ADD friendly jobs

[Anonymous]

I’m a pilot, and i love it. when i was diagnosed with add the doctor told me its common to see pilots with it. i had been flying for a few years all ready. keeping my log book up to date is hard, but for some reason the only time i can focus completely is when I’m flying. most of the best pilots i know i would say show sings of add, and i have never heard of any one losing a medical because of it.

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[Anonymous]

I’m in the mental health field and will be a licensed mental health counselor in a few months. I like working in mental health because of the variety of things that get dealt with on a daily basis. I also get to meet tons of new people and help them with all sorts of problems. One of the most fun things I do is to work with children with ADHD. They seem to enjoy being able to talk to a “grown up” who actually understands the problems they’re facing. Lots of variety, flexible hours, and it’s pretty fun. The trouble with the job is that there is lots of paperwork, more when i’m a counselor, and getting it in on time. That’s a challenge, but I’ve dealt alright so far.

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[Anonymous]

ADHD is such a large spectrum. I think the largest connecting thread is doing something that you are interested in. It is much easier to focus on what interests you! My job is extremely interesting and engaging to me…. but the paperwork really needs to die…

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[sparqui]

Driving a school bus is a good job with ADHD. There is a lot going on so it never gets boring. My route is for my district’s behavior disorder program. Every one of my passengers has ADHD. The teachers have told me many times that they want me back on this route next year. Since I have what they have, my mind works like theirs do. The short tantrums don’t bother me that much either. When they go off I bark right back at them, then everyone moves on- no disciplinary action required. Since they know one little slip-up won’t cause them grief at school and later at home, they cool off a lot faster.

My district does drug testing, a federal requirement, but bring a photocopy of your prescription with you and give it to the person that gives you the test. Tell the clinic up front what they will find and that it will be consistent with the prescription. When the clinic reports back to my management, it comes back as no illegal substances found.

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[Anonymous]

I’m new here, but I think anything that requires:

1. intense focus,
2. changing landscapes,
3. complex problem solving and
4. discreet tasks with immediate or quick results.

My father (never diagnosed) was a truck driver–lots of travel, met tons of people, great exercise throwing off the load (traffic stunk, but he smoked to cope). My grandfather (also not diagnosed) was head of customs at JFK. I’m an M&A lawyer. Every day is a new crisis, a new dragon to slay. There are down times, which are good, but my current job tends to fill them with boring stuff. I’m trying to manage that, but when I’m in deal mode, I feel more alive than any other time. I have to know everything about two companies simultaneously, understand their weaknesses and strengths, and negotiate against people with the same or better skill sets. Hyperfocus and scanning simultaneously. It’s a great rush. (And because it’s so important to the company, I can be forgiven for not putting cover memos on my TPS reports).

I agree on the flying, and sometimes wish I were a pilot. The military sounds like a great gig, as does teaching (lots of new students, but the lesson plan may wear you down after a while). I would think sales would also be a good career (travel, meet new people, learn details about new products). Also, before going into law, I was a scientist (physics) and that was awesome. (The bureaucracy bored me to death. Getting money out of NASA was like getting blood from a blood bank–lots of paperwork.) On the plus side, I think you have to be ADD to be a scientist. “Quirky” is an understatement in the field.

So, to sum up:

• Doctor
• Lawyer (corporate M&A works for me)
• Police/law enforcement
• Military
• Pilot
• Teacher (art or something dynamic)
• Truck driver
• Sales
• Scientist
• Entrepreneur

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[Wgreen]

Hey Pete– Are you SURE you’ve got ADD? I mean M&A law requires the ability to cross every ‘t” and dot every “i.” I can’t imagine an ADDer pouring over reams of documents to make sure every detail is correct. And how the heck did you get through law school AND PASS THE BAR EXAM???

And then you talk about “intense focus.” (Item one on your list.) Most of us wouldn’t know “intense focus” if we bumped into it at a party—unless it were hyperfocus while playing a video game.

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[Bibliophile]

Nothing to do with flying or driving. ADHD people are notoriously poor motorists and flying would mean constant vigilance about numerous systems and gauges, which might not be the best thing for someone who is distractable. On the other hand, flying presents fewer visual distractions than driving does. The rate of traffic accidents for the ADHD inflicted is remarkably high according to Barkley and other researchers.

@WGreen I can see getting through law school, but the job is a very different matter. I made it through my Masters, but I would walk out of lectures when I had an idea or wanted to work on something else. If the degree was not so heavily slanted toward self study and paper writing, I would not have done as well. Also, I stuck to small classes that encouraged participation. I agree with you on the focus and need to be thorough. ADHD sufferers are not known for their attention to detail unless it is fixating on something, which is often involuntary.

