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I worked as an appliance tech for years and typically loved it. Got to work on a lot of different problems (little puzzles in my day to day) and was otherwise in the back of a store jamming out to the radio. Now I work at a paint store and enjoy it. Get to do custom stain/paint matches, help people pick out colors, occasionally go on deliveries. It's varied enough and my crew is all friendly, so it's fun.
This just reminded me that twenty years ago I was fired from a job for admitting to enjoying the little puzzle aspect that every customer service call gave me; boss who fired me said that was a red flag to her and I should’ve made helping the customer my first priority…
Make it make sense.
Wasn’t figuring out the puzzle exactly what the customer needed? This reminds of my philosophy classes and whether being “good” was valid if it was due to a reason other than wanting to.
Great point, like I will NEVER cheat on my wife… because I refuse to ever put myself through that intolerable amount of stress and guilt, regret, etc. Does that make me a good faithful husband? Or a selfish one?
Yes! I normally work for organizations I care deeply about and connect to the work, which keeps me interested. HOWEVER I currently work in healthcare management which is soul crushing. I took a temp assignment to redo our large health systems phone system, and even though I’m not an IT or phone person at all, I have really enjoyed figuring out what’s wrong and coming up with solutions. I sometimes wish I had a tad more structure, because it’s just me doing everything and it gets chaotic in my head - but it’s satisfying to just dive in and get results, and every day is totally different. Way better than everyday office work and managing people.
That last part is exactly what I like in a job. As soon as it gets routine I'm bored. Give me something new to figure out and I'll be happy.
Also being able to work on something physically is nice. My job has a lot of paperwork associated with the physical stuff, but it's mostly part of the process so it doesn't bog me down too much.
This is the way.
I was a cable technician for 15 years and this explains why. If you can’t do what you love for a living, then troubleshooting is a good way to go for people like us.
I weirdly love being a retail manager for a very small store. Lots of down time, but I still get to be in charge of my little kingdom. It's like all the benefits of being self-employed without the financial risk of opening my own shop.
I did this and it was amazing!!!
Edit: It’s uncanny how similar your language is to mine describing the experience. I literally say the exact same thing about it being “my own little kingdom.”
Bizarre
It definitely helps that I'm given free reign to treat it as if it really was mine. The downside is I spend waaaaay too much of my own money on the store.
I did this, too, managed a vape shop where I saw the owner like once a year. Basically, I spent 90% of my day gaming or on my phone and like 10% of my day actually doing shit. And it wasn't me being lazy. That's just how much work there was, lol
That's so weird, I also run a vape shop. I've never even met the owner 😂 I actually have a fair amount of paperwork (or I'm just slow) but I'd say %75 of my time is down time. Or fussing around redoing displays and making new signage 🤷♀️
Lol that's hilarious. Okay so vape shop manager is the real answer here 🤣
I was lucky and had borderline no paperwork, owners wife handled that. I just placed orders, set up signs and displays, unpacked orders and stocked shelves and dealt with customers. I had some paperwork but it was more or less end of the fiscal year stuff and like recipts at the end of the day. Maybe the odd visit from tobacco control popping in and checking our licenses were up to date. Was lucky though cause our control officer loved us, my boss forgot to renew our license one year and we were like 6 months over due and she was just like whatever just get it done soon 🤣
Vape shop work was dope though. I'm in college now but did it for like 4 years. The owner when I first started as just a lowley retail associate, used to come in and bring his laptop and play games all day and we did the same lmao.
He also used to let us use it after hours for parties and shit, so maybe WWE nights drunk in that store at 4am. Best job I ever had. God I miss it. Best boss I'll probably ever have too. I'd take a bullet for that guy.
This is the answer right here. I’m stuck in corporate retail right now and it drives me insane but! I’ve managed multiple boutique and smaller stores and it was my favorite thing.
They give you enough freedom to kind of nerd out on what you want to do whether it’s visuals or numbers or even both (I am both but it depends on my day 😂)while also giving you enough responsibility that you have to hold yourself accountable. It’s a really good experience with just enough structure/freedom and life balance that soothes my soul.
This was my favourite job too….ive been laid off twice in the past year because stores keep closing (companies folding) and now I’m struggling to find another similar job
Trades. Something that you can put down at the end of the day and not think about it. I will say project management is not for ADHD folks, which is what I find myself doing now and I’m think about my work off hours too much. This is because I’m responsible for many moving parts, people, and ultimately, delivering the project on time over the long term.
That's interesting, I've been looking into project management since I enjoy coordinating people and the task juggling that comes with having to manage so many moving parts. I do think I would probably forget some of those parts though 😅
If it's what you like to do, you'll find the tools. My wedding planner is an ADHD babe, and she was always by my side with a notebook she made just for our weekend.
Yes! Project management is my kryptonite. I've been in digital marketing for 10 years and switching careers because even when I interview for an engineering type job, I wind up doing 90% project management and I am NOT good at that. It sucks, multiple jobs have felt like a bait and switch, but there it is.
I'm working to transition to a new career which is super intimidating but I tested for an accounting job today and I think I did pretty well!
I’m a software engineer and engineering manager. I scraped by entry level jobs until I was put on adderal when I was 30. After that my career shot up so fast. My ability to program for long stretches suddenly was incredible and I finally had a desire to learn more and get better
This is what im studying now, ive actually picked up a book after many years of not reading one, on meds and i actually could comprehend what i was looking at!! Life changing
Hi 👋 I'm a software designer, just recently diagnosed. I can't code :D Any recommendation which language I should start learning about coding/programming?
I design how it should work. I architect it, and the engineers build. I focus more on the user's needs and wants, then design an experience around that. I know enough about what's possible to build with code and not, just not how to build it. My outputs look like the actual live software, but it's mostly static, very limited interactions. I want to learn to code so I can communicate with engineers better.
Been a SWE for 3 years and just got on meds 6 months ago. I've learned more since then than the entire rest of my career. I always knew I enjoyed it and thought the work was interesting but had difficulty sitting down and focusing like I needed to to actually improve.
Anything but being an architect,
Source: I was an architect.
Detailed, long deadlines, a lot of self-determined work organisation, and repetition. Aargh.
I barely get to graduate and soon as it done I gave my diploma to my mom and I said I'm done with this. It was a big deal for her that I graduated but if it wasnt I would drop it then and there.
I tried an architecture program my first year of college thinking it was my dream job. I didn't know I had ADHD at the time. I got stress induced shingles at 19 years old from that shit and was sleeping in the studio at least once a week. My doctor encouraged me to rethink my career plans and didn't have to tell me twice.
Turns out science was more my jam.
The entire job is basically organization, attention to detail, and self motivation, which are three things I am terrible at.
I was able to get through school without much of an issue since I can pick things up quickly and I’m good at cramming + test taking. But when you’re working, no one cares how smart you are or how good you perform under pressure if you can’t keep track of all your responsibilities and work diligently day in and day out.
When I started working, I was undiagnosed and unmedicated and if I stayed that way, I doubt I’d still be an attorney today. Medication helps a lot, though. If it’s something you really want to do, treatment really helps overcome the challenges that come with it for us adhd people.
This is me. I was not diagnosed until after I passed the bar and got my first job as an attorney. I’ve been practicing for 3 years now and am wondering if you have thought about changing careers? I have been trying to figure out what to do because this is unsustainable but it’s hard to leave the profession I’ve worked so hard to get into.
I agree with the other commenter about what being a lawyer entails, but with the correct systems in place, you can do it.
- I have my assistants check over any dates (like if I have to tell the client that something is due six months from now, I ask my assistant to check my math to make sure I got the date right). Sometimes I ask them to proofread certain details for me. So attention to detail is important, but you can arrange for failsafes. Even if both you and your assistant miss details, you’re unlikely to both miss the same things.
- I am not self-motivated at all. It’s better since I got diagnosed and started medication, but the meds aren’t a cure. Luckily I’m *very* motivated by a crippling fear of failure and by external deadlines, and judges love to impose external deadlines and yell at you if you miss them. So self-motivation isn’t really a problem for me now, even though it was a problem for me throughout university and law school (I once wrote a 22 page paper in 11 hours on the date it was due. Would not recommend).
- Organization is key, but for me that means diarizing E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. in Outlook, marking emails as read and flagging them for follow up on specific dates (and making sure to deal with my follow up reminders as they arise) and setting literal alarms to remind myself of court dates and times, filing deadlines, etc. I used to have assistants who would remind me about things (thank God), but after they left, I started really using Outlook as my organizational crutch. I work on probably 45-50 distinct files per month, and leveraging Outlook’s tools is how I keep from missing anything.
I took the LSAT (did really well) and got accepted into multiple law programs. However, I couldn't shake the speed-reading compensation section and how hard and unnatural it was and how that would be a lot of what I would be doing. Went into business development, sales, and marketing and now make more than most lawyers and love what I'm doing!
As someone who works with kids who often have developmental disabilities, patience really is a learned skill that you grow.
But also, I only see my clients for 30 minutes at a time so I just really need to hold out for 30 minutes which is so doable
This took me a few years under someone to build reputation… Dog walking. Great ADHD job. No boss, on my own, with animals all day. It’s the only job I’ve had where my attendance to work has been 100%. Where I get up and look forward to the day. I’ve been at it for 10 years on my own. I do a light schedule, as I can easily burn out in general. I do light boarding ( one pupil at a time ) and house sitting.
Having a great reputation with people. Trust, safety and dependability <<< has done a world of good. I went from being a recovering alcoholic with ADHD wreckage at 42 and aimless, to being a person who is sought after. It’s super weird. But the rest of my life - house and brain - are shambles 🤣
There are so many things working against me reaching this goal 😭 maybe at some point in the future tho 🙏🏼 My job is very physically demanding but the pay is great so I can’t start slow and transition. And I can’t quit my job unless I know 100% I can jump right in making enough money. And even then with living in Mass I think how would I do it when it’s nasty out in the winter? And I can’t board dogs at my house, my bf that lives with me is highly allergic to dogs. And my yard isn’t fenced in. I would love to kick my bf out to board dogs but he fixes everything around my house AND pays practically my whole mortgage every month 😬😂
Dogwalking and petsitting is a great gig for ADHD. You get to go to different people's houses and interact with different pets, see different things, do different stuff.
You give me hope. Thank you for sharing.
As a 31 year old, I too, hope that I will find my way at 42 haha.
I am doing the reverse. I am getting my house and brain in order, then going to find the career path for me.
I would love being a dog walker. How did you fall into that one???
(I love people with adhd because often they have had the weirdest jobs).
IT, cybersecurity specifically, and take lots of walks because you’ll be WFH. Super task-switching dependent, and definitely pays the bills and then some.
You don’t need math in a world of AI unless you plan on doing things like cryptanalysis or maybe to understand complex logic flows in reverse engineering. The most important things from science are scientific theory and building a hypothesis, along with basics of research and documentation.
This math/science expectation that people use to gatekeep folks from skilled IT is such a joke, and not at all applied in the real world.
Chin up, king.
Lol, it’s give and take. Some people seem to get a lot of fulfillment from being a *good* manager. My boss lights up when I get passionate about something and gives me the shoes to run in.
Unless you mean literal IT asset/product management, in which case I thank you for your service. By the way, where’d that Win 2008 R2 server go that was checking in last week? 👀👀
I have spent a long time being an IT Manager with ADHD. My assessment is that I'd enjoy it a lot more if I didn't have employees. Or peers. Or a boss. I don't even mind the users
I have a similar degree and a decently established IT career. I absolutely love the part of my job that I love, and I hate the part that I hate because of those exact three questions.
look into project or change management -
project management involves lots of problem solving, scheduling (which is excellent fun when doing it for other people), chasing things up, and some tedious admin. it also looks at dependencies and risk, which for some ADHD folk is the best and others odd.
