Anyone out there have a traditional, 8-hours a day, 40 hours a week job?

[ashockley55]

If so, what is it, and how do you survive it?

I’m realizing that I have never really been able to sustain working a traditional job for very long. I got bored, ansy and eventually frantic.

Longest I have lasted at any job have been low-pay situations that did not take advantage of my talents and abilities but kept me relatively active and were rote enough that I could daydream and “write” (in my head) while I was working. I worked as a cashier at Wal-mart for a few years, and I’ve been working three years as a waitress.

The shortest-lived jobs were those where I was either expected to sit or stand and work quietly for long periods of time.

The most challenging, and most stressful job I had was when I was teaching. I was very disappointed by that. It did not take full advantage of my talents as a writer, and confronting students’ poor behavior was just too stressful for me. I was a constant nervous wreck. My obsessive-compulsive behaviors went through the roof, and I quickly ran out of steam. I went out on medical leave.

I hate, though, that the jobs that I’ve been able to maintain the longest are really (as I said) low-paying, rote jobs that do not allow me to express my talent.

Although, I don’t know, from past work experience, if I am capable of doing anything else, i.e. full-time work. The idea of doing anything for 8 hours a day makes me want to yak. And shudder.

Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone out there is able to work a traditional full time job? And how??? What gets you through it? Day after day after day…

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[ipsofacto]

Before moving to the US, I ran my own Electrical/construction business. In the US, I was lucky enough to get into the electricians union (IBEW).

It’s about as perfect as any job could be for ADD. The hiring and laying off is a bit fluid, so there is no stigma generally to being laid off. You often don’t work at the same site for too long, and there is ample opportunity to think creatively. Some industrial jobs can be very slow, and hard to cope with, but are easily avoided. The recession has been bad for us, and too much time off work contributed to my ADD symptoms becoming bad enough to lead to diagnosis.

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[Anonymous]

The only two jobs I have ever held the longest was with a Uniform company. This one I started off in the warehouse, and due to the extreme discomfort of standing on concrete any where from 8 to 10 hours I moved to the office where I did customer service/ call center. This only lasted for 3 years and I lost this one due to performance issues. I cursed the bosses out in anger because I felt I did the job to the best of my ability.. I despise those S.O.B’.s to this day for the torment I went through. A month later I went to another call center for a “generic/sideline” phone company. The only reason I was able to stay as long as I did there weren’t a lot of detailed responsibilities. But there were a lot of hard core stupid rules I had to try to live with. I was trained specifically for 1 department and it took me longer than the rest before I was ready to answer calls by myself.. I hate these places that try to “cram” tons of stuff on you at one time and then expect you to perform like you’ve been there for years. As time went on and more people were either quitting or getting fired for different reasons, the more cross training they poured on us. I was stressed to the max to the point my doctor put me on leave of absence from extreme depression… I eventually got “laid off” and I knew that was their reason to get rid of me. I miss the money but I don’t miss the stress. The company eventually went out of business anyway. I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2007 after all this happened and I have been struggling to find/keep employment ever since… It’s been 1 failure after another. I’ve had 43 or 44 jobs total and I’m only in my early 40’s…..Can’t win for losing…

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[wawabyjohnah]

I work in a 9-5 job. Been here for 7 years. But I’m the only worker in my organisation in my office, which I think is why I am still here. No one knows or cares if I am late, how chaotic my space is, if I procrastinate the whole day long or anything like that.

I was a school teacher for a few years. That wasn’t the greatest role for me as the planning and paperwork side of it didn’t like me. And being late wasn’t looked on very positively.

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[Tiddler]

I left school at 17 and went straight into an office environment. It was not a happy time of my life. I eventually realised that I had to change my situation when I began frequently to fall asleep at my desk. I continued part time while I did a college course and finally got in to university, supporting myself with a pub job at night and a job in a supermarket in the early mornings.

I burnt out pretty bad, with consecutive migraines in my 2nd year and other health problems but I did it and went into teaching, which again was very stressful. I worked 80 hours a week to keep on top of things.

