ADHD and Jobs – A Short Nightmare

At nearly 24, my future of obtaining a career is looking confusing and complicated – not just

because I have so many ideas of the woman, I want to be, but also what jobs would suit my

brain and keep me occupied and fulfilled. The word career is a little scary to me, you’re

asking me, someone who changes their mind quicker than the GC seeing a ‘homemade

trifle’, to commit to something that my life will be based around for the REST OF MY EXISTENCE? Long exhale.

I joined the working world at 16 and have had 9 different jobs up to date – I think ol’ Tyson

Fury pinning me down would be the only chance of me sticking to an entry level role for more than 3 months. I wish I was joking.

The problem I seem to endlessly run into is possibly choosing the wrong jobs or falling for

the job applications empty promises. We’re in an era of overhyped job adverts, it’s time for

some realism, if that means less people apply – maybe the turnover will improve, as

employees will be fully informed and have their expectations set at the correct level. The cycle

is: yay new job – wow this job feels a good fit – learning and adapting – oh I’m getting bored – is this it to the role? – I dread going in – I quit.

I’m most definitely not short of ideas of roles I’d like to do, and that I think will suit me and my

ADHD brain, new ones are added each day – this is the current long list; stylist, gardener,

business owner, make up artist, tour choreographer, presenter, PA, writer, actor, director,

travel blogger, au pair, interior designer and marketing. I wonder what tomorrow's idea will be.

I’ve come to the conclusion that me and office based ‘no thought required’ jobs are to be

kept separate, I need to be in a role that uses my brain and creativity, in whatever capacity. I

need to be stimulated and have varying tasks or responsibilities often. I must be busy, over

twiddling my thumbs, as I can burst into tears out of frustration over feeling so bored and

useless. Yes, it happened multiple times, yes, I feel like a toddler when it does happen.

Being a creative person in a northern city, where opportunities for decent paid roles are few

and far between is slightly soul destroying, and like many creatives I offer my time and

volunteer on most projects to gain experience and for the pure love of it, yet there’s no

timeline to when this would ever become my fulltime income. So instead, I take on roles

which sound intriguing, in the hopes that it occupies and fulfils me until I can become self-

employed or freelance creative. I’m also very open to trying different areas of work, if the role

suits me and how I function, I put my name forward, you never know which yellow brick road

is yellow bricked or just spray painted, until you try. But as I’ve said, there’s no timeline or

guarantee, so you're just kind of stabbing in there dark with your fingers crossed.

I must say, elements of retail I did enjoy, speaking to different people everyday, being

mentally and physically on the move, varying tasks and opportunities, like minded set of

people – but the shift times, hypersensitivity, overstimulation and often empty shops left me

wondering, not to mention working every damn weekend. Equally part of office work satisfies

me, being flexible in when and how work, maintaining my own workload and progression and

working as a team towards deadlines. However, it’s the cons of most jobs which switch me off completely, and I find it harder to see the positives.

Like the education system, most work forces are not ADHD friendly, yes they may have

health and welfare adjustments, but the role itself is probably mind numbing to those of us

with chaotic brains. I’m not blaming the companies and corporations, as they have roles to

fill and that’s it, not everything can be built around a particular mindset and demands.

However, I do think that career advisors and onboarding teams could improve upon finding

roles that are most likely to suit an individual, through open and honest discussions upon

meets and demands on both sides. Additionally, wider organisational rules and set ups

should be adjusted depending on the individual; for example, putting someone who may get

up and move a lot to stimulate their brain, into an office where majority of others may find

that distracting or not the ‘norm’, isn’t healthy for either side. Does an office really have to be laid out the same as it was 40 years prior?

Especially within task-based roles, which are most entry level office opportunities, their

target of daily productivity is based on the average and will be questioned if an employee

falls under that, I believe this is setting up an individual with ADHD to fail. Some days I could

go above, others I’m below, depending on fatigue, my rate of focus and the task at hand. Do

I still get the job done as best as I can? Of course. Unfortunately, for employers, ADHD, like other neurodivergent functions, traits can vary depending on a multitude of factors, medicated or not.

What I do really dislike is the notion that ADHD employees are lazy or unreliable, as that is

not the case. Brains work differently and need different factors to maintain focus, motivation

and therefore longevity. If you find a way to balance both, the demands of the work required,

and the employees' needs – it can work and greatly satisfy the two involved. But pitching

them against employees who are neuro typical just simply won’t work. It's not impossible, I’m

working on a document of ways to make the average workplace work for the unaverage, as

I’ve been through too many jobs to know that if some tweaks were made, at the equality and

advantage of all parties, I’d most likely still be there. Only if organisations would just let a tiny

grip free, to understand and aid all different types of individuals, and stop being hyper focused on the ‘average’.

Of course, this isn’t to say that some roles are more suited to neurodivergent than others,

but there is room for pros of jobs to be the reason employees stick around longer.

I’ve often felt like an awful employee, not good enough, not driven enough… the list goes on,

but it's imperative to realise as I’m growing, that jobs are a two-way street, and not just in the financial department.

There is also so so many jobs and opportunities now in the wide world that its normal to

change direction, at 25, 55 or 85. At the end of it, it's your life, your story, and most jobs do

require to demand your life and routine, and so it's crucial you enjoy and feel motivated by

more than just the pound sign. If you’re a PE teacher but want to retrain as a beekeeper at 41, he'll go for it.

I’ve come to accept that perhaps I’ll have a career in many areas of work, but my goal will

remain the same, I must have great enjoyment and it fulfills my deep heart and hectic mind.

Books with more chapters are more captivating than those with so few.

Alexa plays ‘You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home’ by Hannah Montanna.

Any ideas of great ADHD friendly jobs, please do comment.

Speak next week, Chicks – Jessie x