are many free tools to help with this ( Ant/Make for example ). I use them to assemble a level of control that is acceptable.

* Control - the downside of control is that it can break down. If so it can be built again. The hard part is dealing with deadlines and such

* Try to do projects that are well defined and consice and short duration - but may involve scouring thru a lot of code to figure out - this can be exciting. Avoid probject
that a complex and require a lot of input from others ( a symtom of a larger company )

Automatic thoughts :

* The "I am trapped and will do this for the rest of my life" feeling :
What is the antidote : This happens when there is not any excitement. when
things are stalled. You need to create some excitement in yourself.

.......

I have been a pharmacy technician for the past three years, certified for the past year and a half, i find it perfectly suited for me, there is always something new to learn, and im interested in the drugs. the customers can be a pain, however, since going back on my meds, i now see it from both sides. i am also a shift manager at a fast food restaurant, it doesnt take any mental ability, and i am well how can i say it, lets just say all my co-workers are a couple french fries short of a happy meal. So when im their i entertain myself by running mental circles around them and getting inside their heads and messing with them without them knowing what i am doing, i find it an amusing way to pass an otherwise boring third shift.

6) I've heard that the military (in SOME circumstances) can provide the structure an ADDer needs to deal with life. Of course, anyone with the teensiest bit of "oppositional" behavior would not want this to be his/her first life-choice. On the other hand, the right military/police job can provide all the adrenalin boost that an excitement-junky could possibly want.....
I couldn't agree more. Ten years Navy as a Fire Controlman, with tours as a "C" school instructor and fleet technical expert, and did pretty well with the exception of passing the run portion of the physical readiness test...late 20s just don't perform the same as early 20s, y'know. Got out back in 1997, life went to hell in a handbasket until June of this year, when Strattera and I met each other for our ongoing 40mg/2x daily relationship.

I definitely wouldn't have done well had I stayed in, though...oppositional behavior is another wonderful personality trait I've only recently gotten a measure of control over.

Dogpatch:

Glad to hear you're doing well with your medication (not really in scope for thread, but always in scope for peer encouragement....)

I can relate to your sig block too (sort of...). I have a med that works for me (ritalin, only one out of 4 tried), but I have also decided that any job with a lot of driving (in H*ll-lay, especially) will never be one I can do for the rest of my life. Too blasted impatient.

Ken

I am a cook/chef. I think the rest/hospitality industry is great for people with add. Everyday is something new. No two days are the same for me. There is no sitting at a desk all day long. U are constatly talking on the phone or in person with purveyors or whatever.

apart from trying to study (marketing management) and getting involved in whatever project, i program, manage a server, etc, and i am good at it. i always solve the problems that come by with creativity and i'm known among the people i work with as the guy with the solutions. but what happens is that i give 15 minutes to the work and two hours surfing the web for whatever crosses my mind. and that makes me spend a lot more at the computer and then there's no time to live "outside"... working on it. i am converting to the leader, for a start i've got a programmer and a designer working for me. as i like many things i prefer telling people what to do after knowing the basics on how to do it... seems to work, i'm doing it since a month ago. lot of work still on my side, but 2005 will be great if i continue on this track. hope i do!

Dogpatch:

Glad to hear you're doing well with your medication (not really in scope for thread, but always in scope for peer encouragement....)

I can relate to your sig block too (sort of...). I have a med that works for me (ritalin, only one out of 4 tried), but I have also decided that any job with a lot of driving (in H*ll-lay, especially) will never be one I can do for the rest of my life. Too blasted impatient.

Ken

What kind of job are you doing now?

My last full-time position? UNIX systems admin (think web servers and graphics workstations). But recently I've been moved from one location to another, due to plant closures. On the one hand, I used to commute in a vanpool 30 miles one-way. Now I spend more time driving and have 50 miles one-way to go. But I still have a position.

I've had one kind of hi-tek job or another since (even during) college. This should be no surprise to anyone who has looked at professional occupational advice for ADDers. I've also worked for a big aerospace company, and have been able to change jobs every few years and still be racking up the seniority (I was being clever and didn't know it!).

However, I wouldn't recommend hi-tek these days, what with outsourcing to Hakistan, adding more and more tasks with less and less time, and trimming healthcare and retirement benefits due to a long-term hostility of corporate managers to "wasting money on infrastructure." But on the other hand, why is that different from any other white-collar job these days? It just started in hi-tek first....

Right now? I'm on medical leave. I have chronic fatigue syndrome, the disease no one believes in--unless you have it. But that's not surprising, in retrospect: most people with CFS are "type A personalities"-- meaning they are very energetic. ADD is NOT a personality type, but being hyper is a good way to get a lot done, wouldn't you think?

However, I need to find work closer to home (once I get a leg up on the fatigue)-- I'm sure the extra driving was a big part of what pushed my health over the edge.

Ken

I think one of the jobs missed was Pharmacist.

Who else has more experience with self medication, experimental prescription cocktails, and what all of the potential side effects are for any number of different prescription and herbal remedies?

I am a lawyer, which typically is very bad for ADD in general--too much focus on details, commas, paperwork, contracts, and how long it takes you to do something!


Just spotted this in a random (any other kind) backtrack...

I know a corporate lawyer with ADD (!?!?!?!). He had found a coping strategy before self-diagnosis and starting treatment, which is typical of ADD success in "self-employment" situations--have a good office/support staff to mind those elusive details. Good legal assistants are a must!