@laddybug3 Cooking is actually not a great ADHD profession. I studied at a college program and worked in a number of restaurants. Professional cooking requires the ability to replicate an exact dish and plate presentation, again and again and again. You must also organize the chits in your head in order to prepare the food in a sequence that results in an entire table’s order coming out at the same time. I could not do this. I understood the chemistry and processes of cooking, loved making things and playing with food, but could not handle the organization required on a day to day basis. It is true that many cooks have addictions, which is a factor common among those with ADHD, and that the lifestyle is fast and furious. However, to truly succeed in the profession at a high level requires enormous time management abilities, people management (only the head chef or sous get to yell at people, not the line cooks), and the ability to repeat tasks. The truly great chefs, e.g. David Chang, Susur Lee, Thomas Keller, etc., exhibit compulsive traits about their processes and ingredients that someone with ADHD would probably not be able to sustain.

I agree with @callmecrazy in that doing something that interests you and that you enjoy doing repeatedly is the most important thing.

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[memzak]

@pete-puma what is an M&A lawyer? My niece is a lawyer and is very, very hyperactive type of ADHDer. It took her two different medications to get through law school (her second degree) but she made it. She hated her law firm and finally ended up reviewing contracts and works at home. She spends most of the day on Facebook but she gets the contracts reviewed.

I don’t think any profession is out of the realm of possibility for someone with ADD it is just how the disorder has manifested for you personally. I am 58 and have still not found a profession I can stick with. The longest I ever worked for a company was 10 years but I had 5 different positions in that company and I have realized lately how often I almost lost my job there. I have a problem with denial. I have decided recently that I want to do two things. One is being an ADD councilor. I have always tried to help other people when I could and I am great at giving advice and helping to guide people. I help my daughter’s friends all the time and most of them are ADD so I have had some practice. The other is a part time business selling legal insurance. This is something I did for a while then tried something else and now I am going back to it. I really enjoyed talking to people and showing them how it can help them.

I am already aware of the things I have problems with and am in the process of fine tuning ways to keep myself on track. The more I find out about ADHD the better I am able to deal with it. If I do a third profession it would be something to do with plants. I love plants and one of the things I wanted to do with my life when I was young was have a plant nursery and sell flowers.

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[Anonymous]

@wgreen, completely sure. When I took the test, the results came back “tilt”. It’s a fair point though that not everyone is the same. What I was referring to was the hyperfocus aspect of ADD. If you can harness that and make it work for you, that gets you into the Da Vinci, Winston Churchill, Babe Ruth territory.

For me, it’s not easy, but my ADD is all about the hunting. I view most of the challenges I have as a dragon I have to slay. I had great parents who supported and motivated me (even though I just found out about ADD on Monday–two days ago). And my friends have always given me a lot of leeway. The key for me has been to be excited about what I do. We all love shiny objects. For me, complex systems and difficult problems sparkle like diamonds in a cave.

The bar exam was easy. I was in hyperfocus for 2 months leading up to it. (The day after the exam, I bought a PS2 and played Madden NFL for the next month to reward and recharge). The ADD was a huge asset. The challenge I’ve always had is my personal health (diet and exercise). I’m solving that now.

@memzak: M&A law is a form of corporate law (not unlike what your niece does). It’s high profile, and challenging to get into (I was top of my class in law school and landed at a great firm). Due diligence (which it sounds like what she does) is the boring part, but hyperfocus and multitasking help. The most exciting part is using that information to negotiate a good deal.

Similar to M&A is transactional law, which is one of the things I do for my company when I’m not buying a new shiny object for them. I represent the business in contracts (negotiating, drafting, structuring deals). It’s not as glamorous or as involved, but it keeps my claws sharp.

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[Bibliophile]

The level of severity of the impairment of the executive functions, i.e. ADHD, will determine whether one can “harness” their hyperfocusing. What one person deems hyperfocus, another defines as perseveration. The problem is that moderate to severe ADHD cases often cannot control their hyperfocusing states at all. Time is lost when on the task and all of the other things that should have been done, are not done.

What I believe WGreen was referring to was that most ADHD sufferers would have wanted to study for their Bar exams, but hyperfocused their time away on things that would not lead them to this goal, e.g. spending all-nighters playing Madden instead of studying as you wanted and were supposed to have done. Rick just did a video on this: http://totallyadd.com/he-can-focus-when-he-wants-to/

Now some coping strategies can have bonuses too. Working extremely fast is a common ADHD coping strategy. This does not mean thoroughly, but racing through the task as quickly as possible to ensure it gets done before the mind moves on to something else.

