45, ADD and totally in the wrong job, I feel suck and screwed

Louie, have you ever thought about becoming an insurance claims adjuster? It would capitalize on your previous experience, but there is a lot more active type work that needs to be done so you’re not chained to a desk all day. I would suck at being at a desk all day, so I can completely empathize with your plight. I”d be out of my seat 50 times an hour to go to the bathroom or the water cooler or for another cup of coffee and then to find some paper clips. . . and I’m not even hyper. Another job that would get you away from the desk is surveying. I think you can do this with a 2 year degree (not sure though) and it’s heavy on math.

I was a terrible waitress–I enjoyed talking to people, but I never failed to forget something that they needed or to get orders mixed up. Also, I was one of the people with ADD who had awful social skills and adderall has fixed a lot of that, so I’m curious if I’d be any better at waiting tables now that I have meds.

I hope I don’t come off negative on this recent thread — but lately I’ve felt that I really have to get a new job. I’ve been at my present job for over 6 years. A lifetime record. I worry that the reason is that very same reason many express in this thread. That is that because we have ADD changing jobs is a great way to feel better. Instead of trying to excel at the job you have (which in my case pays great, has great benefits and stability as much as can be), we just pick up and move on. Is this my chaos? Does that make sense? I fear I am not facing the REAL problem.

Lois, I can say I didn’t read any of the other posts, and just the first few sentences that you posted so I could be well off the mark here. I read that you were interested in radio- which could be a good career… but had difficulty with reading…. don’t let that stop you… a really proper tutor who still uses the old fashioned way of teaching (phonics) could really enhance your skill and fast.. Plus, it seems to me you have a creative edge….As most ADD’er do Follow you dreams, put supports in place…. and go for it. It could be that’s the kinda job you need!!!!

I’m new here – just saw this show and it told me I’m ADD. Took long enough to find out – I’m 42. Reading all the posts here gives me comfort that I’m not alone. Brilliant at times, sucking and worthless the next. Now I know why it is like that. One thing that has helped me with self-confidence has been to have a file folder called “Fan Mail”. Whenever I get a really nice email, letter, card, that makes me feel good about myself, I put it in there. When I’m down, I pull it out and give myself a boost. It gets me off the negative train and back on the positive.

If someone have read this before either A: I quit my job or B: I got fire, please give me some pointers if possible.

I believe that I am in the right industry. I am a prepress specialist. My job requires me to be hyperfocus and fix almost every single document that we receive from our client. I work in a very busy and hectic environment.

I can handle my job very well if I am actually doing my job most of the time. However, our supervisor left a few years ago. My boss insist that we DONT NEED A SUPERVISOR!! Guess who takes over the slack? Me and my other co-worker!! I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning. Which is how I got myself to check if I am ADHD.

I am on 27MG of Concerto. And I closely monitor if I make less mistakes. I find myself extremely productive and I have minimized the frequency of making mistakes. EG. From making a mistake once every week to once every 3 months. Is this good enough or what? However, this is NOT good enough for my boss.

I mentioned to him numerous times, other employees have mentioned to him numerous times. That we DO NEED A SUPERVISOR so that we can do our JOB!! He don’t listen. I said to him numerous times that I already got a full load just doing my job. I can handle phone calls and everyting that he needs me to do. But I will make mistakes. He disagree. Instead of listening to me, he kept on telling me that I make more mistakes than normal people.

He probably don’t mean it. But to me, it sounds as if he never stopped telling me that I am a defect. That the only reason that I am still working in this company is because of him. The truth is, I am one of the BEST that you can ever find in this industry. And he have splited my attention to too many things than I can handle.

I have mentioned to him about this annoying disability. But I feel that he literally don’t give a shit about it.

Does anyone know if there is any law that can protect me from these kind of people?

There is a concept in disability law in Canada and the US that if accomodating your disability causes an “undue hardship” to the business, then they don’t have to do it. So, what you have to do is propose, in writing, what you want them to change about your job, how it relates to your disability, and how – if they would make that change – you would then be able to perform the “essential functions” or “essential qualifications” of your job. If it would cost them very much money, or effect other people’s jobs, it’s pretty easy for them to say no. If you are asking them to remove some of the “essential functions” of the job, they probably don’t have any legal obligation to do that.

If they have changed your job description to include these extra tasks, you could possibly get unemployment benefits (in the US) because they are now asking you to do something different than what you were originally hired to do, which is not your fault. (Not that you want to lose your job, but at least you would have some time to find another prepress job that fits better with your strengths)

There are other jobs where prepress skills would be a great asset like in a marketing or design agency. You might have to get some additional education if you don’t know how to do design, but it’s a different work environment, and might pay better too if you could get your foot in the door…

Thanks for all the replies. It is very difficult to describe how I feel doing what I do. I believe that it is my manager who makes us to a lot more than what we supposed to be doing. Other branches have their employees do mostly their own job.

Please note that my performance have improved so much to a point where I can’t even blame myself for making mistakes. Can you blame yourself if you make mistakes from once a week to once every 3 months? This is still not enough for him. I am a machine at work. Can he do math? How many jobs have I ran for him and how many did I fail? Even a machine can break down. Except machine dont talk when it fails, it stops.

@munchkin Should I complain about him to the head office? I’ve been thinking about it for years. Yes, he pushed me too hard that I went for a ADD test. And I passed almost 10/10 …… It seem to me that he pretty much not give a damn about my medical condition at all!! I plan on writing to the labor board and see what they will tell me. I am seeing my family doctor this weekend to see if he can refer me to a specialist as well. I believe that after working with this slave drive for all these years, I can pretty much survive and shine anywhere else I go. Seriously. I honestly don’t think my mistakes are unacceptable. And all these years of getting bullied by this ass hole really back fire at me. How much more does it take before it makes a person explode? Just a matter of time…

I wish I was treated since I was a kid.. I might have been a PHD and I don’t need to go through all these shit in my l life..