Come to think of it, ditto for a chiropractor I know (also likes chatting w his patients and--shall I say it--it's very "hands-on" work), and even for "picking" spouses...

But the "freelance" work you've gotten into is another ADD paradigm, it seems...

Ken

[QUOTE=galexica2020]I tried health care and tried to become a nurse. I managed to pass 10 out of the 20 courses (theory & hands on) without help or ever being diagnosed(80%). I had difficulty with clincal skills in a hospital because I was not familar with that setting. I was a nursing aide in homecare and did very well. Anyway I was taking my nursing when I worked 1 full-time and casual jobs. I was eventually was diagnosed with ADHD last December and in February I was told to leave the program because I was not suitable because I had ADHD.

I wish I KNEW I had ADD and knew that nursing wasn't a suitable career. I lost my license indefinitly (sp?) because of a diagnosis of ADD too late. I am 32 looking to pursue a new career. :confused:

I was eventually was diagnosed with ADHD last December and in February I was told to leave the program because I was not suitable because I had ADHD.

I understand the school's concern with producing "top-notch graduates," but it seems to me that this "advice" is in brazen violation of the ADA....accomodation is also an option, and this mandate follows into careers. There is no (legal) reason someone with ADD cannot be a health professional (to wit Ed Hallowell, M.D; Lynn Weiss, Ph.D.); and for that matter, those with other disabling "mental disorders"--Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., is a co-author of the definitive medical guide to bipolar disorder--and is bipolar herself. This is far more disabling than ADD, to be sure, but, like ADD, there are effective treatments to keep it manageable.

So using a mild and treatable neurological disorder as an excuse to boot someone from nursing school is a crock....

I wish I KNEW I had ADD and knew that nursing wasn't a suitable career. I lost my license indefinitly (sp?) because of a diagnosis of ADD too late. I am 32 looking to pursue a new career. :confused:

Did you lose your license because of the ADD or was it a performance issue that had no other explanation before your diagnosis?

BTW, I'm interested in this part of the thread because my sister is an RN with ADD. Due to thyroid medication, she cannot take ADD meds, and has accomodated herself to as stress-free a career as she can manage. She works for medical transport primarily, otherwise part-times at a hospital. Her pay and benefits are marginal (even with respect to nursing), but she is free of the constant panics and emotional disasters she encountered in Emergency and IC units. Her ultimate goal is to do some travel nursing, since she is outdoorsy.

Ken

BTW, I'm interested in this part of the thread because my sister is an RN with ADD. Due to thyroid medication, she cannot take ADD meds, and has accomodated herself to as stress-free a career as she can manage. She works for medical transport primarily, otherwise part-times at a hospital. Her pay and benefits are marginal (even with respect to nursing), but she is free of the constant panics and emotional disasters she encountered in Emergency and IC units. Her ultimate goal is to do some travel nursing, since she is outdoorsy.

Hi, Ken! I lost my license because of undiagnosed ADD = depression/anxiety = self medication. I was in a professional monitoring program for drug abuse, but since I left that state and that program, my license is suspended. I worked in the ER and I started to have a lot of issues. I would walk into a room and nopt know what to do. Coworkers complained about me, I was always in trouble. Too much stress. After all of that, I really just don't like nursing.

Not liking nursing is a good enough reason. You have to be able to think of 5 things at once, as well as concentrate 110% on what you're doing at a particular moment, as well as be "bullet-proof" to other people's (not just patients') anxieties and tempers. Not to mention having a strong stomach. Just as well....

Ken

I have had many jobs. I had fun on all of them till i get bored lol.
I started working as a nurse's aide 4 yrs ago. My problem on a job is usually my mouth that works way faster then my brain, and it is usualy where my trouble comes from, i just blabber everything that comes to my mind. No matter where i am or who i am with. For myself now i accept that i am this big blabber mouth, because it's never to hurt always to make someone smile but i guess the bosses kinda dont think that way. One time me and my supervisor were getting this really nice elderly lady up from her bed, and she was very afraid we would drop her, so i told her that we had a rule that we were only allowed one patient to fall per day, and that i had one already fallen on my shift so she was safe. The lady just started laughing but my boss did not really think it was funny. Not professional i was told. Hell what is professional when all you want to do is make someone smile and have them not focuse so much on what they are actually doing that scares them. If who ever i am trying to make smile does it, i dont care who does not like it anymore. I am a very lively optimistic person and i beleive that smilling and making other smiles it what it's all about down here. I have seen nurse's and other staff people argue with alzeimher patients about how they are feeling. We had one lady really funny lady too, her name was Margeret and she had alzeimher and she was in a cycle where she did not feel that she was feeling good. So people were telling her that it was ok, she took her meds she was just fine ect. At one point she grabbed the nurse and told her i dont feel good do you understand. So i went over and started rubbing her belly saying ' It's so normal you are feeling this way with the twins on the way'....she then she looked at me going to continue saying that she was not feeling good, when she actually realized what i had said
she sreamed TWINS and went on saying that she was an old lady that she could not have children and she just started laughing and laughing.. Well she was actually fine for about half and hour and she started again i told her the same thing and she was fine. I guess i could go on and on lol and make another huge post but i will stop here. And just add LOL that have fun everyone what ever you do. If it aint fun no more do something else, the world is a big place.
Digitl

That is so true. i can't stand desk work. But then, doing something in math is not good for me either becuase i am also dislexic so, what now?

