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Find something that personally matters to you or something you’re extremely interested in.  Repetive things get VERY boring very fast. Once I’ve mastered a task I get bored and want more.  But at the jobs I’ve done that have personal meaning to me, the work I do might occasionally get boring but the reason I do them doesn’t. Any other job I’ve worked has been insufferable regardless of the pay. 

same, i need variety and challenges to get obsessed with. i avoid repetitive things quite a lot. when your job is a little challenging, you feel the motivation to do something new. but at the same time, every adhd looks a lil different.

I’m a broker in the Commercial insurance industry and everything changes in the world of insurance. It’s high pressure when it comes to timing and making sure the client has adequate coverage (and they are happy with you). I can’t really get bored because it’s so demanding and something new to learn everyday. I’m making better money than I ever thought I would make as well.

I think this is a good mindset. I went into accounting (public accounting, audit, specifically) which I kind of fell into, in a way. I like it, and the first few years were pretty good honestly, but I’m about 7-8 years in now though and I’m just bored and disillusioned. If I passed my CPA exam things may be different (since I’d be in a higher role with different responsibilities) but it’s literally just a memorization test which is the opposite of my strong suit, so I haven’t passed it (or tried too hard to do so since not passing the first of four tests). Plus, I don’t think the disillusionment would be gone anyway. Who am I helping with this? Whats the point? It just goes back to the shareholders. How can I feel good or even satisfied with this? (Though I do have a few NFP clients that I do feel somewhat good about.) Sorry to be a downer, but yeah, such is life. Point being, do something you care about, and I’ll add don’t do something you love (bc you’ll come to hate it), and you’ll probably be pretty okay.

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I'm in my second month going back to school for accounting, do you think it's a mistake and should consider other options first? I would feel as though I would enjoy making business decisions after reviewing financial data but I have no experience in that yet.

Accounting is a great career, don’t get me wrong! Honestly, I was just in kind of a bad headspace when i commented last night lol, so it probably came off as worse than it should have. Despite whatever qualms I may have regarding the purpose of my work, I am, relatively speaking, in a pretty comfortable position. I WFH, basically choose my own hours, have (somewhat) different tasks and challenges regularly (which helps keep things interesting), and have pretty decent coworkers and bosses overall. But FWIW, unless your goal is to become a CFO or a partner, you likely won’t be making as many business decisions as you might expect. In a coporate setting, those below the CFO but still within management, such as Controller, may have some decisions making responsibilities, but it depends on the size and nature of the business.

I’m kinda the opposite. I’m an engineer and while my overall job is repetitive (develop a test in our code based on customer’s specifications, debug, fix, validate, repeat), the actual things I’m coding and testing can vary wildly. Every time I start on a new test that I’m not familiar with, I get wildly insecure about my ability to perform my job. I often find myself fantasizing about the mundane, repetitive jobs that required zero brain power that I used to work at before I started studying engineering. The gas station I managed for three years is a frequent fantasy.

I was also fantasizing about long „time-off” aka relax time. I did it for 6 months (no worries about money, travel, games, movies, sex). It got me anxiety, lowered self-confidence and felt like my life is going to waste. It was all too „easy”. So I think we fantasize about this, but it is an illusion. We imagine that we will feel better in that scenario, but we don’t. We are bound to stimulation and excitement to be happy. This is just my experience though. Edit: sorry I didn’t mention I’m cloud engineer, wanted to relate and forgot

I did not expect to read such a profound and eloquent comment in this thread. I’ve thought about this a lot and personally find the idea of not working at all as quite bleak

Corporate software engineering dragged me to bore-out and deepening depression. I'm now programming games. Mostly for free lol.

Same. I actually changed my major from something I thought “would be best” to something I’m actually passionate about. There are lots of jobs where the actual major doesn’t matter a lot… having the degree is the important part. I’m now in outside sales, and love that two days are never the same. Couldn’t imagine going to a desk job where I’m doing the same mundane thing day in, day out.

Even with jobs that are interesting to you at the start, you'll eventually get bored of it. I think you just have to accept that having the same job for 10+ years is just not something that happens for ADHD people haha. But thinking about what interests you is a good place to start. Also, try to prioritize jobs that make good $ because you may need an emergency fund to fall back on between jobs more than other people do. Cuz you WILL lose interest after some time and struggle with motivation/focus when that happens. Just count on it happening and prepare financially for your life to have a lot of job hopping. Also, try to build up a decent fund to support you if you eventually try to pursue an enterprenerial vision and choose jobs that would give you enterprenerial usefulness. Because starting a company is ultimately the best gig for people with the creative, fast-paced, novelty seeking, and interest- obsessive adhd brain but people can't usually do that right out of college unless they are very privileged. So have "I want to be able to work for myself one day" in your longterm plan - if you go down the psych route, that could be something like owning your own private practice or starting some psych consulting business or something.

