I found out I am ADHD at the age of 51

[Anonymous]

I was relieved at first. Now I knew why I always hated school. Unfortunately, I have had to return to school to finish my BS degree in order to make a salary on which I can survive. Returning to school at 51 while working full time became more than I could handle, so I asked the school for help. It was taking forever to read all of the material assigned. I was falling behind more and more every week. I asked if my textbooks were on tape or CD and explained the difficulty I was having. They said I would need to be tested and if I were found to be ADA eligible, they would provide me with accommodation. Just before the test was administered, I was laid off from my job and subsequently lost my medical insurance. After the test results were given to me, I could not afford to see anyone professionally to receive some guidance and understanding until recently. My school accommodated me by doubling my test time and gave me software that enabled my textbooks to read to me. At that time, I had received two “C”s; from that point on, I have made “A”s.

It has taken two years to get some information that makes sense to me about ADHD and how it affects me. I caught the tail end of ADD and Loving It on my local PBS station. I purchased the audio version of You Mean I’m not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy shortly afterward. I have listened to it a couple of times now, taking notes the second time through. I am now 53, still in school carrying a 4.0 but I don’t think I am smart enough to be majoring in Technical Management. I struggled too much through the math courses. If it had not been for my tutor, I would never have made it. How can I figure out the profession that best fits my cognitive abilities that will provide a large enough salary to survive?

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[Anonymous]

check this out: http://www.jocrf.org/

I also just realized what I’ve known on some level for a long time – ADD. But, I’m lucky. I took these aptitude tests many many years ago. It literally changed my life. It gave me confirmation that the field of study I was contemplating was right for me, and the confidence to keep going when it was difficult. It’s not cheap, but I’m not sure I can say strongly enough how valuable it’s been. It was at least 25 years ago that I took it, and it not only helped me select the right career, but I use what I learned about my own strengths and weaknesses every single day of my life – and I really mean every day. I’d still be waitressing if I hadn’t done that.

btw – there are some fields where the math to get through school is much much much harder than the math required for the actual career. for instance: I get my knickers in a twist all the time when I hear some poor high school kid tell me how badly they want to be an architect, but they’re not good at math. You need enough math ability to get through school, you find a school where the structural classes are not calculus based, then when you work in the real world, you hire structural engineers like everybody else.

So, if this is a field you really love and it suits you in every other way – is there a way to work around the math issue?

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[Anonymous]

Wendy thanks for responding.

It has been so long since I have had a job I really liked and wanted. I selected this field because it will still be around in twenty years and technology has become the way of the world. What I enjoy doing is desktop publishing. I just do not see that earning me the kind of lifestyle I would like to have.

The only other thing I really enjoy is driving. Driving for a living can take the fun out of it. You know, rules and regulations, they tend to get in the way. Now if I could get a good paying job test driving cars by finding out what they are capable of, that would be the bomb.

Outside of the math, I am not the corporate type. I am too political. I do not have it in me anymore. My patience is all used up. Who administered the aptitude test?

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