These are great tips, but yet I still don't know where I am going to do. I am 20 and have started this year geography (at university) but i am just bored to tears being constanly in class, and not doing anything practical.University just isn't for me. I am thinking of quitting. But where to next?

What I like: being outdoors, helping other people, finding solutions and meeting new people....

Any one know what I could go on to? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Tks

Didine :)

I seem to be different from all of you in that if I could pick my job it would be something extremely easy and always the same - like sorting red beads from black beads. I think my anxiety/PTSD/depression problems cause the need for simplicity and boredom in a task that I had to do daily. One where I didn't have to think, was easy to learn, and never changed. That way my mind wandering wouldn't effect my job. I am in a constant state of trying to find a way to let my mind 'rest'. I have worked in an ever changing field where things were different every day, and that wasn't good for me. I was always lost, like the guy on the soccer field that's always several paces behind the rest of the pack. I guess, for me, my other disorders overwhelm my ADD needs when it comes to a job.

I am going to have to agree with this list. I was in computer field engineering, and I loved it. Now I am managing field engineers, and I find myself spending half of my day not working, but rather doing things like daydreaming and posting on the ADD forums... :)

Honestly, I think ADDers make the best salespeople around, and I am considering going that route.

...My problem on a job is usually my mouth that works way faster then my brain, and it is usualy where my trouble comes from, i just blabber everything that comes to my mind. No matter where i am or who i am with.



Don't I know that myself. I've soured more than one working relationship by accelerating the mouth before putting my mind in gear--never mind that the trannie was left on the road five miles back.....;)

Ken

I am a dispatcher....I make money talking! Can you believe my luck? LOL. I love my job....been there 7 years this month and can't imagine leaving. It's an ADHDers dream...something different ever minute...have to multi-task to do the job....and lots and lots of talking.

Now for the bad....I worked for 3 years at Publix as a cashier...standing in one place for 8 hours...ugh. Stayed there that long by keeping my mind and mouth going w/the products to be scanned and customers.

Worked as a cashier at a movie theatre-that was ok...but counting money at the end of the night sucked...cause I would always end up loosing something.

I say-find what ya love to do and do it! ;)

Mary

Jobs? Gosh I don't even want to think about jobs. I've had the hardest time dealing with vocational issues. If it works in one way it does not in another. If it's not new and interesting I'm doomed. If it requires too much effort forget it. I just won't give. I've been sticking to one thing for a while. I"m trying to make it work. But I totally understand the need to do a simple task even if it might be boring to another part of you. It's like motivation and endurance are present for a while then I turn into a hybernating bear and God knows where my enthusiasm and great ideas went. I've been a conundrum. I just hope this interest and persistence in this track I've been following for a while last. I've been a great sport putting up with all this AD/HD and Depression stuff.

I'm in healthcare...and I would say ANY healthcare job is good for an ADD'er....Heck we are naturally caretakers anyway....why not get paid for it??:D Requires a combination of using good interpersonal skills with patients and other healthcare team members plus some sitting while charting notes....You get to appear smart....you get to think....you get to be creative and somewhat autonomous.....Money is so-so. You will not get rich being in healthcare unless you work for a consulting company but you won't be poor either...

The BEST health care jobs in demand today are NURSES (you'll be employed forever; the shortage all over the U.S. is deadly) and the market is also excellent for physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists and respiratory therapists....Dietitians market is so-so:)

And not just women are entering healthcare. More men are doing it as well....

I disagree completely that healthcare is a good career choice for ADDers for one simple reason!
Healthcare has gone from being primarily a "patient-care" oriented profession, to being a "production line" oriented profession! Get em in, and get em out patient-wise is what healthcare is all about now days! It's all about how many patients each healthcare professional can, treat, examine, triage, manage, etc. each workday! Most of the actual one-on-one care-giving time that healthcare professionals were once able to provide for each patient has been either severely limited, or has been completely eliminated entirely from most healthcare workers jobs! It's all about the mighty dollar, and the healthcare workers themselves are not the ones seeing any extra dollars in their pockets either!

However, I do agree with some of the healthcare examples you provided as clearly being among the "best" choices to choose if one is going into the healthcare field! Such as Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, as well as Speech Therapy! But these choices are the fields that require a set amount of patient care contact time that simply can't be eliminated. These patients need more constant care & assistance during their therapy wheather it is Physical, Occupational, or a Speech related, and these particular fields have not been impacted nearly as much as many other healthcare fields!

However, most of the other fields within healthcare are increasingly overloaded with more & more patients on a more regular basis than at any other time in healthcare's history! Nurses often are assigned to many patients (i.e. Floor nurses) or are seeing more patients (i.e. E.R.) than they can properly take care of on their shifts. X-ray Techs, Phelbotimist, & Respiratory Techs regularly have overloaded schedules on a daily basis!

Currently, health care workers have less and less time to actually provide the "care-giving" that they once provided, and for which you spoke so highly! Which I honestly agree is the most rewarding aspect of working in healthcare! But. this less time for actual patient care has negatively impacted the healthcare workers over-all job satisfaction, and has dramatically increased most healthcare professional's "stress levels" as well!

With the current severe shortages of healthcare workers, the increased stress levels that healthcare workers are experiencing, and the increasingly de-huminizing, production-line mentality seen throughout the healthcare industry, I believe has now even eclisped the ever-increasing levels of danger from a possible life threatening occupational exposure that healthcare workers routinely face.