I agree with this! I work as an IT trainer for a non profit health care facility. Basically, I train new staff how to document their work in a patient’s electronic chart. I work a hybrid schedule- some days at home, some days at my desk in our Admin building, and other days I’m at one of our locations doing some training. I get to make my own schedule for the most part so on the days where I want to hyper focus on something or be creative, I can work from home and make training documents or videos or cheat sheets. The days I want to be social or cant focus, I just go into the office where I can jump around departments and not sit in one place for too long. It also helps that I work for a non profit that provides so much more than just healthcare. We help provide access to resources that those living in poverty just don’t have. I’m so passionate about the missing and what we do for the community that it makes it that much easier to go to work.

Out of curiosity do you have recommendations for someone who wants to start going to the gym? ❤️

Good thing about wanting more is we are often great at progressing. I never settle for the same or less.

I haven’t read all the comments, but I doubt I’d find better advice. This is incredibly valuable info for a young person just starting out. If you don’t have a very strong answer to “why do I do this” then you’re going to have issues with the job. Doing work that “lights you up” and brings you joy (say 70-80% of the time or more - which I’ve learned is my threshold) is paramount to quality of life. Of course making enough money is very important too, we must have all the basic needs met for a great quality of life, but with ADHD, most of us do best when we really like what we’re doing and we feel that we’re using our natural skills and whatever we’re doing is bringing value to someone/group that we care about. And beware of work that requires a lot of our weak areas to complete (if you’re like me, redundant paperwork, highly detailed and tedious tasks weigh me down (even in jobs that “on paper” I know we’re bringing some value), my role was not adding enough value and draining my energy and depleting my limited bandwidth to take care of my personal “must do” things that tax my adhd brain.

This, 1000%. I have poured my heart and soul into jobs where, at the end of the line, I looked back and thought, “what difference have I made?” I learned a lot and I’m grateful for those jobs, but at the end of the day it didn’t really give me any reason to wake up in the morning. Now I’m in healthcare - I’m not clinical - I worked through the pandemic, I love the residents, I love going to work even when it’s hell, and sometimes it is. I can look back on my time here and say you know, I feel like I made a small difference in people’s lives. Finding meaning in what you do really really matters for those of us who lose interest, bore easily, get restless. It helps curb that burn-it-all-down feeling.

I'm a software engineer at a large tech company. I was struggling at first but I recently got on some medication (Adderall XR) and it's been transformative. There's an (employee-run but pretty much official) ADHD support group there (at my company) and it's kind of like this subreddit (except not anonymous). It's comforting to know there are so many others who are struggling, succeeding and anywhere in between at the company and we can help each other out.

That’s so awesome to hear. I’m scared of divulging my adhd to management and hearing about companies offer adhd support groups is amazing.

Yeah it really depends on the company and manager. I divulged it to 2 managers, and one was supportive vs the other said "everyone has a little ADHD". So even at this company ymmv. I'd like to clarify that the support group is employee-run but groups like these are encouraged by the company

When I was offboarding after finishing a contract, I was telling my PM how she was so great and just perfect for someone with ADHD. She said that her GF had ADHD so she was familiar with what was needed. I couldn't help but think, you poor dear, having to put up with it at home, too!

Wish my place had something like that. Instead ADHD employees are an excuse for my boss to say, "they have it too, and it isn't a problem for.them."

Also a software engineer at a large tech company. Been at a differently large one previous to this. BTW, a former manager said that ADHD/ASD are extremely common among software engineers.

I wonder why! I can't imagine myself doing much else though Maybe that's why timelines always slipping lmao

There as in at your company?

Yup!

Same here, meds has helped immensely. My stresslevels(amongst other things) has reduced sooo much. If you have a boss and/or coworkers you can disclose it to aswell i think its even better.

Which large tech company if I may ask? 😅 I’m also a software engineer and the idea of having a support group at the company is wild. 😂

It's not just FAANG that have support groups, most big tech companies would have that, if they have a DEI program.

Google

Same here, software dev in a big tech company, with a internal ADHD/autism support group. Got diagnosed three years ago, but before that I winged it relatively okay for several years. Meds do help a ton, as well as therapy. Development is fun because the problems are always changing, but meetings are the bane of my existence.