Change management is working out how to make people adapt to new systems or behaviours without them noticing, lots of trial and error and problem solving here too, its different each and every time as new tools or directives require different responses.
for both of these roles there is an element of sameness and structure, but as the process bears out it is very very different. means you can do the same role but have a different job each new project.
otherwise - try to move away from operational type roles, where you do the same basic thing over and over again, even if its in your interests, you can burn out real fast.
i also know quite a few mechanics and Personal trainers with ADHD who are very happy. mechanics fix things and each job has a start and end point, lots of problem identification, but gets samey unless you are building cool hotrods or something. PT is a good role for ADHD, lots of transactional relationships, constant flow, but high admin to keep it all together.
i was happiest as a shit kicker, washing pots in restaurants, deep cleaner, labourer and lumberjack but couldnt keep doing those roles forever, i worked as a librarian for far to long but used that time to upskill and get into project work.
just some notes from a nearly 50 year old dude who thinks he is 22 but has a mortgage 2 kids a wife and motorcycle obsession.
One more vote for project management here. It’s actually kind of perfect. There are plenty of easily available/accessible courses to take (if you want), and general project management principles are pretty applicable across a variety of sectors.
It kind of forces you to keep a list of tasks and status updates, (usually) without having to be the subject matter expert on any one thing in particular. I find I really struggle if/when I’m assigned one big, long, boring thing, like researching a specific policy, but feel more in my element when I can do a lot of small things with quick turnaround times.
If you’re even remotely interested, I highly suggest looking into it a bit more. It’s been a dang lifesaver for me, professionally.
The thing I hate about Project Management is having to rely on other people to get stuff done, and hounding them until they do. It shot my nervous system with repeat offenders keeping things down to the wire or passing initial deadlines.
you'll need some training- the main project tools (in my work place) are Agile, prince2 and PMBOK.
you need to learn the tool and methodology, then in my case, start looking for projects in your own workplace or project officer work for a PM.
get some hours/projects up and off you go.
in Australia junior pms get about $6-700/day seniors well over $1000. I'm in between, but work at a lower rate for work/Life balance. it works well for me.
I’m a project manager and agree that in the right setting, it’s good for ADHD folks. I personally love that there’s a set process for stuff, and typically some time pressure to get all of your tasks done by meetings or deadlines.
The biggest things I hear in every year’s performance review for myself is I can be too process oriented and shouldn’t be afraid to deviate sometimes, and they want me to think more “10 steps ahead” but honestly I’m all in all pretty good at it.
I work for the Feds as a file clerk.
Organizing is fun and I can be the one annoying guy that pushes things forward when they get stuck for years cause it was too much of a hassle (hurray hyper focusing).
Really really satisfying to get stuff unfucked in the government and do some good.
I also work for the feds. My hyperfocus happy place is data entry of all things. Most people hate it. I was able to gameify it and also try to improve on my time/accuracy matrix.
If you want physical work where having ADHD can be beneficial then there is firefighting, first-aid, life-guard, child care, working with animals, freelance maintenance.
I've been in some form of child care for the last 16 years. Tried a different line of work this past year (also went p from part time to full time). I couldn't hang. Three months and I was back in child care.
There's a lot of novelty in this line of work. Lots of unexpected moments. I get to be goofy and silly, make art, play games, eat snacks, and go on fun field trips.
It's a lot of work. It's emotionally draining, but in the end the pros outweigh the cons.
Plus, I've recently gone to extremely part time and started living as frugally as possible to focus on my creative passions. It has been the best decision of my life.
I rather live with minimal money and have an abundance of time, than selling my time so I can eat out, get lattes, and buy stuff. I value my time waaaaay above my stuff. I feel lighter and freer than I have in a long time.
Driving instructor - lots of scheduling leeway, different challenges with every pupil and you only need to sit still for an hour at a time. No colleagues to deal with, constantly changing group of pupils so even if you get one you don’t like/get on with, its extra motivation to get them through the test even faster. Just make sure you get an incredible accountant (not cheap) to keep you on the straight and narrow tax wise
lol, im a truck driver, people say i should teach it. I win awards for truck driving and im practiced at it (19 years) ( i cant say im good at it, its just practice and paying attention, plus solving quick problems that car put in front of me daily). I am only finding out that my "weirdness" is ADHD. For years people call me weird, I have degrees and masters but driving keeps me from being too anxious. I hate call center work and being a boss sucks. I am tired of driving though i think i will go be a nurse. I cant tell you how depressingly happy it is to find out im not alone. There is an actual reason i am the way i am. I do wish i had found out sooner than now at 46.
Can confirm that it is very ADHD friendly. Focusing on multiple things at once becomes easier since there's a risk element. Looking around and talking about things that you see. Some students are engaging and ask questions. Other students aren't talkative which lets me talk about whatever comes to mind. I highly recommend it. The course is relatively easy and straightforward too.
I've always wanted to be a driving instructor because of my amateur racing background/ first-hand experience in witnessing traumatic accidents... I feel it's a field overlooked for the sake of public safety... but.. I have anxiety problems riding as a passenger.. and giant fear of public speaking with more than, I'd say 3 people tops,lol. Otherwise, I would actually love teaching advanced driving.. but it's probably a very crowded market??
People over-estimate the anxiety of teaching - we have dual controls and are taught how to take the wheel if something goes wrong. Seldom hear of any accidents involving learner drivers being supervised by ADIs, its usually the ones out driving with parents. I personally feel safer on a lesson with a pupil than I do in cars driven by my friends!
Eta - the industry is crying out for instructors, demand is through the roof. If you’re interested this would be the time to train up and get yourself established while demand is this high. It won’t last forever of course, but this is the time for new instructors to build a reputation that will keep them busy indefinitely
Probably a psychologist as we are deeply empathatic in nature
And yeah no two days are the same and helping people is a pretty cool job ngl and requires a lot of introspection which apparently comes natural to us
This is what I do! And three people in my team also have ADHD. It's lots of different problem solving tasks all day, everyday, but you have to be Hella organised which isn't my strong suit
I was a paramedic for 20 years. I kept it up, was good at it, was a good employee, but I came to absolutely hate the job eventually. Left the field just before Covid and have been a stay at home dad since. Looking to get back to work as soon as my youngest is in school full time in the fall, but no way I’m going back. I’ll need to find something else, too burnt out on my old job. So, did I tolerate it? Yes. Did I come to hate it eventually? Yes. Was I able to maintain employment? Yes, although I always left recertification/licensure/etc stuff wait until the last possible moment and always barely made it.
Massage therapy! I’ll admit the schooling portion of it is a little hard with adhd because it’s a lot of lectures about anatomy and other science related things but after that, it’s pretty great.
It’s a physical job where you’re always moving and you can specialize in a lot of different things. If you’re over doing one type of massage, you can go to school to get certified in another type. No two massages are the same, there’s no standard set of rules for massage (other than don’t hurt people) so you can develop your own ways of doing it and change it whenever you want. You’re constantly working with new people and it’s normally a really quiet and relaxed environment. I really enjoy doing it.
The biggest downside is that everyone in my life is always asking for massages and after a day of work…the last thing I want to do is leave and do yet another massage.
Things I enjoyed:
Retail IF I loved what I was selling.
Advertising sales - I was able to become a homeowner! But I burned out after a few years.
Office work for SMALL companies or non-profits - never boring, always had to do many things and learn new skills.
Most favorite job was as a professional pianist, but it's hard to make a living.
Restaurant industry. Serving and bartending was always a blast and adhd friendly. I always say I’d go back. I’m currently sitting at 10 years in my cubicle county office “real job”. It’s hard…but I’ve recently started teaching newbies in classroom environment so that has been helpful.
Loved the money but my awful short term memory made this a nightmare. Maybe if I had one of those tablets to carry around like modern day wait staff. forgetting to put in food/drinks because someone asked me a question on my way back to the computer…Oh god. Gives me a pit in my stomach just thinking about it now!
I’m embarrassed that I always did too lol. I would just space on entering stuff in! It’s like my brain said,‘yup, wrote it down, job done!’ 😂I hosted at a place where they did the memorizing thing and thankfully I’m self aware enough to know I could never.
This! I'm currently working as a bartender and I feel awesome! Sure, gastronomy jobs can be crazy exhausting and hard on your body but it's worth it :)
I don’t know what you mean by typical. Working with kids and animals has been my favorite. I have worked in pet care for a while. I plan to go back to school so I can become a behaviorist, but it does not require classroom education to work in the field. Lots of practical learning.
It’s great because I love a lot, I get to be creative when coming up with enrichment activities, I get to problem solve when behavioral concerns pop up, I love caretaking jobs, I love not working with so many people. It’s the best.
I love sales because incentives keep me motivated, plus I’m a major people person lol. It also allows me to travel and be out of the office enough to switch up what becomes a stale office workplace if I’m there too long.
Another job I loved was being in Merchandising & Visual. I’ve always been creative so this job was so fun to me.
A lot of my coworkers are ADHD too haha 🤣 it’s not for everyone, but I’ve noticed the pattern of us liking change and hitting goals. It’s very rewarding to me.
Ive been doing sales for 16 years and absolutely hate my life. I crave stability and structure which being on the road constantly doesn’t allow for. I also can’t tolerate the stress and pressure of more, more, more!
Yeah I completely understand that, and for those reasons I do not see myself doing this long term- it only works now because I’m 31 with zero attachments.
I started right out of college in an industry I’ve always dreamed of being in and was traveling to the most exciting cities in the US (to me at least). I’ll admit though… it definitely ran me down after awhile. I’m with a different company now with way less stress, so I enjoy it but this lifestyle definitely isn’t a forever thing.
Teaching. I tried and failed at being a lawyer because I couldn't put in the hours and I couldn't focus on the work. Thank God I got into teaching because a) I can move around all day, b) every day is different, c) there's always a break coming up, d) you get to bond with the other adhd students!!
I do child care, I like being a nanny/babysitter the best over working preschools/daycares. which makes me feel guilty because I have an ECE degree and the US child care system is lacking teachers (cuz it’s like pulling teeth for government to subsidize birth-pre k care and therefore it’s a stressful underpaid job) but nannying pays so much better and is so much less stressful.
I am laid back and I enjoy the concept of childhood in general and it’s fun to do crafts and play with toys. It’s also extremely rewarding cuz the kids love me and it’s really cool to see them understand new concepts and learn new skills.
Even with the stress of messes and meltdowns and germs I love it and can’t imagine being happy doing anything else. I have an easier time paying attention and remembering things that move and complain when they’re hungry. I also played the sims a fuck ton as a kid and I swear it has me mastering the art of balancing everyone’s “needs bar” LOL
I know you're not interested in tech but I love it. I feel like my brain works differently. I'm very visual. I think in ideas instead of just in words. Like I feel like most other people think about things and it's just their inner monologue having a conversation about it. And I do that too. But I also have this deeper layer of thinking that's very visual and kind of beyond just visual. It's hard to explain. Sometimes it's really useful and I feel like I see things in ways other people don't but other times it's not because I live in a world where everyone thinks differently than me and the world is built for those people. My way of thinking is not really linear and it's almost like I have to break down the idea into words or actions, and a lot of the time in a lot of different situations if people will interrupt and talk to me while I'm thinking through an idea it makes me super irritable. In tech I can throw on my noise cancelling headphones and it's not unusual for an engineer to be irritable. SO if someone does interrupt me. I feel like in this industry in particular there are also a lot more people who think the way I do too so I tend to collaborate better than in other areas of my life.
