Re: ADD friendly jobs

[Anonymous]

For ADD friendly occupations, I’ve noticed two characteristics: something active, and something where the task is right in front of your face (something you have to respond immediately to).

Putting that in terms of occupations:

Health care. You respond to one patient at a time, who is in front of you.

Teaching. Much the same. Your students are in front of you, and you have to respond to them.

Photography. ADD people can be very visual. In photography, you see stimuli through the viewfinder, and you respond to it by taking the photo, or finding a better one. One photo at a time.

Sales

Sugargremlin spoke about being very intelligent, and yet at the same time people often think he/she is “spaced out.” I’m the same way, and being thought of as “spaced out” or stupid is very painful for me.

I finally figured out WHY I sometimes appear stupid. When confronted with a new situation, I simultaneously evaluate all the data coming in, all the stimuli. I typically take in more data than other people, and it takes me longer therefore to reach a conclusion. I feel disoriented, even confused, while I am in this state. But eventually, everything clicks into place, and I see the problem and solution very clearly. I understand it BETTER than anyone else. Sometimes my solutions are very creative, out of the box.

Other people can reach a conclusion faster, though it may not be as good a solution, because they have a sequential or linear approach. 1, 2, 3… Sort of a standard approach. It’s faster, but often not as good. With simple problems, fast and good may be adequate. But for harder problems, my approach is definitely the better one, although people may not realize its advantages.

So, I have learned to live with the confusion, and have faith that a solution will emerge. For example, I am a wedding photographer. When I get into a new situation for a photo, it takes me a few seconds or minutes to evaluate it. I have to consider a multitude of factors all at once: lighting, composition, technical settings, the message, emotional content, and practical things. People may be clamoring for an answer. “Should I stand here?” “How do you want us to arrange ourselves?” I just say: “First things first. Give me a moment to decide where the best place is for the photo. Then we can decide those other questions.”

Now that I’ve just retired, I’ve written a mystery novel, “Prey for Zion.” It’s available as a Kindle Book via Amazon, under my pen name, E.D. MacDavey. The hero, Max, has a similar creative approach to problem solving–and he solves the mystery that involves explosive Mormon secrets, and a race for high office by a politician like Mitt Romney.

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