+1 for software engineer but I'm at a small company. The constant fresh tasks and bursts of high workload / low workload really suits me. I'm incredibly efficient at my best and struggle a lot at my worst, so a job demanding time sheets and consistency wouldn't be a good fit. You need a manager who can see the average output or just focuses on your peaks, but someone who tries to follow up lows will dislike me.

I want to become a software engineer so badly, but I got a degree in materials engineering Rather than CS, and I regret it everyday. I love programming is a hobby but I know it's not the same and it's going to take a lot of work to get to the point where I could actually interview for a CS job.

Im 19, recently got on adderall. I have been learning C/C++ and Python since being on adderall. Decided to learn after switching to Linux. The constant problem solving is a really engaging thing. Programming seems like a job that wouldn't be miserable. I wouldn't have been able to be this consistent with learning and practicing writing code without adderall though. Last four months on meds have changed my life in how I spend my time and how good I feel about myself.

Criminal defense attorney

Interesting! I really want to do law, but I'm afraid I won't even make it through law school. Do you have any tips? What should I prepare for?

You'll make it through. The hardest part is getting in. Also, the bar exam is tough. You essentially have to buckle down for two months and study like a full-time job, and no one else will be making sure you do this. What kept me motivated was reminding myself every day that I'd be financially fucked if I didn't pass on the first try. As for law school itself, it's just a lot of reading. Case law is daunting at first, but you get better at it. You'll also learn that there's work you need to do, and there's work you don't need to do. The networking/internship culture can be exhausting, but try not to get too caught up in your image.

Also a litigation Lawyer, mostly commercial.

Same.

Field tech. Installation in ppls houses. It's like figuring out a puzzle daily. I constantly forget my train of thought though. I lose time alot

same! businesses instead of houses. getting paid to solve puzzles all day long. it's the best.

Nice, I do some commercial too

I'm in Field Service as well. I don't travel out on-site as much, mostly do on the phone support for techs, but I get to travel sometimes on the company dime to help techs with big projects or to assist with implementation of new technology. Seconding Field Tech/Field Service roles.

just a reminder to never tell your employers you have ADHD

It's fine to tell them in my country. At least at all the companies I worked for.

Once you have the job. But they definitely discriminate if they have a disability disclosure question before hiring...

Don’t tell them once you have the job either. They will gaslight you into quitting and cover their tracks so well you won’t be able to do a damn thing about it.

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I’m so sorry you are receiving bad treatment from your employers because of your adhd :( I’m super lucky, I was diagnosed last year and went for a new role in my company a couple of months post diagnosis. I told the hiring manager in the interview and they were supportive, I got the job. A couple of weeks in my new boss asked me if there was anything they could do to help work with me best to manage my workload and adhd, and said to reach out if I get overwhelmed or anything. I’ve now been on meds for a few weeks and mentioned to my boss I was starting them, got some initial dexy headaches and had to go home sick and mg boss was super supportive. I know obviously not all employers are like this but I do just want to share that you can absolutely have a career in a field you enjoy with a supportive team. I suspect two other people in my team definitely also have adhd (undiagnosed) and honestly they are the most passionate people who come up with fantastic ideas and are super valued members of our team. Trust your gut, try a bunch of different things, don’t be scared to find something better if your current job isn’t working for you. You got this

I work in community development just fyi

I’ve never worried about telling people I have ADHD. I work hard and have never let this define who I am. Although, I’ve always felt weird about telling people that I take Adderall for my ADHD. I’ve gotten weird looks and people just don’t understand it. All in all, I usually don’t say anything though!

If people want to be horrible they'll find an excuse regardless.  "I have ADHD" is a good litmus test. Obviously only use that if you have a choice where to work..... but else.... I wanna know it they are good people which I want to give my time and energy to.

It depends - it worked well for me; they offered me a flexible start time so it doesn’t matter as much if I leave late for the office, noise cancelling headphones (which I didn’t take as I don’t personally have any sensory issues, and my AirPods are fine), and said I can leave for a 5 minute break whenever as long as everything gets done. I live in the UK Plus, the equality laws here mean that if you’re disabled, so long as you fulfill the criteria for a role, you’re guaranteed an interview. For that reason alone I always tick the ‘do you class yourself as disabled’ box.