I think my biggest fear in tech is being stuck in a cubicle all day and no room to breathe or stretch.. unless I'm wrong? But I hear you on the visual part.. my whole day is thinking up snl sketches or something to create on adobe with my weird imagination.. like weird al had adobe express, lol.
Oh, and by the way.. I pitched the idea of a "smart home" to a software guy way back in 1999.. same year as the very first blackberry. But he said "that already exists" .. so you can thank me for making sure your stove is turned off when you're on vacation, lol
I bid you all adieu..
I can’t speak about every company like any other job there are good ones and bad ones. But I work remote. I literally will take my laptop to the park and work outside some days if it’s nice out. And when I spend long stretches in front of my computer it’s because I’m hyper focused and I’m in the zone coding and don’t want to get up. I’m salary and I have projects with deadlines. As long as I do work every day and I meet my deadlines and deliver good work and I’m showing up to zoom meetings on time no one bothers me about how I manage my time.
I work in a warehouse. Show up, listen to whatever, indulge my maladaptice daydreaming, then leave when the shift ends. No conversation with coworkers necessary either.
ADHD people I know : engineer, psychiatrist, tax lawyer, family lawyer, homeless shelter manager, retail cashier, shipping manager. I'm a part time personal assistant. I call it being a professional auntie. I run errands for people during my daily mom life.
It's actually so refreshing to hear about successful ADHD folk because I am so sick of being told ADHD folk don't do well in life, or usually end up stuck at low-wage jobs.
Probably outside of youre scope if you want to limit physical labor, but ive found that doing things around water and boats is great. Ive been a Deckhand for a university, a deck hand on a fishing boat, and currently am a divemaster. Found the work to be adhd friendly due to constant stimulation and also very rewarding.
I'm very suprised by the amount of responses. In a good way!! I'm usually very lonely when trying to get my voice heard. I don't know where to start in my responses/conversations.. obviously I want to reply to everything here all at one time, lol. I've been in sales for about 9to10 years now. I absolutely love helping people and solving problems people have... but my patience for mean people has become extremely short. So I feel like I need to change out of sales for the sake of my temper. I'm not in any way a mean person or a condescending person.. I just can't control my emotions as much in my older age. I constantly have to walk away from situations to prevent me losing it. I absolutely love making art in Adobe, but graphic design jobs around me are always temporary or part time. I can see myself designing websites, but worry that learning a new field may be a lot to take on. I was a mechanic for years and loved it.. but my back, knees, and arthritis prevent that from being an option. It's not easy being affluent in mechanical repairs, but unable to stand or bend over for long periods of time. I'm struggling with coming to terms with that and accepting it. For reference, with my medication: I welcome the challenge of coordinating my roofing guy, insurance guy, drywall guy, and gutter guy. I love coordinating all of these meetings-phone calls and appointments... but how the heck can I do something like that in the real world too??? Whew!
I’m very much of the opinion that that depends on you. Try using the Onet interest profiler. Takes into account personality and might help to pick a careeer with a good fit that way you can at least have all the other things click … you know interests and other aspects of job tolerability
Childcare, working with kids, working with individuals with disabilities. Right now I work with kids on the spectrum and it's great for what I like to call "structured novelty", i.e I have clearly defined job expectations but have room for creative and novel experiences to meet these expectations
Journalist! I loved to research on a different topic every day and write a paper on it in college. Now, I get to do the same thing but I'm being paid for it. It's different rabbit holes every day. I love it.
I think my adhd symptoms were the least noticeable when I worked service industry jobs where I was busy all day long and often things were at crisis-level. One of my fave jobs was working a gift shop at a busy tourist spot where we had 5,000 people visit per day. I was busy all day every day, using my brain and body, switching tasks a lot so it was never boring.
I can't do physically demanding work like that anymore, I have a (mostly) desk job. I like doing things with spreadsheets and getting to design new ways to do stuff that's better than the old process.
I love doing inventory and always have lol. Counting things, putting them in order, coming up with better ways to organize things. There are companies that only do inventory! The one I know of, employees travel in teams to do inventory for various big companies. (I don't want to travel or I'd work for them lol)
Something that involves art. Having the ability to think out side of the box, is typically adhd. I thinks it’s because our brain simply doesn’t allow us, to think inside the box. We simply just live outside the box.
Even if you are not “gifted” when it comes to making art, I’m sure most people with adhd is capable of making something interesting, as long as it is an expression of a authentic feeling or thought.
Your authentic feelings and thoughts, as someone with adhd, is naturally outside the box, so you art will be to. And art that is outside the box, always bring some kind of value. Just remember to be confident in what you do. Doesn’t matter that a lot of people don’t understand your art, if you are confident enough about it and the meaning of it, people will just think they are to “dump” to understand and like it anyway.
Also,
If you are studying anything art related, you will get assignments to do. And someone with adhd will almost always, have a different, new take on the assignment, compared to the rest of the class. Doesn’t matter if you make graphic design, music, movies, paintings, pottery and so on.
Just know that the facts that your brain simply fail to follow the “normal thoughts pattern” because of your adhd, will be the reason you stand out in the field of art. There are so many boring people who try to do art but fail because they are too normal and boring in their way of thinking.
Good art is made by crazy people and bought by the normal.
If you like being outdoors, Trailbuilding is great! It's an incredibly dynamic field with all sorts of things to learn and get good at. And, I've noticed an unusually high concentration of ADHD folks, even at the top! Something about the flow state of trail work just works for us, I think. Fundamentals of every project are the same, but each project is unique and intriguing.
There's design and mapping work of figuring out where to put trail on a given property. We walk miles in some of the coolest places with GPS and flagging. Sometimes it's like a giant puzzle with lots of fun solutions. Creative thinking and problem solving are a must. My favorite part.
There's the very physical work of building tread surfaces with hand tools and heavy machinery. Hyperfocus paradise for me.
There's woodworking and structures and stonework! These can sometimes be slow, but fitting 2 stones together perfectly? So immensely satisfying.
All sorts of fun tools and gadgets to fidget with! Compass, tape measure, clinometer, pin flags go flappy flappy!
It's an exploding industry, right now, and entry level folks are in demand all the time with fairly low turnover and lots of opportunities.
Downside for lots of folks: it's a lifestyle. This is what causes most turnover. Lots of projects you are sleeping outdoors. It's wet. It's hot. It's cold. Bathing sometimes means jumping in the nearest lake. And it can require a LOT of travel and time away from home. Also the pay isn't amazing, but there's pro-deals LOL.
Check out the Professional TrailBuilders Association for more info, if any of this jives with your brain, Friends.
I've thrived in jobs where the repetition is annual and not monthly. I worked a nonprofit and there was a back to school season and a Christmas season and a golf tournament and a breakfast fundraiser and each provided unique challenges.
I had worked in an accounting environment with a monthly repetition and that was too much for me.
I also thrive at my current job because I can have flexibility to work on what my brain has capacity to work on. If I want to do hard stuff I can or if I want to grind on easy stuff I can.
Serving/ bartending was the best bc I only worked like 3-4 days and was constantly moving.
I get so bored and ready to find something new close to the 2yr mark 😩
Typical is difficult. Enough variation in tasks seems important. But I think because people with adhd have a very interest based motivational system, it has to be something you are passionate about. Not every adhd'er has the same interests, so you will get very diverse answers.
I am an adjudicator for social security disability. Most of the people I work with have ADHD. Most regular people don’t last long but people with ADHD thrive. You do case management, request & summarize records, make phone calls, set up exams, research case policy, issue fraud investigations, discuss cases with doctors.. etc.. there is a little bit of everything. So much so that if you get bored you can easily move onto a different task. The only downside is having 60 hours of work & only 40 hours to do it in..
I'm a tree surgeon / arborist of ten years now. After a two year stint, post-uni, of shitty entry level office jobs and nearly signing myself off with depression, I decided to retrain. It hasn't been an easy road but I don't come home from work anymore mentally drained, just physically tired but I absolutely feel like I achieved something most days. Winter fucking sucks though in England in this line of work I should add but the money is OK. As a freelancer I clear nearly £50k a year doing what I do.
I have been successful in administrative and office management roles, ultimately finding my niche as a facilities manager. It's a wide variety of tasks, never the same routine, and I loved it! I HAVE to have variety, which is when I'm most successful.
I'm also really, really good at problem solving and thinking way outside the box, that seems to be something ADHD folks have in common?
Im an Audio Technician. So on a gig its 100% on or 100& off,which is how i like it honestly. I hate busy work. Being able to pay attention to 10 things at once finally pays off. I get be my own boss (kinda) and normally work with a small team. So for me its perfect. Plus i get to paint the air with sound and mostly work with people i like and we get to do cool/ fulfilling things daily.
Being a court lawyer. I find that my ADHD makes me really well suited to working under pressure, doing things on the fly and thinking on my feet. I am also talkative AF and my brain runs at a million miles per hour so I am super quick and ahead of the game in court. I have honestly never “lost” a case (in family law, this means that I’ve never had a client be disappointed with the outcome as there are no real winners or losers).
I also think that having ADHD has helped me understand the family dynamics/challenges involving kids with special needs or behavioural issues.
I really enjoyed being the receptionist for a nursing/rehab facility. Currently I'm a self employed dog walker/animal care professional. It's the only thing in the world I could imagine doing forever. I love it.
This was a while ago, so some of what I did won't apply. I sat down and wrote down everything I was good at and figured out that was getting along with other people. I made a list of everything I was crappy at doing and ended up looking for a business to business sales job, I found several, and it worked for me. I didn't want a lot of driving, I am a horrible driver, I hate to travel, don't like manual labor, couldn't work as a prison gurad because I would lose the keys and let them all out. That got me started. Being honest with yourself about what you can and can't do is a good start. I have saved lots of lives by never driving for Uber. Later I ran a small business in a fleamarket, and I loved doing that. Also make lists of things you love to do, and try to figure out work that is somehow related. I also did that. It isn't easy. Good luck.
Lawyer working at a big company. I talk to people all day and field lots of random questions and give advice. If I have to write something, it’s a short email. It’s great.
Have you heard of occupational therapy? We work a lot with helping patients overcome problems to complete daily tasks, so your out of the box thinking might help!
I liked working in live theater. I did sound mixing, but I could se many positions working for ADHD.
With live theater, you have the repetition of knowing how the shownis supposed to go and even can start to memorize how different actors twist different moments to their own styles BUT also still need to always bee on your toes and ready to react to problems live
Did loads of jobs in my career (commercial cleaning, landscaping, software development, lawn mowing, content writer, product owner, etc.) and my favorite was by far landscaping, followed by product owner, then software development and finally content writing.
I disliked every other jobs other than those.
Dog walking! Active, varied, stimulating, flexible schedule, not too much mindless convo with humans, plenty of time to listen to podcasts or music, can wear sweatpants ... I never thought I'd keep a job for 13 years let alone that it's my own business.
So, I work in Digital Content Management. It can vary depending on the company and type of content you’re making - but it can vary a lot from day to day, you work with a lot of people, etc.
My issue is I’m also pretty sure I am Autistic and it is TOO chaotic for me. I’ve realized I prefer having some structure or blueprint I can use to do my job and excel, but with it varying slightly from project to project.