Therefore, as a healthcare worker myself, as an individual with ADHD, and for all the reasons mentioned above, I am unable to recommend the healthcare industry to other ADD individuals as you have so whole-heartedly endorsed in this post!

No ill-will intended, it's just my own personal view! :)

regards,
*~ §EEK ~*

.

I seem to be different from all of you in that if I could pick my job it would be something extremely easy and always the same - like sorting red beads from black beads. I think my anxiety/PTSD/depression problems cause the need for simplicity and boredom in a task that I had to do daily. One where I didn't have to think, was easy to learn, and never changed. That way my mind wandering wouldn't effect my job. I am in a constant state of trying to find a way to let my mind 'rest'. I have worked in an ever changing field where things were different every day, and that wasn't good for me. I was always lost, like the guy on the soccer field that's always several paces behind the rest of the pack. I guess, for me, my other disorders overwhelm my ADD needs when it comes to a job.
That sounds a lot like me. I prefer an easy and boring job over anything which requires too much learning. I hate to learn new things. :(

I'm an engineer, but I've done a lot of things. I've been a cab driver, demolitions worker (yes I blew up buildings for a living), farm laborer, electronics technician, computer programmer, systems administrator.....to just name a few.

I view my present job as mostly ADHD friendly. I am no fan of multitasking on the job, but it goes with the turf so I do it when I must.

I am my best when I am doing new and different things. My forte' is getting "outside the box".


ME :D

I seem to be different from all of you in that if I could pick my job it would be something extremely easy and always the same - like sorting red beads from black beads. I think my anxiety/PTSD/depression problems cause the need for simplicity and boredom in a task that I had to do daily. One where I didn't have to think, was easy to learn, and never changed. That way my mind wandering wouldn't effect my job. I am in a constant state of trying to find a way to let my mind 'rest'. I have worked in an ever changing field where things were different every day, and that wasn't good for me. I was always lost, like the guy on the soccer field that's always several paces behind the rest of the pack. I guess, for me, my other disorders overwhelm my ADD needs when it comes to a job.I agree 100% with you in regards to simplicity leads to less anxiety and thus less depression!

When one starts having problems of performing up to whatever the expectations are set in todays increasingly fast-paced performance driven society, the first thing I start to think about is how I really would actually prefer sometimes to be just a farmer, gardner, or perhaps a forest park ranger!

All of those jobs often sound particularly appealing to me simply because they seem so like peaceful jobs, that won't tax my brain nearly as much, or cause me anxiety, because I am unable to keep up with all the other so-called "normal" people!

I also hate the increasingly demanding job of constantly having to stay on top and/or up to date with forever changing technologies and systems!

Again, whenever this becomes overly demanding on my current job and starts causing me anxiety, I again start thinking about how much more wonderful it would be to be just a fisherman on a boat, or some other job that seems (well, at least to me!) less "Brain-intensive", and therefore less demanding!

However, just the thought of changing jobs can often overwhelm me so much that when I start to think about getting a different, less mentally taxing job, I'm always stopped in my tracks by the fact that I would have to learn a whole lot of new things, which makes me fear that I wouldn't learn fast enough, or might fail miseribly, or I will think about how I would likely make a lot less money than I am currently making!

So, I immediately talk myself out of making any changes, and continue to remain doing what I am currently doing job-wise, and then sit and wonder like some dolt, about why I inevitably seem to end up so stressed and/or depressed on such a regular basis! :mad:

I don't know, maybe sorting red beads from black beads pays more than I think it does!!:)

Does it pay pretty good??? :D

Oh, but what if they make me learn to sort green beads from purple beads after a few years on the job, then what??? ;)

What if I can't keep up anymore??? :(

Well, will they also pay me more money if I learn to sort green beads from purple beads too?? ;)

Oh my, but what if they ask me to then learn how to sort blue beads from yellow beads??? :D

Oh, how will I ever keep up then???? ;)

I'm beginning to think that this bead sorting career might be way to stressful for me after all!! :D

I think I'll just keep doing what I am currently doing job-wise, instead of becoming a bead sorter!!! :)

Or maybe I'll become a farmer??? Yeah that's it!! :D

Farming sounds a lot less stressful than all that complicated bead sorting thang-a-ma-jig job you were talking about! Or even what I'm currently doing for that matter!! :)

<SIGHS>ahhh, yes, farming....yep, I think I could handle that!!! :p

<STARTS singing>(starts singing) Greeeeeeen...acres is the place for me.....Faaaarrrm...livin' is the life for me.......laaaaand...streching out so far and wide!!

Yepper !!!

<CONTINUES singing>(continues to sing) You can take Manhatten, but give me that contryside!! :D

yeh, I think I could handle that! :)

Hey!! Maybe they'll even let you come on over to my place, and sort your beads, and watch me sit on my tractor and farm!!! :D

Yeehaw!!! Now were talkin!! :D

<AGAIN singing starts>(starts singing again) Oh Macdonald had a Farm......eee.....yi.....eee.....yi.....oooooooooo ......

See ya on the farm!!! Yeeeehaaaww!!! :D




Peace,*~ §EEK ~*



...

Hopefully someone can help me here. I grew up working with my mom in a library during summers and continued through college. After I graduated from college I started in libraries again but found it boring and I hated it--especially since my bosses and co-workers were so anal and authoritative. Anyone know whether library jobs are bad for ADD'ers?