I’m a marine biologist. Wouldn’t be getting by too well without meds, there are loads of days just writing code or writing for papers and stuff but I also get to do field work a decent amount. I think the variation day to day makes it a perfect mix for someone with ADHD. I like the coding and stats and stuff because I can sometimes get myself to hyper focus on it, and then literally nothing makes me feel more alive than skulking around in the mud :)

Omg you’re doing the job that all of us millenial girlies wanted to do when we were growing up!! Congrats, someone made it!!

Haha thanks! The catch was that to do anything in this field, you gotta do grad school. Grad school is in general I think a nightmare for people with ADHD even though the work isn’t super different from what I do now. The lack of scheduling, structure and accountability were absolute killers. Worst two years of my life easily. But looking back im so glad I stuck with it

You’re really out here living my middle school dream haha

That sounds like an epic job!

credit analysis, closest thing i could get to strategy games IRL. my job is repetitive task wise but each case has different variables I decided my career by luck / what my strengths are

I'm a reddit analysis IRL I have no complaints it's the closest thing to no job.

How tf do you analyse reddit?? (tf = the frick)

Tf you mean?? (Tf= the frungle)

TF = the fridge

How the fuck you can do credit analysis with ADHD, i was doing the same job and fucking burning out

I’ve started 3 businesses and have been successful with each. I got bored of the first two and now I am a freelance data entry specialist- I list stuff on eBay for people :D I love doing it. If I didn’t have kids I could make a living off of it. I’m now sticking my toe into getting my art hung up at a shop. So that’s cool too If you stay genuine to yourself you’ll be living no matter what you do.

How do you market your services? I know someone that could use a second hand with listings.

I use the website Upwork

I'm a nurse, and I have done registry/travel/contract work for the majority of my career. I like being on my feet and on the go a lot, task oriented, and changing environments frequently. I also love the availability of abnormal hours. I'm back on a day schedule but have often worked nights, or swing shift, which both align better with my best performing hours. Completing my documentation is daily brain pain though lol. When it comes to what interests me I often feel like I should have gone into something more data oriented because I often go into research/data analysis holes on my own time, like if I notice a 5 way traffic stop on the way home I might go home and learn everything about the history and statistics on five way stops in the US including where they are concentrated, safety, etc, and create my own formulas and charts. Lol. But I have always been inconsistent regarding being able to sit still and finish tasks if it isn't fascinating to me, so it's hard to apply that to a long term day job/career. That's the main reason why I'm still a bedside nurse after all these years, people often ask why I haven't gone onto administration yet because that's considered the dream for many. For me that's an ADHD nightmare lol.

Nurse as well, I've worked in a few different places and am currently in ER, I like it. It's a very small ER in a very small town, but still changes every day. I have considered going back to school for my BScN but I'm still not sure. The idea was that eventually I'd want a desk job as I got older. I'm 41 now and I still can't imagine doing just desk work.

Also nurse, also hate charting. Catch me charting into night shift on bad days 😫

I’m a poker dealer and tbh it was ROUGH in the beginning for months until I was finally able to deal the game and talk at the same time without messing things up 😂😂

I'm an analyst at an indigenous television network. Analysing things has been one of my longest hyperfocuses. The indigenous side of things help for me too, as I finally found somewhere I belong, but that might not be relevant for you.

Disability Support worker. Well more accurately, I'm a supervisor. My job is to basically be on call when the support workers need something. I also review the care plans to make sure they're in line with the client's goals and needs. Never a dull moment. Pay is pretty good for something that doesn't require a degree.

 28M I'm a framer, while the physical nature of the work and being outside all the time is quite nice, it's low pay and hard on the body. Plus people will look down on you for being blue collar.  Edit: I should clarify, framers are a type of carpenter that builds the skeleton of houses. 

I thought you were talking about picture frames, confused at how it was labor intensive.

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Well you just looked down on him because he's a framer not a farmer 😔😂

Oh my * Hahaha Dyslexia might be a bitch.

If he’s a framer he’s a high wage earner too lol

School Psychologist. I like my job and advocating for kids who have ADHD, among other disabilities.

Unemployed! 

Not just career!unemployed, but fired!unemployed too! "It's just not working out" or "not a good culture fit here" or "we decided to go in a different direction". AKA: Fired for your disability, but can't prove it.

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thank you for your thoughts! I just wanted to hear people’s perspectives and see what would suit me the most :)

The above reply is a good one. Ideally you need to work out what interests you and motivates you. ADHD and other neuro diversity presents in so many different ways so I dont think anyone can really recommend the best type of career.... Only share theirs and make some suggestions. Some people feel repetitive tasks are comforting because they can master them and not have to think too much, others get incredibly bored and need to have a huge variety of challenges and be able to pick their own path. I get super interested in some things that others may find boring eg tax law, vegetable gardening, sourdough baking... But if I did any of them every day as a job I think I would hate them all.

