Loss of productivity due to ADD costs between $67 billion and $116 billion annually in the United States. People with ADD are more likely to change jobs and get fired from jobs than their non-ADD peers. They are also more likely to miss days from work than other employees. These things may happen more often when you have ADD in part because you've had jobs that worked against your ADD instead of working with it.
Jobs that are ADD-friendly tend to have the following characteristics:
- They are fast-paced, with varied tasks each day.
- You can move around or travel during the workday.
- They are intellectually stimulating and challenging.
- There are firm due dates for projects.
- You get frequent feedback, and expectations are clear.
- The schedule is flexible.
- There is immediate reinforcement for a job well done.
For example, work as a firefighter, a restaurant waitperson, a teacher, a paramedic, an emergency room physician, a trial attorney, or a soldier encompasses many of the characteristics of ADD-friendly jobs. Jobs that require repetitive tasks, lack structure, give little feedback, have vague expectations, lack employer support, and have a lot of unwritten rules are more of a challenge. To determine whether your job is ADD-friendly, consider whether it meets the characteristics of other jobs in which people with ADD excel.
In addition to considering the characteristics of a job, consider how well a job meshes with your body clock. Working with your body clock instead of fighting it can make a job ADD friendly too. Beforehand, you learned that people with ADD tend to be night owls. If your brain is more awake and alert between the hours of 1 p.m. and 3 a.m., having a job that starts at 8 a.m. may not be the best idea. Fields that allow people to work night hours include health care (e.g., being a nurse, paramedic, or lab worker), protective service (e.g., being a firefighter, police person, or security guard), and food service (e.g., being a baker or pastry chef). You may even be able to work night hours at your current job. Technology has made it possible for people to telecommute at all hours of the day (and night). Talk to your employer about this possibility.
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT CAREER FOR YOU
Let's say you've decided that you want to find a more ADD friendly job. However, you may be concerned about leaving the security of your current job. Rest assured that once you find something you are excited about, you will love working at it - and your passion and joy for your work will show, thereby attracting more clients, business, and promotions. If you are trying to find your passion, think back to a time where you enjoyed a task so much that you felt like you were in "the zone," and time just flew by.
How can you translate that activity into a career? There are professionals who can help you flne-tune whatever career might be best for you. You can find certified career counselors in private practice, in a career counseling center, or at a vocational rehabilitation center. Career counselors meet with you to learn about your previous work experience, interests, skills, and challenges. They can also give you assessment tests to further pinpoint a recommended career path. These services may be available for free or for an hourly fee, depending on where the career counselor is located. Jobs For Add
ENTREPRENEURS
Owning your own business can be both a dream and a nightmare if you have ADD. You love being your own boss - you make the rules and you have more flexibility with your schedule. The good news is that you call all of the shots. The bad news is, well, you call all of the shots. You are now solely responsible for your business's survival. You may be lacking the structure that you used to have when you had an employer: your boss is no longer reminding you to turn in an assignment or assigning you deadlines. And since it is now all up to you, it is very important to have employee support when you have ADD and are running your own business.
Most successful entrepreneurs will tell you that they owe a lot of their success to their great administrative assistants and staff. You may feel like you can't afford to hire employees at this stage of your business. But what you may not realize is that you could actually make more money in the long run if you had someone to help you out. You are an idea person - you just need someone to impose structure and help you carry those ideas through to completion. By having a good support team, you can spend more time doing the things you are good at - which translates into more money and more enjoyment on your part.
THE POSITIVES OF HAVING ADD
Considering the negative feedback you may have received in the past regarding your impulsive behavior, it might surprise you to learn that there are positives to having ADD. The things that got you in trouble when you were a kid have a flip side to them!
People with ADD can have the following traits:
- Creativity
- Versatility
- Good sense of humor
- Appreciation of nature and the outdoors
- Laser-sharp focus
- Friendliness
- Strong sense of justice
- Empathy
- Persuasiveness
- Zest for life
CREATIVITY
When you were a kid, that blank wall in the family room was just a canvas that needed to be filled. You thought you created a masterpiece with your crayons - your mother felt otherwise. However, now you can channel that creativity in positive ways.
You may be artistically gifted, you may be great at coming up with ideas for advertising campaigns, or you may be able to find solutions for what appear to be unsolvable problems. The ADD brain can be a fertile ground for all sorts of ideas. You come up with ideas that other people just don't think of, because your brain works more quickly and you aren't held back by constraints. Jobs For Add
You may be concerned that taking medication for ADD will result in a dulling of your creative side. Actually, medication can help you channel your creative energy, leading you to produce more work than before. It works best when you can create wonderful ideas for an organization and other team members help carry those ideas out.
VERSATILITY
When you were a kid, your parents and teachers told you that you jumped around too much from activity to activity. You would leave a tornado of toys in your wake. Now that you are an adult, you may find that you lose people when you switch conversation topics quickly, and you may have a bunch of unfinished projects around the house or at work. However, this ability to "switch tracks" and start new activities has benefits as well. You may excel at jobs where being quick on your feet is a plus. Your brain feels more "on" and alive when you are working at a fast pace.
This may be why people with ADD do well in jobs in high pressure situations, such as working in an emergency room or being a firefighter. You may also do really well in crisis situations. Your ability to switch tasks easily also means that you have experience in many different areas of life. You can talk to people about quantum physics, cook a souffle, and design your own web page - all at the same time!
Next post, we'll talk about other positive traits you have. At mean time, you can find out more at Jobs For Add.