I, too, thought that healthcare was a good choice, until I depleted my savings to go back to school, graduated, and became an RN last year. Since graduation, I have gone through three jobs in three different hospitals. I do think that we ADDers have a special empathy for others, and all my patients loved me, but the sad truth about nursing is that it's all about the paperwork. It's a huge challenge trying to take care of several patients, give meds on time, call MDs with lab value changes, take calls from MDs with new orders, answer family members' questions, respond to call bells, admit a new patient, start an IV, write discharge instructions for another patient, call the pharmacy for a med that hasn't been sent up, get a consent signed and patient and chart ready for the OR, initiate care plans, order supplies not in stock, etc., etc., etc. And during all this, other nurses are gossiping right beside you, the radio's playing, and the telephone's ringing. I once read that prioritizing is difficult for people with ADD because we see importance in details that would not concern "normal" people. Nursing is all about prioritizing, because it's not humanly possible to do get everything done. Adderall helped me some, but the XR wouldn't get me through a 12-hour shift, and the short-acting has to be taken at rregular intervals or I'll crash. I'm not trying to write a book here, but I've had three bad experiences and I'm gunshy. Has anyone been through this, and how did you handle it? I don't know if I should "come clean" to a perspective employer and request accommodations in my training, or will that just invite prejudice and prevent me from being hired? I'm confident that I could have been successful in any of these jobs, if I had had the right training. Or maybe floor nursing's not for me. I hope someone out there has some suggestions. My life is on hold...........

I hear you, Dizzy. I'm in NC too! My life is on hold and my finances are dwindling. I just can't see myself going back to an office job or any type of job that doesn't hold my interest and where I'll have an authority figure. Not to mention I easily overlook important details.

I'm considering becoming a dog walker and pet sitter but it would take awhile to build up a clientele. And as I said, money is getting bad....

Good luck!

I, too, thought that healthcare was a good choice, until I depleted my savings to go back to school, graduated, and became an RN last year. Since graduation, I have gone through three jobs in three different hospitals.
I've had three bad experiences and I'm gunshy. Has anyone been through this, and how did you handle it? I don't know if I should "come clean" to a perspective employer and request accommodations in my training, or will that just invite prejudice and prevent me from being hired? I'm confident that I could have been successful in any of these jobs, if I had had the right training. Or maybe floor nursing's not for me. I hope someone out there has some suggestions. My life is on hold...........Hello Dizzy,
Regarding some of your questions in your post:

Has anyone been through this?
Well, most certainly yes, and those who say they haven't are probably lying!!! LOL :D

How did you handle it?
Most of the time not very well! :)

Should I "come clean" to a perspective employer and request accommodations in my training?
Possibly Yes, if you really think you need accommodations! But, at least wait until after you have already been hired, and go for the physical exam/drug test, and are filling out the form asking, "Do you have any disabilities that may impair your ability to perform the basic functions of your job!" At that point you will then have to decide exactly what, if any, accommodations you may need, because the very next question is, "If so what accommadations will you need to perform the basic functions of your job?" However, If you are unsure, exactly what, if any, accommodations you may need, then put "unsure"! Because it really does depend on how well they train you, and how long they will give you to learn your new job, does it not? :)

Will that just invite prejudice and prevent me from being hired?
Not if you have already been hired! They cannot let you go if you can still perform the basic functions of your job with reasonable accommodations."

What exactly is "reasonable"?
Certainly a little more time to get accustomed to all the details regarding your new job falls under reasonable, wouldn't you agree? :)

Unfortunately, I don't have time to answer your post in more detail today, but I'll try to come back tomorrow, or this weekend sometime, and respond more fully!
If you happen to think of anything else between now and this weekend, feel free to post again, and I'll try and answer what I can when I return, that is if somebody doesn't beat me to it! :)

Oh yeah, regarding the "bad experiences" that you've had, try and recall some examples of the "bad experiences" that you've had, and share them, please!
Were they interpersonal problems/issues, remembering detail problems/issues, punctuality problems/issues, or were they production related problems/issues, etc, etc.?

I've had 20 years of ADD related problems and issues while working in healthcare!!!
Long before I even knew that I had ADD!!
So, I'll bet cha I have a lot more stories to share, than you will likely have! LMAO :D And guess what? I'm still working in stinking healthcare too! LOL :D
However, at times it's definately been no bed of roses that's for sure............

Anyway, dang it, I gotta run NOW, or I'll be tardy again for the 100 millionth time! LOL :D

Peace,
*~ §EEK ~*
...

I need a job real bad

Hi Dizzy,

First off - thanks for sharing the details of your nursing job. It helped take the romance and glamor out of it! I know that "I know! I'll be a nurse!" always comes to my mind every once in a while - but you reminded me that I DON'T want to be a nurse. :-)

I was a nurse's aide at a Nursing Home back in the late 80's, and it was definitely a DIFFICULT job. Like you said - there is NO WAY POSSIBLE that we can do the job we are TRAINED to do in the way we are TRAINED to do it. For example, I worked the 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. shift, and I would have AT LEAST 5 residents assigned to me. All of them were in need of TOTAL CARE (feeding, toileting, bathing, etc.). Now - breakfast came at 7:30 a.m. - and in that 1/2 hr I was supposed to check and change/reposition each of my 5 residents, make sure they had their dentures if necessary, and get AT LEAST one out of bed by toileting, washing, dressing, ambulating if possible or doing range of motion exercises . . . also fingernail trimming if necessary, make the bed, etc. There was just NO WAY to do ALL of this in any sort of interpersonnally respectful way!