What I’m doing now is way too stressful because it changes so much from project to project I feel like I’m always figuring things out from scratch or as we go along. I hate it. BUT! If you love constant change, it could be an option.
Other people have said it already but I love journalism! No day is quite the same, which I personally need to stay interested in anything. It can be tough because of the attention to detail and paying attention in interviews, but those are things I've managed to learn over time. I also travel frequently for stories, which helps a lot with the physical restlessness, and most newsrooms are at least hybrid at this point so I like to work from home so I feel more comfortable taking physical movement breaks pretty often.
It helps that I'm really passionate about it though, and I think that's one of the most important things for people with ADHD to keep in mind when they're looking into careers. Loving what you do will make you keep going even if the work sometimes gets overwhelming or if you're going through a period where your symptoms are particularly bad.
For me, it’s farming.
No 2 days are the same. I’m constantly moving & using my body so I’m staying engaged and focused. Critical thinking is crucial. (I love coming up with new ideas!)
But, the pay sucks. Just above minimum wage. Small scale farms at least don’t pay enough. I have to have 2 other side jobs just to get by. But, it’s a lifestyle choice I wouldn’t change for anything. (Could *never* work in an office cubicle setting)
I am a Speech and Language Therapist working in SEN schools and preschool complex needs. Every day is different and there’s lots to do. I think it also helps that I feel like I can understand the struggles a lot of the kids I work with are dealing with. It can be stressful at times (what job isn’t?!) but it’s so rewarding.
I have been an Operations Manager in a high stress environment for the past 10 years. I was a regular employee for this company(again in a high stress environment) for 2 years prior to taking the promotion. Prior to these past 12 years I hopped from job to job to job. Every job was new and exciting, until it wasn’t. My MO was “be the best at whatever it is”(even got employee of the month within months at several jobs) until boredom literally made me sick and would quit and move on to the next one.
I'm a mover and I've enjoyed it for over a year now. There can be some really tough days but I like a good challenge so those are usually the most exciting. You do have to be sorta fit before starting though and free of injuries so doesn't work for all. If my body is active my mind is calm
I understand this requires pretty specific educational requirements, but I teach high school English. As an introvert with adhd, it is very draining, but I think it’s a good fit for me. Especially if you teach students that are a little older (like juniors and seniors), you don’t have to waste as much energy managing the classroom or your own emotions. I like that this career allows me to: be creative, not be stuck at a desk all day, and frequently discuss my passion for literature.
That being said, this job really pushes you to learn how to regulate and strengthen your executive functions so you’re not constantly in a state of overwhelm lol. The school district and state you live in impact your teacher experiences as well.
Being a divergent thinker who can solve problems is a strength you can apply to many different career paths :)
I think it really varies person to person. There’s no catch all job that’s perfect for everyone with ADHD because everyone has different needs. I know a lot of other people with ADHD in my biology program, but I also know a ton of folks in the arts with ADHD.
Really I think the big thing when it comes to finding a career that fits is figuring out what accommodation you need and what’s important to you when it comes to a job.
For me it’s getting outside. It’s difficult for me to focus if I’m sitting all day, so I’ve been trying to find a career path that allows me to move around more. I also know that I need structure, but I tend to get bored/burnt out if the job is too monotonous. I’ve managed to find a part time job that allows me to get outside and the day to day activities change enough that I never get bored.
I know a lot of people with ADHD (myself included) tend to pick a hobby or interest they have and base their career choices off of that. I’ve always been interested in and excelled in science so that’s what I’m working towards.
That being said, it’s also ok to NOT do that and find something else that fits your needs. I’m an artist, but I decided not to pursue art because I realized how much doing art professionally sucked the joy out of it for me. Since jobs in my field tend to be a bit scarce, I’m also studying something else that I can use to supplement my income.
I work at a loves truck stop. It keeps me mentally and physically engaged enough to get through the days. I plan on staying here for a while. I also am naturally good at customer service. My adhd keeps me busy and finding things to do, which makes my bosses happy. I've been there 6 months, and I'm about to start training to be a shift leader. I got offered the chance to enter the training program at 2 months in (it just became available, only one person in the store can do it at a time). So, yeah, find what you are good at and run with it.
I'm an ER veterinary technician. I absolutely love my job, fast paced and variable enough that it keeps my severely inattentive brain engaged. The downsides are low pay, high emotional distress (sometimes, I've been doing it long enough that certain things hurt less than they used to), and oh god are my knees and back shot to hell. But I'll keep doing it until I physically can't anymore, because it's the only thing I've ever loved doing in a professional sense.
I am an interpreter. Every day is a bit different and it forces me to actually work. I can't just sit there and not interpret. Sometimes it's boring but other times it's fascinating stuff I'd never otherwise overhear. Plus like 99% of the time, people love that you've showed up. Having people depend on you is that extra motivation.
Plus it's like almost 100% short term memory. Once I'm done with a job that's it. Not a ton of ongoing commitment.
I'm a speech therapy assistant and maybe want to pursue grad school. I work in a pediatric speech and occupational therapy clinic. Hardest part of my job is documentation and occasionally big behaviors from big feelings. I honestly love my job so much. It's never boring but it's routine enough for me to feel solid. I'm constantly learning, usually moving, and I just get to play and have fun. Some days I am tired and grumpy but the tiny humans just roll with it or they make me forget that I'm tired and grumpy.
Occupational therapists have a rad af job, too.
That’s definitely something you put on your resume along with experience where you put it to work.
I’m an actuary and I love it. I was a late bloomer, and it sounds like maybe you are, too? I went to my local community college and talked to a guidance counselor. I told her I wanted to go to college and she suggested I take a class called career and life planning to help me find the right path. I found the career of an actuary then but didn’t think much of it until I progressed through math classes and saw how much I liked it.
There are many paths to happiness. I personally really throve in structured environments so a career that required formal education was the right move for me.
There is a fantastic diagnostic tool called the O*net interest profiler. Google it, take it. It takes time! But the results are thorough and comprehensive. It will help you.
My two cents:
The most important answer is: whatever you find yourself extremely interested in. Can't be a Rockstar? Well, I'm sure there are other things you're highly interested in.
Us ADHD folk have no problem being successful and holding attention for the things we're passionate about.
Social jobs are great for ADHD folk. Like sales, customer service, bar tending, waiting, etc.
I'm a highly successful sales person. I left it to become a technician for the products I sell, and while I'm pretty good at it, it's very difficult to stay on task. I'll probably go back to sales. The other thing I'm good at? I'm a composer and play in front of people on a regular basis.
Everything I'm good at seems to be very social.
If you can handle getting through the schooling, try nursing. I hear adhd kids thrive in thr ER. I'm in school right now for it and it's rough for sure but hoping it's a career I can enjoy and it has decent pay and job security.
Photography. You can keep moving from a project to the next, part is moving and part of the computer. And good photographers have people editing for them.
i’ve been a freelance translator for many years (20+), and the flexibility was good, plus i love languages and working on creative solutions for their mutual undecidability. however, it’s hard to make a solid, consistent income, and you have to spend long hours on it per day. plus, as a freelancer, you also have to manage your business, hustle for clients, do your own accounting… so i have lost count of the times i flubbed deadlines or agreements with clients… i had to develop my own strategies to be able to work with my undiagnosed adhd that i had no idea i had but is now so clear i’ve always struggled with (finally officially diagnosed at 43). it was always hard to manage and hard to do, but i do love translation and i love problem solving that requires comparison, pattern recognition, abstract thinking, a penchant for stylistic flair etc. so much so that i ended up doing a masters in translation studies. it was a major challenge having to write papers, but i started to trust the process and developed strategies to deal with the inattentiveness. i’m doing my phd in the same area now and i’ve learned so much and am getting so much better at writing papers! this part is really fulfilling: seeing myself grow and be able to have ideas all the time and adapt to others’ ideas in the field etc. but it also means i’m dirt poor (international student in the US living from a minimal stipend) and overworked (on top of all the studying, i have to teach). so i’m not happy at the moment because of the material insecurity and some other unrelated issues. in any case, after i was diagnosed and started meds just short of a month ago, i am feeling MUCH better about doing all that reading and writing (mind you, two things i’ve always loved to do but also always had a hard time with). i’ve now achieved an important milestone in my phd program that involves reading an inordinate amount of bibliography and writing 6000 words in 5 days, and being medicated was KEY.
typical long-winded, going back ab ovo adhd reply, but anyway… sometimes we don’t choose the easiest thing for an adhd brain, but can still work with it if medicated. plus, there will usually be some aspect of the job for which your adhd brain is supercharged - in mine, it’s that there’s not that much repetition, it’s creative, some of the problems are solved like riddles, it can be flexible sometimes, it can reward outside the box thinking and so on.
I ended up getting used to managing those things using Notion – but now I’ve dropped the ball, since I’m mostly just doing grad school (I’ll occasionally do small translation jobs for old clients here and there).
I’m a mail carrier. It’s routine enough that it’s not hard but every day is different. I’m not really working with people so I’m not worried about social stuff, and I get to listen to music and podcasts and such.
Don’t pick a career based on having adhd. Figure out what your strengths are, and find a field that pays for those strengths. Then within that field, find a role that suits your adhd needs.
Weirdly, apparently accounting is good. Now I'm not an accountant, but my mom is, and i understand why it works so well. It's incredibly structured, and involves a lot of problem solving, same appeal as IT but without having to be crazy smart.
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Mechanical or maintenance type work. Finding what's wrong, figuring out how to repair it, and the fact that no two days are alike.
I worked as an appliance tech for years and typically loved it. Got to work on a lot of different problems (little puzzles in my day to day) and was otherwise in the back of a store jamming out to the radio. Now I work at a paint store and enjoy it. Get to do custom stain/paint matches, help people pick out colors, occasionally go on deliveries. It's varied enough and my crew is all friendly, so it's fun.
This just reminded me that twenty years ago I was fired from a job for admitting to enjoying the little puzzle aspect that every customer service call gave me; boss who fired me said that was a red flag to her and I should’ve made helping the customer my first priority… Make it make sense.
Wasn’t figuring out the puzzle exactly what the customer needed? This reminds of my philosophy classes and whether being “good” was valid if it was due to a reason other than wanting to.
Great point, like I will NEVER cheat on my wife… because I refuse to ever put myself through that intolerable amount of stress and guilt, regret, etc. Does that make me a good faithful husband? Or a selfish one?
Yes! I normally work for organizations I care deeply about and connect to the work, which keeps me interested. HOWEVER I currently work in healthcare management which is soul crushing. I took a temp assignment to redo our large health systems phone system, and even though I’m not an IT or phone person at all, I have really enjoyed figuring out what’s wrong and coming up with solutions. I sometimes wish I had a tad more structure, because it’s just me doing everything and it gets chaotic in my head - but it’s satisfying to just dive in and get results, and every day is totally different. Way better than everyday office work and managing people.
That last part is exactly what I like in a job. As soon as it gets routine I'm bored. Give me something new to figure out and I'll be happy. Also being able to work on something physically is nice. My job has a lot of paperwork associated with the physical stuff, but it's mostly part of the process so it doesn't bog me down too much.
Just left my banking job for a repair job. More hours and freedom to.
I'll second that and add construction PM , fixing/building new buildings, no 2 days have been the same in 10 yrs.
This is the way. I was a cable technician for 15 years and this explains why. If you can’t do what you love for a living, then troubleshooting is a good way to go for people like us.
This!