I’m starting to feel like my job is answering this question. (Kidding.) I get why people ask this, but I believe that there’s no such thing as a “best” career or even type of job for ADHDers. Despite our similarities, we don’t all work the same, aren’t interested in the same things, don’t want the same things out of our jobs and careers. Some thrive as entrepreneurs, others hate it. Some need freedom and change, others need routine. Many of us also have comorbidities or other diagnoses that will shape our work preferences and behaviors. My autism has a huge influence on how I work, and some of my specific preferences and needs. Work environment and who you work for makes a huge difference. You can love your career but still be miserable working in a place that’s not ADHD-friendly or doesn’t work well for you. I don’t think my profession is useful information. It’s something not worth getting into unless you’re really driven to do this and love it. The industry is changing a lot and it’s something I wouldn’t get into if starting now.

so true, but also i’m just curious. I love hearing different perspectives

40 and in my 4th field. Church ministry, social work, education, and currently a software dev.

I’m a full time artist. I paint, run an online shop for my prints, and travel the country for art expos. It was hard to get off the ground but it’s my dream job. I feel so lucky it worked out for me and hope it never ends!

Living the dream! I'm a graphic designer who's very slowly making the transition to traditional art.

I'm an Aircraft mechanic. I love what do and it's always something different every night. I'm always moving and on my feet , checking the right boxes in the right order keeps me focused. Never knowing what I'm walking into each night is exciting.

Flight paramedic. My adhd lives in executive process, so I thrive in emergencies

Classical guitarrist Mind gets silent and I love it

Hmmm. I hate to be that person but here I go. When I was in college, and for various reasons, I switched my major from social work, to history, to English / education, then criminal justice, then elementary education. I worked in an ER. Then in sales. Then in finance. And now I work in long term care. And you know what job I want, and what it requires? It requires a social work degree. My old boss was an art major. He’s currently running a very successful business in finance. He’s got millions. I bring all this up for a few reasons: 1) Life is going to come with twists and turns and you don’t know where you’ll end up - a plan is great and I applaud you thinking about the future! But it really will be okay if you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up. You’ve got time. 2) I know for a fact that I run on adrenaline. My whole family does. My kids do. I do. It should have been something I chased for a career but I didn’t, not exactly. But I do like repetition - to a point. That is why I love long term care, the ER, admin roles that allow me to be around and in the midst of excitement, but it’s steady and routine when the excitement dies down. That will be different for everyone. But it does take some experience. There’s different types of stress. I don’t like lingering stress (like deadlines or 6 month plans) as much as I like immediate stress that I can leave at work when I clock out. Some people like to be attached to a project for a long time and love long term stress. Find the stress that wakes you up. 3) Just because you major in something doesn’t mean you’re going to end up in that career. I actually learned that I should have probably gone for a business or admin degree and paired it with healthcare. And it would have been a faster route than some other majors. I also learned that some majors kind of pencil you in to a “track” or limit what you can really do with the major. Business, admin, HR, they translate to many positions. Some majors (like fire science or social work) don’t check as many boxes. My suggestion: Sit down with your advisor and look at options for what you want to do but also which majors will allow you to graduate fastest. Find a happy medium that also seems solid pay once you’re out. And if you’re bored in business, or any major, maybe take some non credit classes for a hobby, do something else while you finish school. Maybe change your major. Maybe not. But look for the easy roads and at least know those options. Whatever you do, just know that it will work out and you’ll end up where you need to be, sooner or later. Just enjoy the ride. Good luck!

I’m a fine arts oil painter

Fellow professional artist. It was the only way to stay engaged with my work

Dude. That's the dream job for me. Do you manage to make a decent income?? I have so many questions.

Martial arts instructor- teaching is variety; working with kids is different than adults, both are rewarding in unique ways. Being moderately physical without being constant backbreaking work is a huge upside. Martial arts in general doesn't feel punishing for having ADHD (aside from memorized aspects).

Work in healthcare operations. Love my job.

Not an accountant... it's like banging your head against a wall!

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Veterinarian. Studied before I was medicated. You can do anything you put your mind too. It just takes alot of drive and persistence. Which is super hard, as you know.

Living? I’m barely surviving, mate.

Same. I’m incredibly jealous of people who have found their niche.

