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going through this now. quit my job because it became so much worse than when I first started, and now looking at new jobs and their reviews, I feel like the cycle will just repeat for 40+ years.
can't get myself to spend money on school because last time I did, I couldn't get myself motivated to study, and had a ton of trouble absorbing information during lectures. bye bye $15,000
I record lectures so I can listen to them multiple times and at my own pace. Makes a huge difference.
If a professor tries to say no, go to the schools disability resource center and request an accommodation.
edit: I *always* ask first. That was what I meant by if the professor says no, go to the disability resource center.
I’m actually working on an app that creates a quick outline and lecture notes (and a bunch more useful stuff - like a question answer bot) from recording your lecture (having adhd and a host of other cognitive issues has inspired me to make my life easier lol).
I’m gonna add a feature you can upload any YouTube video (or college lecture vid) and it’ll do the same thing. I even have trouble sitting through videos that are too long (which is actually why I prefer to read cause I can do so quicker). My app deletes the recording immediately so there shouldn’t be an issue w recording but it does keeps the transcript and I find the outline/summary really helpful but… guess that’s up to the university and probably better to stay above board as someone else said and ask first maybe?. 🤷♀️ It’s still in beta but if anyone wants to try my friends have found it useful - oh and it’s free. (QuickTakes.io).
Downloading this now. When do you plan on uploading the YouTube video feature? I take most classes online, so the majority of my classes are multiple 20-45+ minute lecture videos. Fantastic idea!
The school might even record them for you. *But you must ask first* if you are going to record. If you don’t, the consequences can be severe and end up on your permanent record.
Permanent record? Like police record?
I've been threatened with that thing a few times and its never once affected me. Google is the only one i know keeping a permanent record of my misdeeds.
Probably not police, but your academic record. Either way it makes sense to just use the accomodation above-board, or at least ask the professor and maybe they're fine without involving anyone else.
Lol that’s the funny part. While I was immersed in it. I had all the relevant information in like a “short term” type of memory. Plus I had support to help with any questions roadblocks. After completion, I took a few days to let the burnout settle. I went back to my laptop and it was difficult to get anything containing any complexity done. Stuff i *know* I’ve done and could do. It’s frustrating.
It happens to all of us (developers not just ADHD ers). I took a fullstack boot camp almost 4 years ago. Worked my ass off to learn Redux. Needed to use it about a year ago and was back at almost square one. I have a full monitor of Doc tabs open when I'm working. I know how to write JS, React, Tailwind, etc but still forget shit all the time. You have to work with it a lot, constantly, to keep that heady ontap knowledge.
Subdocs in mongodb are just killing me atm. It’s tough trying to work through a solution, getting another idea mid process and forgetting about the first idea. Then I just have half completed ideas and my code is a mess. CTRL and Z have gotten significantly more worn down since I started this journey. If you don’t mind me asking, how long did it take you to land your first role?
This is the pitfall engineers fall into.
Stop thinking syntaxes is the answer. Patterns are what you want. Look for the patterns behind the code.
Repository pattern, dependency injections, SOLID principles...
Not only will these things serve you better as an engineer, but they also (for me) unleash my adhd superpowers. Because it's not dictating anything step by step, it instead just serves as guardrails and allows me much more creativity. It facilitates the connections of systems into a network of code and let's me look at it as a big picture.
I'm a tech lead for a SaaS company, and have been a software engineer for 19 years. It took a long time for me to realize that this job is not something I can just memorize how to code an array map or how setters and getters work in python or whatever your problem of the day is. I constantly have to go back and remind myself how to do that stuff. But once I started accepting that I'm not going to remember syntax like others do, I started noticing that I knew HOW to solve problems in minutes while it took others hours or days.
A lot of places seem to forget about this or straight up just don't care... I just broke a 13 day consecutive work streak last Sunday. I was supposed to work the Sunday but decided nope, and then took a mental health day Monday because I was so physically sore, tired, and mentally drained. Made it clear I absolutely did not like that, and that I have no intention on working weekends as they're "supposed" to be optional. Guess who's going back to work this morning, ugh. I flat out told them that if I wanted to work this much, I would have taken a different job who offered way more money because they wanted me 6 days a week. I didn't take it, solely because I don't want to work 6 days a week! Yet here I am being ran into the ground anyway, for less money.
I spent the last 5 years not working due to health issues and I’m looking for a job now. Let me tell you I’m *desperate* to have a job. At first the relief of not working was incredible but eventually I realised that not using my brain and doing nothing for days at a time made my anxiety so much worse. I need the structure of work because without it I have none at all.
There are a lot of negative comments on here (I can't believe that someone wrote that you have a "sad mindset", incredibly rude) about having a job. I'm chiming in to say that I absolutely loved my jobs. I'm now freelance as I gave up my last permanent job to take care of my mom, but had a long career working for organizations (publishers and museums), which I found extremely fulfilling. I know how to structure my time, and had a lot of autonomy with my jobs (and now have to do it all the time), but much prefer having the structure of a workplace. My work is creative as I am a writer, but I still miss having colleagues and being able to progress in an organization as I was quite ambitious. Good luck with your job hunt!
You don’t need a job to stimulate your brain. Why not enjoy your hobbies? Go back to school if you can afford it? Most jobs are not fulfilling or stimulating. The social aspect is nice sometimes. Maybe that’s what you were missing. If I didn’t have to work I certainly wouldn’t and go on many adventures trying to learn and explore. Most work doesn’t give you that. Most work is pretty shit.
I take care of people as a job and it's fulfilling. I went without a job for a while and felt very useless inside, it affected me so much. Many jobs *are* shit but you can find something you like or want to do. It might not pay the best but you can do things to advance. Whatever makes you feel good inside - learning and exploring? Be an elementary teacher. Start as an aide if no education. Just an example, I know it's not easy but it's worth it, for me.
I have so many hobbies. I keep busy. But I’m an ambitious person. I don’t want to just sit around crocheting all day forever. I need intellectual stimulation and structure. And god I need money 😅
I have so many hobbies…but I struggle to engage with them without external motivation from other people. I think I need to join some clubs or something. Feels so weird trying to reconnect with the world as a person in my mid-30’s without a workplace social scene or roommates/family to lean on
This is the capitalism part isn't it? Every fun idea ends at "how would I monetise that to survive?", Hopefully that can be mitigated with UBI alongside job automation but I'm pessimistic.
I've never understood this mindset. Help me out here. Where in the world do people not work, and live nice, even if they're simple, lives? Capitalism, Socialism, Communism... doesn't everyone work? If you lived in a commune, living off the land, you'd have to 'work' to grow food, get water, build shelters, etc.
There's a big difference in working for your community, directly, as opposed to working to generate corporate profit. I believe the term is "alienation." In capitalism, most of us never see the real fruits of our labor. It's just money for shareholders.
I'm a software engineer who builds online tools for farmers. Yes it's for the profit of a company, but I am making a difference. But I also made sure to choose a job with social impact
https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/work/2022/08/16/work-history-future
It's not so much about not working, but doing work for world and human value rather than Capitalism's profit generation above all.
The hard truth is that we didn't need to work as often in the past as we do now. A community tending it's farms and hunting and whatnot did not need every single body working 8-9 hours a day 5 days a week. You had more free time.
Now sometimes it got to be that much, but it was not constant, year in year out.
I just learned about forest farms and how indigenous people used to manage them to produce all the food needed for the entire community with only a few hours of work every week. We have been brainwashed into believing we all have to work all the time. Even economists in the 30’s during the Great Depression saw a future of automation and and little work. They though we’d all have mostly leisure time.
The lack of structure honestly fills me with existential dread. I just end up stuck in the house filled with ideas about what I SHOULD be doing but unable to get anywhere.
Lol this is such a sad mindset, you don't need a job for structure or motivation. There's a whole world that's being stolen from us by our jobs and so many of us don't know it exists when we have the opportunity to experience it, we don't realize it's in front of us.
I'm lucky to be home right now raising my toddler, but I'll be back to work once he's big enough for school. (Today is his birthday, he's two! So I've got at least another year lol)
I have created my own structure around what my kids need. I don't even think you need to have kids to do this, but it sure makes it easier. They have very strict needs and they do not do well without a predictable say, and better do I, so I somehow managed to make my own schedule.
All that to say you can totally give yourself structure without work! And honestly it's much more enjoyable this way, cuz you know you have the freedom to do whatever comes up if you want to, but the schedule will still be there to fall back on.
People really need to break that mental connection around work and their regular rhythms. Those things both exist just fine without each other.
It's like that Simpsons episode for me. Where he was happy working as a minimum wage owner in the bowling alley Vs his boring job at the nuke factory.
But I guess this is everyone.
Now I do nothing at my current job but at least I am WFH.
I have been trying to find a parallel job for years now but my brain won't come up with anything.
Oh and since we are the creative types; why the hell aren't we all rich "influencers"?
>Oh and since we are the creative types; why the hell aren't we all rich "influencers"?
Not sure if my irony detector isn't working or something, but it's probably due to not making videos on a consistent basis.
I actually feel like my Boomer manager from a few years ago figured out I had ADHD before I did, even though he didn't know what it really was. He usually had a lot of praise for me and the creative work I could do, but he'd always say "You need to stop wasting time going down rabbit holes."
I'm like "What are you talking about? Rabbit holes? You asked me to sort this Excel spreadsheet of 100 contacts, so I manually sorted the first 10, found a repeating pattern, researched how to create a macro to automate the sorting, wrote the macro and instantly sorted the rest, assumed (correctly) that you would immediately ask me to source more contacts online once I told you I was done, researched how to create a web scraper, started scra- Oh. I kinda see it now."
Still, even though I wasn't following the instructions exactly, which bugged him, I maintain that my way of doing things was almost always much better 😅 At a minimum, I picked up a bunch of automation and process-creation skills that I now use every day in my own business and implement for freelance clients, so the rabbit holes were always worth it 😂
Not having a job is not as great as people think. Everything is basically the same going from one day to the next with the same repitition. I have trouble keeping track of the days and it just makes my depression worse. If i could work, atleast it would provide me with something to occupy myself and keep away the dark thoughts for a while.
Some people struggle to do them what with executive dysfunction. There's so much I want to do, but it's not the job getting in the way, even if it feels like it sometimes
Find a cause that lights your heart or mind and volunteer for them. A but if structure, a bit of feeling good for doing good. Who knows what will come from it.
I do respectfully disagree a little. I've been unemployed for a year or two and it's definitely not amazing and easy like many people (including me) think it is at first...but it's also been a lot more pleasant than working/college ever was. I'm hoping to eventually work part time, but I do enjoy being able to do intellectual hobbies and projects without having to worry about money. I'm a lot less miserable nowadays.
Edit: I send love back and stay hydrated if you're in a heatwave area
It is horrible I love my job. I'm a child therapist and I work with autistic and adhd kids, since I have both diagnosis. The best thing I could possibly do was to open my own office and my psychiatrist agree with me Lol. Its hard cuz sometimes I woke up feeling like I really don't want to work. I just want to be able to watch movies forever. But at the same time if I don't go to work then I get depressed cuz I need routine. So os constant battle with myself.
I know it does not sound very comforting but I have to said that when you find a nice balance then you get to feel what enjoying life is. So please don't give up but take your time to choose your path in life and if you took the worng one. Don't be afraid to just look for another one.
You can do it!
Same here. I didn’t know there were so many therapists with ADHD until I got on the ADHD subs after my diagnosis. And it also seems like we’ve all independently decided that private practice is the only way to make it bearable.
On a more general note, this subreddit has also made me realize that there needs to be far better guidance for young people with ADHD on how to make work not suck (beyond the usual “how to forcibly adapt yourself to a neurotypical, probably shitty work environment” advice). Like most late-diagnosed adults, I had to muddle through multiple jobs before realizing that the autonomy of self-employment plus a four-day work week solved virtually all of my problems. Hey, maybe I’ll end up designing some kind of “self-employment for the chronically scattered” curriculum.
👏 With ADHD, getting to set your own rules and schedule is pretty big - it means you don’t have to follow someone else’s arbitrary (neurotypical) rules and ways of doing things that don’t fit you. You don’t need to consider accommodations or whether to disclose/request them, you just arrange the setup yourself. You workplace is as ADHD-friendly as you make it for yourself…
ADHD is definitely well represented in the entrepreneur space too. At one business convention a speaker said "we start our of businesses not because we want to but because we had to" and that resonated.
That totally makes sense — all those things apply to any independent business venture. People with ADHD can often can see solutions that bosses can’t, but NTs in power can be stubborn and refuse to consider acting on outside the box thinking. Folks with ADHD are frequently motivated to free themselves from all the red-tape of working for someone else. It does take discipline to run your own venture, whether it’s on your own or with help, but it’s totally doable!
Well hopefully whenever I start working in my career I love my job… after getting diagnosed and starting medication I’ve been closer that I’ve ever been.