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[Anonymous]

@librarian_chef: Fair enough. I appreciate that I’ve had a unique path, and I wasn’t diagnosed until 37 (like I said, Monday), so I’m still learning. I don’t mean to offend anyone who has had difficulty coping in the world.

Nonetheless, I can’t help but think that this is an enormous gift, not a defect. It’s a product of my bias, but I’ve been (in typical ADD fashion) researching the heck out this (for TWO WHOLE DAYS!!), and I find it hard to believe that Sir Richard Branson, Danielle Fisher (climbed Everest at 20), Michael Phelps (14 gold medals), Terry Bradshaw (4 superbowls), Justin Timberlake (4 Grammy’s, 2 Emmys), and hundreds of other super people all “overcame” ADD like it was tuberculosis. For whatever reason, their brains helped them get what they wanted.

My point is the “symptoms” of this condition can be incredible assets. Pilots, doctors, lawyers, soldiers, entrepreneurs, all need to multitask effectively, and also need to be able to hyperfocus. All of the “symptoms” are what serve me so well in a crisis and make me able to do what the “normal” people can’t.

I get Rick’s point about focusing when you want to, and I don’t mean to imply people are just not working hard enough. The fortunate thing for me has always been searching out the thing I wanted most (10 years ago, that was a law degree), and making that the most shiny object in my field of view.

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[EdwardQ]

Interesting tread,

The ideal job or ideal business question has been on my mind. The one factor I think is usually left out of the discussion is the Individuals Personality. one thing most Doctors, Lawyers, Pilots, Bransons, Phelps, Bradsaws, have in common Is a “D” type of personality. Meaning,

Dominant

Direct

Decisive

Determined

Doer

The reason I mention this is my personality is dead on opposite more reserved and people oriented.

Supportive

Stable

Steady

Sweet

Shy

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[Anonymous]

@EdwardQ: Very good point. I guess it’s hard to tell what’s ADD and what’s me. But if that’s your core personality, maybe the artistic/teaching/social work realm is more your style. Or maybe sales–sales is not always about being pushy. A lot of the best salesmen I know are more partners than in-your-face sellers.

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[Anonymous]

I’m a nurse practitioner.

what ADHD is good for: high energy and enthusiasm. constant curiosity. being open and easy to relate with. People enjoy my very non robotic nature, openness, and exuberance.

what it absolutely sucks for: paperwork, having to organize thoughts quickly, time-management, effective multitasking, any type of paper/desk/file organization, brief to the point conversations (I’ve had people walk away because I won’t stop talking because I’m interested in the topic), listening to people who talk at you without written directions/instructions (no one likes to be stared at blankly and then have you do the opposite), (I am more inattentive and an over-thinker so making decisions on the fly really sucks).

how I survive: I am lucky enough to hyperfocus reading medical educational topics so I know a lot of things (would be nice if I could choose the when..because 2am or when I am trying to do something else is annoying), I am so genuinely interested in my clients that I don’t lose focus on them (the rest of the world ceases to exist when I am with them…which can be good or bad depending on the day), I am determined so I will spend that 2 whole days to write a 5 page paper to get that ‘A’, I check over my work many many many times and write a ton of things down so I don’t make damaging mistakes <i have been accused of OCD, but I am realizing that I check things by necessity>,

conclusion: I got through school pretty smoothly by working only sporadically and spending endless time on just school (no husband, kids, had a college fund). I love what I do and think that I do belong here, but the symptoms are impairing enough that I need to be treated or I can’t sustain this.

what was my point again??? lol

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[Carrie]

@laddybug3 I was a cook before I was a nurse. A front line cook.. I LOVED it! Very fast paced, having 1 million things going on at once. At our restaurant we had customers lining up at the door before it opened and often had to flip the restaurant 2-3 times per night. Always on my toes! Such a rush! The only place I was organized was amongst that chaos! I would just take charge, over the head chef (who was very unorganized) and the owner. I did it respectfully. I was the queen of the kitchen hahahaha

Another job (actually.. I luckily have been good at all the jobs I have been to. Normally stay at a job for a year, get antsy and move on) that I was good at and loved was being a receptionist. I got to talk to people all day long, on the phone in person, I took in all the complaints and did my moms “dirty work”. She was the manager and didn’t like to confront people about following the rules, so I would go out and lay them down. If they didnt like it, they could leave. Them calling me nasty names was nothing to me. In that job at times the front desk would be flooded with people needing help and I would multitask them all on my own. I would be checking in 3 different people while selling ice cream and fire wood. One lady commented on how she needed someone like me where she was! hahaha

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