I've achieved great succes in my career, but have also been fired over 10 times!

[Anonymous]

I’ve been fired and quit jobs all my life. The pattern seems to be about every 6 to 8 months. I’ve always thought I was lazy and had to try harder but that doesn’t make sense either becasue I excel at just about anything I do…for a short period of time. I can land good jobs and really do well for a while but then it all starts to fall apart. I guess I’m afraid of going to the doctors only to be told that there’s nothing wrong with me. The worst part is that now, without a job, I don’t have the funds to even go get checked out. Are there any sugguestions as to what agency to contact to get some help with medical costs? I don’t want to be out of work every year and depressed because I can’t seem to hold a job.

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[Anonymous]

I’ve had many different jobs over the years since I started working. Only fired from one and I really kind of deserved that. (stupid teenager stuff) Finding a job that is conducive to both your personality and your own individual ADD symptoms is pretty tough I’m sure. I thought I did a pretty good job at my present job (been here 5 years) but since I’ve been medicated for ADD I think I actually didn’t do all that well before at all. I mean I kept up, and did the work. I was brought up with a strong work ethic and I’ve never been someone to sit on the sidelines. My job tends to be somewhat physical and because it’s at an airport I see different people and have different situations most every day. I really only get bored when it’s kind of slow due to it being the off season. I’ve noticed that I’m better able to complete the tasks involved in my job without being distracted by the so many things that can and do distract me. I’ve also found that the focus I get on the medication (Adderall) is so much better than the natural hyperfocus I have without medication. I’m so happy I finally got medication and am kind of mad at myself for waiting for so long. I’ve pretty much recognized myself as having ADD for the last 8years when my son was diagnosed. I imagine that if I’d have been diagnosed many years ago how much better I’d have done at HS, college, life, jobs, managing a home, ect.

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[Swordsman45]

I had to become self employed. Showing up everyday at the same time, to the same building, and doing the same thing made me crazy. It’s not easy being ADD and self employed but it beats the crap being trapped in job that’s stifles the soul. I start in the morning plus or minus whatever minutes I want. I take lunch at 11am plus or minus whatever minutes I want. I end my day when I want. I do service work as well as new installations and most contracts don’t run more than a couple of months so I get new stimulus continuously. I also found out that when you work for yourself your boss is harder on you than any other employee’s there may be.

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[Anonymous]

The ADHD psychiatrist I saw for a consultation said the same thing, he didn’t know of any accountants with ADHD. But I managed to successfully obtain a professional accounting designation. It was hard and I’m still not sure how I did it, because I never studied in school, was a very average student (poor at math!), dropped out of university, etc. I guess I just did it one step at a time, without expectations. I was surprised the first year at how well I did, so I just kept going.

I’ve never had a job that lasted longer than 5 years (the last one was a very good one at a large Japanese auto manufacturer, but I couldn’t handle the stress nor keep all the accounting rules up to date and in my head, so I basically retired from accounting), and most jobs were no more than 2 years. That’s about 26 jobs in my life (I’m 56). I’ve worked for myself twice now (different types of businesses), and what I do now is successful because I found a way to capitalize on what I do best, a small skill set, and saying no to anything else. Being an accountant helps me a lot (don’t have to pay someone for that) but I still hate aspects of that. I’m doing creative work and I love it.

luna, I too can do a lot of things, but as I found out, not that successfully when I’m working for someone else. I don’t usually meet up to their standards (which feel like a straitjacket, I hate authority). I always want to embellish the job, do more than I’m asked to do, and that usually means I don’t do what I should be doing, or don’t do it all, or on time. I’m sure that I have a learning disorder (I bet I have a math disorder for sure), so that might be part of it. And some times I get so stressed that I just spin my gears completely. Meds have been very, very helpful.

Like swordsman and lanakila, I thrive where the job isn’t the same every day. I would be (and have been) a terrible employee. I have been an incompetent manager and supervisor. So what’s working for me is working by myself, for myself. My husband helps out in my business, but most of the time it’s just me.

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[Anonymous]

Aren’t there programs in the US where you can be mentored by a retired business person in starting your own business? It might be a direction to look in. When my accounting colleague lost her job (she has too much attitude and argues too much), she enrolled in a program through the unemployment insurance program here in Canada to help retrain her for running her own business. That one eventually failed (IT consultant) but she is working again as an accountant so at least it kept her active.

I don’t know what to suggest about meds. I’m thankful for my husband’s health insurance plan.

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[caper]

@Luna1960: I take 20mg generic ritalin SR 2x daily. It costs only 25c/pill. It’s the cheapest ADHD medication I’ve found, and it lasts much longer (taking the 2nd 6-7hrs after the first) than a single 36mg Concerta.

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[Anonymous]

I WISH i could have a job for 5 years…my limits is about 5 months. I worked in a parking garage collecting miney in the booth for 3 years tho. Thats very add friendly so long as u have smart phone and a radio.ive worked at an indepndent retaraunt, pizza hut sbux albertsons chipotle daycare and in surgery….all lasted 3-5 months cept the parking garage. Ironically i lost that job too due to a non ADD related issue…if anyone wants to help my do the papaerwork (gulp!) to get on disability id realllly appreciate it.

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[Anonymous]

I count 7 times being fired. What finally worked for me was a set schedule,nothing different every day. I can’t handle any kind of schedule where the start time can vary.

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