ADHD career advice

[Khyson2019]

After working in property management for 15 years I decided to quit and become a stay at home mom. I felt overwhelmed trying to run a house, kids,marriage, and career so I quit my job. Now at home I am restless so I started taking college classes to help with the lack of dopamine. However I'm not sure what to study. I notice a lot of nurses have ADHD, which I'mnot sure how they remember all the terminology. My question is if anyone has found a good career or area to study that is suitable for someone with ADHD?

[lodopo]

Go Khyson!Work it Khyson!

Go Khyson!

Work it Khyson!

Go Khyson!

I am a Therapist who struggles anxiety and adhd stuff.. I started working in mental health and the social services 22 years ago and it was the BEST! move I have made in life. Going to grad school was a blast! Now I do a lot of Teletherapy ( working from home), I make a great wage, and people are always wanting to hire me or have me take more clients. I got here by showing up and helping people who were struggling and I studied psychology at a junior college, and beyond and I just kept at it.. Maybe this is for you.. One thing I love the most about it is the altruism, you might enjoy that too.

[Sunshinegrl25 in reply to lodopo]

Hi lodopo!I'm 32 years old and never really knew what direction I wanted to go in as far as a career. I always wanted to be a teacher since I was a child but those dreams were crushed by my family early one. After being diagnosed with ADHD a couple months ago, I decided that I wanted to go into mental health. I want to help children who struggle because I don't want any child to grow up feeling as I did. The self-doubt, sadness, loneliness, etc., really plagued me as a child. If you don't mind, can you message me or reply and tell me of your journey. I'm so curious about successful people with ADHD

[Welshman71 in reply to Sunshinegrl25]

Well written, interesting for myself also thank you 🙂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏅

[Khyson2019 in reply to Sunshinegrl25]

I also thought about teaching. In school I had so many struggles that I want to help other children. Being a latch key kid when I came home from school I watched TV and cleaned the house. Now that I am a mother I have created lots of structure and rewards for my children to be able to excel in school. We practice reading, math, coding and science everyday even on the weekends. Once I read awaken the giant within by tony Robbins, watched the movie gifted hands and spoke to other parents who found a way to make learning fun. I realize I wasn't stupid in school, but I didn't study or do any homework. What we do the most we do the best!!

[Khyson2019 in reply to lodopo]

Thank you lodopo I think it is wonderful that you found your calling in life. I appreciate you sharing your story!

[Betterlatethanlater in reply to lodopo]

Will you tell us more about your story and how you made this work for you?

[RaquelMonique]

Hi Khyson,I’m in nursing school and although it’s difficult, having ADHD really pays off when My hyperfocus kicks in and I learn via rabbit holes. What I think I will love about nursing is that there are SO many areas of nursing, you can change (like to from bedside, to ED, to clinical, telehealth or school nursing) or be in an environment where change is constant, like an ED or high turn-over. No two patients are the same. This aspect helps me with my need for change when I lose interest. If you are like me and like change, you can adopt the mentality that you are never too old to begin a new career, and you can change at any time (Because Why not? ). Good luck to you.

[Daaisy]

There is no particular career that especially suits people with ADHD.it depends on your interests, skills and low much training, if any that you are prepared to do and what restrictions you, have, for example family and geographical location and so on.. There in a free online assessment that you might like to try that helps to identify the sort of jobs that might suit you. Not specific ones, more a general idea.try this openpsychometrics.org/tests... career Counsellor or coach could he really helpful if there is one near you. Or I could help. There is something out there with your name on it. All the best.

[Daaisy]

This link is correct, openpsychometrics.org/tests...

[Totoro101]

I am a strength and conditioning coach. It’s great to always be moving and helping others. I’m never doing the same boring thing. I can not sit at a desk all day.

[Hidden]

I have been a Product Manager for a few medical device companies for over 30 years. I was just diagnosed a few years ago at the ripe age of 52. After being diagnosed and learning more about ADHD, the challenges I had throughout my life started to make sense. I never had to study in high school, when I hit college I nearly flunked out my first semester. I had to finally learn how to study…..it took me 11 years to finish my undergrad degree. I went back to school in 2012 and earned an MBA and was recruited to my current company in 2018. This is when my ADHD reared it’s head. It’s been challenging, but I’ve always enjoyed my career because it’s fast paced and there’s always a challenge to solve. I’m in the process of a new job search because the culture at my current job is very toxic and full of BS with way too many VPs and Leadership. To many chiefs make the environment unorganized and no clear strategic direction, just always jumping from one project to another. For someone with ADHD, the constant negative reinforcement as a management style is not healthy and caused me to become overwhelmed with no hope for change in the future. It’s time to focus on my mental health and move on. I did think about making a career change, but this is where my experience is so my earning potential is t as good making a drastic change. All the best towards your career success.

[MemphisAdhd1988]

After searching for therapists, a mental health career seems like a good choice. Plenty of jobs. I personally landed in professional kitchens. There were good and bad parts to it. The good - Every day had a time deadline or two, so it ended up being a stimulant and I was able to hyperfocus and excel in the industry. You are also constantly staying busy and moving. I was able to use my active brain to think ahead and be faster than most people. The Bad - pretty much everything I said was good, unfortunately I never took care of myself. I would be hyperfocused for 10 - 12 hours a day while working. Didn't stop for water, or to take many breaks, even to stop for restroom. After 20+ years my body is hurting. Add to that my inability to cope properly with the stresses of being in charge, I resorted to poor coping choices. Please see my bio for more info and good luck.

[G7BK]

I work In the creative field. I’d guess 70% of people are on the spectrum if not 99% that work in it. I’ve found the older you get though the more responsibility you get with the money that is needed for adult life. The job is awesome but the admin/project management and client relational side is the bit that takes a lot of effort as it’s often boring and slow. But, there is help for all of this. I think a coach would help immensely, but I’m usually put off by the ongoing cost.

Whatever you do strive to be the best you can at it, strive for a form of excellence. This is what truly living is, becoming that person you dream of, but today, while of course having life balance, rest and self love should have the same effort!! But, having a job that your happy to go to, is pretty important I’d say for someone with ADHD.

[Evawing]

I work as a nurse. But am horribly burnt out. I wish I could do something that plays to my strengths more. I have ADHD, possible autism, dyslexia and depression.

My neurodiversity makes me feel like a burden.

I used to be so much brighter and excited about life.

Now people scare me and I am withdrawn. I do not know how to break the cycle

[WriterG]

I went back to school so I could get the credibility needed to become a freelance writer and also became a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) Then, I started a home-based freelance writing business in 2010 and have been doing that since that time. CHeck out the following website, O*NET OnLine

onetonline.org/

O*NET OnLine has detailed descriptions of the world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students, developers, researchers, and more!

Find, search, or browse across 900+ occupations based on your goals and needs. Then use comprehensive reports to learn about requirements, characteristics, and available opportunities for your selected occupation.

While it doesn't show you what job titles are a good match for people with ADD, it has 900+ occupations so you can check out job titles that interest you and see what they say. The site is very valuable.