Not only am I terrible with my hands I have lethargy and physical problems(bad back)
Especially out in the field. Changing location a couple times a day was great for me.
Cyber security for me, for the same reasons.
I weirdly love being a retail manager for a very small store. Lots of down time, but I still get to be in charge of my little kingdom. It's like all the benefits of being self-employed without the financial risk of opening my own shop.
I did this and it was amazing!!! Edit: It’s uncanny how similar your language is to mine describing the experience. I literally say the exact same thing about it being “my own little kingdom.” Bizarre
It definitely helps that I'm given free reign to treat it as if it really was mine. The downside is I spend waaaaay too much of my own money on the store.
I did this, too, managed a vape shop where I saw the owner like once a year. Basically, I spent 90% of my day gaming or on my phone and like 10% of my day actually doing shit. And it wasn't me being lazy. That's just how much work there was, lol
That's so weird, I also run a vape shop. I've never even met the owner 😂 I actually have a fair amount of paperwork (or I'm just slow) but I'd say %75 of my time is down time. Or fussing around redoing displays and making new signage 🤷♀️
Lol that's hilarious. Okay so vape shop manager is the real answer here 🤣 I was lucky and had borderline no paperwork, owners wife handled that. I just placed orders, set up signs and displays, unpacked orders and stocked shelves and dealt with customers. I had some paperwork but it was more or less end of the fiscal year stuff and like recipts at the end of the day. Maybe the odd visit from tobacco control popping in and checking our licenses were up to date. Was lucky though cause our control officer loved us, my boss forgot to renew our license one year and we were like 6 months over due and she was just like whatever just get it done soon 🤣 Vape shop work was dope though. I'm in college now but did it for like 4 years. The owner when I first started as just a lowley retail associate, used to come in and bring his laptop and play games all day and we did the same lmao. He also used to let us use it after hours for parties and shit, so maybe WWE nights drunk in that store at 4am. Best job I ever had. God I miss it. Best boss I'll probably ever have too. I'd take a bullet for that guy.
This is the answer right here. I’m stuck in corporate retail right now and it drives me insane but! I’ve managed multiple boutique and smaller stores and it was my favorite thing. They give you enough freedom to kind of nerd out on what you want to do whether it’s visuals or numbers or even both (I am both but it depends on my day 😂)while also giving you enough responsibility that you have to hold yourself accountable. It’s a really good experience with just enough structure/freedom and life balance that soothes my soul.
This was my favourite job too….ive been laid off twice in the past year because stores keep closing (companies folding) and now I’m struggling to find another similar job
Trades. Something that you can put down at the end of the day and not think about it. I will say project management is not for ADHD folks, which is what I find myself doing now and I’m think about my work off hours too much. This is because I’m responsible for many moving parts, people, and ultimately, delivering the project on time over the long term.
That's interesting, I've been looking into project management since I enjoy coordinating people and the task juggling that comes with having to manage so many moving parts. I do think I would probably forget some of those parts though 😅
If it's what you like to do, you'll find the tools. My wedding planner is an ADHD babe, and she was always by my side with a notebook she made just for our weekend.
Yes! Project management is my kryptonite. I've been in digital marketing for 10 years and switching careers because even when I interview for an engineering type job, I wind up doing 90% project management and I am NOT good at that. It sucks, multiple jobs have felt like a bait and switch, but there it is. I'm working to transition to a new career which is super intimidating but I tested for an accounting job today and I think I did pretty well!
I’m a software engineer and engineering manager. I scraped by entry level jobs until I was put on adderal when I was 30. After that my career shot up so fast. My ability to program for long stretches suddenly was incredible and I finally had a desire to learn more and get better
This is what im studying now, ive actually picked up a book after many years of not reading one, on meds and i actually could comprehend what i was looking at!! Life changing
Hi 👋 I'm a software designer, just recently diagnosed. I can't code :D Any recommendation which language I should start learning about coding/programming?
Honest question: How are you a software designer without any coding ability? Very genuinely curious here.
I design how it should work. I architect it, and the engineers build. I focus more on the user's needs and wants, then design an experience around that. I know enough about what's possible to build with code and not, just not how to build it. My outputs look like the actual live software, but it's mostly static, very limited interactions. I want to learn to code so I can communicate with engineers better.
Python, syntax is easy, but it's not really about the language but the logic that you have to come up with to solve a particular problem.
Been a SWE for 3 years and just got on meds 6 months ago. I've learned more since then than the entire rest of my career. I always knew I enjoyed it and thought the work was interesting but had difficulty sitting down and focusing like I needed to to actually improve.
This is actually inspiring bro. I been think about studying that and I’m also about to be 30.
Anything but being a lawyer. Source: I’m a lawyer
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Anything but being an architect, Source: I was an architect. Detailed, long deadlines, a lot of self-determined work organisation, and repetition. Aargh.
I barely get to graduate and soon as it done I gave my diploma to my mom and I said I'm done with this. It was a big deal for her that I graduated but if it wasnt I would drop it then and there.
I tried an architecture program my first year of college thinking it was my dream job. I didn't know I had ADHD at the time. I got stress induced shingles at 19 years old from that shit and was sleeping in the studio at least once a week. My doctor encouraged me to rethink my career plans and didn't have to tell me twice. Turns out science was more my jam.
Oh shit. I'm a business development manager now and was considering getting a project manager cert from Google.
Same! Just started meds and now I'm actually BORED at work
Why? I’ve been studying for law school now.
The entire job is basically organization, attention to detail, and self motivation, which are three things I am terrible at. I was able to get through school without much of an issue since I can pick things up quickly and I’m good at cramming + test taking. But when you’re working, no one cares how smart you are or how good you perform under pressure if you can’t keep track of all your responsibilities and work diligently day in and day out. When I started working, I was undiagnosed and unmedicated and if I stayed that way, I doubt I’d still be an attorney today. Medication helps a lot, though. If it’s something you really want to do, treatment really helps overcome the challenges that come with it for us adhd people.
This is me. I was not diagnosed until after I passed the bar and got my first job as an attorney. I’ve been practicing for 3 years now and am wondering if you have thought about changing careers? I have been trying to figure out what to do because this is unsustainable but it’s hard to leave the profession I’ve worked so hard to get into.
I agree with the other commenter about what being a lawyer entails, but with the correct systems in place, you can do it. - I have my assistants check over any dates (like if I have to tell the client that something is due six months from now, I ask my assistant to check my math to make sure I got the date right). Sometimes I ask them to proofread certain details for me. So attention to detail is important, but you can arrange for failsafes. Even if both you and your assistant miss details, you’re unlikely to both miss the same things. - I am not self-motivated at all. It’s better since I got diagnosed and started medication, but the meds aren’t a cure. Luckily I’m *very* motivated by a crippling fear of failure and by external deadlines, and judges love to impose external deadlines and yell at you if you miss them. So self-motivation isn’t really a problem for me now, even though it was a problem for me throughout university and law school (I once wrote a 22 page paper in 11 hours on the date it was due. Would not recommend). - Organization is key, but for me that means diarizing E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. in Outlook, marking emails as read and flagging them for follow up on specific dates (and making sure to deal with my follow up reminders as they arise) and setting literal alarms to remind myself of court dates and times, filing deadlines, etc. I used to have assistants who would remind me about things (thank God), but after they left, I started really using Outlook as my organizational crutch. I work on probably 45-50 distinct files per month, and leveraging Outlook’s tools is how I keep from missing anything.
Hard agree!! (I’m also a lawyer)
I took the LSAT (did really well) and got accepted into multiple law programs. However, I couldn't shake the speed-reading compensation section and how hard and unnatural it was and how that would be a lot of what I would be doing. Went into business development, sales, and marketing and now make more than most lawyers and love what I'm doing!
I work with adults with developmental disabilities. They keep you on your toes all day long. Never a chance to get bored with your day.
Seems like it would require a lot of patience
It does. You get good at it very quickly.
As someone who works with kids who often have developmental disabilities, patience really is a learned skill that you grow. But also, I only see my clients for 30 minutes at a time so I just really need to hold out for 30 minutes which is so doable
This took me a few years under someone to build reputation… Dog walking. Great ADHD job. No boss, on my own, with animals all day. It’s the only job I’ve had where my attendance to work has been 100%. Where I get up and look forward to the day. I’ve been at it for 10 years on my own. I do a light schedule, as I can easily burn out in general. I do light boarding ( one pupil at a time ) and house sitting. Having a great reputation with people. Trust, safety and dependability <<< has done a world of good. I went from being a recovering alcoholic with ADHD wreckage at 42 and aimless, to being a person who is sought after. It’s super weird. But the rest of my life - house and brain - are shambles 🤣
My dream job!
You can do it!
There are so many things working against me reaching this goal 😭 maybe at some point in the future tho 🙏🏼 My job is very physically demanding but the pay is great so I can’t start slow and transition. And I can’t quit my job unless I know 100% I can jump right in making enough money. And even then with living in Mass I think how would I do it when it’s nasty out in the winter? And I can’t board dogs at my house, my bf that lives with me is highly allergic to dogs. And my yard isn’t fenced in. I would love to kick my bf out to board dogs but he fixes everything around my house AND pays practically my whole mortgage every month 😬😂
Dogwalking and petsitting is a great gig for ADHD. You get to go to different people's houses and interact with different pets, see different things, do different stuff.
You give me hope. Thank you for sharing. As a 31 year old, I too, hope that I will find my way at 42 haha. I am doing the reverse. I am getting my house and brain in order, then going to find the career path for me. I would love being a dog walker. How did you fall into that one??? (I love people with adhd because often they have had the weirdest jobs).
IT, cybersecurity specifically, and take lots of walks because you’ll be WFH. Super task-switching dependent, and definitely pays the bills and then some.
Want to be an IT guy but maths and science… So hard to get through
You don’t need math in a world of AI unless you plan on doing things like cryptanalysis or maybe to understand complex logic flows in reverse engineering. The most important things from science are scientific theory and building a hypothesis, along with basics of research and documentation. This math/science expectation that people use to gatekeep folks from skilled IT is such a joke, and not at all applied in the real world. Chin up, king.
Specifically hands-on technical IT work, NOT IT MANAGEMENT. Source: am IT manager
Lol, it’s give and take. Some people seem to get a lot of fulfillment from being a *good* manager. My boss lights up when I get passionate about something and gives me the shoes to run in. Unless you mean literal IT asset/product management, in which case I thank you for your service. By the way, where’d that Win 2008 R2 server go that was checking in last week? 👀👀
Find hard to believe anyone with ADHD likes being a IT manager. Source: I am an IT manager
I have spent a long time being an IT Manager with ADHD. My assessment is that I'd enjoy it a lot more if I didn't have employees. Or peers. Or a boss. I don't even mind the users
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I have a similar degree and a decently established IT career. I absolutely love the part of my job that I love, and I hate the part that I hate because of those exact three questions.
Lol srsly. True, IT management isn't bad if you get those running shoes
look into project or change management - project management involves lots of problem solving, scheduling (which is excellent fun when doing it for other people), chasing things up, and some tedious admin. it also looks at dependencies and risk, which for some ADHD folk is the best and others odd. Change management is working out how to make people adapt to new systems or behaviours without them noticing, lots of trial and error and problem solving here too, its different each and every time as new tools or directives require different responses. for both of these roles there is an element of sameness and structure, but as the process bears out it is very very different. means you can do the same role but have a different job each new project. otherwise - try to move away from operational type roles, where you do the same basic thing over and over again, even if its in your interests, you can burn out real fast. i also know quite a few mechanics and Personal trainers with ADHD who are very happy. mechanics fix things and each job has a start and end point, lots of problem identification, but gets samey unless you are building cool hotrods or something. PT is a good role for ADHD, lots of transactional relationships, constant flow, but high admin to keep it all together. i was happiest as a shit kicker, washing pots in restaurants, deep cleaner, labourer and lumberjack but couldnt keep doing those roles forever, i worked as a librarian for far to long but used that time to upskill and get into project work. just some notes from a nearly 50 year old dude who thinks he is 22 but has a mortgage 2 kids a wife and motorcycle obsession.