Now I study again, work very few paid hours (not a single day’s work from the agency since I told them I have ADHD) but I do a lot of voluntary work and keep stuff going for my kids, one of whom is flexi schooled.

I have come to learn that I need structure to my days but not necessarily routine and that I thrive on intellectual challenge. I’m waiting to hear about a fresh start for me…any day now. Fingers very, very crossed.

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[quizzical]

Used to work in an office….some aspects of it I liked, many others I chafed at. I could not come in on time to save my life. Yes, very ADD, but there were lots of ADD factors, not just one. Lack of time sense, yes, rebellion, yes, immaturity, yes, morning sluggishness, the list goes on and on. I liked the routine, I liked it when my duties were clearly defined….Essentially, I liked to be told what to do, but now how to do it. Shyness was a huge problem; I always felt timid and lacking in confidence, unpolished, even though I knew I was a smart person.

I could probably go on and on, but I’ll leave it at that for now. These days I have two part-time occupations but am primarily an at-home mom. I would say both my part time jobs – singing and living history work – are fairly ADD-friendly, though they have their pitfalls!

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[April]

I have been working at the same job for eleven years. The job is not difficult but I wish to move on to other things. I work in municipal government and we are moving towards benchmarking work and having to answer for output. I have applied to other jobs that I thought I would like to do but I either fail the interview or fail in the testing portion. I kind of feel trapped. I have been writing a little bit and looking to get involved in maybe learning to do some stand up comedy but don’t know where to go. I love comedy and I often make people laugh not always intending to though. I think I survive at work because I have been doing the same thing for a long time so I pretty much know the work like the back of my hand. I still find that I move in several directions at the same time and I lose sight of space and time at work and in my own personal life. You know, I can not see a person for an entire year and feel like I just talked to them yesterday — I lose track of time. At work, I am a bit more organized but every day is a struggle. I learned about a year ago that I have ADD. I guess I must be high functioning but sure explains why everything has always come to me with great difficulty. We not only have to work to pay or bills but we need to feel like we are contributing to support ourselves in someway. Lately, I have wanted to run away from everything but in an hour or so I will google something, which will lead to something, that leads to something, then something else and then realize I don’t have any clothes for work tomorrow so I better get my backside to the washing machine. Oh what were we talking about? Oh yes, filling in a 40 hour week at work. I don’t know — I work 37 hours or that is what I tell myself at the end of day. Cheers

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[caper]

I have no trouble focusing on things I find interesting/challenging (may have something to do with my high IQ and Aspergers). So I have had full-time jobs last for up to a year or so.

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[sdwa]

I have always worked low-level jobs. In my 20s, usually for no more than 9 months at a time before I would get frustrated and quit. Factory, clerical, waitressing (which I’m too clumsy for), watering plants. Later, I learned to type and got more advanced secretarial work, which I am still doing in my late 40s. But I have other skills – writing, graphic design – which I’ve put to use on marketing brochures and signage projects in my office, and also use outside, having co-authored a few books that I am not really getting paid to do at all. Seems like I do a lot of work for free – design or writing. I’ve done newsletters. I also used to have a painting studio. So, like you, know that I am smart and there are a few things I am skilled at – but I can’t get paid to do those things full time. I lack the self-discipline to freelance – I need external structure. I need someone to report to, who will tell me what they want and request completion at a specific time. Not sure there are actual jobs like that. Right now I work only 20 hours a week in office support, and the rest of the time, read, write, study obscure intellectual subjects, and twiddle around. Have never lived above the poverty line, but as long as I’m not homeless I’m OK with that. I don’t need very much.