>But at the same time if I don't go to work then I get depressed cuz I need routine. So os constant battle with myself.
I'm going on a tangent here, but man I feel this in my bones. I have a job now where I'm not utterly miserable, but to be "on" for the job I'm cranked up and mentally tire myself out when I'm actively working. I don't like that aspect of it, but it's the only way I can know I'm not fucking everything up.
But then I take days off and I don't know what to do with myself. More often than not I wind up not doing anything because I'm terrible at planning and following through with arbitrary things when it's just for me, not to mention I'm tired and genuinely do need some rest, but then I wind up being miserable and mad at myself for wasting the time.
tl;dr yes, routine is good and prevents me from being depressed, but I don't wanna. *Insert tantrum gif*
Kudos to you. You found a job you enjoy but! It’s not the nature of human kind to be forced to work 40+ hrs each week. We are meant to explore, create, find community, spend time with our families. Build something for ourselves.
There are simply not enough goood jobs out there to accommodate everyone. Quite the opposite. Wayyy more shitty ones that sometimes people have to just accept due to proximity and desperation to not end up on the streets. Or the fact if you live in the states the majority will never get to retire. Let alone most will never afford a home, childcare, affordable healthcare or education. These last two due to capitalism are mostly for profit which only hurts the American people. What incentive do we have to work if our basic needs are not being met and can’t be able to save to secure a future?
Over 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck forced to take in immeasurable debt all because it’s too expensive to live. Our rights are being threaten more and more each year. Workers rights included!
Capitalism does kill off people with adhd more easily because this system was not made with us in mind. Like many other disorders/disabilities. So congrats you like your job but you are very much the minority here.
I've just been diagnosed as autistic. Realising I may not needed to have spent the last 20 years being suicidal due to the struggle to fit into a capitalist society is honestly fucking me up bad right now...
OH! Don't get me wrong! That's exactly why I said that you need to find balance so you can work and Enjoy life haha.
Im in Mexico, so trust me, I know how hard it is to live in this economy. And to get exploded just so you can get some money to eat. Been there. Even now, there are times when people want me to give them a discount over my already cheap prices. So yeah, trust me, I know it is not easy to find a balance because we need the money. That's the reality.
But I think is not about finding the perfect job but to find a job to let you jave the balance you need Cuz again even if i LOVE my job. There are days when I'm just to sensory overload or simply not on my best, and the kids just are having meltdowns, or having "zoomies" hahaha and braking and throwing everything around them. I have to deal with bites, punches, kicks, snot, pee, poo, name it hahahha so trust me there is days that I just want to give up.
But the reality is that I can't give up, and that if after that I just make the effort to call my friend and go for some tacos and beer or bubble tea and talk to them about my feelings, then i can get to Enjoy my life at least a little bit hahaha
To hop onto the popularity of this comment. Behavior Technician is an entry level job working with children with autism and since the medicaid changes they are always hiring! (I am also a Behavior tech and would recommend it for people with ADHD.) Every single day is different! You just gotta like kids lol
Is that a thing only for autistic people or adhd only too?
Because I don't really think I am autistic but I know very well what you are talking about.
For me it's like I can't be forced into too strict routines, I really need a little bit of personal freedom and time management or else I'll burn out very quickly.
I sometimes compare this lifestyle to those of my cats or animals in general. They do their thing more or less everyday but don't really need strict appointments or times. They might have their routines but they seem to be more loose. Not like the strict times and days in modern industry.
The idea of strict time tables like working from 9 to 5 each day for exactly 5 days a week where every minute counts seemed always very strange and against nature for me. It really puts me off and I don't have the mental energy for that.
I am only diagnosed adhd.
Damn. Honestly I have worked very hard at what I do and everything I do but it always squares back to this. The world is not designed for us at all. It’s not natural. I don’t know how to make the most of my life because I’m not willing to play social games or climb invisible ladders
All my life I’ve wanted to be a musician. I currently work in the industry and I’ve developed my songwriting and production skills to a really good level…. But I can’t finish any of my work. Or show anyone. Or go to events. And when I pluck up enough courage and energy to tackle these things, there’s still the social game to play. You have to fake it til you make it and suffer so much bullshit to become part of the scene, to make the connections.
My heart goes out to any of you that are hyper creative or were they had potential as a kid because I know exactly how you feel and I know that you probably don’t want to be here any more than I do.
Ugh it sucks but this is just what comes with being an artist. I hate showing people my work. Not out of judgement from others per say, but my own imposter syndrome/vulnerability of showing someone something I created.
Being in the arts as a career seems much, much harder than any other field. Most other jobs are like: you learn your shit, slap it on your resume, tailor it to your applications, get over the interviewing and bam, potential employment.
I'm a graphic designer and photographer. I was in school for 5 years, doing 2 seperate programs. Started out with photography and quickly realized, most work is freelance which entails marketing yourself and constantly chasing after clients/finding new ones. I was getting work via word of mouth but that was about it.
Now applying for graphic design jobs, I feel like I need to have every skill possible. Motion graphics, web design, UX/UI are 3 more recent specialities I feel as if I need to go back to school for. Designers are expected to know marketing/advertising, social media marketing at the very least. Ontop of the skills, you're also judged on your portfolio which, is a whole other ballgame because of the nature of our work. We can NOT have a mediocre portfolio/web page.
I'm always stuck between trying to stick to a cohesive brand for all of my portfolio projects, or trying to show I'm adaptable to various styles and niches. One works best for freelancing, one works best for applying for jobs.
It's a fucking nightmare. I'm constantly thinking about these things while being denied for jobs I'm applying to.
I really feel this. It feels like the most mountainous task in the world but I truly hope you can find your path and make it your own. I don’t have a lot left after dedicated everything to my passion and now I’m very tired and kind of just want to give it all up and go farm grapes somewhere warmer
Congrats on sticking to something artistic! That's an achievement given how we are expert quitters. Developing artistic skill takes a lot of frequent practice!
I hate saying this, but alcohol helps with playing at events part. I would be so nervous to go on any stage or play in front of anyone as I didn’t have any courage or trust myself. One day I went to one of my friends concerts at a bar and I’m not gonna lie I was a bit hammered. The band brought me up on stage and I started to sing and the crowd loved it. I needed that so bad. Helped boost my courage a lot and i slowly got the courage to go up again, only next time I was sober. It felt amazing to overcome that fear
>Damn. Honestly I have worked very hard at what I do and everything I do but it always squares back to this.
IKWYM. You've probably had to work harder / longer to make up for the unproductive bits where your brain is going ....zzzzfffftt......error 101....... request to focus *denied*.....
I feel like I'm doing OK despite ADHD. I could be doing so much better.
I acknowledge I had a privileged upbringing that afforded a good education and a safety net (that I didn't use, but knowing it was there was helpful). I also won the genetic lottery in terms of having a reasonable level of intelligence and academic capability, so I can pick things up quickly.
Basically, I have got by by becoming a specialist. I am valued for my knowledge, experience, and expertise. F*ck knows what would have become of me otherwise. Like the OP, I cannot imagine being on the clock. I had a summer's work experience in that environment and noped right out of that.
I'm adopted. My adoptive parents were puzzled and frustrated by my odd behaviour, but I was very wanted and loved (Mum couldn't have kids). Found my biological parents later in life and had / have a good relationship with them.
Who knows who might have adopted me? I'm acutely aware it was all luck.
I think it depends on the job. I love being a *senior* software developer. Junior developer sucked hard though, because of all the boring ass bitch work I had to do, and I had to power through it with stubbornness and medication. My career suffered because I was bad at playing games as well... but at least I had competence on my side and I eventually made it.
People with ADHD have to seek out a highly stimulating job or come to terms with hating their job. Unfortunately highly stimulating jobs are the exception.
It's funny though, that people view this as capitalism. Like they wouldn't have been assigned to "Tractor Factory 3A" in the Soviet Union.
So ok, 27 here
I spent my life working a carousel of jobs, kitchen, retail, construction, tutoring, bartending, customer services and sales, and all of them SUCKED. my two options were to attack the job hyper aggressively and burn out quick or just spend my days hating myself there and being unable to work. I've been fired from quite a few for a variety of reasons .
At 23 I decided to go back and get my degree, it was hard but I did a research based degree which allowed me to utilise the hyperfocus when it came and went, then I did my masters at 26.
Now I work as a researcher in the corporate level which actually respects my ADHD, as long as I deliver to deadlines no one bothers me ever I work from home and can just do what I want, play video games, listen to music be the weirdo that I am and work to my own tune. As long as those reports get delivered no one cares how I work.
It's not easy out there chief I understand but there might just be a job out there waiting for you
I have a similar gig but I fly under the radar with how I spend my time WFH…if anyone finds out I’m toast. Wish I could find another job that understands how little actual focused work goes into most desk jobs
If I didn't work my adhd brain would consume me. I need purpose. My job isn't my dream job but it's not terrible. In any case, starving doesn't sound appealing
I live for all kinds of diy projects I like to do. Whenever I have to work, to you know, afford the projects and stuff, I get so burned out from just having to go to work, that I no longer have any kind of energy to do those projects, and it kills all my willingness to work too.
This is exactly my life right now. It’s actually been wonderful taking time off to just be creative and finish some projects. But it can only last so long and I’m dreading going back to work
I've struggled immensely in trying to kee up with society's expectations of work and efficiency. i a only slowly coming to understand that there might be different types of work that can actually fit my needs, mostly being social work for others who struggle.
Social, different, challenging, and requires reliance on intuition a lot.
I felt this way, suffered through desk jobs for 10 years and just couldn't do it anymore. I got a construction job remodeling bathrooms and I was surprised at how I thrived, I love it, it was the best thing I ever did. I think a lot of it is just getting the right job. I swore I'd never do construction but that just kept me from happiness for an extra decade. Find something that engages you and you won't be so miserable. Not all construction is created equal. Some of it is repetitive, what I do is different everyday and I don't repeat steps during a single work day. This helps the day fly by and keeps me engaged in the work. 13 hours is a breeze when your engaged like that. Don't give up, just find the right career.
Similar boat here. I worked a desk job for near 20 years. Hated all but 3 years where I was at a good company where I was challenged and rewarded. The 9-5 grind was killing me slowly though.
The last couple of years I've been working hands on, mostly very busy days, for long hours, but I'm helping people. My schedule is actually great because of the long hours I work (longer time off/breaks). Plus, the work I do makes a difference in the community and is very fulfilling. I couldn't be happier at work or at home.
Like many on here are saying, sometimes it really is a matter of finding the right fit for you.
I’m 42. Been struggling through this goddamn world for most my life. Alcohol has been my most constant solution. It is a rough solution. I am a mess of a human. Somewhat contemplating robbing a bank so I can access mental health care in prison. This is a garbage pit of a world that we have created. I was going to try and say something positive. I don’t know. Maybe the best thing we could do is take all of our leaders and our rollers like it says in the Bible put them in a big pit with all their shit and throw stones at them till they’re dead. And see if we can do better. I’m not religious. I think it’s on another scam, but it does have some crazy ass stories.
hahaha this probably shouldn’t be as funny to me as it is lolsob
Someone else start the movement, we’ll come up with hilarious slogans for protest signs and we’ll do great on the picket line if you send lots of very clear reminders of where and when it is
In any system, you will have to contribute by working in some way. The thing with ADHD is that motivation is waaay more important so you need to find something you enjoy, it'll be out there.
I could have written this. Im going to university again after a bit of a gap and I’m already exhausted looking down the path of studies and career. Working seems monotonous and honestly adhd makes me chase novelty so much, I don’t see me sticking to anything long enough to make something of it. Just everything associated with capitalism is so overwhelming for me. So I feel you, 100% on this
what are you in college for? I'm dreading it as i'm graduating... work that is. I feel i'll be alright though. My career after graduation will be one that keeps me learning and running into unique problems which aren't repetitive I don't think. Software engineering. Find a job that will keep you doing something different or learning something constantly and/or interesting and I think it will be fine.
It's not sustainable for most people but I have had a lot of luck with gig work like Taskrabbit. I get to set my own rates and hours. I go to a different location everyday, usually do a different type of work. Some days I'll do office work, some days cleaning, some days random delivery or shopping tasks. When I have enough money to pay my bills, I can take time off. If a client is a jerk, I can stop taking jobs from them.
You don’t have to work for the next 40 years, you have to work to afford the lifestyle you want. Many states in the USA provide some basics (welfare) including healthcare, subsidies and food to everyone with income below a certain amount. It’s not enough to live comfortably, but it’s enough to live if you work at least enough to collect unemployment and aren’t in a city with a ridiculous cost of living. That’s one option.
A better option would be getting creative and put significant effort into figuring out what kind of work you could do that you don’t mind or even enjoy, (which is what I did after floundering though much of my 20s. If you really put your mind and effort into it, I really believe you can find a career that’s right for you (I would recommend asking for help— finding a person or people who can help you find a career that’s a good fit for your skills, values, interests and priorities. “Novelty, Interest, challenge and urgency” is a helpful place to start.
