I am a 29 year old male with ADHD. I work as a claims rep for a large insurance company. I am beginning to hate my job with a passion. It was no ADHD friendly before, but now it is becoming worse. Our attention to detail requirments have gone through the roof, and the workload is stifling. I am beginning not to care about my job, and it shows. I did not want to handle claims forever, but it is something I feel like I am stuck in. I am too smart for the job..gifted..high IQ..and the job is repeitive and boring. I am not sure what to do. I have tried looking for another job, but I am thinking the burnout is showing through. Anyone have any suggestions?<o:p></o:p>

You don't say where you are, approximately, for people to refer you to resources.

I am in Pittsburgh..

Pittguy,

In Massachusetts, where I live, they have these "Depts of Employment & Training" (D.E.T.) all throughout the state. It's the name of our "Unemployment Agency." Anyway - the D.E.T. office near my town is pretty great in terms of the VARIETY of services it offers. Although the office could IMPROVE its advertising of what they offer - if I ask, ask & ASK SEVERAL different people from the office, I usually discover that there IS going to be a workshop on "Preventing Job Burnout" or ___________ or ___________ (some other topic I'm interested in).

Also - they have some pretty excellent counselors there who do much MORE than locating jobs that someone might like or helping someone with their resume or interviewing skills. I've heard the counselors maintaining contact with their clients even after job placement and even checking in with them after 2, 4 or 6 weeks at a new job and if the job isn't working out - back in the client comes until they are MATCHED with a job and work environment that it is a GOOD FIT!!

I have also found these counselors at the D.E.T. to be very helpful (forthcoming and resourceful) regarding the best ways to keep receiving a paycheck as you're going through this stressful period of job transitioning.

FINALLY - THE TOPPING ON THE CAKE is that this is ALL FREE in my state!!!

Do you think that YOU have a Dept of Employment & Training in YOUR state? I would think that EVERY state would have one.

Sue

Hi there!

Do you know what you WANT to do? What is it that moves you, excites you? What would you do for free?

I can think of few jobs that I would hate more than what you are doing right now. Stuck at a desk -- minutae all day long -- people on your back for you to produce -- time pressures -- boring -- repetitive -- sounds totally horrible!

If you have a documented disability you can always go to your employment security commission so they can help you figure out your vocational strengths. Also, do you have a degree? In what? Then you might be able to find training/education that can supplement what you have now so you can move in the direction you'd like to go. But first you have to do the research and find out what that is.

You are NOT STUCK FOREVER. There are millions of jobs out there, literally. But the first step is to figure out what would really motivate you.

Blessings!

Hi there!

Do you know what you WANT to do? What is it that moves you, excites you? What would you do for free?

I can think of few jobs that I would hate more than what you are doing right now. Stuck at a desk -- minutae all day long -- people on your back for you to produce -- time pressures -- boring -- repetitive -- sounds totally horrible!

If you have a documented disability you can always go to your employment security commission so they can help you figure out your vocational strengths. Also, do you have a degree? In what? Then you might be able to find training/education that can supplement what you have now so you can move in the direction you'd like to go. But first you have to do the research and find out what that is.

You are NOT STUCK FOREVER. There are millions of jobs out there, literally. But the first step is to figure out what would really motivate you.

Blessings!
I am in a similar situation. But even though there are 'millions of jobs' out there, they all want specific experience and will automatically exclude someone who is either unemployed, 'too many jobs' in a period of time, doesn't have exactly the skills that are required or years of experience.

Isn't that why most of us are either on some type of anti depressant, anti anxiety drug like Xanax, or ADHD med like Adderall or Ritalin??

I know all about that feeling of people on your back, time pressures etc.. I have had to take massive quantities of Prozac in the past & now -- 60MG - 100MG a day along with Strattera & sometimes SOMA or Xanax just to get thru the day otherwise I feel paralyzed in fear & dread of going to work.

I feel your pain man!....I just took a job as a service advisor for a large auto dealership and the job is already wearing thin on me! I took this job for the money since the job has a pretty high earning potential BUT 12 hour days is TOOOO LONG to try and stay focused ALL DAY. I find myself overloading on coffee and cigaretts to make it through the day. NOt to mention its imperative to stay detail oriented and the data we enter into the computer affects if we get paid.......I come home and my brain is FRIED!

