EDIT: Oh no! I meant to title my thread as: Which corporate environment is more ADHD friendly...

hi everyone,

sorry if this has been asked before :o but I really need some advice, from more experienced individuals, who also have ADHD. I have ADHD inattentive but I am not on meds ( ever since altering my diet, I have been able to function well, without it).

Technically, I am senior year in college- I only have one more class left before I graduate. However, instead of returning to school to finish up my degree, I have decided to take a year off to work on a 6 month Coop. That way, I could earn experience, save money, and most importantly work in state, so that by next year my school can reclassify me as an "in state" resident.

Anyway, I have two coop offers. Both are for the position as an IT analyst intern. One is with a large pharmaceutical company and the other is with a fairly large but local rehab center. I haven't worked in 5 years and I am very nervous. I do not know what to expect. Which environment do you think will be better for an inattentive ADHDer?

My inattentiveness is under control but I can still be somewhat disorganized :( I want to work in an environment I can thrive in. I know that each individual is different, but in general, for the average inattentive and disorganized ADHDer, which environment would be better?

Probably the second with the large rehab center. I also have a problem with inattentive ADD -- mainly I get distracted easily and cannot focus. I cannot imagine working in IT which is very detail oriented and you have to sit at a desk for 8-12 hours a day with extreme focus.

I work at a Hedge Fund doing accounting and honestly I hate it and barely surviving. Since you are likely 10-12 years younger than me you have more choices, once you are in your 30's it is very hard to change careers since HR & Hiring managers expect you to be 'well established' and have the perfect linear corporate work history by then.

Thanks, Nick!! you really helped me out a lot!

Unfortunately, I have not had much success in really any corporate environment. I usually get fired because I make too many mistakes or I don't the job (or 'pick up') quickly enough.

I tried various ADHD meds but the late day crash was too much almost worsening any manic cycling. Now I need to function with OTC caffeine type ephedra substitutes.

hi nick,
are those caffeine type ephedra substitutes, like caffeine pills? Those dont make you crash, once they wear off, too? I ask, because I also stopped taking meds because off the crash. I tried caffeine pills, but they just made me jittery and there was also a crash when the pills wore off. I am sorry that you haven't had much luck in the corporate field. I know about the little mistakes, because when i do work ( in school,anyway) i used to make them all the time. Even when I post stuff, I make a lot of mistakes. That is why I repeatedly have to reread over everything... yet I still make mistakes! At your current employment, do you at least get to work at your own pace--is that the benefit of working with a smaller employer? Thank you so much for taking the time to helping me :)

hi nick,
are those caffeine type ephedra substitutes, like caffeine pills? Those dont make you crash, once they wear off, too? I ask, because I also stopped taking meds because off the crash. I tried caffeine pills, but they just made me jittery and there was also a crash when the pills wore off. I am sorry that you haven't had much luck in the corporate field. I know about the little mistakes, because when i do work ( in school,anyway) i used to make them all the time. Even when I post stuff, I make a lot of mistakes. That is why I repeatedly have to reread over everything... yet I still make mistakes! At your current employment, do you at least get to work at your own pace--is that the benefit of working with a smaller employer? Thank you so much for taking the time to helping me :)

Work at own pace -- no I am micromanaged to death and feel hated by coworkers because my boss has convinced everyone that I am incompetent and they feel that they have to do extra work that I should be doing and getting paid less.

I also think that the current economic environment has something to do with it as well as the attitude that many employers feel (at least in financial services) that the position is 'self selecting' meaning that they can have a revolving door of people until they get the right one that fits.

Look, the Corporate world sucks! its NOT for everybody(REALLY not fo me). Nick, what do you enjoy doing? it sounds like you want to make a lot of money, but sometimes money is the problem with everything in life. Forget all the corporate BS you have to deal with. I can't stand all the politics and backstabing in corporations. It doesn't matter if the company is small or not! I'm finally leaving the corporate world and moving into an area that I enjoy and am good at--working for a newly establised athletic training gym(personal training bascially). This is just me and another person(the owner, I will manage the place, and be in charge of getting people to join and train them) I'm atheltic and need to be involved in some sort of sport, if I make a lot of money--great! if not, F^ck it!

I work for one of the largest telephone cooperatives in the USA.

The positives:
*Benefits - (health, dental, vision insurance pd 100 % by the company for my entire family). The have killer retirement, long/short term disability and many other good things.

*Structured environment - It took a while to get used to but let me tell you that for a person who has ADD like I do, it taught me new tricks on how to function on a daily basis without becoming so frustrated.

*Understanding - I had to confess to my supervisor about my ADD and she has tried really hard to work with me in areas that I am weak in. The company put me through training and continues to help you with providing education that can help you improve on your job.

The negatives:

*Control - While I love the structured environment, I dislike being monitored constantly. The cameras, the monitoring of emails and recording of phone conversations in specific areas drives me INSANE.