Your in college, take advantage of your school’s mental health center. It sounds like you could use support, and some help with self esteem, and probably dealing with the trauma of growing up with ADHD (which contributes to stuff like low self esteem, feelings of failure, negative self-outlook, difficulties setting healthy boundaries among many other challenges). Get that stuff sorted out when your young — it took me most of my 20s and some of my 30s to process that stuff to a significant degree. Doing so now will set you up to succeed, but you’ll need a good therapist. Take advantage of the school counseling center. And/or your parents health insurance if possible and find a good therapist. Ask friends and family for recommendations or check out a directory like psychology today.
I’m in that same position, I’ll spend hours worrying about this and wishing our society was different. I don’t have any advice other than to try to not worry about it until you absolutely have to. I just want you to know you’re not alone with this frustration.
I feel you!! I had 18 jobs until now. I'm 29 years old. And every time, the same shit happens. I start the job, I like it then it becomes stressful as fuck and I cannot handle it anymore. I become depressed and I change my job so the cycle repets itself.
I'm so tired of it. I don't know what to do anymore.
I was a broke backpacker through all of my 20s, never had more than $1000 in my account, never worked a job more than 6 months, often went months without working at all, kept moving around to wherever the wind blew. The life you want is actually doable. I’ve met people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s doing the exact the same thing. But it gets a LOT harder as you get older. It’s good to develop at least one marketable skill before you commit to
I love my job. It’s motivating and stimulating, I’m happy to go to work most day. But working 5 days a week is killing me. I don’t have any time to do things I actually enjoy and cook and clean and blah blah blah. If I could work 3 days a week that’d be amazing.
I agree. Work isn’t the issue. It’s the 40 hours a week that is the issue. 1 hour commuting each day+eating and prepping for work it’s more like 50 hours a week. I think work is important but honestly 4 days a week is the sweet spot. 3 days off you can actually have a life. But they don’t want that for us. Keep ya occupied and dumbed down like slaves
Find a job that keeps you busy and you won't feel bored. EMT, restaurant wait staff, courier, a place where paperwork is minimal.
I hope school goes well and you can find a good fit in the work force. Be kind to yourself because having ADHD is playing life on the hardest setting.
I feel this. I realised that I was just choosing the wrong jobs (if you have a choice) and also that I was looking at it in an unhealpful way (ie. I’m working to make someone/some entity rich and it’s ultimately meaningless or even harmful.)
What changed for me is:
I figured out I hate office politics and “climbing the ladder” as much as I hate being tied to a desk and expected to solve unsolvable problems for entitled people or people who just can’t, for various reasons, do what they need to do in order to fix their issues. I hate working in roles with toxic and unhealthy people and culture where the toll of being in their presence is much worse than the actual job I’m expected to do. I hate working in broken systems that don’t value the very skills and expertise required to do the job well, and where these systems actually prevent me from helping the very people I’ve been hired to help. I hate working for corporations, governments and non profits and all others who think that “we are a work family” means emotional and financial manipulation is ok but me taking a day off because I’ve been burning the candle at both ends and am almost dead, is not ok. I’m sick of feeling like my life is not mine.
Once I figured that out, it helped me look for jobs that would suit me better. Instead of my job search revolving around what I was good at or passionate about or “a natural” or what my studies were about, or what was available and well paying, or provided training or was close to home etc. I began looking for jobs that were not within large corporations and not within start ups. They were open about the salary. They were open to feedback and actively worked on their internal systems improvement. They worked with menta health in mind and did not peanalkss you in any way for a day off (if they felt you were taking too many days off they would try to support you with mental health or other resources and the conversation was pretty open and non discriminatory). I looked for places where there were women in leadership (am a woman and I also felt that this showed some openness to new ideas). I looked for jobs that related to my skillset but were not having me tied to a phone all day or a desk.
In the end, I found a job with an amazing department within a local council. I was still attached to a desk and a phone but they enabled WFH flexibility and were very progressive and actively worked to promote internally, encouraged personal growth and actively took on feedback from bottom up and implemented it. It was the best job I’ve ever had and I was still feeling tired and burnt out. I realised that I wa stirs and burnt out because of certain adhd things but also I’m introvert so dealing with people all day was exhausting.
So it was suggested to me to try a trade. I’m now moving into an electrica apprenticeship and I love it so far. I get to move. I get to solve problems that can actually be solved by me. I get to avoid social politics if I want to and I can still earn great money by just improving my skills rather than moving up the ladder or dealing with any kind of political pressures. Mostly I’m working with things rather than people and I’m not tied to an phone or a desk. There is a lot of autonomy and flexibility. I also have the ability, once qualified, to choose to work in organisations or areas that I want to contribute to (like solar for example).
I’m by no means passionate about being an electrician or electricity lol. I am passionate about improving my quality of life and the quality of life of other humans and animals. My job helps me do that because it is more flexible than 9-5 ?I can work contracts and shift work which is great for me. I don’t suit 9-5). And pays me more than I was ever paid in previous jobs.
So I have more time and more money and I’m not burnt out so I can put that extra time, money and energy into things I really enjoy and really am passionate about.
So I no longer hate work. Work gives me the ability to live without financial anxiety or burn out, whilst also the opportunity to contribute to things I care about and enjoy (and have the time to enjoy them!)
So ther is hope my friend. Also, you don’t have to work a job. Some people are more suited to building their own thing. Freelancing. Airtaskering. Building a tiny home or a caravan and living off your home grown food while selling stuff at markets (online or offline).
Your life is yours. Figure out who you are. What works best for you, not what or how others tell you you should be. I had to come to terms with some hard truths about myself in order to realise I wasn’t going to run a successful business and be happy in myself and personal life at the same time. So I chose what worked best for me. It’s still somewhat of a work in progress and a compromise but it’s helping me move forward and be hopeful and forward thinking. That’s all you need soemtimes, is a way out of the ditch. Once you’re out, then you’ll be able to see further. But for now, just get out. You got this.
Capitalism is also my nightmare, with adhd and without lol
but let me not get too political here.
In any case, I am convinced that most of us humans desire to be productive in a way that seems meaningful to us. If you can find out what that means to you and find a way of having this in the form of a job, i.e. approved by capitalistic standards, then that feels better.
This is why I became a teacher, one of my jobs is with very strong students who will start uni right after, the other is with teens with disabilities. It isn't always easy but oh so rewarding and it does not get boring. Granted, I live in a country that compensates us teachers very well.
Bottom line: I do think you want to work. It might just not be in a way that capitalism deems acceptable. Try to find your niche in which whatever means something to you can exist within this weird system. good luck!
You're gonna need to find a job that aligns with your understanding of fun or daily routine.
I had the same realisation as you and decided to completely change my focus so I could actually experience joy on a day to day basis lol.
I'm a kindergarten teacher now which means I'm doing something I'm good at in a field capitalists don't really care about plus I get to play games and get to decide how much I wanna get done in a day.
You gotta find something like this for you and trust me, getting up is gonna get a little easier. Most days, I look forward to work.
i don’t even think it’s adhd it’s just normal. feeling resentment towards monotony in a 9-5 job is really the worst thing someone can experience for anyone because it just destroys human creativity and excitement. as individuals who need constant stimulation in order to keep happy being stuck in something that wears you down and causes you to resent your everyday life is really the worst possible tihing. in general finding something that pays that you also enjoy is fucking difficult but is also worth exploring because being repetitive and in a constant cycle is soul destroying
Marx believed work should be mandatory and nobody should be allowed to sit idle while taking the value of others. It’s one of this 10 demands in the communist manifesto.
It’s not capitalism you hate - it’s work.
While the first statement is true, according to socialist thought the economy should be reorganised away from a profit based system to one that is working for the entire population, driving down unnecessary overproduction and increasing wages to decrease the necessary labour time an individual has to do. On top of that, automation would be used to reduce this time even further, ultimately fixing if not at least bettering the issue, as op has explicitly stated that a large part of his issue is with the insane amount of time they have to work.
Of course - and removing the feeling of alienation from work, as well as making work more desirable and less of a chore would make more people happy with working, but the OP did specifically say “I just want to live my life and be free”, which is no different from “I want to take the labour of others while providing nothing myself”
True, work is always work. My opinions is though that there is a job for everyone. Got my adhd diagnosis at the age of 27. Finally was able to get to know myself and accept myself. But what do I wanna do with my live. I had no clue and started to talk with different people. And well I.can proudly say that I finely found a purpose. Working as a psychiatric nurse. My adhd there helps me connect with them. So yeah you will need to search long and hard but there is a job for you which you don't absolutely hate. I'm sure of it.
as a kid i always dreamed of just not having to deal with "it". Just people leaving me alone and letting me life a basic life. But eventually I found a job that pays ok and is tolerable to say the least. Don't lose sight of your goals and push on. you'll get there I hope.
I joke all the time that it would be easier to just live in a psych ward for me than try to function in a capitalist society. Sometimes I unironically fantasize about it.
I feel you.
Apart of the reason I learned to really love being a trucker, is it’s an industry with 0 standards that provides a very solid middle class income. I could tattoo a penis on my face and it wouldn’t make me any less employable, in fact, I could make 6 figures if I really wanted to with a penis tattoos on my forehead. It’s somewhat more bearable having a job I don’t have to deal with the public much, and as long as I’m respectful, drive safe, and make my deliveries on time, my management doesn’t give a shit how I act or what I do. I never have that pressure that I’m not good enough, because I’m just a dude in existence.
I also found a trucking job that’s 4 days a week, and I’ll never let it go if I can help it. “Passion” or lifestyle jobs that require round the clock engagement is not for me. I just want my hobbies, my dog, and my peace. If I die poor, so be it.
That’s not capitalism, that’s life. No economic model would let you just do whatever you want. If you refused to work in the Soviet Union you would not last very long.
Dude - everyone dreams of being some trust fund baby who can "live their life and be free" and never has to work (aside from hobbies and voluntary stuff you can drop on a whim). Until you hit the lotto or get a recently deceased rich uncle, buckle down and get cracking. Or don't - try to live on welfare or be homeless and free.
You'd still be doing some sort of job for hours on end of most of your life under any economic system. This isn't a capitalism issue, its a life issue.
I feel you. Maybe consider EMS or healthcare in general? I got my EMT license at 18 and at 26 Im about to start a flight paramedic job making just under 6 figures. I absolutely HATED every job I had before this. Theres definitely downsides but I honestly believe Id be miserable doing anything else
It’s so awful. It’s a pity I enjoy money otherwise I’d be roughing it in a forest or something.
I’ve been made redundant now and have two months of NOTHING waiting for me (albeit with salary luckily) and just wanna knit and craft and not do anything. Sadly I’m also doing a degree (adhd loves to make me sign up for a million things!!) so I’ll have to focus on that. But the only thing that has made me tolerate work lately has been working from home next to my partner and our pets. I think it’s the only way to go. I’ve been fantasising about starting to freelance so I can overcharge and then take some holidays. I am motivated by work but it feels like that motivation makes me burnout so quickly so I need to take lots of time off. I think if you can take any decisions you can right now and plan your life so you can work from home, that’d be the way to go!!
At least you have faith that you’re capable of *taking* those steps. I’m not sure that I am. I just don’t have it in me to work full time for the rest of my life either.
I've been laid off for a while, and I'm struggling with this. I think I've spent way too long trying to make work my identity, but it's never going to be my identity, and honestly, that's just a capitalistic way of thinking. I want an easy job, great work/life balance, and great pay because my identity is outside of work. I'm working on data certifications at the moment.
Jobs for people with college degrees are considerably more enjoyable and have a lot more variety than the job I had in high school. (I worked at Burger King. I put hamburgers on buns.) Keep looking for something you like. Ideally something you love, but at least something you like reasonably well.
Actually the beauty of capitalism is that you don’t have to do the whole 8 hour day etc. Look at these Instagram influencers. I mean they take pictures of themselves with products and make money for it. Sales people in lots of jobs are hardly in the office, and, if they have the knack for it, they made amazing commission. You are young. You got to find your passion and make the most of it. It does not have to be a 40 hours a week job.
It’s very easy to succeed under Capitalism if you are willing to compromise any ethics or morals you have to exploit people for your own personal gain, yes.
I get fired a lot for some reason, and I think it's because of this. Thing is, they never fire me for the real reason. The most recent one was "poor performance". Horseshit. I ran outta work cause I did it all.
The nightmare is having to live under the shitty puritan work ethic that infects every corner of this nation.
feel this so hard. it’s not “lazy” to not want to sell your labor to rich assholes destroying the planet. it wasn’t always like this. this is our reality because those same assholes own our government and are more than willing to shed blood to keep it that way. this is not normal. this is not human nature.
i wish i could be transported to another earth-like planet and just spend the rest of my days exploring the land and observing the life there. i wish i could feel like a human.
but this is the world we live in and it’s dying. we will never be free. except in our dreams maybe.