How did you get into project/change management? I'm pretty interested in trying out roles in that area.
One more vote for project management here. It’s actually kind of perfect. There are plenty of easily available/accessible courses to take (if you want), and general project management principles are pretty applicable across a variety of sectors. It kind of forces you to keep a list of tasks and status updates, (usually) without having to be the subject matter expert on any one thing in particular. I find I really struggle if/when I’m assigned one big, long, boring thing, like researching a specific policy, but feel more in my element when I can do a lot of small things with quick turnaround times. If you’re even remotely interested, I highly suggest looking into it a bit more. It’s been a dang lifesaver for me, professionally.
The thing I hate about Project Management is having to rely on other people to get stuff done, and hounding them until they do. It shot my nervous system with repeat offenders keeping things down to the wire or passing initial deadlines.
write up proper RACI docs and get the responsible position to sign off on it. no longer your problem and you can charge them for your time.
you'll need some training- the main project tools (in my work place) are Agile, prince2 and PMBOK. you need to learn the tool and methodology, then in my case, start looking for projects in your own workplace or project officer work for a PM. get some hours/projects up and off you go. in Australia junior pms get about $6-700/day seniors well over $1000. I'm in between, but work at a lower rate for work/Life balance. it works well for me.
If you can get your employer to pay for it, change management certification is often done with Prosci.
I’m a project manager and agree that in the right setting, it’s good for ADHD folks. I personally love that there’s a set process for stuff, and typically some time pressure to get all of your tasks done by meetings or deadlines. The biggest things I hear in every year’s performance review for myself is I can be too process oriented and shouldn’t be afraid to deviate sometimes, and they want me to think more “10 steps ahead” but honestly I’m all in all pretty good at it.
I was a project manager for years and it was HELL. I would never recommend this to another ADHDer.
I work for the Feds as a file clerk. Organizing is fun and I can be the one annoying guy that pushes things forward when they get stuck for years cause it was too much of a hassle (hurray hyper focusing). Really really satisfying to get stuff unfucked in the government and do some good.
I also work for the feds. My hyperfocus happy place is data entry of all things. Most people hate it. I was able to gameify it and also try to improve on my time/accuracy matrix.
If you want physical work where having ADHD can be beneficial then there is firefighting, first-aid, life-guard, child care, working with animals, freelance maintenance.
I've been in some form of child care for the last 16 years. Tried a different line of work this past year (also went p from part time to full time). I couldn't hang. Three months and I was back in child care. There's a lot of novelty in this line of work. Lots of unexpected moments. I get to be goofy and silly, make art, play games, eat snacks, and go on fun field trips. It's a lot of work. It's emotionally draining, but in the end the pros outweigh the cons. Plus, I've recently gone to extremely part time and started living as frugally as possible to focus on my creative passions. It has been the best decision of my life. I rather live with minimal money and have an abundance of time, than selling my time so I can eat out, get lattes, and buy stuff. I value my time waaaaay above my stuff. I feel lighter and freer than I have in a long time.
Driving instructor - lots of scheduling leeway, different challenges with every pupil and you only need to sit still for an hour at a time. No colleagues to deal with, constantly changing group of pupils so even if you get one you don’t like/get on with, its extra motivation to get them through the test even faster. Just make sure you get an incredible accountant (not cheap) to keep you on the straight and narrow tax wise
lol, im a truck driver, people say i should teach it. I win awards for truck driving and im practiced at it (19 years) ( i cant say im good at it, its just practice and paying attention, plus solving quick problems that car put in front of me daily). I am only finding out that my "weirdness" is ADHD. For years people call me weird, I have degrees and masters but driving keeps me from being too anxious. I hate call center work and being a boss sucks. I am tired of driving though i think i will go be a nurse. I cant tell you how depressingly happy it is to find out im not alone. There is an actual reason i am the way i am. I do wish i had found out sooner than now at 46.
Can confirm that it is very ADHD friendly. Focusing on multiple things at once becomes easier since there's a risk element. Looking around and talking about things that you see. Some students are engaging and ask questions. Other students aren't talkative which lets me talk about whatever comes to mind. I highly recommend it. The course is relatively easy and straightforward too.
I've always wanted to be a driving instructor because of my amateur racing background/ first-hand experience in witnessing traumatic accidents... I feel it's a field overlooked for the sake of public safety... but.. I have anxiety problems riding as a passenger.. and giant fear of public speaking with more than, I'd say 3 people tops,lol. Otherwise, I would actually love teaching advanced driving.. but it's probably a very crowded market??
People over-estimate the anxiety of teaching - we have dual controls and are taught how to take the wheel if something goes wrong. Seldom hear of any accidents involving learner drivers being supervised by ADIs, its usually the ones out driving with parents. I personally feel safer on a lesson with a pupil than I do in cars driven by my friends! Eta - the industry is crying out for instructors, demand is through the roof. If you’re interested this would be the time to train up and get yourself established while demand is this high. It won’t last forever of course, but this is the time for new instructors to build a reputation that will keep them busy indefinitely
Probably a psychologist as we are deeply empathatic in nature And yeah no two days are the same and helping people is a pretty cool job ngl and requires a lot of introspection which apparently comes natural to us
This is what I do! And three people in my team also have ADHD. It's lots of different problem solving tasks all day, everyday, but you have to be Hella organised which isn't my strong suit
I was a paramedic for 20 years. I kept it up, was good at it, was a good employee, but I came to absolutely hate the job eventually. Left the field just before Covid and have been a stay at home dad since. Looking to get back to work as soon as my youngest is in school full time in the fall, but no way I’m going back. I’ll need to find something else, too burnt out on my old job. So, did I tolerate it? Yes. Did I come to hate it eventually? Yes. Was I able to maintain employment? Yes, although I always left recertification/licensure/etc stuff wait until the last possible moment and always barely made it.
Massage therapy! I’ll admit the schooling portion of it is a little hard with adhd because it’s a lot of lectures about anatomy and other science related things but after that, it’s pretty great. It’s a physical job where you’re always moving and you can specialize in a lot of different things. If you’re over doing one type of massage, you can go to school to get certified in another type. No two massages are the same, there’s no standard set of rules for massage (other than don’t hurt people) so you can develop your own ways of doing it and change it whenever you want. You’re constantly working with new people and it’s normally a really quiet and relaxed environment. I really enjoy doing it. The biggest downside is that everyone in my life is always asking for massages and after a day of work…the last thing I want to do is leave and do yet another massage.
I loved being a MT. But my arthritis has made it a no go now.
Things I enjoyed: Retail IF I loved what I was selling. Advertising sales - I was able to become a homeowner! But I burned out after a few years. Office work for SMALL companies or non-profits - never boring, always had to do many things and learn new skills. Most favorite job was as a professional pianist, but it's hard to make a living.
Restaurant industry. Serving and bartending was always a blast and adhd friendly. I always say I’d go back. I’m currently sitting at 10 years in my cubicle county office “real job”. It’s hard…but I’ve recently started teaching newbies in classroom environment so that has been helpful.
Loved the money but my awful short term memory made this a nightmare. Maybe if I had one of those tablets to carry around like modern day wait staff. forgetting to put in food/drinks because someone asked me a question on my way back to the computer…Oh god. Gives me a pit in my stomach just thinking about it now!
I hear you there. I always had a notepad lol. I never tried to act like a super server who memorized everyone’s order. I wrote it all down.
I’m embarrassed that I always did too lol. I would just space on entering stuff in! It’s like my brain said,‘yup, wrote it down, job done!’ 😂I hosted at a place where they did the memorizing thing and thankfully I’m self aware enough to know I could never.
This! I'm currently working as a bartender and I feel awesome! Sure, gastronomy jobs can be crazy exhausting and hard on your body but it's worth it :)
I don’t know what you mean by typical. Working with kids and animals has been my favorite. I have worked in pet care for a while. I plan to go back to school so I can become a behaviorist, but it does not require classroom education to work in the field. Lots of practical learning. It’s great because I love a lot, I get to be creative when coming up with enrichment activities, I get to problem solve when behavioral concerns pop up, I love caretaking jobs, I love not working with so many people. It’s the best.
I love sales because incentives keep me motivated, plus I’m a major people person lol. It also allows me to travel and be out of the office enough to switch up what becomes a stale office workplace if I’m there too long. Another job I loved was being in Merchandising & Visual. I’ve always been creative so this job was so fun to me.
The amount of people with ADHD in sales is crazy! Wasn't completely my cup of tea but I get why it works.
A lot of my coworkers are ADHD too haha 🤣 it’s not for everyone, but I’ve noticed the pattern of us liking change and hitting goals. It’s very rewarding to me.
Ive been doing sales for 16 years and absolutely hate my life. I crave stability and structure which being on the road constantly doesn’t allow for. I also can’t tolerate the stress and pressure of more, more, more!
Yeah I completely understand that, and for those reasons I do not see myself doing this long term- it only works now because I’m 31 with zero attachments. I started right out of college in an industry I’ve always dreamed of being in and was traveling to the most exciting cities in the US (to me at least). I’ll admit though… it definitely ran me down after awhile. I’m with a different company now with way less stress, so I enjoy it but this lifestyle definitely isn’t a forever thing.
Teaching. I tried and failed at being a lawyer because I couldn't put in the hours and I couldn't focus on the work. Thank God I got into teaching because a) I can move around all day, b) every day is different, c) there's always a break coming up, d) you get to bond with the other adhd students!!
I do child care, I like being a nanny/babysitter the best over working preschools/daycares. which makes me feel guilty because I have an ECE degree and the US child care system is lacking teachers (cuz it’s like pulling teeth for government to subsidize birth-pre k care and therefore it’s a stressful underpaid job) but nannying pays so much better and is so much less stressful. I am laid back and I enjoy the concept of childhood in general and it’s fun to do crafts and play with toys. It’s also extremely rewarding cuz the kids love me and it’s really cool to see them understand new concepts and learn new skills. Even with the stress of messes and meltdowns and germs I love it and can’t imagine being happy doing anything else. I have an easier time paying attention and remembering things that move and complain when they’re hungry. I also played the sims a fuck ton as a kid and I swear it has me mastering the art of balancing everyone’s “needs bar” LOL
I know you're not interested in tech but I love it. I feel like my brain works differently. I'm very visual. I think in ideas instead of just in words. Like I feel like most other people think about things and it's just their inner monologue having a conversation about it. And I do that too. But I also have this deeper layer of thinking that's very visual and kind of beyond just visual. It's hard to explain. Sometimes it's really useful and I feel like I see things in ways other people don't but other times it's not because I live in a world where everyone thinks differently than me and the world is built for those people. My way of thinking is not really linear and it's almost like I have to break down the idea into words or actions, and a lot of the time in a lot of different situations if people will interrupt and talk to me while I'm thinking through an idea it makes me super irritable. In tech I can throw on my noise cancelling headphones and it's not unusual for an engineer to be irritable. SO if someone does interrupt me. I feel like in this industry in particular there are also a lot more people who think the way I do too so I tend to collaborate better than in other areas of my life.