I totally understand FEELING stuck. But there's no way to figure out how to get out of where you are until you know what you want to do.

Also, a bad job can literally make you feel like a TOTAL LOSER because you're trying to use all your weak points and you forget that you have massive strengths in other areas that aren't being used.

Even if it's taking a class in your area of interest on-line, at least when you are doing something to move in the direction of your dream it can keep you from feeling totally stagnated, which is like mental torture esp. for ADDers. I would just hate to see the OP think that he is forever stuck without options, period.

Hi there!

Do you know what you WANT to do? What is it that moves you, excites you? What would you do for free?Excellent advice. Through volunteer work, I learned I could get paid for something I loved doing for free. I found out what courses I needed, went back to college and still love getting up every day to go to work even after more than a decade. It was a perfect fit for my ADHD.

I totally understand FEELING stuck. But there's no way to figure out how to get out of where you are until you know what you want to do.

Also, a bad job can literally make you feel like a TOTAL LOSER because you're trying to use all your weak points and you forget that you have massive strengths in other areas that aren't being used.

Even if it's taking a class in your area of interest on-line, at least when you are doing something to move in the direction of your dream it can keep you from feeling totally stagnated, which is like mental torture esp. for ADDers. I would just hate to see the OP think that he is forever stuck without options, period.
Yes, I know all about the vicious circle of bad jobs & the feeling of constant dread & anxiety (Prozac was & continues to be a big help BTW). I was never able to fit in with the politics, micromanagement, 'extreme attention to detai', 12 hour workdays & high turnover that seems to plague many companies. I always feel like I am always one step away from termination and I can never perform up to my potential anywhere. The excuse is always "We don't think you can handle it" or "you are not at nearly the level we thought you would be at now"

BUT, it is worse to be unemployed, especially with the feeling of stigma & humiliation where everyone is working & unemployment is 4.5% but you are not.

Unfortunately, taking classes & even returning to school full time doesn't make up for those 'years of experience' and you are still asked about that dreaded resume gap.

Nick, sometimes you have to fill in your resume with some "white lies", it sucks, but you have to do it! I know I do. I have had some many jobs, I couldn't POSSIBLY ever put down all of them, it would be a 10 PAGE resume! I have added 2-4 years for several of my jobs on my resume. The companies are no longer in business. Being unemployed sucks big time. For a while its pretty fun(you get to wake up when you want, etc), but after a month or two you start doubting yourself(never a good thing) on several area's of your life. I'm in a vicious cycle(for the last 4-6 years)....I find a job(which is usually a postion that I'm overqualified for) and I last 1-6 months--then boom, I either get fired or quit. I'm so tired of all the BS that goes into finding and keeping a damm job! when a job is a bad fit for me, I'm a total disaster. I'm very irratiable and get upset easily.

Does experience always have to be paid, I'm wondering? Depending on your area of interest, volunteer work with a great references can be a big plus. I know I applied for a job that was somewhat in my field of expertise, but I didn't have paid experience in working with children and the job definition required it.

However, I had volunteered for several years with at-risk children with a good reference and that sufficed!

Don't let your dream, whatever it is, wither and die because it doesn't seem possible.

Ummm . . . I don't recommend lying on a resume b/c you can get summarily canned for doing that. A guy at my husband's company was just busted for doing that. So you can imagine he won't get a good reference from his current company either. You can't put a price on the peace of mind that comes with integrity!!

Excellent points, amiegrace. I was a stay-at-home-mom for eleven years and was worried about that gap in my resume when I returned to the work force. Fortunately, an experienced friend helped me present my volunteer work in a professional way.

Update..I am at the point of a nervous breakdown..I am going to speak to a counselor on Wednesday and may request some time off-I do have short term disability insurance. I need to get my head together before I end up really in a bad place (no..I am not suicidal) just really blah and not happy about life anymore..I feel trapped

I understand. I've been in a bad situation at work lately too. Get some time off if you can, and maybe see if you can work with this counselor to help you get some perspective. You may need to be looking for another job or else learn some new ways to handle the frustrations with one you have.

Good luck!