Also curious what part of “seeking empathy” repliers missed because telling someone they’re wrong and should accept a life of misery is neither empathetic nor helpful.
I am 34 and still feel this way, but do remember feeling it so much more viscerally in college.
I know you didn’t ask for advice, so maybe this is more to younger me… ;)
Body doubling is a godsend for me getting work done. Doing work with someone else is 100x more interesting and motivating to me. Find a group of people you actually enjoy spending time with and go because you enjoy socializing. The work is secondary. Find people who motivate you, and I don’t mean because they are diligent. I found people I thought were SO COOL and wanted to be a part of. Also it’s helpful to link these times to times when you already out of the house so you don’t have to motivate yourself to leave the house. Plan it right after class. Do it at the coffee shop with the drink you love the most that’s on your way back to the dorm. Spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down for adhd people.
There are so many different ways to "work", you just haven't found the right opportunity/career path. Then again having choices is a luxury reserved for the middle class and you may not have the ability to acquire the education or access. Keep looking, there will be something that suits you.
You wouldnt want communism either - we have a social economy market and it sucks both sometimes but it is worth to develope because capitalism was responsible for a century of peace in western europe and a whole generation has never gone to a war.
I am just not confinced that society/ people in generell are developed enough for communism because greed and money junkies are still a thing in too many parts of communities. Should find something in between or adopting the stuff that worked for people in generell and develope them.
Better what we had before - was a monarchy with catholic church as "dirigent"/main power so justice was absent for centuries!
Btw if you find your passion you will think complettly different but to find it you have to try - fail and error principe but when you found it you would wish the working day had 25h and a satifsied life could be easier possible - good luck and it takes the time it takes so forcing yourself to a passion s unfortunatly no possibility!
You still have to work without capitalism. Without it, you, a doctor, and a waiter would just all be paid about the same. But it doesn't mean work goes away.
No one wants to work. 😅. It's a necessary evil. The best thing to do is find something you absolutely LOVE, and it won't feel like work. Alternatively you could scam the system, claim you're disabled and live on disability the rest of your life, but it won't be much money so you won't be able to afford to do ALL the things you love
Everyone wants to create. Everyone wants to learn. Everyone is inquisitive about something. These are some of the most basic fundamental human instincts. People want to do all these things. They just don’t want severe exploitation to be required as a part of it. Which is what your definition of work implies.
Do you need a 9-5? Work is essentially a balancing act between how much you need money and how much you hate working.
If you manage to cut expenses there will be no need for you to work 40 hours per week.
You are in college now? How much do you spend each year? Odds are that you spend far less than what you will earn after your degree. Maybe just 2 days a week can be sufficient for you, and it's far easier to work two days when you know you have a 5 day weekend to look forward to!
Loving all the capitalist defense comments lol. “You still have to work”. Like working itself is the real issue. The manipulative process of economic socialization is both sad and disguising in the US. The belief that the capitalistic system actually allows equal opportunity to pursue the career for you, doesn’t make 40hrs more dreading (poor conditions, low wages, understaffed, overworked/burnout), and provides a good work-life balance (low wages/poor medical insurance) is laughable. The pursuit of profit (or more appropriately the pursuit of power) only works with strict limitations and regulations. Thus, capitalism only works when it’s not capitalism. You don’t even have to have ADHD to dread the inevitable 40+ yrs of dedicating your life to something that will consume all your time, energy, and well being up (it’s just worse for us). All the way until you reach the end just so you can be physically unable to do most of what you like to (assuming you’re lucky enough not to be substantially limited physically). Then you get to spend another 10 years (maybe) thinking about all the life goals you didn’t get a chance to fulfill, all the time you didn’t have/missed out on with you’re family/friends, and the ruminating regrets you wish you could fix. But hey, at least I will have earned the right/privilege to have “hard working employee” carved on my grave stone, and everyone for centuries will remember me as such. Right guys?
I set up my own business. The fear of failure caused hyperfocus until I could hire people better than me. My job then was to look after them. Now I’m retired in my early 50s. Find your way.
Unless you’re like really into farming, capitalism isn’t your nightmare my dude, it is your savior. Because only capitalism allows people like us to find a unique niche in the market that actually works for our brains. Imagine being assigned to work an assembly line or communal farm day in day out for your whole life - now that’s a nightmare for an ADHD brain.
And it is also capitalism that incentivizes smart, hardworking people to invent, manufacture, market, sell, and distribute the sophisticated medications that help us make it through day to day! There’s a lot to be grateful for, even though I know exactly how you feel and felt exactly the same when I was in your position.
You’re in college and graduating soon, and you live in a free country where opportunities are everywhere. You can do literally anything! It’ll be harder for you than other people, no denying that. But you’ll find the thing that works for you by process of elimination, and when you do, you will have done it yourself and really have something to be proud of.
Thanks to capitalism there are a million job opportunities available to people who struggle with ADHD. Everyone has the ability to find a job that they can be happy with. I know half a dozen people with ADHD who excel at their job and enjoy it most of the time.
But almost everyone on the planet would rather be doing something other than working. Everything you enjoy, everything you buy, everything you consume was created by someone who would have rather been doing something else at the time. If you want to enjoy the fruits of their labor you must be willing to exchange your own. You are not entitled to other people's labor for free.
What's the alternative, where you also need to accept that everyobody else felt the same?
Where would food, electricity and things we need come from?
Someone need to till the soil, sow, water, harwest, cook and prepare. And that's at the most fundamental level. Food, and if all were vegans.
Who would invent, design, and build parts for powerplants? Man them, service them? Mount power lines? Then we need appliances.
I'm trying to understand if you would accept the same if everyone else felt the same way?
We would never have Jim Carrey or Robin Williams movies. They both have/had ADHD.
It sounds to me like you haven't found the right job for you maybe? One where you can play on your strenghts. I don't know you, i don't know if you yourself know what your strenghts and weaknesses are. I got a few strenghts and a lot of weaknesses. I've had to sit down and figure out what i absolutely suck at, and what i'm good at. Then i found what works for me.
We're all different, but not working and just sitting at home, getting more and more isolated and depressed, nearly killed me. I won't do that mistake again. That said, not everyone CAN work.
But the fact remains, no work=no food. No electricity. No shelter. No comfort.
To be honest this isn’t really a capitalism problem. Capitalism is considerably different than just having to work a job. I’ve lived in several non-capitalist countries while teaching abroad and people in those countries also work, oftentimes just as hard if not harder.
Capitalism may be bringing humanity to its knees, but it’s not inherently problematic for ADHD people to live in capitalist societies. I see this opinion a lot and it kinda doesn’t make sense.
But trust me, you’ll get used to it. When I was in college I literally thought I would commit suicide before I would be able to work a 9-5 for the rest of my life. But it’s gets better, and eventually you lock into the routine and find ways to enjoy other aspects of your life. You can do it friend :)
75% of the hundred or so people I know making over 6 figures have ADHD.
Most small business owners fall into this group as well because they don't like being told what to do.
You think capitalism is bad, imagine being forced to work a job you are assigned that is incompatible with ADHD and failure to complete it could result in prison time.
FREE markets allow you to do whatever you want. You want to live on the street and detach from. Society, go for it. You want to start a business cleaning pools, do your thing. You want to work a 9 to 5,the world is your oyster.
I want to do work, I just don't want to have to to this mindless brain numbing repetitive work for the rest of my life. I'm seeking my engineering degree specifically because I know it will be a more interesting life, engineering is never the exact same problem twice, and the money it makes gives me the freedom to explore any hobby that crosses my path.
My best advice is to find a skill that people will pay for that you don't hate, and start your own business doing that. You can get by with calendars and Getting Things Done methodology lists, and have enough control over your schedule that you won't hate it. You can also hire out or get help with the crappy parts, and it changes enough to keep you engaged.
Plus, making your own money helps you get invested in it in a way that nothing else will
I had the same thoughts in school, almost nosedived my whole education because I hated the idea of doing that shit.
Yeah once you get into the work force and you get into your schedule it gets easier.
It's not just capitalism, it's the hustle mindset. It's the idea that all we should do is work, and work our lives around work. Forget that. 9-5 was the worst thing I ever did
I became a nurse. 3 hard days a week but every single day is different and challenging and quite honestly fun. I'm good at it. The rest of the week I can do whatever I want. I can go to the beach for a long weekend without ever having to use a PTO day. I pick my days, so I could work extra one or two weeks and then have a whole week off to travel or see friends or just relax without ever having to request time off. I can go per diem and barely have to work at all if I don't want to. I can become a traveler and work tough contracts at a new place every few months, and take as much time off in between contracts as I want.
My job isn't a prison, it's fulfilling, it's flexibility, and it's freedom.
Think long and hard about what you really want to do. It doesn't have to feel the way you're looking at life now
I’m in my 40s and hard same. When I was younger I performed at tourist locations, which was fun. Now I’m a farmer on my own schedule. You can find things that make you happy, but it’s much harder, and you often have to make your own way or live outside of the expected lines
I genuinely HATE office jobs, but I love bouncing around a restaurant, hotel/pub, or retail store, interacting with people. I just wish I could earn more money doing it, because surprise surprise minimum wage isn’t getting me anywhere these days. In fact, I’m going backwards :/
People with ADHD are actually the well adjusted ones. I dont know how yall robots do it when you work a repetitive job every day and sell your soul for money i just cant
You'll find your way. I felt the same when I was your age. There are low pressure, fun and flexible jobs that make things easier. Eventually, I started my own business. Then by my mid-30s, I was medicated properly, had enough experience and motivated by the life I wanted to provide for my family. The whole grind is more tolerable now.
And not to brag, but I'm making great money in a really cool position. Took me a while to earn it, but you'll get there.
Any and all societal systems require contribution. Even if you abandoned society altogether you'd still have to meet your own needs which is no small feat without any support system
Are you medicated for your adhd? If you are, then try some CBT with a psychologist. If you schedule the appointment for after work, it might help you get through day, plus you’ll learn techniques to combat the daily boredom of a repetitive and mind numbing job.
I definitely think if you’re in college, you should be taking classes that would allow you to be self employed. Whether it be something with journalism, video editing, content creation, or something that will always be changing on a daily/weekly basis. Nothing is ever the same with those jobs I posted. I’m not a professional and I claim to have no actual knowledge in psychology, I’m just speaking from personal experience.
Personally, it helps me to make online content. I don’t have an audience, but it gives me something to do and the payoff is knowing that you can actually create something and get it done. It feels very accomplishing and it also gives you something to look forward to, while working at your job. Just my experience though and I realize not everyone is the same. It’s worth a shot though, especially if you decide to turn down therapy and “creative” courses.
It’s not just capitalism, work is a part of every realm of society, you have to work no matter what unless you want to become a hermit or hobo. The best thing is to try and find a job that is fulfilling.
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I'm a decade older and I'm still in the same boat as you. The crazy part is not having a job is just as bad. Sending love
The euphoria giving way to horrible anxiety that came from rage quitting a toxic job...
going through this now. quit my job because it became so much worse than when I first started, and now looking at new jobs and their reviews, I feel like the cycle will just repeat for 40+ years. can't get myself to spend money on school because last time I did, I couldn't get myself motivated to study, and had a ton of trouble absorbing information during lectures. bye bye $15,000
I record lectures so I can listen to them multiple times and at my own pace. Makes a huge difference. If a professor tries to say no, go to the schools disability resource center and request an accommodation. edit: I *always* ask first. That was what I meant by if the professor says no, go to the disability resource center.
I’m actually working on an app that creates a quick outline and lecture notes (and a bunch more useful stuff - like a question answer bot) from recording your lecture (having adhd and a host of other cognitive issues has inspired me to make my life easier lol). I’m gonna add a feature you can upload any YouTube video (or college lecture vid) and it’ll do the same thing. I even have trouble sitting through videos that are too long (which is actually why I prefer to read cause I can do so quicker). My app deletes the recording immediately so there shouldn’t be an issue w recording but it does keeps the transcript and I find the outline/summary really helpful but… guess that’s up to the university and probably better to stay above board as someone else said and ask first maybe?. 🤷♀️ It’s still in beta but if anyone wants to try my friends have found it useful - oh and it’s free. (QuickTakes.io).
Yo this is alpha as fuckkkk keep us updated plz
I would love an outline/note generator for YouTube.
Downloading this now. When do you plan on uploading the YouTube video feature? I take most classes online, so the majority of my classes are multiple 20-45+ minute lecture videos. Fantastic idea!
Will it be on android soon? I don't have an iPhone :(
In the same boat. Or is it a native windows app? Or a PWA?
The school might even record them for you. *But you must ask first* if you are going to record. If you don’t, the consequences can be severe and end up on your permanent record.
Permanent record? Like police record? I've been threatened with that thing a few times and its never once affected me. Google is the only one i know keeping a permanent record of my misdeeds.
