I don't think the "typical" ADHD jobs are for me…

[kseniiaadhd]

I’ve looked at the lists that say what careers ADHDers are best suited for, and I don’t think I’m suited for any of them.

I’m currently a marketing writer for a company, and want to eventually become a child and family psychologist. Neither one of these careers are recommended, probably because of the amount of sitting/listening you have to do in both jobs. I understand that, but I can’t think of anything I would rather do than help children and families navigate life and transitions. Helping people has always been a part of who I am.

I am medicated right now (though we are still working out dosage….*sigh*), and think it would go a long way to helping make these careers possible. But does anyone have any advice on how to make a new, sedentary career work for an adult with ADHD?

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[Patte Rosebank]

@kseniiaadhd, welcome aboard!

Don’t get too hung up on “recommended careers for ADDers”. There’s no such thing. Every ADDer is different, because we’re driven by what’s interesting to us. Believe it or not, there are some ADDers who thrive as accountants, because they find numbers so interesting!

There are plenty of ADDers who are psychologists and ADHD Coaches. (I was diagnosed 4 years ago, and I’m studying to be a Coach.) Many do their sessions by phone, using a cordless headset so they can pace the room while they work.

Writers don’t have to be sedentary either. They can use speech-to-text software, to dictate their writing while pacing the room. Or set up a treadmill desk, and walk while they type.

Watch the webinar “The Perfect Job For ADHD”, in the Webinar Archives:  http://totallyadd.com/webinar-archives.  It’s fun, and it explains a lot!

 

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[kc5jck]

Larynxa is right again.  (or else she and I are both wrong.)  Don’t give up on writing if it is your dream.  There are other jobs .  .  .  and there is always self employment.

The best careers and jobs for anyone, ADHD or not is one they really like.

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[Patte Rosebank]

I just found this article about Michael Palin, in which he looks back on his life and many jobs, rather than a “career”. http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-26920916

His conclusion: “I’ve never really become an adult”.

(Works for me…)

 

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[Alan Brown]

I think our ADD tribe’s experience is likely to be more like Michael Palin’s — and I just got done watching Rick’s TEDx Talk where he described his own mish-mash of a “career track”. I’m one of those mish-mashers, too, to some extent. Do what ya love. And do a search for Wilma Fellman — she’s one of the top experts on ADHD and work/careers. Best of luck in your pursuits!

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[blackdog]

I’m sure I am probably just repeating what’s been said here, but if you are interested in it and you’re good at it then it will work. Just so long as you understand your ADHD symptoms and how to avoid the problems they might cause. If it’s hard to sit and listen for long periods of time then you need to be aware of when your mind starts to drift and find strategies to stop it from happening. And if you hate paperwork, as most of us do, you’ll have to make sure you stay on top of it so that it doesn’t get out of control.

Good luck whatever you do. At least you know what you want to be when you grow up, which is more than I can say for myself.

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[trashman]

my interest changes so fast I can be so focused on something , till I get in the room and I am going what did I want! so I end up not knowing what I forgot.LOL

 

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[blackdog]

LOL @trashman. You and me both.

Today I wanted to find some little bamboo skewers to provide temporary support for my peas because they are growing fast and I haven’t got the garden ready yet.

While I was looking for the skewers I noticed there were still a bunch of little silver stars from the bag of sequins that got spilled last week all over the floor. So I started picking up the stars.

Then after doing that for a bit I remembered about the skewers and went back to looking for them. Until I noticed I had some garlic cloves in the kitchen that were sprouting. So I Googled ‘how to grow garlic’ to find out if I can plant them…..

And on it went, switching from one thing to the next all day. And on the way home from my doctor’s appointment that I barely managed to make it to I thought about the peas again and made plans to find those skewers as soon as I got home….

And here I am.

I don’t know if I’m having a worse day than usual or if I’m just becoming more aware of all those little ADD moments and how often I actually switch gears in a day. It’s no wonder I never get anything done.

What I am interested in today I will have forgotten by tomorrow. And that does make it very hard to know what kind of work you might like to do.

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[Alan Brown]

I LOVE this classic tale, @blackdog. It’s so classic it’s almost not funny. Luckily we tend to see the humor in this craziness. On a semi-serious note, here’s my trick for staying on-task:

The way to get ENGAGED in an important task is to determine forcefully that THIS IS WHAT I’M DOING NOW. The way to keep from getting pulled AWAY from that thing is to guard your mind’s open window – with a labeling gun for things that are “NOT WHAT I’M DOING NOW”.

Example: I’ve sat down to write an important letter that I’ve been putting off, because it requires lots of thought. A few minutes in, I remember that I meant to trim my soul-patch (the little button under my lower lip), and it’s appealing because that would be so much easier than writing. Writing is hard. AND TRIMMING MY SOUL-PATCH is a nice diversion — BUT UNLESS IT’S GETTING IN MY WAY OF EATING, IT IS BULL-oney. And it’s not what I’m doing now. Right now I’m writing this letter.

THEN, Halfway through I get a text from a colleague from whom I’m expecting an update. “Now THAT’s important,” I think, but texting with a colleague is NOT WHAT I’M DOING NOW. What I’m doing now is writing a letter. So I jot down on a STICKIE that I’ll return his text and get back to work — BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT, JUST NOT WHAT I’M DOING NOW.

“Multitasking is for suckers”, someone wise once said. If you can identify the task you’re doing now and do it, believe it or not, you can stay on it. The trick is LABELING.

You could easily substitute your original task and the diversions into the above. I hope it’s helpful!!

 

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