P.S. You are never really trapped. You always have options, it is just that some of them probably aren't very attractive to you. Like, when I was feeling my lowest about my job situation, it helped me to just KNOW that I could walk out if I really wanted to. Of course, as an option, that wasn't too attractive, since I have a family to support and bills to pay, but I knew I could do it if I really wanted to. Made for a nice empowering fantasy anyway.

Thanks for the response..in all actuality I could do that..I have no debt and around 15k in the bank and around 15k in an IRA that I could use if I needed to..I have considered just walking out..the job has now become nearly impossible for someone with ADHD..they attention to detail has gone up by a factor of at least two, and you are rated on every little thing. It's not just me..no one is happy with the pressure..I am really at the breaking point where nothing makes me happy..not even Steelers football..and I am a huge fan:)

Pittguy578, when I went back to college in 1993, I first met with a student counsellor to check out my options as a mature student. One thing she said to me that really struck home was that in the old days, working thirty years for the same company was highly regarded and rewarded. The counsellor said that today's employers interviewing new employees will ask why the stayed so long at the same job. In 1993, statistics showed the average adult would change and retrain for careers three to four times in their lifetime. I don't know what the current statistics are, but it is definitely food for thought.

Ah, the ol' mainstay. My father and mother-in-law have been with the same company since they were 18. To me that's disgusting, like drone's they get up, and go into work, they both hate their jobs, but have become so accustomed to it over the past 30 or so years that they just continue to go. In this day and age, I wouldn't see why it would not be normal to have many different companies you worked for. The work ethic is different, the mentality is ridiculous, and frankly, you have to look out for yourself now, and if a job isn't working out, well then guess what, you leave for something better.

Specific requirements laid forth by employers should seriously be taken with a grain of salt. Numerous times I have seen job's that I am qualified for but I may be lacking a "certificate" or a specific "degree", who cares, send it in anyways. If the employer think's that if they match A,B and C up and that makes the perfect employee, good luck to em I say. Send your resume in regardless. Sadly, 9 out of 10 times it's some HR dope who has no idea what's on your resume and just scans for keywords. Sometimes you get lucky and get past that point and get an interview.

On a personal note, I relate to you completely. When I got out of college and I've been told to stop looking backwards at this point in my life... When I graduated, I got a job with a company in my related field. Worked from the ground up, for three years, but towards the third year, things changed, expectations were ridiculous, everything was your fault, you had to CYA all the time, the job was not fun or rewarding in any sense. Eventually this is when I went to seek counseling to see what could be done. Unfortunately the "cognative therapist" I was told to go see was not what I needed, ending up wasting my therapy sessions and my time. Finally, I had just had enough of the entire situation, rather than taking some vacation time to think things through, I gave my notice and left. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief for a while then of course you have to go find another job, depending on your situation of course ;) Hopefully it's one that brings you closer to figuring out what makes you happy!

I feel your pain, man. I'm an accountant and do the same, paper pushing routine, month after month, year after year. I found that writing is something I love to do, so I try and spend as much time doing that as possible, and it helps. Is there a hobby you have to keep your mind off your plight in your down time?

PITTGUY . . .

YOU HAVE 15,000 in the bank??!! You are WAY ahead of the game!!

Think about what you want to do and what you would need to do to get there. Are you just supporting yourself or do you have a family to support? If it's just you, you could cut down on your expenses, get some easy job for basic needs, and go to school or get the training that you need to do a job that you LOVE!!

You are in a PRETTY great position right now to make a major change! You don't HAVE to stay on this job. For some reason I assumed you were in the same position I used to be in . . . broke so you HAVE to stay where you are . . .

Do you know what you would be happy doing??

yeah, 15K is pretty good, for a younger guy(I'm assuming you are). QUIT the job, or at least get fired(so you can try to get unemployment)! life is to short to be miserable at work and not enjoying life.... you mentioned that you aren't even looking forward to watching the steelers-- come ON! football(college) for me, is one thing that keeps me going(I have others of course)....if your single and don't have anyone else to support--get out of the job NOW! stress and worries will only shorten your life!

Due to other situations that have gone on in this job, it has caused me to hit the breaking point. I am severely depressed and now am having crying spells. I can't concentrate at work and am thinking life is not worth living. I am a MESS right now.
I can't deal with this