Each and every person is too unique to be able to make this kind of generalization. We have personalities, preferences, interests, skills, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses beyond ADHD that also need to be accounted for.
what works for me is consulting. go in, get a big puzzle/problem/project to solve. focus hard, deliver, move on to the next one before you fizzle out. it can be exhausting in it's own way but it allows me to stay in the hyperfocus zone where i'm effective and to bail before the boredom sets in and derails me.
I second this. My puzzle-solving skills have been what kept me relevant at my current position, because the rest of the duties constantly change due to the market. However I actively encourage all my co-workers and managers to bring any task that’s puzzling them — the weirder the better.
The rule is they leave me alone with my coffee and cheese puffs and boom I hyper focus like a badass. So not only do I appear to be a team player without having to actually be a static member of a team, but I no matter if my “normal / daily” duties would normally phase out and get me released, they make the concerted effort to find me new daily duties so they can keep my puzzle-solving skills on hand. They actually had to make up a new “position title” for me because of this.
Same, been doing it 5 years. Job always changed so I don’t ruin my life every few years and just stop doing the repetitive shit. Instead I get a new gig and start new.
I have the inattentive kind. From personal experience, the clearer the scope of a job and the more well-defined its tasks the better. Jobs in which you can realistically learn the context well the better. I love super structured jobs where I dont even need to think of what Im supposed to do each day. It is just obvious.
Personally, I do better in high stress environments for some reason. It is easier for me to make decisions as there is less time to ponder and there is less opportunity to procrastinate.
I also actively avoid jobs where my decisions would have dire consequences as ruminatioms about them would consume me. If the worst that can happen is I make the ceo less money.. fine. Similarly avoid jobs with a lot of communication as I will ruminate over every social interaction.
This is going to depend on the person. There’s a ton of variation in ADHD, what works for one person won’t work for another. For instance, my job involves a ton of research, reading, and writing, which some people with ADHD would hate, and others like me would love. I also sit at a desk all day, and I know some people with ADHD find that torture. Or in another example, a lot of ADHD people struggle with keeping track of lots of details, but there are others who do things like project management who hyperfocus on getting everything just right.
Plus it’s impossible to know what job will work best for a person without knowing all their particular strengths and weaknesses. My job requires an advanced degree, and I happen to have a particular combo of ADHD + other characteristics where I succeed relatively well in school. Recommending my job wouldn’t help someone who really struggles with traditional schooling. I also have terrible spatial reasoning and probably wouldn’t be very good at hands-on jobs where you physically build stuff. Something like customer service might be a bad fit for someone with social anxiety, or a physical disability, even if it otherwise worked well with their ADHD. I see other commenters have recommended sales, and I would SUCK at sales, because I’m a people pleaser, I hate cold calling, and I hate trying to get people do something I want them to do. Some of that may be my ADHD and some of it is probably just me, but either way, I’d be terrible.
My personal feeling is that most folks with ADHD thrive in jobs where they have some emotional connection to the work, and either they respond to situations as they arise (IT tech responding to help requests, customer service responding to the person in front of you, something like animal care where there’s an immediate job right in front of you) or have enough built-in external deadlines to keep them on task. But I say that in part because my biggest issue is following through on long-term planning in a timely fashion; other people with ADHD will prioritize other things.
I'm in sales and while I do have a lot of challenges, the money I make is worth the hassle. Also there isn't as much of a "Work at the same place for 1000 years" mentality in sales. Recruiters understand sales people are mercenaries and are out the door if the money sucks, so as long as you stick it out a year here and there no one notices the job jumping.
I’ve always enjoyed blue collar work. You have specific goals and tasks to do at specific times, not just a generic list of responsibilities that you need to do at some point
I find I do best working with children. Children's needs are immediate, so the answer to the question "When?" Is always "Now." I can ignore an email. I can't ignore a hungry child. And every work day is different because there is no telling what the kid will say or do. Other environments we tend to do well in is nursing, emt or firefighter. Basically jobs with urgency and diversity of tasks.
I personally love my job as a massage therapist. Start and stop times for each session. Get to meet people and talk (or not if they don’t want to). Problem solve issues with clients around their pain and stress.
Downsides - you won’t find a job that gives you any benefits. No paid time off, no sick days, no insurance.
We are much more than our ADHD, so all the usual considerations about job preference still apply: what do you like to do all day, what level of interpersonal interaction, what level of prestige is important to you, etc. Further to that, I finally was able to stay in a job long term when I found work that involved case work that was deadline driven, and that also involved putting a few fires out everyday, plus a flexible schedule (ie no one cares if I show up at 9:30 instead of 9). Jobs that involve pushing projects forward on self-imposed deadlines, or rigid time and attendance schedules, are a no go for me.
I always found manual labor jobs to be the best for me. Having my body constantly moving helped me stay focused and made the days go by quickly. Bonus perk is you're basically getting paid to work out.
On one hand, my IT job is great for AuDHD. I can solve problems and learn new things. On the other hand, being in a cubicle in an office with several people is overwhelming most days because of sensory overload (artificial lights, people walking around, various sounds).
In that vein, I’ve found a disproportionate number of ADHDers in the aquatics field. Especially the ones that do very well. I’m talking like swim instructors.
Each and every person is too unique to be able to make this kind of generalization. We have personalities, preferences, interests, skills, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses beyond ADHD that also need to be accounted for.
what works for me is consulting. go in, get a big puzzle/problem/project to solve. focus hard, deliver, move on to the next one before you fizzle out. it can be exhausting in it's own way but it allows me to stay in the hyperfocus zone where i'm effective and to bail before the boredom sets in and derails me.
I second this. My puzzle-solving skills have been what kept me relevant at my current position, because the rest of the duties constantly change due to the market. However I actively encourage all my co-workers and managers to bring any task that’s puzzling them — the weirder the better.
The rule is they leave me alone with my coffee and cheese puffs and boom I hyper focus like a badass. So not only do I appear to be a team player without having to actually be a static member of a team, but I no matter if my “normal / daily” duties would normally phase out and get me released, they make the concerted effort to find me new daily duties so they can keep my puzzle-solving skills on hand. They actually had to make up a new “position title” for me because of this.
Seconded.
Also emergency medicine for the same reasons. I've done both.
Same, been doing it 5 years. Job always changed so I don’t ruin my life every few years and just stop doing the repetitive shit. Instead I get a new gig and start new.
Billable hours and ADHD do not mix.
I would have loved to know this before I went to law school. I’ve gotten in so much shit for not turning in hours on time.
This sounds like exactly my strengths lol. What kind of consulting?
pick a field really and you can make it work but finance and tech are the most economically bulletproof.
I have the inattentive kind. From personal experience, the clearer the scope of a job and the more well-defined its tasks the better. Jobs in which you can realistically learn the context well the better. I love super structured jobs where I dont even need to think of what Im supposed to do each day. It is just obvious.
Personally, I do better in high stress environments for some reason. It is easier for me to make decisions as there is less time to ponder and there is less opportunity to procrastinate.
I also actively avoid jobs where my decisions would have dire consequences as ruminatioms about them would consume me. If the worst that can happen is I make the ceo less money.. fine. Similarly avoid jobs with a lot of communication as I will ruminate over every social interaction.
Agree with high stress, I work in a mental health unit and my caseload is impossible to ever catch up on. But I thrive in chaos lmao
This is going to depend on the person. There’s a ton of variation in ADHD, what works for one person won’t work for another. For instance, my job involves a ton of research, reading, and writing, which some people with ADHD would hate, and others like me would love. I also sit at a desk all day, and I know some people with ADHD find that torture. Or in another example, a lot of ADHD people struggle with keeping track of lots of details, but there are others who do things like project management who hyperfocus on getting everything just right.
Plus it’s impossible to know what job will work best for a person without knowing all their particular strengths and weaknesses. My job requires an advanced degree, and I happen to have a particular combo of ADHD + other characteristics where I succeed relatively well in school. Recommending my job wouldn’t help someone who really struggles with traditional schooling. I also have terrible spatial reasoning and probably wouldn’t be very good at hands-on jobs where you physically build stuff. Something like customer service might be a bad fit for someone with social anxiety, or a physical disability, even if it otherwise worked well with their ADHD. I see other commenters have recommended sales, and I would SUCK at sales, because I’m a people pleaser, I hate cold calling, and I hate trying to get people do something I want them to do. Some of that may be my ADHD and some of it is probably just me, but either way, I’d be terrible.
My personal feeling is that most folks with ADHD thrive in jobs where they have some emotional connection to the work, and either they respond to situations as they arise (IT tech responding to help requests, customer service responding to the person in front of you, something like animal care where there’s an immediate job right in front of you) or have enough built-in external deadlines to keep them on task. But I say that in part because my biggest issue is following through on long-term planning in a timely fashion; other people with ADHD will prioritize other things.
I'm in sales and while I do have a lot of challenges, the money I make is worth the hassle. Also there isn't as much of a "Work at the same place for 1000 years" mentality in sales. Recruiters understand sales people are mercenaries and are out the door if the money sucks, so as long as you stick it out a year here and there no one notices the job jumping.
I’ve always enjoyed blue collar work. You have specific goals and tasks to do at specific times, not just a generic list of responsibilities that you need to do at some point
From personal experience, law is a horrible career for people with ADHD 🤣
learnt it the hard way as I got diagnosed in the midst of Bar school
I find I do best working with children. Children's needs are immediate, so the answer to the question "When?" Is always "Now." I can ignore an email. I can't ignore a hungry child. And every work day is different because there is no telling what the kid will say or do. Other environments we tend to do well in is nursing, emt or firefighter. Basically jobs with urgency and diversity of tasks.
I personally love my job as a massage therapist. Start and stop times for each session. Get to meet people and talk (or not if they don’t want to). Problem solve issues with clients around their pain and stress.
Downsides - you won’t find a job that gives you any benefits. No paid time off, no sick days, no insurance.
We are much more than our ADHD, so all the usual considerations about job preference still apply: what do you like to do all day, what level of interpersonal interaction, what level of prestige is important to you, etc. Further to that, I finally was able to stay in a job long term when I found work that involved case work that was deadline driven, and that also involved putting a few fires out everyday, plus a flexible schedule (ie no one cares if I show up at 9:30 instead of 9). Jobs that involve pushing projects forward on self-imposed deadlines, or rigid time and attendance schedules, are a no go for me.
I always found manual labor jobs to be the best for me. Having my body constantly moving helped me stay focused and made the days go by quickly. Bonus perk is you're basically getting paid to work out.
On one hand, my IT job is great for AuDHD. I can solve problems and learn new things. On the other hand, being in a cubicle in an office with several people is overwhelming most days because of sensory overload (artificial lights, people walking around, various sounds).
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Yep, did this and it was great.
In that vein, I’ve found a disproportionate number of ADHDers in the aquatics field. Especially the ones that do very well. I’m talking like swim instructors.
Yea I’m a nurse. I don’t love when people code of course, but I love a good code.