The "Unofficial" Engineers with "ADD" thread

[lychweake]

Wow thanks for the replies...and KUDOS to you all for being able to spend the number of years working for a very difficult major and even if a person IS good with math it still far from being easy.

In addition to the probablity of landing a job after graduation...btw from 2003 to now is it still that difficult to find work??

The amount of IT / Engineering grads : Number of job openings ratio has never really been in the job seekers favor; I really would love to get back into the IT field but its never been in my personality to go around as a "free lancer" when it comes to looking for work, I tend to stay at a job for a number of years before moving on after giving 2wks notice....LOL the thought of "free lancing" me..HAHA

[TheEru]

I've always been interested in computers and technology and I've been programming since I was a teen

It's just that being in school for Computer Science and being a hobbyist are far different from being a professional software developer, especially at a large company

You dream about doing all these novel and interesting things with code,

Then you end up sitting in a cubical making a bunch of two and three line changes to legacy code

Most of your energy is spent testing, which requires attention to detail, something I don't have

I'm thinking of becoming a MicroISV, but I can barely focus on my projects at home

Partly because I am unmedicated

[lychweake]

Originally Posted by TheEru

I've always been interested in computers and technology and I've been programming since I was a teen

It's just that being in school for Computer Science and being a hobbyist are far different from being a professional software developer, especially at a large company

You dream about doing all these novel and interesting things with code,

Then you end up sitting in a cubical making a bunch of two and three line changes to legacy code

Most of your energy is spent testing, which requires attention to detail, something I don't have

I'm thinking of becoming a MicroISV, but I can barely focus on my projects at home

Partly because I am unmedicated

Partly because youre a scientist?? All the greatest had the same issues with hyperfocusing ...most recently I watched this interview with Peter Jackson director of Lord of the Rings, King Kong, e.t.c and he spoke of the same problem ealier during his beginnings as a ametuer film director....the legendary scientist inventor Nikola Tesla...all of them so I'd consider that to be a not so terrible thing for at least you know when to stop working on a project that isnt all that great to begin with....

[Civeng13]

I am a Civil Engineer. The trouble I have is doing design work on many different projects at the same time. I get too focussed on the one thing I am working on and its hard to stop and leave something incomplete, if just for a short time. Putting together Contract documents and specifications can be challenging also.

[Zoom Dude]

I'm an ME, always worked in product development, now manager of the Engineering Department.

Projects have been everything from 3 months to 6 years (yeah, there's a story there). I've always been great at innovation and design, always struggled with project management and scheduling.

I'm closing in on the end of my career. I realize now I should have designed clever products on my own schedule and sold them via internet. (Though the internet was an infant when I started.) Let someone else turn the crank that keeps the rest of the business going.

As it turned out, I spent a career in a position better suited to an NT than me. Don't make that mistake. Know what you're good at and what you're not. Minimize time spent doing what you're not good at, because that will maximize your satisfaction in your career.

Best of luck,

ZD

[Bobthebuilder]

in my 3rd year of obtaining an Aeronautical Engineering Degree

Failed Fluids, Dynamics, Calc 3, and Physics 3

In attempt 2 of those classes and outlook looks better so far. Started strattera 2 days ago.

and I'm a bit worried about my future. but for now I'm living day by day, trying to get an A

[MikeE11]

Loved computers since I was a kid, though they weren't much back then. Luckily the private high school I went to closed down and so I went to a public school and had a great teacher for computer programming there and an awesome program. After graduating in 87 I went to Oregon State University, but for some strange reason decided that Mechanical Engineering was what I should do to make the money. Huge mistake, though I love the ME class, the rest was not fun and it would have taken many hours per term to complete it even in 5 years. Came out of my first term with a 1.14 GPA and almost gave up school to go into the "real world" which would have been an even bigger mistake. So I went back to my passion of computers and ended up with a BS in Computer Science in 92. Well there was a mini recession at that time and folks weren't hiring or at least I wasn't finding the jobs. Worked doing machine shop work and got depressed. Somehow found a job working for a print company in Portland who wanted me to go to a software company in the Seattle area and work as a vendor there. Mainly involved in making sure the print files sent to the print company would actually print. So I set up processes for others to follow, tools to check the work and also wrote tools to keep track of various things. Loved writing tools but the job I was in started to take that away from me and move it to IT. So I decided it was time for a move within the company.