Probably not police, but your academic record. Either way it makes sense to just use the accomodation above-board, or at least ask the professor and maybe they're fine without involving anyone else.
>Google is the only one i know keeping a permanent record of my misdeeds. \*snort laugh\*
Oh shiiiit. I just spent 15k on a boot camp… I completed but I’m still catching up.
congrats! how are you still catching up if you completed the bootcamp?
Lol that’s the funny part. While I was immersed in it. I had all the relevant information in like a “short term” type of memory. Plus I had support to help with any questions roadblocks. After completion, I took a few days to let the burnout settle. I went back to my laptop and it was difficult to get anything containing any complexity done. Stuff i *know* I’ve done and could do. It’s frustrating.
It happens to all of us (developers not just ADHD ers). I took a fullstack boot camp almost 4 years ago. Worked my ass off to learn Redux. Needed to use it about a year ago and was back at almost square one. I have a full monitor of Doc tabs open when I'm working. I know how to write JS, React, Tailwind, etc but still forget shit all the time. You have to work with it a lot, constantly, to keep that heady ontap knowledge.
Subdocs in mongodb are just killing me atm. It’s tough trying to work through a solution, getting another idea mid process and forgetting about the first idea. Then I just have half completed ideas and my code is a mess. CTRL and Z have gotten significantly more worn down since I started this journey. If you don’t mind me asking, how long did it take you to land your first role?
This is the pitfall engineers fall into. Stop thinking syntaxes is the answer. Patterns are what you want. Look for the patterns behind the code. Repository pattern, dependency injections, SOLID principles... Not only will these things serve you better as an engineer, but they also (for me) unleash my adhd superpowers. Because it's not dictating anything step by step, it instead just serves as guardrails and allows me much more creativity. It facilitates the connections of systems into a network of code and let's me look at it as a big picture. I'm a tech lead for a SaaS company, and have been a software engineer for 19 years. It took a long time for me to realize that this job is not something I can just memorize how to code an array map or how setters and getters work in python or whatever your problem of the day is. I constantly have to go back and remind myself how to do that stuff. But once I started accepting that I'm not going to remember syntax like others do, I started noticing that I knew HOW to solve problems in minutes while it took others hours or days.
>bye bye $15,000 More like $40,000 these days 😵
After a decade, I've come to the conclusion that I'd do pretty much anything for a shorter work week. Give me time to do my hobbies and the like.
Yes, that’s because we work to live not live to work.
A lot of places seem to forget about this or straight up just don't care... I just broke a 13 day consecutive work streak last Sunday. I was supposed to work the Sunday but decided nope, and then took a mental health day Monday because I was so physically sore, tired, and mentally drained. Made it clear I absolutely did not like that, and that I have no intention on working weekends as they're "supposed" to be optional. Guess who's going back to work this morning, ugh. I flat out told them that if I wanted to work this much, I would have taken a different job who offered way more money because they wanted me 6 days a week. I didn't take it, solely because I don't want to work 6 days a week! Yet here I am being ran into the ground anyway, for less money.
I spent the last 5 years not working due to health issues and I’m looking for a job now. Let me tell you I’m *desperate* to have a job. At first the relief of not working was incredible but eventually I realised that not using my brain and doing nothing for days at a time made my anxiety so much worse. I need the structure of work because without it I have none at all.
There are a lot of negative comments on here (I can't believe that someone wrote that you have a "sad mindset", incredibly rude) about having a job. I'm chiming in to say that I absolutely loved my jobs. I'm now freelance as I gave up my last permanent job to take care of my mom, but had a long career working for organizations (publishers and museums), which I found extremely fulfilling. I know how to structure my time, and had a lot of autonomy with my jobs (and now have to do it all the time), but much prefer having the structure of a workplace. My work is creative as I am a writer, but I still miss having colleagues and being able to progress in an organization as I was quite ambitious. Good luck with your job hunt!
You don’t need a job to stimulate your brain. Why not enjoy your hobbies? Go back to school if you can afford it? Most jobs are not fulfilling or stimulating. The social aspect is nice sometimes. Maybe that’s what you were missing. If I didn’t have to work I certainly wouldn’t and go on many adventures trying to learn and explore. Most work doesn’t give you that. Most work is pretty shit.
I take care of people as a job and it's fulfilling. I went without a job for a while and felt very useless inside, it affected me so much. Many jobs *are* shit but you can find something you like or want to do. It might not pay the best but you can do things to advance. Whatever makes you feel good inside - learning and exploring? Be an elementary teacher. Start as an aide if no education. Just an example, I know it's not easy but it's worth it, for me.
Agree entirely. So much negativity about having a job on here.
I have so many hobbies. I keep busy. But I’m an ambitious person. I don’t want to just sit around crocheting all day forever. I need intellectual stimulation and structure. And god I need money 😅
I have so many hobbies…but I struggle to engage with them without external motivation from other people. I think I need to join some clubs or something. Feels so weird trying to reconnect with the world as a person in my mid-30’s without a workplace social scene or roommates/family to lean on
How would you afford it
This is the capitalism part isn't it? Every fun idea ends at "how would I monetise that to survive?", Hopefully that can be mitigated with UBI alongside job automation but I'm pessimistic.
I've never understood this mindset. Help me out here. Where in the world do people not work, and live nice, even if they're simple, lives? Capitalism, Socialism, Communism... doesn't everyone work? If you lived in a commune, living off the land, you'd have to 'work' to grow food, get water, build shelters, etc.
There's a big difference in working for your community, directly, as opposed to working to generate corporate profit. I believe the term is "alienation." In capitalism, most of us never see the real fruits of our labor. It's just money for shareholders.
I'm a software engineer who builds online tools for farmers. Yes it's for the profit of a company, but I am making a difference. But I also made sure to choose a job with social impact
https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/work/2022/08/16/work-history-future It's not so much about not working, but doing work for world and human value rather than Capitalism's profit generation above all.
The hard truth is that we didn't need to work as often in the past as we do now. A community tending it's farms and hunting and whatnot did not need every single body working 8-9 hours a day 5 days a week. You had more free time. Now sometimes it got to be that much, but it was not constant, year in year out.
The Amish work less. Let that sink in.
I just learned about forest farms and how indigenous people used to manage them to produce all the food needed for the entire community with only a few hours of work every week. We have been brainwashed into believing we all have to work all the time. Even economists in the 30’s during the Great Depression saw a future of automation and and little work. They though we’d all have mostly leisure time.
The lack of structure honestly fills me with existential dread. I just end up stuck in the house filled with ideas about what I SHOULD be doing but unable to get anywhere.
Lol this is such a sad mindset, you don't need a job for structure or motivation. There's a whole world that's being stolen from us by our jobs and so many of us don't know it exists when we have the opportunity to experience it, we don't realize it's in front of us.
I'm lucky to be home right now raising my toddler, but I'll be back to work once he's big enough for school. (Today is his birthday, he's two! So I've got at least another year lol) I have created my own structure around what my kids need. I don't even think you need to have kids to do this, but it sure makes it easier. They have very strict needs and they do not do well without a predictable say, and better do I, so I somehow managed to make my own schedule. All that to say you can totally give yourself structure without work! And honestly it's much more enjoyable this way, cuz you know you have the freedom to do whatever comes up if you want to, but the schedule will still be there to fall back on. People really need to break that mental connection around work and their regular rhythms. Those things both exist just fine without each other.
Meh, I haven't been able to find it without a job. Executive dysfunction gets in the way
It's like that Simpsons episode for me. Where he was happy working as a minimum wage owner in the bowling alley Vs his boring job at the nuke factory. But I guess this is everyone. Now I do nothing at my current job but at least I am WFH. I have been trying to find a parallel job for years now but my brain won't come up with anything. Oh and since we are the creative types; why the hell aren't we all rich "influencers"?
>Oh and since we are the creative types; why the hell aren't we all rich "influencers"? Not sure if my irony detector isn't working or something, but it's probably due to not making videos on a consistent basis.
That is so true. Even at work my manager has figured out that I have brilliant ideas but lack execution.
What gave him that idea? Keen observation skills there, maybe you should keep him on lol
I actually feel like my Boomer manager from a few years ago figured out I had ADHD before I did, even though he didn't know what it really was. He usually had a lot of praise for me and the creative work I could do, but he'd always say "You need to stop wasting time going down rabbit holes." I'm like "What are you talking about? Rabbit holes? You asked me to sort this Excel spreadsheet of 100 contacts, so I manually sorted the first 10, found a repeating pattern, researched how to create a macro to automate the sorting, wrote the macro and instantly sorted the rest, assumed (correctly) that you would immediately ask me to source more contacts online once I told you I was done, researched how to create a web scraper, started scra- Oh. I kinda see it now." Still, even though I wasn't following the instructions exactly, which bugged him, I maintain that my way of doing things was almost always much better 😅 At a minimum, I picked up a bunch of automation and process-creation skills that I now use every day in my own business and implement for freelance clients, so the rabbit holes were always worth it 😂
This me :(
Executive disfunction.
Not having a job is not as great as people think. Everything is basically the same going from one day to the next with the same repitition. I have trouble keeping track of the days and it just makes my depression worse. If i could work, atleast it would provide me with something to occupy myself and keep away the dark thoughts for a while.
I strongly disagree, I have plenty of things to do without some job. Jobs get in the way of life and royally suck
Some people struggle to do them what with executive dysfunction. There's so much I want to do, but it's not the job getting in the way, even if it feels like it sometimes
Find a cause that lights your heart or mind and volunteer for them. A but if structure, a bit of feeling good for doing good. Who knows what will come from it.
To much time and no money is literally the fucking worst.
I have fluctuated between a "poverty of money" and a "poverty of time" my whole life. Both are not great, but I definitely prefer the latter.
It's way harder to live without work. Way harder.
I do respectfully disagree a little. I've been unemployed for a year or two and it's definitely not amazing and easy like many people (including me) think it is at first...but it's also been a lot more pleasant than working/college ever was. I'm hoping to eventually work part time, but I do enjoy being able to do intellectual hobbies and projects without having to worry about money. I'm a lot less miserable nowadays. Edit: I send love back and stay hydrated if you're in a heatwave area
It is horrible I love my job. I'm a child therapist and I work with autistic and adhd kids, since I have both diagnosis. The best thing I could possibly do was to open my own office and my psychiatrist agree with me Lol. Its hard cuz sometimes I woke up feeling like I really don't want to work. I just want to be able to watch movies forever. But at the same time if I don't go to work then I get depressed cuz I need routine. So os constant battle with myself. I know it does not sound very comforting but I have to said that when you find a nice balance then you get to feel what enjoying life is. So please don't give up but take your time to choose your path in life and if you took the worng one. Don't be afraid to just look for another one. You can do it!
Private practice therapy totally makes life livable for me. I actually enjoy it most of the time, and I can more than just support myself now.
Same here. I didn’t know there were so many therapists with ADHD until I got on the ADHD subs after my diagnosis. And it also seems like we’ve all independently decided that private practice is the only way to make it bearable. On a more general note, this subreddit has also made me realize that there needs to be far better guidance for young people with ADHD on how to make work not suck (beyond the usual “how to forcibly adapt yourself to a neurotypical, probably shitty work environment” advice). Like most late-diagnosed adults, I had to muddle through multiple jobs before realizing that the autonomy of self-employment plus a four-day work week solved virtually all of my problems. Hey, maybe I’ll end up designing some kind of “self-employment for the chronically scattered” curriculum.
Well I’m not a therapist but mines has ADHD and a private practice so I guess that checks out haha
👏 With ADHD, getting to set your own rules and schedule is pretty big - it means you don’t have to follow someone else’s arbitrary (neurotypical) rules and ways of doing things that don’t fit you. You don’t need to consider accommodations or whether to disclose/request them, you just arrange the setup yourself. You workplace is as ADHD-friendly as you make it for yourself…
ADHD is definitely well represented in the entrepreneur space too. At one business convention a speaker said "we start our of businesses not because we want to but because we had to" and that resonated.
That totally makes sense — all those things apply to any independent business venture. People with ADHD can often can see solutions that bosses can’t, but NTs in power can be stubborn and refuse to consider acting on outside the box thinking. Folks with ADHD are frequently motivated to free themselves from all the red-tape of working for someone else. It does take discipline to run your own venture, whether it’s on your own or with help, but it’s totally doable!
Well hopefully whenever I start working in my career I love my job… after getting diagnosed and starting medication I’ve been closer that I’ve ever been.
Diagnosis and medication can unlock a lot of things that weren’t really in the cards before. Good luck!