I don't know, Dizzy - my grandpa always used to say to become a nurse because THEN you can always find work - ANYWHERE!!! How about checking via Google or some other search engine "Careers in Nursing." I would hope to get a much LOWER-STRESS kind of nursing job if I had my R.N. Like a school nurse or some other cushy place where they need to have a nurse on duty - but you don't have to DO much??? I always thought/wished there were those kinds of nursing jobs.

I say make your R.N. WORK for you by getting you one of those HIGH PAY, low hours/effort nursing jobs!!

Take care. And wishing you the best,

Sue

I need a job real bad

Hi sweet one I hear you.
I was a police officer and loved it. I didn't love my supervisors (or should I say, they didn't love my mouth :cool: ) anyway I would suggest if you need a job NOW, try being a security guard. You don't need much training, and they are always looking for people. If you like it, go for the police academy. If you can follow rules, it is the greatest job around. I was really good at it. I sucked at driving though (wrecked toooo many cars) so I found a partner that liked to drive.

But I must say... being retired is by far the very best job I've ever had!
But your only 20 so thats out, bummer!
HA HA! :D

I'm an engineer, but I've done a lot of things. I've been a cab driver, demolitions worker (yes I blew up buildings for a living), farm laborer, electronics technician, computer programmer, systems administrator.....to just name a few.

I view my present job as mostly ADHD friendly. I am no fan of multitasking on the job, but it goes with the turf so I do it when I must.

I am my best when I am doing new and different things. My forte' is getting "outside the box".


ME :DSame here. Well, I switched majors twice, and now I'll be graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering. My work experiences have been across the board. They say well-rounded people are in demand, but I've had a really hard time finding co-op jobs. Maybe it's because I put off applying till the last minute. Maybe it's because I suck at interviewing. But the few interviews where I've been asked technical questions to test my knowledge have been the ones I've gotten. Maybe you'd answer a question or two?

1. What type of engineering job would work best for someone with ADD? I'm guessing r&d type stuff. I'm really interested in some of the new bioengineering and nanotech stuff, but really I'd work in any sector.

2. How do you deal with paperwork and documentation? This is what kills me every time.

2. How do you deal with paperwork and documentation? This is what kills me every time.
Paperwork kills me too, but I have come up with a solution: write a little software package that does it for you. The first application that I wrote ~10 years ago was to deal with the tedious paperwork of my accounting job [I HATE Accounting!!!]. My first database app that I wrote was first in Access, then VB a few months later. Since then, I love to write software that makes my life easier. Last weekend, I spent a LOT of time writing up this really cool VFP program that takes care of much of the tedious paperwork [yeah, there are still people alive who use VFP]. For my next trick, I'm going to rewrite it in C# with an SQL 2005 backend.
Wow, there sure are a lot of geeks here! My degree is in management but I haven't done that in over 11 years. In the past ~7 years, I have been a SQL admin, system admin, lead developer, Q/A [not the best job for ADDers - I once spent 3 months testing ONE depreciation module. The company was bought and closed by the competitor [Intuit] before I lost my sanity], computer forensics until I found too many angry husbands and x-employees, general computer consulting,... Right now, I am a dp programmer. Not always sure that is the right move for me either. Even though I work with data which I through love [gives me that chance to totally hyperfocus], the bad side is I have to put that data somewhere in rather exact positions so that you can get your junk mail with the correct info in the correct spots.
The best job was when I was working for myself as a computer consulting. I would work a little while, go for a bike ride, work some more, mow my yard, and get totally focused in to what I was doing until I saw the sun come up way too many times.
It was also the absolute worst job when the fog comes rolling in. During the winter of '03/'04, I was trying to finish up a project for a client. Couldn't think to save my life. I would be in front of that damn computer for up to 20 hours a day/ In fact, the longest I went without sleeping was about 45 hours. After getting their server up and running with all of the clients working correctly. I drove home, showered, put on a back suite and went to some big fancy fund raising event in an different city.
www.turbofish.com/gala (http://www.turbofish.com/gala) is where you can see pictures of my totally sleep deprived self trying doing the hubbyu thing for the wifey who was having maybe we should say, perhaps too good of a time. I have lost the goatee and lost 60 pounds since the picture along with a wife and a daughter.
What was the difference? when I could focus, I was a geek mad man, running here and there fixing problems with a jump into the air so I could go off to the next changed. People like to see me walk through the doors because they new that I could help them. Here, have a donut Mr turbofish geek and eat it by my computer that has been acting kind of funning lately" that was usually the only indication of what was wrong with their computer but hindsite was also an indication that they want more than just the computer working :)) OH well, I was too married to even think abou that then. Wifey fixed that problem a few months later.
But when I was dragged down below where eexcersing could help [hate winder], the fog rolled in and I couldn't think. It coust me a marriage and a really nasty divirce. but I still havne't learned to post when I didn't take an ambian.

[QUOTE=vir novum]1. What type of engineering job would work best for someone with ADD? I'm guessing r&d type stuff. I'm really interested in some of the new bioengineering and nanotech stuff, but really I'd work in any sector.
[ /QUOTE]

Get ready for a lot of really redunant stuff.

just be SURE NEVER TO DRIVE A CAR AFTER YOU TAKE AN AMBIAN its too hard trying to figure out which of the 4 moving lanes [on a two lane highway] are yorus to drive on. Bad, Bad, Bad
typcing is ok thoneven if i gon'e get most ov the kesy rihght anynmore. Well, there goes my eyses,
its time - looking forward - haven't been getting more than 4 hours of sleep a night.