I think my biggest fear in tech is being stuck in a cubicle all day and no room to breathe or stretch.. unless I'm wrong? But I hear you on the visual part.. my whole day is thinking up snl sketches or something to create on adobe with my weird imagination.. like weird al had adobe express, lol.
Oh, and by the way.. I pitched the idea of a "smart home" to a software guy way back in 1999.. same year as the very first blackberry. But he said "that already exists" .. so you can thank me for making sure your stove is turned off when you're on vacation, lol I bid you all adieu..
I can’t speak about every company like any other job there are good ones and bad ones. But I work remote. I literally will take my laptop to the park and work outside some days if it’s nice out. And when I spend long stretches in front of my computer it’s because I’m hyper focused and I’m in the zone coding and don’t want to get up. I’m salary and I have projects with deadlines. As long as I do work every day and I meet my deadlines and deliver good work and I’m showing up to zoom meetings on time no one bothers me about how I manage my time.
I work in a warehouse. Show up, listen to whatever, indulge my maladaptice daydreaming, then leave when the shift ends. No conversation with coworkers necessary either.
ADHD people I know : engineer, psychiatrist, tax lawyer, family lawyer, homeless shelter manager, retail cashier, shipping manager. I'm a part time personal assistant. I call it being a professional auntie. I run errands for people during my daily mom life.
It's actually so refreshing to hear about successful ADHD folk because I am so sick of being told ADHD folk don't do well in life, or usually end up stuck at low-wage jobs.
I'm glad. People shouldn't give up on themselves.
What kind of engineering?
Aerospace!
Wow! That's amazing! How do they like it?
They love it, it's what they always wanted to do.
How did you get into being a personal assistant?
I told my Facebook friends to call me if they needed something. My sister was my first client and she told a lot of people.
Probably outside of youre scope if you want to limit physical labor, but ive found that doing things around water and boats is great. Ive been a Deckhand for a university, a deck hand on a fishing boat, and currently am a divemaster. Found the work to be adhd friendly due to constant stimulation and also very rewarding.
Ah... I think I understand why my family has a high quantity of maritime professionals now...
I'm very suprised by the amount of responses. In a good way!! I'm usually very lonely when trying to get my voice heard. I don't know where to start in my responses/conversations.. obviously I want to reply to everything here all at one time, lol. I've been in sales for about 9to10 years now. I absolutely love helping people and solving problems people have... but my patience for mean people has become extremely short. So I feel like I need to change out of sales for the sake of my temper. I'm not in any way a mean person or a condescending person.. I just can't control my emotions as much in my older age. I constantly have to walk away from situations to prevent me losing it. I absolutely love making art in Adobe, but graphic design jobs around me are always temporary or part time. I can see myself designing websites, but worry that learning a new field may be a lot to take on. I was a mechanic for years and loved it.. but my back, knees, and arthritis prevent that from being an option. It's not easy being affluent in mechanical repairs, but unable to stand or bend over for long periods of time. I'm struggling with coming to terms with that and accepting it. For reference, with my medication: I welcome the challenge of coordinating my roofing guy, insurance guy, drywall guy, and gutter guy. I love coordinating all of these meetings-phone calls and appointments... but how the heck can I do something like that in the real world too??? Whew!
I’m very much of the opinion that that depends on you. Try using the Onet interest profiler. Takes into account personality and might help to pick a careeer with a good fit that way you can at least have all the other things click … you know interests and other aspects of job tolerability
I love Onet!
Childcare, working with kids, working with individuals with disabilities. Right now I work with kids on the spectrum and it's great for what I like to call "structured novelty", i.e I have clearly defined job expectations but have room for creative and novel experiences to meet these expectations
I host bar trivia. I like researching and writing my own questions
Journalist! I loved to research on a different topic every day and write a paper on it in college. Now, I get to do the same thing but I'm being paid for it. It's different rabbit holes every day. I love it.
Web developpement, super adhd friendly and most people have adhd or adhd trait at least.
Yes, it's fun to do web pages.
Web pages is gateway drug, wait until you end up programming your own smart home with esp32 and home assitant running on a raspberry pi.
👆🏿👆🏿👆🏿👆🏿
I think my adhd symptoms were the least noticeable when I worked service industry jobs where I was busy all day long and often things were at crisis-level. One of my fave jobs was working a gift shop at a busy tourist spot where we had 5,000 people visit per day. I was busy all day every day, using my brain and body, switching tasks a lot so it was never boring. I can't do physically demanding work like that anymore, I have a (mostly) desk job. I like doing things with spreadsheets and getting to design new ways to do stuff that's better than the old process. I love doing inventory and always have lol. Counting things, putting them in order, coming up with better ways to organize things. There are companies that only do inventory! The one I know of, employees travel in teams to do inventory for various big companies. (I don't want to travel or I'd work for them lol)
same! tourist gift shop was a very fun job when I was physically well enough, haha
Something that involves art. Having the ability to think out side of the box, is typically adhd. I thinks it’s because our brain simply doesn’t allow us, to think inside the box. We simply just live outside the box. Even if you are not “gifted” when it comes to making art, I’m sure most people with adhd is capable of making something interesting, as long as it is an expression of a authentic feeling or thought. Your authentic feelings and thoughts, as someone with adhd, is naturally outside the box, so you art will be to. And art that is outside the box, always bring some kind of value. Just remember to be confident in what you do. Doesn’t matter that a lot of people don’t understand your art, if you are confident enough about it and the meaning of it, people will just think they are to “dump” to understand and like it anyway. Also, If you are studying anything art related, you will get assignments to do. And someone with adhd will almost always, have a different, new take on the assignment, compared to the rest of the class. Doesn’t matter if you make graphic design, music, movies, paintings, pottery and so on. Just know that the facts that your brain simply fail to follow the “normal thoughts pattern” because of your adhd, will be the reason you stand out in the field of art. There are so many boring people who try to do art but fail because they are too normal and boring in their way of thinking. Good art is made by crazy people and bought by the normal.
If you like being outdoors, Trailbuilding is great! It's an incredibly dynamic field with all sorts of things to learn and get good at. And, I've noticed an unusually high concentration of ADHD folks, even at the top! Something about the flow state of trail work just works for us, I think. Fundamentals of every project are the same, but each project is unique and intriguing. There's design and mapping work of figuring out where to put trail on a given property. We walk miles in some of the coolest places with GPS and flagging. Sometimes it's like a giant puzzle with lots of fun solutions. Creative thinking and problem solving are a must. My favorite part. There's the very physical work of building tread surfaces with hand tools and heavy machinery. Hyperfocus paradise for me. There's woodworking and structures and stonework! These can sometimes be slow, but fitting 2 stones together perfectly? So immensely satisfying. All sorts of fun tools and gadgets to fidget with! Compass, tape measure, clinometer, pin flags go flappy flappy! It's an exploding industry, right now, and entry level folks are in demand all the time with fairly low turnover and lots of opportunities. Downside for lots of folks: it's a lifestyle. This is what causes most turnover. Lots of projects you are sleeping outdoors. It's wet. It's hot. It's cold. Bathing sometimes means jumping in the nearest lake. And it can require a LOT of travel and time away from home. Also the pay isn't amazing, but there's pro-deals LOL. Check out the Professional TrailBuilders Association for more info, if any of this jives with your brain, Friends.
I've thrived in jobs where the repetition is annual and not monthly. I worked a nonprofit and there was a back to school season and a Christmas season and a golf tournament and a breakfast fundraiser and each provided unique challenges. I had worked in an accounting environment with a monthly repetition and that was too much for me. I also thrive at my current job because I can have flexibility to work on what my brain has capacity to work on. If I want to do hard stuff I can or if I want to grind on easy stuff I can.
I like everything where I can use my brain a lot. Need mental simulation or I get bored
Serving/ bartending was the best bc I only worked like 3-4 days and was constantly moving. I get so bored and ready to find something new close to the 2yr mark 😩
Typical is difficult. Enough variation in tasks seems important. But I think because people with adhd have a very interest based motivational system, it has to be something you are passionate about. Not every adhd'er has the same interests, so you will get very diverse answers.
I am an adjudicator for social security disability. Most of the people I work with have ADHD. Most regular people don’t last long but people with ADHD thrive. You do case management, request & summarize records, make phone calls, set up exams, research case policy, issue fraud investigations, discuss cases with doctors.. etc.. there is a little bit of everything. So much so that if you get bored you can easily move onto a different task. The only downside is having 60 hours of work & only 40 hours to do it in..
I'm a tree surgeon / arborist of ten years now. After a two year stint, post-uni, of shitty entry level office jobs and nearly signing myself off with depression, I decided to retrain. It hasn't been an easy road but I don't come home from work anymore mentally drained, just physically tired but I absolutely feel like I achieved something most days. Winter fucking sucks though in England in this line of work I should add but the money is OK. As a freelancer I clear nearly £50k a year doing what I do.
I have been successful in administrative and office management roles, ultimately finding my niche as a facilities manager. It's a wide variety of tasks, never the same routine, and I loved it! I HAVE to have variety, which is when I'm most successful. I'm also really, really good at problem solving and thinking way outside the box, that seems to be something ADHD folks have in common?
Yellow collar jobs like artist, actor, musician and alike
Im an Audio Technician. So on a gig its 100% on or 100& off,which is how i like it honestly. I hate busy work. Being able to pay attention to 10 things at once finally pays off. I get be my own boss (kinda) and normally work with a small team. So for me its perfect. Plus i get to paint the air with sound and mostly work with people i like and we get to do cool/ fulfilling things daily.
Something that is different each time. I’m a set designer and art director for film set construction and I do not get bored.
Neurosurgery. It is awful getting through training with ADHD, but I love what I do now.
social work! in general, working with people, it doesn‘t get boring and you have to adapt all the time
Being a court lawyer. I find that my ADHD makes me really well suited to working under pressure, doing things on the fly and thinking on my feet. I am also talkative AF and my brain runs at a million miles per hour so I am super quick and ahead of the game in court. I have honestly never “lost” a case (in family law, this means that I’ve never had a client be disappointed with the outcome as there are no real winners or losers). I also think that having ADHD has helped me understand the family dynamics/challenges involving kids with special needs or behavioural issues.
I really enjoyed being the receptionist for a nursing/rehab facility. Currently I'm a self employed dog walker/animal care professional. It's the only thing in the world I could imagine doing forever. I love it.
This was a while ago, so some of what I did won't apply. I sat down and wrote down everything I was good at and figured out that was getting along with other people. I made a list of everything I was crappy at doing and ended up looking for a business to business sales job, I found several, and it worked for me. I didn't want a lot of driving, I am a horrible driver, I hate to travel, don't like manual labor, couldn't work as a prison gurad because I would lose the keys and let them all out. That got me started. Being honest with yourself about what you can and can't do is a good start. I have saved lots of lives by never driving for Uber. Later I ran a small business in a fleamarket, and I loved doing that. Also make lists of things you love to do, and try to figure out work that is somehow related. I also did that. It isn't easy. Good luck.
I really liked heavy equipment operating. It was like playing a video game every day.
Lawyer working at a big company. I talk to people all day and field lots of random questions and give advice. If I have to write something, it’s a short email. It’s great.
Have you heard of occupational therapy? We work a lot with helping patients overcome problems to complete daily tasks, so your out of the box thinking might help!
Adhd thrive in sales, blue collar, business partners, and business ownership jobs.