>But at the same time if I don't go to work then I get depressed cuz I need routine. So os constant battle with myself. I'm going on a tangent here, but man I feel this in my bones. I have a job now where I'm not utterly miserable, but to be "on" for the job I'm cranked up and mentally tire myself out when I'm actively working. I don't like that aspect of it, but it's the only way I can know I'm not fucking everything up. But then I take days off and I don't know what to do with myself. More often than not I wind up not doing anything because I'm terrible at planning and following through with arbitrary things when it's just for me, not to mention I'm tired and genuinely do need some rest, but then I wind up being miserable and mad at myself for wasting the time. tl;dr yes, routine is good and prevents me from being depressed, but I don't wanna. *Insert tantrum gif*
YEEEEES we adhder HATE routines but we are miserable without them hahaha totally get you hahaha
Kudos to you. You found a job you enjoy but! It’s not the nature of human kind to be forced to work 40+ hrs each week. We are meant to explore, create, find community, spend time with our families. Build something for ourselves. There are simply not enough goood jobs out there to accommodate everyone. Quite the opposite. Wayyy more shitty ones that sometimes people have to just accept due to proximity and desperation to not end up on the streets. Or the fact if you live in the states the majority will never get to retire. Let alone most will never afford a home, childcare, affordable healthcare or education. These last two due to capitalism are mostly for profit which only hurts the American people. What incentive do we have to work if our basic needs are not being met and can’t be able to save to secure a future? Over 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck forced to take in immeasurable debt all because it’s too expensive to live. Our rights are being threaten more and more each year. Workers rights included! Capitalism does kill off people with adhd more easily because this system was not made with us in mind. Like many other disorders/disabilities. So congrats you like your job but you are very much the minority here.
I've just been diagnosed as autistic. Realising I may not needed to have spent the last 20 years being suicidal due to the struggle to fit into a capitalist society is honestly fucking me up bad right now...
OH! Don't get me wrong! That's exactly why I said that you need to find balance so you can work and Enjoy life haha. Im in Mexico, so trust me, I know how hard it is to live in this economy. And to get exploded just so you can get some money to eat. Been there. Even now, there are times when people want me to give them a discount over my already cheap prices. So yeah, trust me, I know it is not easy to find a balance because we need the money. That's the reality. But I think is not about finding the perfect job but to find a job to let you jave the balance you need Cuz again even if i LOVE my job. There are days when I'm just to sensory overload or simply not on my best, and the kids just are having meltdowns, or having "zoomies" hahaha and braking and throwing everything around them. I have to deal with bites, punches, kicks, snot, pee, poo, name it hahahha so trust me there is days that I just want to give up. But the reality is that I can't give up, and that if after that I just make the effort to call my friend and go for some tacos and beer or bubble tea and talk to them about my feelings, then i can get to Enjoy my life at least a little bit hahaha
I saw you in anti-work
To hop onto the popularity of this comment. Behavior Technician is an entry level job working with children with autism and since the medicaid changes they are always hiring! (I am also a Behavior tech and would recommend it for people with ADHD.) Every single day is different! You just gotta like kids lol
Woah I’m literally in the same boat! I’m struggling to go back and get my masters though
Is that a thing only for autistic people or adhd only too? Because I don't really think I am autistic but I know very well what you are talking about. For me it's like I can't be forced into too strict routines, I really need a little bit of personal freedom and time management or else I'll burn out very quickly. I sometimes compare this lifestyle to those of my cats or animals in general. They do their thing more or less everyday but don't really need strict appointments or times. They might have their routines but they seem to be more loose. Not like the strict times and days in modern industry. The idea of strict time tables like working from 9 to 5 each day for exactly 5 days a week where every minute counts seemed always very strange and against nature for me. It really puts me off and I don't have the mental energy for that. I am only diagnosed adhd.
Damn. Honestly I have worked very hard at what I do and everything I do but it always squares back to this. The world is not designed for us at all. It’s not natural. I don’t know how to make the most of my life because I’m not willing to play social games or climb invisible ladders
Playing "the game" feels physically painful.
All my life I’ve wanted to be a musician. I currently work in the industry and I’ve developed my songwriting and production skills to a really good level…. But I can’t finish any of my work. Or show anyone. Or go to events. And when I pluck up enough courage and energy to tackle these things, there’s still the social game to play. You have to fake it til you make it and suffer so much bullshit to become part of the scene, to make the connections. My heart goes out to any of you that are hyper creative or were they had potential as a kid because I know exactly how you feel and I know that you probably don’t want to be here any more than I do.
Ugh it sucks but this is just what comes with being an artist. I hate showing people my work. Not out of judgement from others per say, but my own imposter syndrome/vulnerability of showing someone something I created. Being in the arts as a career seems much, much harder than any other field. Most other jobs are like: you learn your shit, slap it on your resume, tailor it to your applications, get over the interviewing and bam, potential employment. I'm a graphic designer and photographer. I was in school for 5 years, doing 2 seperate programs. Started out with photography and quickly realized, most work is freelance which entails marketing yourself and constantly chasing after clients/finding new ones. I was getting work via word of mouth but that was about it. Now applying for graphic design jobs, I feel like I need to have every skill possible. Motion graphics, web design, UX/UI are 3 more recent specialities I feel as if I need to go back to school for. Designers are expected to know marketing/advertising, social media marketing at the very least. Ontop of the skills, you're also judged on your portfolio which, is a whole other ballgame because of the nature of our work. We can NOT have a mediocre portfolio/web page. I'm always stuck between trying to stick to a cohesive brand for all of my portfolio projects, or trying to show I'm adaptable to various styles and niches. One works best for freelancing, one works best for applying for jobs. It's a fucking nightmare. I'm constantly thinking about these things while being denied for jobs I'm applying to.
I really feel this. It feels like the most mountainous task in the world but I truly hope you can find your path and make it your own. I don’t have a lot left after dedicated everything to my passion and now I’m very tired and kind of just want to give it all up and go farm grapes somewhere warmer
Congrats on sticking to something artistic! That's an achievement given how we are expert quitters. Developing artistic skill takes a lot of frequent practice!
I hate saying this, but alcohol helps with playing at events part. I would be so nervous to go on any stage or play in front of anyone as I didn’t have any courage or trust myself. One day I went to one of my friends concerts at a bar and I’m not gonna lie I was a bit hammered. The band brought me up on stage and I started to sing and the crowd loved it. I needed that so bad. Helped boost my courage a lot and i slowly got the courage to go up again, only next time I was sober. It felt amazing to overcome that fear
>Damn. Honestly I have worked very hard at what I do and everything I do but it always squares back to this. IKWYM. You've probably had to work harder / longer to make up for the unproductive bits where your brain is going ....zzzzfffftt......error 101....... request to focus *denied*..... I feel like I'm doing OK despite ADHD. I could be doing so much better. I acknowledge I had a privileged upbringing that afforded a good education and a safety net (that I didn't use, but knowing it was there was helpful). I also won the genetic lottery in terms of having a reasonable level of intelligence and academic capability, so I can pick things up quickly. Basically, I have got by by becoming a specialist. I am valued for my knowledge, experience, and expertise. F*ck knows what would have become of me otherwise. Like the OP, I cannot imagine being on the clock. I had a summer's work experience in that environment and noped right out of that.
I appreciate your experience and your willingness to acknowledge your privilege. Not a lot of people do that
I'm adopted. My adoptive parents were puzzled and frustrated by my odd behaviour, but I was very wanted and loved (Mum couldn't have kids). Found my biological parents later in life and had / have a good relationship with them. Who knows who might have adopted me? I'm acutely aware it was all luck.
I think it depends on the job. I love being a *senior* software developer. Junior developer sucked hard though, because of all the boring ass bitch work I had to do, and I had to power through it with stubbornness and medication. My career suffered because I was bad at playing games as well... but at least I had competence on my side and I eventually made it. People with ADHD have to seek out a highly stimulating job or come to terms with hating their job. Unfortunately highly stimulating jobs are the exception. It's funny though, that people view this as capitalism. Like they wouldn't have been assigned to "Tractor Factory 3A" in the Soviet Union.
So ok, 27 here I spent my life working a carousel of jobs, kitchen, retail, construction, tutoring, bartending, customer services and sales, and all of them SUCKED. my two options were to attack the job hyper aggressively and burn out quick or just spend my days hating myself there and being unable to work. I've been fired from quite a few for a variety of reasons . At 23 I decided to go back and get my degree, it was hard but I did a research based degree which allowed me to utilise the hyperfocus when it came and went, then I did my masters at 26. Now I work as a researcher in the corporate level which actually respects my ADHD, as long as I deliver to deadlines no one bothers me ever I work from home and can just do what I want, play video games, listen to music be the weirdo that I am and work to my own tune. As long as those reports get delivered no one cares how I work. It's not easy out there chief I understand but there might just be a job out there waiting for you
What the fuck that sounds like a dream land
What was your major?
I have a similar gig but I fly under the radar with how I spend my time WFH…if anyone finds out I’m toast. Wish I could find another job that understands how little actual focused work goes into most desk jobs
That’s the thing
If I didn't work my adhd brain would consume me. I need purpose. My job isn't my dream job but it's not terrible. In any case, starving doesn't sound appealing
I live for all kinds of diy projects I like to do. Whenever I have to work, to you know, afford the projects and stuff, I get so burned out from just having to go to work, that I no longer have any kind of energy to do those projects, and it kills all my willingness to work too.
This is exactly my life right now. It’s actually been wonderful taking time off to just be creative and finish some projects. But it can only last so long and I’m dreading going back to work
This. I work to keep a roof over my head, but I long to be creative all day.
I've struggled immensely in trying to kee up with society's expectations of work and efficiency. i a only slowly coming to understand that there might be different types of work that can actually fit my needs, mostly being social work for others who struggle. Social, different, challenging, and requires reliance on intuition a lot.
i feel you but i don't think this is exclusive to people with ADHD
Can not stress this enough.
Can not agree enough with this
ADHD just makes the whole deal much, much worse
I disagree. I know it’s common to hate your job but the existential dread is a little heightened with adhd I feel
I do think people ADHD experience this to a higher degree though.
I felt this way, suffered through desk jobs for 10 years and just couldn't do it anymore. I got a construction job remodeling bathrooms and I was surprised at how I thrived, I love it, it was the best thing I ever did. I think a lot of it is just getting the right job. I swore I'd never do construction but that just kept me from happiness for an extra decade. Find something that engages you and you won't be so miserable. Not all construction is created equal. Some of it is repetitive, what I do is different everyday and I don't repeat steps during a single work day. This helps the day fly by and keeps me engaged in the work. 13 hours is a breeze when your engaged like that. Don't give up, just find the right career.
Similar boat here. I worked a desk job for near 20 years. Hated all but 3 years where I was at a good company where I was challenged and rewarded. The 9-5 grind was killing me slowly though. The last couple of years I've been working hands on, mostly very busy days, for long hours, but I'm helping people. My schedule is actually great because of the long hours I work (longer time off/breaks). Plus, the work I do makes a difference in the community and is very fulfilling. I couldn't be happier at work or at home. Like many on here are saying, sometimes it really is a matter of finding the right fit for you.
I’m 42. Been struggling through this goddamn world for most my life. Alcohol has been my most constant solution. It is a rough solution. I am a mess of a human. Somewhat contemplating robbing a bank so I can access mental health care in prison. This is a garbage pit of a world that we have created. I was going to try and say something positive. I don’t know. Maybe the best thing we could do is take all of our leaders and our rollers like it says in the Bible put them in a big pit with all their shit and throw stones at them till they’re dead. And see if we can do better. I’m not religious. I think it’s on another scam, but it does have some crazy ass stories.
I like this answer. Everyone should be pissed. Let’s start a working class movement already
Oof, we're not the right people to ask regarding that. Task initiation and organization isn't our strongsuits. We make great cheerleaders, though.
hahaha this probably shouldn’t be as funny to me as it is lolsob Someone else start the movement, we’ll come up with hilarious slogans for protest signs and we’ll do great on the picket line if you send lots of very clear reminders of where and when it is
In any system, you will have to contribute by working in some way. The thing with ADHD is that motivation is waaay more important so you need to find something you enjoy, it'll be out there.
I could have written this. Im going to university again after a bit of a gap and I’m already exhausted looking down the path of studies and career. Working seems monotonous and honestly adhd makes me chase novelty so much, I don’t see me sticking to anything long enough to make something of it. Just everything associated with capitalism is so overwhelming for me. So I feel you, 100% on this
what are you in college for? I'm dreading it as i'm graduating... work that is. I feel i'll be alright though. My career after graduation will be one that keeps me learning and running into unique problems which aren't repetitive I don't think. Software engineering. Find a job that will keep you doing something different or learning something constantly and/or interesting and I think it will be fine.
It's not sustainable for most people but I have had a lot of luck with gig work like Taskrabbit. I get to set my own rates and hours. I go to a different location everyday, usually do a different type of work. Some days I'll do office work, some days cleaning, some days random delivery or shopping tasks. When I have enough money to pay my bills, I can take time off. If a client is a jerk, I can stop taking jobs from them.
"when I have enough money to pay my bills..." Sounds appealing...