Found another job as a software tester and was one for many years until a week ago. I so loved my job, writing tools for testing, writing tools for other things, breaking things, working with some great people, but then all hell broke loose at home and with my health and went down hill. I couldn't concentrate at work, and spent too much time focused on my health or other things rather than my work. Finally I figured out what was wrong health wise and saw the right doctor to diagnosis and fix it and it's been mostly well in that area. But then a daughter who had severe behavior issues and a marriage that wasn't right had me not able to concentrate and depressed.

I was actually starting to turn the corner I thought, but I had a manager now that wanted me to be something I wasn't. He wanted me writing plans, keeping up on those plans, providing status, knowing how much time things would take, keeping track of those things. And the whole time telling me that I wasn't doing it right but not helping me figure out how to do it right. It felt more like I was being managed into failure. I own those things I did wrong, and was trying to fix those things with tools and techinques I was trying out. But it was too late and I was let go. Looking back I believe they had decided a while ago and I wasn't really given a chance. Or even the chance I had asked for and told I was going to get once I was done with a certain set of projects. I have not been doing very well since.

I notice that these times when I have the ADHD-I type symptoms are when I'm under the most amount of stress. Makes me wonder if it's something else at times. Started Adderall last week, didn't feel much if anything of a change. Doubled the dose yesterday and felt like crap, especially when it wore off. Couldn't sleep very well last night and had a vivid nightmare; most likely the melatonin I took to try to help me sleep. And now I'm affraid to take the meds again and wonder if I can do it without the meds. I don't know, it's like I've done so much without it, but then I wasn't ever really challenged in those areas that I don't do so well in. Either I can't do them, or it'll take me longer or I just haven't had a chance to learn those things.

Anyway, that's my story so far. Hopefully someone can learn from this, I know I am. I just need the motivation to get back on track again. I tend to shut down when things get really tough like this.

Mike

[Jakestar]

Mfg Engineer thats me. I had a R&D job and loved it. I was a shot-caller and was allowed to tinker with stuff see if I could make it better. I also handled projects from start to finish. draw, model, database, prototype, implementation, telling the plant operators this is how it is. NOW.... I m moved on for twice the pay and 1/2 the work and it sucks. I do a lot of checking other engineers implementations/ ECN's' and have zero creative input. It's getting better, because I'm getting use to boring. Now I'm pushing to do more lean type stuff. It'll get me out on the floor messing around with stuff again.

[Logic]

Mech/Elec Engineer - 'Time Served' and a HND
Currently undertaking my 2nd year of Computer Science and Psychology as a Masters Degree - that's a rocky road I think I'm wandering down by the way!

Logic

[2Springers_Matt]

I am not an engineer, but I do teach Pre-engineering curriculum at the high school level. I teach the Project Lead the Way curriculum. It is a curriculum written by engineers and teachers to introduce students into 'real' engineering and offer them dual enrollment in many of the top engineering universities in the country. I teach courses in solid modeling (Inventor), Principles of Engineering, and CNC manufacturing (Inventor>Edgecam).
I love the curriculum, and teaching it. I have several ADHD students each year and they seem to do real well. Most of them need to find that personal connection with engineering, and when they do they really find that connection, they start to really excel. I should say that these ADHD students really hate the classes until they find their niche. They are almost always hyperfocused on the class/projects and always come back the next year for the next class, they hate and then they love it.

I think ADD and engineering can go hand in hand, maybe moreso if your undiagnosed, because its that hyperfocus that allows them to really dig in to something they found out that have a passion in. That hyperfocus allows them to really 'get' the connection.

I am glad this thread was started too. I may even show it to a few select students...If i thought i could keep their attention long enough to read it!

[iamkion132]

Does a IT network guy count? Technically I will (hopefully) be a network engineer although I don't have any programing experience (I should).

Programmers, question for you: How did/do you manage? I've tried learning programing in the past but could never stick with it. That was pretreatment though so things might be different in the future but I'm more concerned about getting out of school and out in the work force.

[Steve UK]

Originally Posted by iamkion132

Does a IT network guy count? Technically I will (hopefully) be a network engineer although I don't have any programing experience (I should).

Programmers, question for you: How did/do you manage? I've tried learning programing in the past but could never stick with it. That was pretreatment though so things might be different in the future but I'm more concerned about getting out of school and out in the work force.

I learnt to program after I found a problem I needed a program to solve

Then the next problem needed a more elaborate program, and so on, then I got a job in training and forgot the bloody lot