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[allan wallace]

Nope, I don’t have a regular job, and have never been able to endure too long in any gulag…*shudder*…I have had so many different jobs that I couldn’t possibly know the total, but easily way over 100…2 years is my record in one place. Speaking of records, I’d suggest that I still hold records for sickies taken at some of the gulags where I’ve wept and gnashed teeth…I’ve tasted all of the shitty manifestations of gulags, from offices, showrooms, factories, warehouses, and everything in between. I haven’t been a prostitute in the biblical sense of the word before, but I’m probably too old now anyway, and I’ve never worked with dead animals, or corpses of people. Well, I once did remove a corpse in a wooden crate from the back of a van in Perth. The memory of that still creeps me out, and at the time I was troubled by the lack of dignity being shown to a deceased person…gawd, I have so much housework to do. I should have started hours ago, and at the rate I’m going I won’t get started on it. I’ll be nursing a migraine after my wife hunts me down and tells me ‘what for’…

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[Anonymous]

I couldn’t even imagine doing an office job. Right out of college I briefly worked at a telecenter, it was so brutal I quit within 2 to 3 months, despite desperately needing the money at the time. Now I am a sales rep and have been with the same company for a few years. I love it because every day is different, I get to travel a lot, and really the majority of my day is driving around in my car, where I can entertain myself with music, Howard Stern, podcasts, etc. But even still I am always looking for something better or a way out! Freakin’ ADD. I also struggle with the “busy work” I have to do – reports, staying on top of emails, returning calls. And those are things a sales rep MUST do, so I have ways of forcing myself to do it but it is still hard and taxing on me, sometimes I can tell it’s why I will lash out at loved ones, even though it’s an awesome job and great for a person with ADD, I still feel like I am trying to hold a lid down over a boiling pot of water. I hope to someday own my own business, I am really good at hyperfocusing when I am interested in what I’m doing! Now to just be able to get that going……

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

I started out in show biz. Now I have an office job. Okay, it’s a cool, funny, weird and creative job and the office is quite nice, since it’s one flight of stairs from my bed. But still, officially, it’s an office.

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[additude]

I have been a waitress since i was 17.. Im 20 now but that was definitely a struggle. I forgot everything, forgot to put peoples orders in so they were waiting for a very long time for their food. I once didn’t see a family sitting there and my manager had to take the order. I got fired from another server job for dropping the tray and just not being quick enough. I’ve had about 8 or 9 jobs since i was 16. I’m a cocktail waitress at a casino now and this is by far the longest i lasted at any job, maybe its because its exciting and keeps my attention. I still have my days where i completely forget and mess up though then the days where i kill it. I wish i knew how to send my brain in to hyper focus, it would be much easier. I always thought i was a slower learner than everyone else and wondered what was wrong but ADD gets in the way of a job tremendously. Its amazing what lack of focus can do.

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[ADDled]

I have a 9-5 office job and I absolutely HATE it. Staring at spreadsheets in a grey coloured cube is boring beyond belief. Then there is the “administrivia” which seems to increase more and more and is more urgent than the actual work I need to do.

I much prefer to work with my hands. Or in some sort of creative environment where my ADHD can be a force for good instead of evil. There was something on the radio about a software firm in Germany that has hired people with Asperger’s and autism for scanning lines of computer code for errors. It seems the ability to hyperfocus and to see patterns is an advantage. This report went on to say a company in Halifax (?) or somewhere on the right coast of Canada, was doing the same thing.

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[honda]

The job I enjoyed the most was janitorial work.  I was on my own, no one to bother me, no pressure and the nights are so peaceful.  Of course the pay is low, but fortunately for me I got a government job that paid full medical & pension benefits, plus a higher wage than one would get working for an outside contractor.

If one is thrifty and careful one can make their money go along way.  I never made a lot of money but I always had enough.  The work was steady not like some jobs where the work is seasonal or just on and off.  Working steady, even at a lower paying job can put more dollars on the table than doing on and off work.  I wasn’t bothered by what other people thought, nor did I think the work was beneath me.  I would rather work at a low paying job that I am happy doing, than at a stressful high paying job that makes me feel miserable.

If I were trying to get into janitorial work today I would try to contract myself out to various buildings, and in that way I would make more money than if I were working for a contractor. I would also take a janitorial course to learn all I can, and then work for a private contractor for a short while to get the experience.  After that I would be on my own.  Just be careful not to get more work than you can handle.  You don’t want to feel stressful and overwhelmed.

Anyway that has been my experience.  It may be not what you would like to do, but if you think it is, give it a try.

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