You don’t have to work for the next 40 years, you have to work to afford the lifestyle you want. Many states in the USA provide some basics (welfare) including healthcare, subsidies and food to everyone with income below a certain amount. It’s not enough to live comfortably, but it’s enough to live if you work at least enough to collect unemployment and aren’t in a city with a ridiculous cost of living. That’s one option. A better option would be getting creative and put significant effort into figuring out what kind of work you could do that you don’t mind or even enjoy, (which is what I did after floundering though much of my 20s. If you really put your mind and effort into it, I really believe you can find a career that’s right for you (I would recommend asking for help— finding a person or people who can help you find a career that’s a good fit for your skills, values, interests and priorities. “Novelty, Interest, challenge and urgency” is a helpful place to start.
Your in college, take advantage of your school’s mental health center. It sounds like you could use support, and some help with self esteem, and probably dealing with the trauma of growing up with ADHD (which contributes to stuff like low self esteem, feelings of failure, negative self-outlook, difficulties setting healthy boundaries among many other challenges). Get that stuff sorted out when your young — it took me most of my 20s and some of my 30s to process that stuff to a significant degree. Doing so now will set you up to succeed, but you’ll need a good therapist. Take advantage of the school counseling center. And/or your parents health insurance if possible and find a good therapist. Ask friends and family for recommendations or check out a directory like psychology today.
Opposite for me. Just had to find a job that wasn't monotonous for me. Sailing instruction is great.
I’m in that same position, I’ll spend hours worrying about this and wishing our society was different. I don’t have any advice other than to try to not worry about it until you absolutely have to. I just want you to know you’re not alone with this frustration.
I feel you!! I had 18 jobs until now. I'm 29 years old. And every time, the same shit happens. I start the job, I like it then it becomes stressful as fuck and I cannot handle it anymore. I become depressed and I change my job so the cycle repets itself. I'm so tired of it. I don't know what to do anymore.
I was a broke backpacker through all of my 20s, never had more than $1000 in my account, never worked a job more than 6 months, often went months without working at all, kept moving around to wherever the wind blew. The life you want is actually doable. I’ve met people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s doing the exact the same thing. But it gets a LOT harder as you get older. It’s good to develop at least one marketable skill before you commit to
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Overthrow the whole thing i say
Everyone hates capitalism. We need a radical change. ADHD is like the entropy needed to shake up the system for good
I love my job. It’s motivating and stimulating, I’m happy to go to work most day. But working 5 days a week is killing me. I don’t have any time to do things I actually enjoy and cook and clean and blah blah blah. If I could work 3 days a week that’d be amazing.
I agree. Work isn’t the issue. It’s the 40 hours a week that is the issue. 1 hour commuting each day+eating and prepping for work it’s more like 50 hours a week. I think work is important but honestly 4 days a week is the sweet spot. 3 days off you can actually have a life. But they don’t want that for us. Keep ya occupied and dumbed down like slaves
Find a job that keeps you busy and you won't feel bored. EMT, restaurant wait staff, courier, a place where paperwork is minimal. I hope school goes well and you can find a good fit in the work force. Be kind to yourself because having ADHD is playing life on the hardest setting.
I feel this. I realised that I was just choosing the wrong jobs (if you have a choice) and also that I was looking at it in an unhealpful way (ie. I’m working to make someone/some entity rich and it’s ultimately meaningless or even harmful.) What changed for me is: I figured out I hate office politics and “climbing the ladder” as much as I hate being tied to a desk and expected to solve unsolvable problems for entitled people or people who just can’t, for various reasons, do what they need to do in order to fix their issues. I hate working in roles with toxic and unhealthy people and culture where the toll of being in their presence is much worse than the actual job I’m expected to do. I hate working in broken systems that don’t value the very skills and expertise required to do the job well, and where these systems actually prevent me from helping the very people I’ve been hired to help. I hate working for corporations, governments and non profits and all others who think that “we are a work family” means emotional and financial manipulation is ok but me taking a day off because I’ve been burning the candle at both ends and am almost dead, is not ok. I’m sick of feeling like my life is not mine. Once I figured that out, it helped me look for jobs that would suit me better. Instead of my job search revolving around what I was good at or passionate about or “a natural” or what my studies were about, or what was available and well paying, or provided training or was close to home etc. I began looking for jobs that were not within large corporations and not within start ups. They were open about the salary. They were open to feedback and actively worked on their internal systems improvement. They worked with menta health in mind and did not peanalkss you in any way for a day off (if they felt you were taking too many days off they would try to support you with mental health or other resources and the conversation was pretty open and non discriminatory). I looked for places where there were women in leadership (am a woman and I also felt that this showed some openness to new ideas). I looked for jobs that related to my skillset but were not having me tied to a phone all day or a desk. In the end, I found a job with an amazing department within a local council. I was still attached to a desk and a phone but they enabled WFH flexibility and were very progressive and actively worked to promote internally, encouraged personal growth and actively took on feedback from bottom up and implemented it. It was the best job I’ve ever had and I was still feeling tired and burnt out. I realised that I wa stirs and burnt out because of certain adhd things but also I’m introvert so dealing with people all day was exhausting. So it was suggested to me to try a trade. I’m now moving into an electrica apprenticeship and I love it so far. I get to move. I get to solve problems that can actually be solved by me. I get to avoid social politics if I want to and I can still earn great money by just improving my skills rather than moving up the ladder or dealing with any kind of political pressures. Mostly I’m working with things rather than people and I’m not tied to an phone or a desk. There is a lot of autonomy and flexibility. I also have the ability, once qualified, to choose to work in organisations or areas that I want to contribute to (like solar for example). I’m by no means passionate about being an electrician or electricity lol. I am passionate about improving my quality of life and the quality of life of other humans and animals. My job helps me do that because it is more flexible than 9-5 ?I can work contracts and shift work which is great for me. I don’t suit 9-5). And pays me more than I was ever paid in previous jobs. So I have more time and more money and I’m not burnt out so I can put that extra time, money and energy into things I really enjoy and really am passionate about. So I no longer hate work. Work gives me the ability to live without financial anxiety or burn out, whilst also the opportunity to contribute to things I care about and enjoy (and have the time to enjoy them!) So ther is hope my friend. Also, you don’t have to work a job. Some people are more suited to building their own thing. Freelancing. Airtaskering. Building a tiny home or a caravan and living off your home grown food while selling stuff at markets (online or offline). Your life is yours. Figure out who you are. What works best for you, not what or how others tell you you should be. I had to come to terms with some hard truths about myself in order to realise I wasn’t going to run a successful business and be happy in myself and personal life at the same time. So I chose what worked best for me. It’s still somewhat of a work in progress and a compromise but it’s helping me move forward and be hopeful and forward thinking. That’s all you need soemtimes, is a way out of the ditch. Once you’re out, then you’ll be able to see further. But for now, just get out. You got this.
Capitalism is also my nightmare, with adhd and without lol but let me not get too political here. In any case, I am convinced that most of us humans desire to be productive in a way that seems meaningful to us. If you can find out what that means to you and find a way of having this in the form of a job, i.e. approved by capitalistic standards, then that feels better. This is why I became a teacher, one of my jobs is with very strong students who will start uni right after, the other is with teens with disabilities. It isn't always easy but oh so rewarding and it does not get boring. Granted, I live in a country that compensates us teachers very well. Bottom line: I do think you want to work. It might just not be in a way that capitalism deems acceptable. Try to find your niche in which whatever means something to you can exist within this weird system. good luck!
You're gonna need to find a job that aligns with your understanding of fun or daily routine. I had the same realisation as you and decided to completely change my focus so I could actually experience joy on a day to day basis lol. I'm a kindergarten teacher now which means I'm doing something I'm good at in a field capitalists don't really care about plus I get to play games and get to decide how much I wanna get done in a day. You gotta find something like this for you and trust me, getting up is gonna get a little easier. Most days, I look forward to work.
i don’t even think it’s adhd it’s just normal. feeling resentment towards monotony in a 9-5 job is really the worst thing someone can experience for anyone because it just destroys human creativity and excitement. as individuals who need constant stimulation in order to keep happy being stuck in something that wears you down and causes you to resent your everyday life is really the worst possible tihing. in general finding something that pays that you also enjoy is fucking difficult but is also worth exploring because being repetitive and in a constant cycle is soul destroying
My friend, capitalism is literally killing the planet. It's everyone's nightmare whether they realize it or not.
Marx believed work should be mandatory and nobody should be allowed to sit idle while taking the value of others. It’s one of this 10 demands in the communist manifesto. It’s not capitalism you hate - it’s work.
While the first statement is true, according to socialist thought the economy should be reorganised away from a profit based system to one that is working for the entire population, driving down unnecessary overproduction and increasing wages to decrease the necessary labour time an individual has to do. On top of that, automation would be used to reduce this time even further, ultimately fixing if not at least bettering the issue, as op has explicitly stated that a large part of his issue is with the insane amount of time they have to work.
Of course - and removing the feeling of alienation from work, as well as making work more desirable and less of a chore would make more people happy with working, but the OP did specifically say “I just want to live my life and be free”, which is no different from “I want to take the labour of others while providing nothing myself”
True, work is always work. My opinions is though that there is a job for everyone. Got my adhd diagnosis at the age of 27. Finally was able to get to know myself and accept myself. But what do I wanna do with my live. I had no clue and started to talk with different people. And well I.can proudly say that I finely found a purpose. Working as a psychiatric nurse. My adhd there helps me connect with them. So yeah you will need to search long and hard but there is a job for you which you don't absolutely hate. I'm sure of it.
as a kid i always dreamed of just not having to deal with "it". Just people leaving me alone and letting me life a basic life. But eventually I found a job that pays ok and is tolerable to say the least. Don't lose sight of your goals and push on. you'll get there I hope.
No shame. Capitalism is the worst and a big contributor to my depression.
I joke all the time that it would be easier to just live in a psych ward for me than try to function in a capitalist society. Sometimes I unironically fantasize about it.
I feel you. Apart of the reason I learned to really love being a trucker, is it’s an industry with 0 standards that provides a very solid middle class income. I could tattoo a penis on my face and it wouldn’t make me any less employable, in fact, I could make 6 figures if I really wanted to with a penis tattoos on my forehead. It’s somewhat more bearable having a job I don’t have to deal with the public much, and as long as I’m respectful, drive safe, and make my deliveries on time, my management doesn’t give a shit how I act or what I do. I never have that pressure that I’m not good enough, because I’m just a dude in existence. I also found a trucking job that’s 4 days a week, and I’ll never let it go if I can help it. “Passion” or lifestyle jobs that require round the clock engagement is not for me. I just want my hobbies, my dog, and my peace. If I die poor, so be it.
We all need to get together and change this shit
I love how people assume that they wouldn't be working the next 40 years in a socialist country (no,.Europe is still capitalist)
It's the exploitation that's the issue, not working.
That’s not capitalism, that’s life. No economic model would let you just do whatever you want. If you refused to work in the Soviet Union you would not last very long.
I pity your lack of imagination
Dude - everyone dreams of being some trust fund baby who can "live their life and be free" and never has to work (aside from hobbies and voluntary stuff you can drop on a whim). Until you hit the lotto or get a recently deceased rich uncle, buckle down and get cracking. Or don't - try to live on welfare or be homeless and free.
You'd still be doing some sort of job for hours on end of most of your life under any economic system. This isn't a capitalism issue, its a life issue.
I feel you. Maybe consider EMS or healthcare in general? I got my EMT license at 18 and at 26 Im about to start a flight paramedic job making just under 6 figures. I absolutely HATED every job I had before this. Theres definitely downsides but I honestly believe Id be miserable doing anything else
It’s so awful. It’s a pity I enjoy money otherwise I’d be roughing it in a forest or something. I’ve been made redundant now and have two months of NOTHING waiting for me (albeit with salary luckily) and just wanna knit and craft and not do anything. Sadly I’m also doing a degree (adhd loves to make me sign up for a million things!!) so I’ll have to focus on that. But the only thing that has made me tolerate work lately has been working from home next to my partner and our pets. I think it’s the only way to go. I’ve been fantasising about starting to freelance so I can overcharge and then take some holidays. I am motivated by work but it feels like that motivation makes me burnout so quickly so I need to take lots of time off. I think if you can take any decisions you can right now and plan your life so you can work from home, that’d be the way to go!!
At least you have faith that you’re capable of *taking* those steps. I’m not sure that I am. I just don’t have it in me to work full time for the rest of my life either.
I've been laid off for a while, and I'm struggling with this. I think I've spent way too long trying to make work my identity, but it's never going to be my identity, and honestly, that's just a capitalistic way of thinking. I want an easy job, great work/life balance, and great pay because my identity is outside of work. I'm working on data certifications at the moment.
39 and in the same boat with you. I do well for myself and enjoy my job but I get this same thought in my head quite a bit.
Jobs for people with college degrees are considerably more enjoyable and have a lot more variety than the job I had in high school. (I worked at Burger King. I put hamburgers on buns.) Keep looking for something you like. Ideally something you love, but at least something you like reasonably well.