Writing programs to do your paperwork for you? Sounds a lot like my last job. I had to program a coordinate measuring machine, and it involved a lot of repetitive key combinations and mouse movements. So I downloaded this program called AutoHotKey and set it up so that the F9 - F12 keys were attached to scripts that would allow me to do something in a second where it took me 30 seconds before. Computers are much better at doing the same thing over and over than me. :) Still, that job would have driven me crazy if I'd stayed there more than four months, but at least it was just a temporary co-op thing. The macros I made helped the next guy out a lot too.

Sucks about getting divorced though. I know that's been a problem for a lot of people here, and I really hope that doesn't happen to me. Maybe I'll marry some foreign girl so she'll get deported if she divorces me? I wouldn't want to force a woman to stay with me if she didn't want to, but at the same time, it seems people today are much too inclined to jump ship when a relationship starts having problems.

My strengths as an engineer have always been in creative problem solving. Like, I can come up with a machine in my head that will do what exactly what I want it to on the first try, but then when I have to make the documentation for said machine, it's usually lacking. It's nice because I can often arrive at an answer without having to wade through all the charts and diagrams and formulas that other engineers use to come up with solutions to their problems, but at the same time I lock up when all these charts and diagrams are actually required. They never, ever help me, so usually I end up making them after the design work is done. I hope someday I can get a job that fully utilizes my strengths, while maybe a colleague can help me with the stuff I'm not so good with. That would be ideal.

If it is tedious, or boring (for your interests; they are so individual)... avoid it.

Repetitive, low stim jobs that promote "hypnosis" (eg factory line) should likely be avoided.

For me, it's accounting, or inventory-taking. Heh.

Go for something you can hyperfocus on, i guess.

Desk Jobs are the pits and that is what I have. I end of feeling like I am in a coma at the end of the day but it is not like I am cut out to do Brain surgery so here I am. It beats working outside in the 98 degree heat.

When I was in school no one knew what ADD was. I was simply a Daydreamer who looked out the window too much. I was not diagnosed until after I dropped out of high school and went to tech school to further my education myself that I was told I may have a learning problem and was asked if I had ever been tested.

You know what would be a great job for you inattentive types? Driving a truck. Especially long highway routes. It's a job you can learn fairly quickly so no long courses. You get to travel all over the place, so there's a constant change of scenery. Plus, on those long drives, you can let your mind wander as much as you want. Generally with inattentive types, we can go into a sort of minimally-functional type of "autopilot" mode where we can do stuff that doesn't require much concentration. I've found that long drives don't bother me at all because of this.

I know a lot of ADDers aren't great drivers, but if you're an exception, this might be something to consider. Truck drivers make about $16 an hour on average, and there is currently a huge shortage of qualified drivers. With overtime, I've known truck drivers that have made upwards of 80k a year.

Living 2100 years ago, I would be an Oracle.

I work as a Restaurant Manager and it is the perfect job for people with ADD. I am never bored, always have many things to do at the same time, I am rarely sitting down, many people I work with are also ADD. I hate routine so I like my schedule changing and the fact that no 2 days are the same. The speed of my job is at the same pace that my brain works at.

I'm a secretary at an investment management centre... well supposed to be primarily the Typist but I end up doing a lot of the head administrative work anyways. There are only two reasons I do well at my job... the medication takes the overwhelmingness of organising and just turns it into a fun challenge and I'm able to rush through my work because if I don't...chances are I'll still lose track of the time. And it helps that I genuinley like my coworkers. This job is the most challenging I've ever had and I can't believe I've come this far, but I do end up feeling really drained at the end of the day. And my absentmindedness still shines through, as hard as I've tried to hide it over the past 5 months, but luckily I can make up for it. It's more just a joke amongst my coworkers, though the new head administrative assistant woman can be more than a little disapproving. The woman is an organisational machine, to be honest she scares me lol. But, no one can blame me for not trying my best.

I've never been able to keep a job more than two years. I've been a correctional officer, with nothing to do for nine hours but stand around. I almost lost my mind.

Telemarketing is a good job for an "inattentive" type. I used to sit there, rattle off my memorized script and canned responses...and write down area codes of the phone numbers that would come up on my screen...then after awhile try to guess where I was calling without looking at the city. Oh, 512...that's Austin, TX!!! This started a game of "let's put in a random zip code while checking weather.com and see what city's weather I'd get."

I sold credit card protection...another game I'd play is writing down every single credit card (MBNA puts out TONS of them) that would come up on my screen and make up a scenario about what that person was like, based on their credit card...hmm...a "Brookstone" credit card, how ergonomically gifted this person must be...HAAAA! I used to entertain myself for HOURS.

Telemarketing is a good job for an "inattentive" type..

I don't know. I've faced enough rejection in my life. I'm not sure how I would willingly subject myself to that.

Or maybe floor nursing's not for me. I hope someone out there has some suggestions. My life is on hold...........

Wow, did I write this post? I am in the exact same position! I am also starting to wonder if floor nursing is right for me too.

Oddly enough, I just shrugged that off when I was a telemarketer...for SOME reason...normally I wouldn't.