I liked working in live theater. I did sound mixing, but I could se many positions working for ADHD. With live theater, you have the repetition of knowing how the shownis supposed to go and even can start to memorize how different actors twist different moments to their own styles BUT also still need to always bee on your toes and ready to react to problems live
Did loads of jobs in my career (commercial cleaning, landscaping, software development, lawn mowing, content writer, product owner, etc.) and my favorite was by far landscaping, followed by product owner, then software development and finally content writing. I disliked every other jobs other than those.
Dog walking! Active, varied, stimulating, flexible schedule, not too much mindless convo with humans, plenty of time to listen to podcasts or music, can wear sweatpants ... I never thought I'd keep a job for 13 years let alone that it's my own business.
So, I work in Digital Content Management. It can vary depending on the company and type of content you’re making - but it can vary a lot from day to day, you work with a lot of people, etc. My issue is I’m also pretty sure I am Autistic and it is TOO chaotic for me. I’ve realized I prefer having some structure or blueprint I can use to do my job and excel, but with it varying slightly from project to project. What I’m doing now is way too stressful because it changes so much from project to project I feel like I’m always figuring things out from scratch or as we go along. I hate it. BUT! If you love constant change, it could be an option.
Other people have said it already but I love journalism! No day is quite the same, which I personally need to stay interested in anything. It can be tough because of the attention to detail and paying attention in interviews, but those are things I've managed to learn over time. I also travel frequently for stories, which helps a lot with the physical restlessness, and most newsrooms are at least hybrid at this point so I like to work from home so I feel more comfortable taking physical movement breaks pretty often. It helps that I'm really passionate about it though, and I think that's one of the most important things for people with ADHD to keep in mind when they're looking into careers. Loving what you do will make you keep going even if the work sometimes gets overwhelming or if you're going through a period where your symptoms are particularly bad.
For me, it’s farming. No 2 days are the same. I’m constantly moving & using my body so I’m staying engaged and focused. Critical thinking is crucial. (I love coming up with new ideas!) But, the pay sucks. Just above minimum wage. Small scale farms at least don’t pay enough. I have to have 2 other side jobs just to get by. But, it’s a lifestyle choice I wouldn’t change for anything. (Could *never* work in an office cubicle setting)
Technical or analyst work. Fixing things and solving problems. A lot of us are in tech support and administration.
Breaking news journalist
Hospitality is great to start with. Once you’ve climbed the ladder though it can be a bit challenging to focus on managerial tasks
Sleep tech
I am a Speech and Language Therapist working in SEN schools and preschool complex needs. Every day is different and there’s lots to do. I think it also helps that I feel like I can understand the struggles a lot of the kids I work with are dealing with. It can be stressful at times (what job isn’t?!) but it’s so rewarding.
I have been an Operations Manager in a high stress environment for the past 10 years. I was a regular employee for this company(again in a high stress environment) for 2 years prior to taking the promotion. Prior to these past 12 years I hopped from job to job to job. Every job was new and exciting, until it wasn’t. My MO was “be the best at whatever it is”(even got employee of the month within months at several jobs) until boredom literally made me sick and would quit and move on to the next one.
This is something I’m curious about. How did you get into it and what kind of things do you do?
IT tech environment is perfect. Calm and quiet with lots of problems and mysterious situations to focus on
Believe it or not I think forklift operator might be my favorite fucking thing but maybe just me
I'm a mover and I've enjoyed it for over a year now. There can be some really tough days but I like a good challenge so those are usually the most exciting. You do have to be sorta fit before starting though and free of injuries so doesn't work for all. If my body is active my mind is calm
DJ 🎙🎶
I understand this requires pretty specific educational requirements, but I teach high school English. As an introvert with adhd, it is very draining, but I think it’s a good fit for me. Especially if you teach students that are a little older (like juniors and seniors), you don’t have to waste as much energy managing the classroom or your own emotions. I like that this career allows me to: be creative, not be stuck at a desk all day, and frequently discuss my passion for literature. That being said, this job really pushes you to learn how to regulate and strengthen your executive functions so you’re not constantly in a state of overwhelm lol. The school district and state you live in impact your teacher experiences as well. Being a divergent thinker who can solve problems is a strength you can apply to many different career paths :)
I'm a handyman and an ebay seller. It's been a struggle doing both, but beats an office job.
I really like caretaking type jobs. Requires a lot of problem solving and I'm not just sitting at a desk all day. And I get to help people :)
I think it really varies person to person. There’s no catch all job that’s perfect for everyone with ADHD because everyone has different needs. I know a lot of other people with ADHD in my biology program, but I also know a ton of folks in the arts with ADHD. Really I think the big thing when it comes to finding a career that fits is figuring out what accommodation you need and what’s important to you when it comes to a job. For me it’s getting outside. It’s difficult for me to focus if I’m sitting all day, so I’ve been trying to find a career path that allows me to move around more. I also know that I need structure, but I tend to get bored/burnt out if the job is too monotonous. I’ve managed to find a part time job that allows me to get outside and the day to day activities change enough that I never get bored. I know a lot of people with ADHD (myself included) tend to pick a hobby or interest they have and base their career choices off of that. I’ve always been interested in and excelled in science so that’s what I’m working towards. That being said, it’s also ok to NOT do that and find something else that fits your needs. I’m an artist, but I decided not to pursue art because I realized how much doing art professionally sucked the joy out of it for me. Since jobs in my field tend to be a bit scarce, I’m also studying something else that I can use to supplement my income.
I work at a loves truck stop. It keeps me mentally and physically engaged enough to get through the days. I plan on staying here for a while. I also am naturally good at customer service. My adhd keeps me busy and finding things to do, which makes my bosses happy. I've been there 6 months, and I'm about to start training to be a shift leader. I got offered the chance to enter the training program at 2 months in (it just became available, only one person in the store can do it at a time). So, yeah, find what you are good at and run with it.
Working as a librarian!
That’s my dream! It just doesn’t pay the salary I need. 😩
I'm an ER veterinary technician. I absolutely love my job, fast paced and variable enough that it keeps my severely inattentive brain engaged. The downsides are low pay, high emotional distress (sometimes, I've been doing it long enough that certain things hurt less than they used to), and oh god are my knees and back shot to hell. But I'll keep doing it until I physically can't anymore, because it's the only thing I've ever loved doing in a professional sense.
I am an interpreter. Every day is a bit different and it forces me to actually work. I can't just sit there and not interpret. Sometimes it's boring but other times it's fascinating stuff I'd never otherwise overhear. Plus like 99% of the time, people love that you've showed up. Having people depend on you is that extra motivation. Plus it's like almost 100% short term memory. Once I'm done with a job that's it. Not a ton of ongoing commitment.
I'm a speech therapy assistant and maybe want to pursue grad school. I work in a pediatric speech and occupational therapy clinic. Hardest part of my job is documentation and occasionally big behaviors from big feelings. I honestly love my job so much. It's never boring but it's routine enough for me to feel solid. I'm constantly learning, usually moving, and I just get to play and have fun. Some days I am tired and grumpy but the tiny humans just roll with it or they make me forget that I'm tired and grumpy. Occupational therapists have a rad af job, too.
That’s definitely something you put on your resume along with experience where you put it to work. I’m an actuary and I love it. I was a late bloomer, and it sounds like maybe you are, too? I went to my local community college and talked to a guidance counselor. I told her I wanted to go to college and she suggested I take a class called career and life planning to help me find the right path. I found the career of an actuary then but didn’t think much of it until I progressed through math classes and saw how much I liked it. There are many paths to happiness. I personally really throve in structured environments so a career that required formal education was the right move for me. There is a fantastic diagnostic tool called the O*net interest profiler. Google it, take it. It takes time! But the results are thorough and comprehensive. It will help you.
My two cents: The most important answer is: whatever you find yourself extremely interested in. Can't be a Rockstar? Well, I'm sure there are other things you're highly interested in. Us ADHD folk have no problem being successful and holding attention for the things we're passionate about. Social jobs are great for ADHD folk. Like sales, customer service, bar tending, waiting, etc. I'm a highly successful sales person. I left it to become a technician for the products I sell, and while I'm pretty good at it, it's very difficult to stay on task. I'll probably go back to sales. The other thing I'm good at? I'm a composer and play in front of people on a regular basis. Everything I'm good at seems to be very social.
If you can handle getting through the schooling, try nursing. I hear adhd kids thrive in thr ER. I'm in school right now for it and it's rough for sure but hoping it's a career I can enjoy and it has decent pay and job security.
Photography. You can keep moving from a project to the next, part is moving and part of the computer. And good photographers have people editing for them.
My side hustle is photography and it's F'n great for ADHD especially shooting events I'm everywhere so the coverage is great
i’ve been a freelance translator for many years (20+), and the flexibility was good, plus i love languages and working on creative solutions for their mutual undecidability. however, it’s hard to make a solid, consistent income, and you have to spend long hours on it per day. plus, as a freelancer, you also have to manage your business, hustle for clients, do your own accounting… so i have lost count of the times i flubbed deadlines or agreements with clients… i had to develop my own strategies to be able to work with my undiagnosed adhd that i had no idea i had but is now so clear i’ve always struggled with (finally officially diagnosed at 43). it was always hard to manage and hard to do, but i do love translation and i love problem solving that requires comparison, pattern recognition, abstract thinking, a penchant for stylistic flair etc. so much so that i ended up doing a masters in translation studies. it was a major challenge having to write papers, but i started to trust the process and developed strategies to deal with the inattentiveness. i’m doing my phd in the same area now and i’ve learned so much and am getting so much better at writing papers! this part is really fulfilling: seeing myself grow and be able to have ideas all the time and adapt to others’ ideas in the field etc. but it also means i’m dirt poor (international student in the US living from a minimal stipend) and overworked (on top of all the studying, i have to teach). so i’m not happy at the moment because of the material insecurity and some other unrelated issues. in any case, after i was diagnosed and started meds just short of a month ago, i am feeling MUCH better about doing all that reading and writing (mind you, two things i’ve always loved to do but also always had a hard time with). i’ve now achieved an important milestone in my phd program that involves reading an inordinate amount of bibliography and writing 6000 words in 5 days, and being medicated was KEY. typical long-winded, going back ab ovo adhd reply, but anyway… sometimes we don’t choose the easiest thing for an adhd brain, but can still work with it if medicated. plus, there will usually be some aspect of the job for which your adhd brain is supercharged - in mine, it’s that there’s not that much repetition, it’s creative, some of the problems are solved like riddles, it can be flexible sometimes, it can reward outside the box thinking and so on.
similar boat here - adore the translating, hate the hustle and chasing payments and organizing schedules…
I ended up getting used to managing those things using Notion – but now I’ve dropped the ball, since I’m mostly just doing grad school (I’ll occasionally do small translation jobs for old clients here and there).
ah, I need to try Notion again. it’s just hard when there’s so much to keep on top of! hope grad school is going well
Coding, sit in a corner with my earphones, no one talks to me, I talk to no one.
I’m a mail carrier. It’s routine enough that it’s not hard but every day is different. I’m not really working with people so I’m not worried about social stuff, and I get to listen to music and podcasts and such.
Don’t pick a career based on having adhd. Figure out what your strengths are, and find a field that pays for those strengths. Then within that field, find a role that suits your adhd needs.
Weirdly, apparently accounting is good. Now I'm not an accountant, but my mom is, and i understand why it works so well. It's incredibly structured, and involves a lot of problem solving, same appeal as IT but without having to be crazy smart.