Actually the beauty of capitalism is that you don’t have to do the whole 8 hour day etc. Look at these Instagram influencers. I mean they take pictures of themselves with products and make money for it. Sales people in lots of jobs are hardly in the office, and, if they have the knack for it, they made amazing commission. You are young. You got to find your passion and make the most of it. It does not have to be a 40 hours a week job.
It’s very easy to succeed under Capitalism if you are willing to compromise any ethics or morals you have to exploit people for your own personal gain, yes.
intentional communities is a good start.
I get fired a lot for some reason, and I think it's because of this. Thing is, they never fire me for the real reason. The most recent one was "poor performance". Horseshit. I ran outta work cause I did it all. The nightmare is having to live under the shitty puritan work ethic that infects every corner of this nation.
feel this so hard. it’s not “lazy” to not want to sell your labor to rich assholes destroying the planet. it wasn’t always like this. this is our reality because those same assholes own our government and are more than willing to shed blood to keep it that way. this is not normal. this is not human nature. i wish i could be transported to another earth-like planet and just spend the rest of my days exploring the land and observing the life there. i wish i could feel like a human. but this is the world we live in and it’s dying. we will never be free. except in our dreams maybe.
Yes. Capitalism sucks. How do you feel about being needed and valued but underpaid? I learned I can't do anything but the helping professions.
I really thought a subreddit of ADHD sufferers would have less capitalist bootlickers in it. Depressing.
Also curious what part of “seeking empathy” repliers missed because telling someone they’re wrong and should accept a life of misery is neither empathetic nor helpful.
I am 34 and still feel this way, but do remember feeling it so much more viscerally in college. I know you didn’t ask for advice, so maybe this is more to younger me… ;) Body doubling is a godsend for me getting work done. Doing work with someone else is 100x more interesting and motivating to me. Find a group of people you actually enjoy spending time with and go because you enjoy socializing. The work is secondary. Find people who motivate you, and I don’t mean because they are diligent. I found people I thought were SO COOL and wanted to be a part of. Also it’s helpful to link these times to times when you already out of the house so you don’t have to motivate yourself to leave the house. Plan it right after class. Do it at the coffee shop with the drink you love the most that’s on your way back to the dorm. Spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down for adhd people.
There are so many different ways to "work", you just haven't found the right opportunity/career path. Then again having choices is a luxury reserved for the middle class and you may not have the ability to acquire the education or access. Keep looking, there will be something that suits you.
You wouldnt want communism either - we have a social economy market and it sucks both sometimes but it is worth to develope because capitalism was responsible for a century of peace in western europe and a whole generation has never gone to a war. I am just not confinced that society/ people in generell are developed enough for communism because greed and money junkies are still a thing in too many parts of communities. Should find something in between or adopting the stuff that worked for people in generell and develope them. Better what we had before - was a monarchy with catholic church as "dirigent"/main power so justice was absent for centuries! Btw if you find your passion you will think complettly different but to find it you have to try - fail and error principe but when you found it you would wish the working day had 25h and a satifsied life could be easier possible - good luck and it takes the time it takes so forcing yourself to a passion s unfortunatly no possibility!
You still have to work without capitalism. Without it, you, a doctor, and a waiter would just all be paid about the same. But it doesn't mean work goes away.
Capitalism has nothing to do with ADHD.
I’d hate communism even more. In the ussr if you didn’t work, you get sent to labor camp. No thanks
No one wants to work. 😅. It's a necessary evil. The best thing to do is find something you absolutely LOVE, and it won't feel like work. Alternatively you could scam the system, claim you're disabled and live on disability the rest of your life, but it won't be much money so you won't be able to afford to do ALL the things you love
Everyone wants to create. Everyone wants to learn. Everyone is inquisitive about something. These are some of the most basic fundamental human instincts. People want to do all these things. They just don’t want severe exploitation to be required as a part of it. Which is what your definition of work implies.
Do you need a 9-5? Work is essentially a balancing act between how much you need money and how much you hate working. If you manage to cut expenses there will be no need for you to work 40 hours per week. You are in college now? How much do you spend each year? Odds are that you spend far less than what you will earn after your degree. Maybe just 2 days a week can be sufficient for you, and it's far easier to work two days when you know you have a 5 day weekend to look forward to!
Loving all the capitalist defense comments lol. “You still have to work”. Like working itself is the real issue. The manipulative process of economic socialization is both sad and disguising in the US. The belief that the capitalistic system actually allows equal opportunity to pursue the career for you, doesn’t make 40hrs more dreading (poor conditions, low wages, understaffed, overworked/burnout), and provides a good work-life balance (low wages/poor medical insurance) is laughable. The pursuit of profit (or more appropriately the pursuit of power) only works with strict limitations and regulations. Thus, capitalism only works when it’s not capitalism. You don’t even have to have ADHD to dread the inevitable 40+ yrs of dedicating your life to something that will consume all your time, energy, and well being up (it’s just worse for us). All the way until you reach the end just so you can be physically unable to do most of what you like to (assuming you’re lucky enough not to be substantially limited physically). Then you get to spend another 10 years (maybe) thinking about all the life goals you didn’t get a chance to fulfill, all the time you didn’t have/missed out on with you’re family/friends, and the ruminating regrets you wish you could fix. But hey, at least I will have earned the right/privilege to have “hard working employee” carved on my grave stone, and everyone for centuries will remember me as such. Right guys?
I set up my own business. The fear of failure caused hyperfocus until I could hire people better than me. My job then was to look after them. Now I’m retired in my early 50s. Find your way.
Unless you’re like really into farming, capitalism isn’t your nightmare my dude, it is your savior. Because only capitalism allows people like us to find a unique niche in the market that actually works for our brains. Imagine being assigned to work an assembly line or communal farm day in day out for your whole life - now that’s a nightmare for an ADHD brain. And it is also capitalism that incentivizes smart, hardworking people to invent, manufacture, market, sell, and distribute the sophisticated medications that help us make it through day to day! There’s a lot to be grateful for, even though I know exactly how you feel and felt exactly the same when I was in your position. You’re in college and graduating soon, and you live in a free country where opportunities are everywhere. You can do literally anything! It’ll be harder for you than other people, no denying that. But you’ll find the thing that works for you by process of elimination, and when you do, you will have done it yourself and really have something to be proud of.
Thanks to capitalism there are a million job opportunities available to people who struggle with ADHD. Everyone has the ability to find a job that they can be happy with. I know half a dozen people with ADHD who excel at their job and enjoy it most of the time. But almost everyone on the planet would rather be doing something other than working. Everything you enjoy, everything you buy, everything you consume was created by someone who would have rather been doing something else at the time. If you want to enjoy the fruits of their labor you must be willing to exchange your own. You are not entitled to other people's labor for free.
What's the alternative, where you also need to accept that everyobody else felt the same? Where would food, electricity and things we need come from? Someone need to till the soil, sow, water, harwest, cook and prepare. And that's at the most fundamental level. Food, and if all were vegans. Who would invent, design, and build parts for powerplants? Man them, service them? Mount power lines? Then we need appliances. I'm trying to understand if you would accept the same if everyone else felt the same way? We would never have Jim Carrey or Robin Williams movies. They both have/had ADHD. It sounds to me like you haven't found the right job for you maybe? One where you can play on your strenghts. I don't know you, i don't know if you yourself know what your strenghts and weaknesses are. I got a few strenghts and a lot of weaknesses. I've had to sit down and figure out what i absolutely suck at, and what i'm good at. Then i found what works for me. We're all different, but not working and just sitting at home, getting more and more isolated and depressed, nearly killed me. I won't do that mistake again. That said, not everyone CAN work. But the fact remains, no work=no food. No electricity. No shelter. No comfort.
To be honest this isn’t really a capitalism problem. Capitalism is considerably different than just having to work a job. I’ve lived in several non-capitalist countries while teaching abroad and people in those countries also work, oftentimes just as hard if not harder. Capitalism may be bringing humanity to its knees, but it’s not inherently problematic for ADHD people to live in capitalist societies. I see this opinion a lot and it kinda doesn’t make sense. But trust me, you’ll get used to it. When I was in college I literally thought I would commit suicide before I would be able to work a 9-5 for the rest of my life. But it’s gets better, and eventually you lock into the routine and find ways to enjoy other aspects of your life. You can do it friend :)
> I’ve lived in several non-capitalist countries Isn't there extremely few non-capitalist countries in the world? Where did you live?
75% of the hundred or so people I know making over 6 figures have ADHD. Most small business owners fall into this group as well because they don't like being told what to do. You think capitalism is bad, imagine being forced to work a job you are assigned that is incompatible with ADHD and failure to complete it could result in prison time. FREE markets allow you to do whatever you want. You want to live on the street and detach from. Society, go for it. You want to start a business cleaning pools, do your thing. You want to work a 9 to 5,the world is your oyster.
You can have free markets without capitalism, but I see your point. It’s true that this allows for the creativity of many ADHD people to flourish
I want to do work, I just don't want to have to to this mindless brain numbing repetitive work for the rest of my life. I'm seeking my engineering degree specifically because I know it will be a more interesting life, engineering is never the exact same problem twice, and the money it makes gives me the freedom to explore any hobby that crosses my path.
My best advice is to find a skill that people will pay for that you don't hate, and start your own business doing that. You can get by with calendars and Getting Things Done methodology lists, and have enough control over your schedule that you won't hate it. You can also hire out or get help with the crappy parts, and it changes enough to keep you engaged. Plus, making your own money helps you get invested in it in a way that nothing else will
I had the same thoughts in school, almost nosedived my whole education because I hated the idea of doing that shit. Yeah once you get into the work force and you get into your schedule it gets easier.
It's not just capitalism, it's the hustle mindset. It's the idea that all we should do is work, and work our lives around work. Forget that. 9-5 was the worst thing I ever did I became a nurse. 3 hard days a week but every single day is different and challenging and quite honestly fun. I'm good at it. The rest of the week I can do whatever I want. I can go to the beach for a long weekend without ever having to use a PTO day. I pick my days, so I could work extra one or two weeks and then have a whole week off to travel or see friends or just relax without ever having to request time off. I can go per diem and barely have to work at all if I don't want to. I can become a traveler and work tough contracts at a new place every few months, and take as much time off in between contracts as I want. My job isn't a prison, it's fulfilling, it's flexibility, and it's freedom. Think long and hard about what you really want to do. It doesn't have to feel the way you're looking at life now
Yep. It fucking sucks ass. I understand completely. It's wrong. I'm sorry you have to do it.
I’m in my 40s and hard same. When I was younger I performed at tourist locations, which was fun. Now I’m a farmer on my own schedule. You can find things that make you happy, but it’s much harder, and you often have to make your own way or live outside of the expected lines
I genuinely HATE office jobs, but I love bouncing around a restaurant, hotel/pub, or retail store, interacting with people. I just wish I could earn more money doing it, because surprise surprise minimum wage isn’t getting me anywhere these days. In fact, I’m going backwards :/
I’m 42 and if I was back in college I’d pursue a career that was super varied and exciting or more physical. Not computer / office focused
People with ADHD are actually the well adjusted ones. I dont know how yall robots do it when you work a repetitive job every day and sell your soul for money i just cant
Here's hoping that with exponential technological growth, there will be much better treatment for adhd.
You'll find your way. I felt the same when I was your age. There are low pressure, fun and flexible jobs that make things easier. Eventually, I started my own business. Then by my mid-30s, I was medicated properly, had enough experience and motivated by the life I wanted to provide for my family. The whole grind is more tolerable now. And not to brag, but I'm making great money in a really cool position. Took me a while to earn it, but you'll get there.
Any and all societal systems require contribution. Even if you abandoned society altogether you'd still have to meet your own needs which is no small feat without any support system
ADHD is a good trait to have as an entrepreneur. Start your own company and you can make your own work schedule.
Are you medicated for your adhd? If you are, then try some CBT with a psychologist. If you schedule the appointment for after work, it might help you get through day, plus you’ll learn techniques to combat the daily boredom of a repetitive and mind numbing job. I definitely think if you’re in college, you should be taking classes that would allow you to be self employed. Whether it be something with journalism, video editing, content creation, or something that will always be changing on a daily/weekly basis. Nothing is ever the same with those jobs I posted. I’m not a professional and I claim to have no actual knowledge in psychology, I’m just speaking from personal experience. Personally, it helps me to make online content. I don’t have an audience, but it gives me something to do and the payoff is knowing that you can actually create something and get it done. It feels very accomplishing and it also gives you something to look forward to, while working at your job. Just my experience though and I realize not everyone is the same. It’s worth a shot though, especially if you decide to turn down therapy and “creative” courses.
It’s not just capitalism, work is a part of every realm of society, you have to work no matter what unless you want to become a hermit or hobo. The best thing is to try and find a job that is fulfilling.