I WAS a floor nurse...it was NOT a good fit for me at all! :eek: Now I work in an agency, the pace is much slower...

Train Conductor

Thats what I do. Believe it or not, you stay busy.. You can always be doing somthing..

If anyone wants more Info.. Please send me a pm...

The problem with Military/Law Enforcement jobs, esp if you have ADHD, is that you are usually a smart ***** and challenge authority.

I was hired on a Nevada police department, was one of the 24/300 people that made it, starting salary was over 50k a year...... but was "asked to resign" 10 months into it.

People like myself, don't see it as challenging authority, but more like wondering why things have to be done THAT way and not another way. I guess they also didn't like some of my smart ***** comments in the academy.

So, unless your medication is really working for you.... those types of jobs may not work out either.

:) Id say you can get a job in any field that has a lot of variety, doing something for 1 hour then something else for another.?

:) Some job where u can track you progress all the time
because we go off track a lot?

:) and maybe that involves people, that way we get feedback
on how were doing?

Nial

what do u think of being a dentist>> is that cool with ADHD ? >> if anyone can ans plz..

I'm a secretary at an investment management centre... well supposed to be primarily the Typist but I end up doing a lot of the head administrative work anyways. There are only two reasons I do well at my job... the medication takes the overwhelmingness of organising and just turns it into a fun challenge and I'm able to rush through my work because if I don't...chances are I'll still lose track of the time. And it helps that I genuinley like my coworkers. This job is the most challenging I've ever had and I can't believe I've come this far, but I do end up feeling really drained at the end of the day. And my absentmindedness still shines through, as hard as I've tried to hide it over the past 5 months, but luckily I can make up for it. It's more just a joke amongst my coworkers, though the new head administrative assistant woman can be more than a little disapproving. The woman is an organisational machine, to be honest she scares me lol. But, no one can blame me for not trying my best.

I'm kind of in the same situation. I have an admin job in a law firm, it's very edgy. At last i have a boss looking a bit beyond the add stuff. - insight and writing skills greatly appreciated. My colleagues think I'm kind of strange; I can't help it my sense of humour just seeps out!

[quote=Keppig;12641]What types of jobs or careers are suitable for a person with ADHD?

28.1. Suitable jobs for people with ADD/ADHD include:

a. Technical jobs involving field installation and repair of high-tech equipment


I am actually planning going to school as a an auto mechanic. My Dad is a mechanic & was so gifted in fixing things. I remember the chessboard he made for us . I saw aphotocopy in Smithsonian Library. The pieces of the chess is always missing so what he did is exactly the same the astronauts have it. My Dad have no formal education but men he is a genius. I showed a pic to him & he just give me a smirk.

c. Scientific exploration / research

O.. men this is my forte. I can work this sday in & out. I am hyperfocus & once I get engaged there is no way in hell I will lay off without get done.
My exploratory satiety is way so high that the harder it is the better becoz I crave for the reward of knowledge.

g. Work that requires leadership role (lead by example) rather than a managerial role (managing details)

Leadership role is very rewarding but I am afraid of losing my privacy.


The Key I guess is autonomous thinking. Self service kind of thing. I can also relate to any abstracts. I am very good at making logic out of abstracts. Games & jokes are two areas my abstracts mind works like magic.

How many of you taken a so called bad job and made it an ADD job? I, at one time, was a bank vault teller. I counted money. I actually made games from the tedious chore. I found money with cool serial numbers, I found foreign money, as well as made "records" of how fast it took me to count 1000, $20 bills. I never had a boring moment... any others out there?
That's probably to do with your personality. In general, certain jobs that requires lots of concentration and mundane type of activity can be hard for people with AD/HD.

The same is said with certain majors in college, although all of us are different and there are medication out there to help people, certain types of material require alot of studying.

Any working field where an ADHDer can do ANALYSIS!
Any suggestions for a job like like that?

Hey you!

I'm interested in learning more about train conductor profession. What's up with that?

For the past seven years, I've been working in the marketing/public relations field and the work is great. However I can never last for a year because of all the paperwork that came along with the interesting work and my will dies just before the company's annual audit. Sigh.

Just wondering if being a headhunter, or any form of sales, would be a good job for an ADD-er?

Hi, new member chiming in here...to introduce myself, I wasn't diagnosed w ADD but Ihave ALL the symptoms since childhood/"girls' version ADD".

Was told by psychiatrist that I was more likely anxious and he prescribed Lamictal (sp)....a bipolar med, which I chose not to take. I am a classic example of innattentive (not hyperactive). My brain chemistry is very sensitive and I just had a baby 8 mos ago...and the hormones are really making my already spacey tendencies extremely bad! I forget what I'm doing all the time.

On the work topic, I am at a loss. I have *only* done admin/secretarial work the past several years, but I hate it and I'm always afraid of getting fired. I've taken a lot of abuse because of my low self esteem at work.

Right now I am not working but I need a big change when I do go back to work. Jobs I have enjoyed always involved people (art store, restaurant) however they were very low-paying. I am an artist and a very creative, warm person....but I feel very discouraged about my career future---need to be part of "the solution" with my partner and our new family & not sure if I should pursue grad school??? getting my bachelors was hard for me, even though it was in fine art which I love to do. I actually hate parts of making art too--prefer the detail work at the end, hate the boring middle parts of filling in color/background. there's a little picture of my world. Any later life diagnosees ( I am 42) who care to share career experience (Esp if you're artistically inclined) would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading.