Sitting there in the audience, I was stunned to see over a hundred other adults who had been diagnosed with ADHD in their adult years. They all looked normal - no prehensile tails, no little horns... and at the same time, I felt like I was with a group of people who understood everything about my struggles. Because they'd gone through them too. It was uncanny, it was almost surreal. I had not yet been diagnosed, and had been recommended by a therapist to look into an assessment.
But back to jobs.
The typical diagnostic triangle for Adult ADHD is impulsivity, distractibility and (generally mental) hyperactivity. This does not bode well for an employee at a conventional office workplace.
Impulsive comments and behaviours can flag you as erratic, unusual, weird, and lead to you being excluded from the group to which you belong. Being in management as I am, this can be disastrous, because trust, conformity and communication is key to management relations (perhaps more so than in non-management roles).
Being distractible will help ensure that you never quite get priority items done on time, because you're off on a tangent and never sticking with that documentation or presentation you needed to get completed. Not delivering on deadline can be a career-limiting habit. Plus you'll miss essential discussion points during meetings and probably be perceived to be annoying as you keep looking at your BlackBerry, or out the window, or start twirling your pen in circles around and around and around and around and around. You will not be perceived as being 'present'. People may regard that as disrespectful behaviour, even though it has nothing to do with disrespect, and everything to do with attentional inconsistency.
Hyperactivity - which in adults becomes internalized as opposed to the stereotypical whirling dervish child, racing from place to place, screaming out loud - becomes internalized as the adult develops coping strategies over the years. Hyperactivity presents in the Adult ADHD individual as fast thoughts and speech. You may talk so much and so intensely that no-one gets a chance to add their own perspective and opinions, and you'll have a difficult time getting to hear and learn about other people. Getting to know other people is important at the workplace, and if you don't develop relationships based on mutual understanding and respect, you may be shunned from the group. It is quite annoying to be on the receiving end of someone's fast-paced talking. And because they're thinking so fast, they'll be jumping ahead in topics faster than the pace of the average person, and be perceived as being erratic and disjointed in thought - even though they actually are simply naturally progressing through the topic as you would - if your brain was sped up.
These symptoms have affected me negatively at all of my jobs.
Since I left university (where I studied cognitive psychology), I have worked as the following:
- Butcher
- Support Worker for developmentally handicapped adults
- Counselor at a custody facility
- Developer / Programmer
- Lead Developer
- Project Manager
- Production Manager
- Project Manager (contract)
- Business Analyst / Information Architect (contract)
- Project Manager (contract)
- Operations Manager
- Project Manager (contract)
- Development Manager
- Program / Project Manager (contract)
- Project Manager
- Project Manager
- Applications & Systems Manager
And now, since I have been diagnosed and taking treatment and medication for Adult ADHD, I see my successes at work increasing, and my satisfaction improving. Work can be hard and trying for all, and for those with Adult ADHD all the more so. I may even have more jobs to add to this list in time, but I now know that my experiences will improve and my struggles will lessen. This gives me great hope.
I would love to hear comments from other folks about any ADHD related employment stories - do share!
Cheers,
Mungo
I would have to say that I have had almost one job a year for my whole life. While I'm still young I'v gone through 2 pages of jobs on my resume and I also have started taking Strattera I possibly one of the best points because I was just about ready to leave my current job but now have just made it to the 2 year mark. This is now the longest job I have ever had.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteI was lucky that early in life, long before I was diagnosed, the boss at the company I was working for fired me but also gave me the advise to start freelancing. That was one of the best advices I ever got. First I was a freelance designer for ten years where I didn't stay longer then a couple of weeks at a client's studio and then move on and get back later on.
ReplyDeleteA couple of times I was asked to stay to run a studio but that was never a success. The only trouble was that freelancing that way is always stressful so after ten years I developed a major burnout. Later on I changed profession and became a journalist and after a year on the job training, I left and started freelancing from home. That also worked well for my ADD behaviour.
Last year it went wrong due to the crisis in media but also because I wanted to have more then just my one-man band. I started a 'real' company but forgot that my attention span wasn't long enough for that and almost went bankrupt.
Lesson for me is there that my ADD needs the freedom of freelancing, multiple clients and short assignments.
Think What You Say, Don't Say What You Think....Be Mindful. Stay on Track & Task and soon it will Become a Habit...Of course there will be lapses and that is OK...The brain can change its synapses. You use any types of medications and therapy. Kinda like being in a car crash...You have to start at square One. Do it every day and you can be more consistent.wa
ReplyDeleteOh boy...this is always a great ADHD topic. Well, let's see...since mid-college I have been a:
ReplyDeletenursing home activities assistant
nursing home dietary aide
baker
misc. food service minion
art class model
housekeeper
business owner
paralegal
receptionist
account executive
inventory manager
medical records assistant
medical records director
seamstress
assistant to my parents business
a few rounds as an office admin
bartender
retail worker
retail venue manager
event planner
I'm probably forgetting a few...but I DO want to point something out. It's not that I'm a serial job haver. It's generally the case that I have a couple or few jobs at a time...I get bored easily and like to be busy...and sometimes I just need extra hours to make ends meet. I have also moved a lot...which has its own benefits. I've lived in some VERY different places and learned a lot...I like that I am a risk taker and am willing to try new things.
Having multiple jobs at times has at times been what keeps me interested in any of them. Otherwise, I need a BIG PILE and a BIG CHALLENGE to really keep me hooked.
It's taken my much longer than many of my peers to achieve a certain level of "accomplishment" in my employment. But...I'm finally where I should be...can't really say I have regrets...that would be pointless, but sometimes I have wished that a more linear and predictable path would have been possible.
I've now been at my current job for 3 years, a nice steady stint.
My ADHD husband has been at his job for 7 years...and his previous job for 3...
I guess we're a contrast in different types of ADHDer...but I think the reason his job works for him so well is because he's a teacher, so every day is a bit different, and a little unpredictable.
I'm 42 and just started Aderol, still need something else?
ReplyDeletehigh school 0.88 GPA 136 IQ?
Army, only person promoted straight from Basic Training! Four years later, I've lost rank for missing formations and work duties.
Concrete worker,
Garden Statuary mold maker,
Bartender,
Welder,
Carpenter,
General Industrial Laborer,
Steel Fabricator,
Machinist,
Millwright,
Heavy Equipment Operator,
Sand Pit dredge operator,
Electric motor mechanic,
Industrial mechanic,
Industrial technician,
Electrician,
Hotel maintenance,
Nursing Home Maintenance director,
Graphic Designer,
Industrial Electrician,
Social worker,
Paraeducator.
I was so hyper as a kid my step mother said I would phase shift between parallel universes. Now I'm so tired I panic at the thought of physical labor! If I could just get the hyper back I would be happy...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteMy last job required me to sit behind a computer all day, doing technical and CRM support. It was a shift in my day, and I'd medicate my ADHD with coffee. I began to drink LOTS of coffee. So much that it made me sick. I finally went to the doctor and told him about it, and he prescribed some Adderall and some Omeprazole for the acid reflux.
ReplyDeleteI've learned that work that is tedious and repetitive doesn't suit me well, too.
Diagnosed in 2002 at age 32.
Thank you everyone for your amazing comments!
ReplyDeleteI went to an interview yesterday (a second one at the same place) and the interviewer asked me what wouldn't work for me at my job. I told him repetitive, tedious, documentation - sitting in an office or cubicle by myself without engaging with people would be hard. I was happy I was able to say that. I'll be posting more soon, but suffice to say I left my last job in late November and have been interviewing / searching for a job since. Feeling good about it.
Cheers,
Mungo
I was just actually let go from a job because my immediate boss would not tolerate my ADHD. I had worked there for a year and had undiagnosed ADHD. I was actually written up and put on 30 day probation in November - and I guess you could say that was my "Ah-ha" moment. I sought help, took the tests and passed every one of them with flying colors. I presented this to my HR dept and my immediate supervisor and at my 30 day review.. I was let go. That hurts.
ReplyDeleteHello Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear this. Expect a bit of a roller coaster of emotion, but you'll get through it for the better, I know it! People just don't understand what we go through, and how much of a struggle it is. Everyone who commented on this post - no doubt - 'get it' and are hopefully wishing you well. Hope you can take a little time off to grieve and to get your strength back and then get into that darned job search process! I've been in my new job for 5 weeks now, and my boss is amazing. The people there are kind, intelligent and hard working. It is such a nice change from my last job where the management were very political - and by all accounts - not particularly caring people.
All the best - and keep in touch,
Mungo
I'm 42 and just started Aderol, still need something else?
ReplyDeletehigh school 0.88 GPA 136 IQ?
Army, only person promoted straight from Basic Training! Four years later, I've lost rank for missing formations and work duties.
Concrete worker,
Garden Statuary mold maker,
Bartender,
Welder,
Carpenter,
General Industrial Laborer,
Steel Fabricator,
Machinist,
Millwright,
Heavy Equipment Operator,
Sand Pit dredge operator,
Electric motor mechanic,
Industrial mechanic,
Industrial technician,
Electrician,
Hotel maintenance,
Nursing Home Maintenance director,
Graphic Designer,
Industrial Electrician,
Social worker,
Paraeducator.
I was so hyper as a kid my step mother said I would phase shift between parallel universes. Now I'm so tired I panic at the thought of physical labor! If I could just get the hyper back I would be happy...
I was lucky that early in life, long before I was diagnosed, the boss at the company I was working for fired me but also gave me the advise to start freelancing. That was one of the best advices I ever got. First I was a freelance designer for ten years where I didn't stay longer then a couple of weeks at a client's studio and then move on and get back later on.
ReplyDeleteA couple of times I was asked to stay to run a studio but that was never a success. The only trouble was that freelancing that way is always stressful so after ten years I developed a major burnout. Later on I changed profession and became a journalist and after a year on the job training, I left and started freelancing from home. That also worked well for my ADD behaviour.
Last year it went wrong due to the crisis in media but also because I wanted to have more then just my one-man band. I started a 'real' company but forgot that my attention span wasn't long enough for that and almost went bankrupt.
Lesson for me is there that my ADD needs the freedom of freelancing, multiple clients and short assignments.