*Co-workers - There are good and bad. You have the ones that are there strictly to climb the corp ladder and some who really enjoy their jobs. I have been stabbed in the back a few times by a couple who felt the need to start bull over something stupid to make themselves look good. Especially the ones who are in the "recorded" environments.

*The public - They are the bread and butter of the company but sometimes it can be hard to deal with them with a short attention span. It is also easier to make errors because of the ADD.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

i just happened to see what u wrote today, i've been interested in personal training myself. i work cutting hair at a corporate place, and i feel so incompetent. I feel like its a matter of time before they fire me. I've managed to stay there since february, but i'm feeling like i'm starting to burn out. The longer im there the more the expectations seem to rise from superiors, and other coworkers.

monica

Work at own pace -- no I am micromanaged to death and feel hated by coworkers because my boss has convinced everyone that I am incompetent and they feel that they have to do extra work that I should be doing and getting paid less.

I also think that the current economic environment has something to do with it as well as the attitude that many employers feel (at least in financial services) that the position is 'self selecting' meaning that they can have a revolving door of people until they get the right one that fits.

I feel like I could have written the above. . .it's the same way where I work (large corporation). Human Resources hasn't been much help; they're there more for the benefit of the corporation, not really to help employees.

I have not officially been diagosed ADD yet, but my final testing appointment with the psychologist is today and she said she has seen a LOT of the symptoms from the tests we've done so far.

I've been at the job for over three years - a record for me - but it's gotten to the point where the stress and frustration are affecting my physical health as well. I've lost over 40lbs in the last six months (without even trying - AND with an under-active thyroid), I get a tight/tense feeling in my gut and chest nearly every day. The work itself is not difficult - it's actually pretty mind-numbing.

It's a shame, because I hate to lose the benefits and most of the other people in the office are pretty cool. But it's not worth making myself sick over.

IMO, and I appologise if Im repeating something thats already been said, just got back from psych appt and head is full of stuff that needs to be processed and I just cant concentrate long enough to do more than skim...

Ive lost count of the jobs Ive had and the industries Ive worked in. Factory work was good - kept my hands busy and left my mind free to 'zone out' and go where it wanted to. Couldnt forget to eat because everyone went to the lunch room at the same time....couldnt forget to go back because everyone went back at the same time. Didnt make enough money to support the family and the hours just werent flexible enough.

Waitressing was a dream - constant movement, always new faces to chit chat with, working with a lot of young people/teenagers (who seem to be more on my wavelength)....LOVED IT....but again, hours and money didnt fit with my family needs.

Office work....has its ups and downs and it really doesnt matter if its a big or small place - its the attitude of your immediate superior who will make or break you in this environment IMO. This job Im in now is PERFECT for me. Im almost toally left to myself to get my work done....if I do nothing but surf the web all week then get everything done in an overfocussing fit on Friday, so be it...it got done. It helps that my boss, who has become like a best friend, has a special needs child (autism) and he and his wife (who has also become a friend) are VERY involved in their son's treatment, so he 'gets it' if things arent right with the kids and it makes me a little 'off'. He's usually just as sleep deprived as I am (his son doesnt sleep either) so we are kind of each other's venting wall and listening ears, even outside of work hours.

Ive been here over 2 years which is an unheard of record for me.

Accepting co - workers are another big plus, I find I have more success in an office full of men (eg, sales reps etc) than in an office full of women...I just tend to relate to people in more of a 'male' way and women tend to draw back and put up walls and I just cant reach them or relate to them. I think because Ive never really been able to get a handle on my own emotions I find it easier to join in the impromptu 'wadded piece of paper ball & ruler bat' cricket match and have a beer with the guys. Im a naturally boisterous person lol....I need to work with other boisterous people or I meltdown.

BUT working in a boisterous environment can overstimulate me also so it helps to have my headphones so I can totally zone out the 'preschool' (because its like working with a bunch of unruly children) when it all gets too overhwealming.

I have to agree. I used to work in a large (450) government agency. It drove me nuts, from having to sign papers saying all my long distance charges were for government use, to locked down computers and people who actually scanned to firewall records to see what we were browsing. Freaking nightmare.

I like small companies, with a decent work ethic, and a casual attitude to getting work done. Its way better for me to get my job done my way, then have to submit to some normies protocol for how I should work.

At that agency, when they laid me off, I had worked for 12 years as an Environmental Scientist in fisheries, ecology, water resources and the like, when they laid me off, my boss told me "We don't need any more geologists". Now, I graduated in Geology, but after 12 years????

I told him I did not need a PhD Oceanographer trying to manage people. And I looked at his underling and told him that a math major does not seem to have a good fit in the Environmental Community, and its even worse as an Assistant Manager. Now I realize this burned a bridge, but it sure was fun.