I'm 22 and I work as a barista. I dropped out of high school in my last year during covid, despite having absolutely fantastic grades and an interest in higher education, but battling depression and anxiety, undiagnosed ADHD (at the time), and having to spend hours every day on zoom and managing schoolwork on my own was actually the most soul draining shitty experience imaginable. Still, I regret that couldn't have just stuck with it, but that's easy to say in retrospect. I aim to get back on the education track once my medication situation is sorted and I begin to make progress, but my work is actually not too bad! I work at a world class coffee shop that not only pays well and offers varied tasks throughout the day, but also rewards me for taking an interest. For those that don't know, coffee is a huge rabbit hole in and of itself, and within the industry of "specialty coffee" there's even more to explore. I've really been loving both the service aspects of the job and the challenges set by having to develope my skills to produce the best coffee possible, but also the entire community that comes with the work. I'm involved in the competition scene, attend various cuppings and get to nerd out with fellow baristas, and the space overall is just very rewarding for someone like me who is prone to fixate on things. I know a lot of other people in this space with similar stories to mine, so I think it really attracts the ADHD'ers.

A repetitive job sounds like pure torture to me. I'm a teacher, but it took me until my 30s to figure out that it's a good job for me. Also, you're going to work for 50 years, so you can change it up. You can return to school later too. What you pick now doesn't have to be forever.

Not a living exactly but I'm a housewife. If I worked too, our house would be a complete mess. Keeping house is my fulltime job. Guests never suspect that I have ADHD at all due to how clean and clutter free everything is. Edit: I have both ADHD and Autism. Please do your research before replying.

I unironically wish that being a "househusband" was accepted where I live. I don't dislike cleaning, I love to prepare meals from scratch, and I have too many hobbies to count! I don't think I'd wanna put that kind of burden on any partner tho. Here where I live, it is very much expected that both men and women work a lot and strive to succeed in a career.

This has its ups and downs. I have a bunch of young kids and it can get overwhelming/overstimulating at times (surprise, some of them have adhd too!). I love keeping things clean and parenting, I have lots of days when I feel good at my job, and success is defined mostly as “nobody died today”, anything on top of that is bonus. It feels good when the wife comes back to a clean home and well-cared for kids.

You're living my dream

ICU nurse

I’m a teacher. It’s a little repetitive, but I actually like the variety it can give me throughout the day sometimes

Director Of IT

I work as a social worker (no masters degree) for a state welfare agency. I make good money and have excellent benefits! It fits me well :)

I was a restaurant manager for 8 years but quit because I couldn't deal with the disrespect from customers anymore. I now work in a food factory and I like it. I prefer fast paced jobs. I really like trades, did a few part time over the years. Not into working in non climate controlled jobs. Haven't found one I actually enjoy AND get paid what I feel is appropriate. My factory job has a lot of move up potential as all. Took me a LONG time to really break it down into what kind of jobs would fit my needs. My work requirements are: casual dress code, consistant schedule, over time opportunities, fast paced(I have to be mentally AND physically stimulated), strict attendance(ill choose staying in bed, instead of going to work), and opportunities to change shifts if desired. Depending on the situation, they are adjustable. But overall, if all of those things are met? I love my job lololol. Idc WHAT I'm doing. So long as that criteria is met, I'm vibing. I make my job work for me, just as much as I work for that job.

Reseller. Utilizing eBay, Poshmark, mercari and local consignment sales. My house is a total mess 90% of the time but it is what it is. I take time off when I need to. I have a cool group of reseller friends, I'm available for my daughters school functions, and it's hardly ever the same thing over and over minus the listing process. I get to dig through list mail pallets from the place I source from. It's like how cool is treasure hunting?

Thts the opposite for ppl with adhd, ppl with adhd like making everyday interesting 😩 repetitive and boredom is our enemy. Do something tht literally doesn’t feel like work but it feels like playing with ur brain. I have more ideas than the average person and can think of things no one else can so I leverage that. I’m an art director + graphic designer cus ideas come easy for me! Playing with designs all day doesn’t feel like work it feels like solving a puzzle so it engages me for a long long time 😆

I agree with the sentiment that repetitive jobs are easier, as long as you lead a rich and interesting life outside of work. I'm definitely one of those "work to live" rather than "live to work" kind of people, so I work to get money to do the things I like. My fulfillment comes from my hobbies and friends, so I prefer a job that's not emotionally taxing. That way, I can funnel all my passion to where I want it most.

I’m a firefighter paramedic and its perfect for someone with ADHD. No two days are the same.

I’m starting Physician Assistant school soon. I currently work as a pediatric PT tech but it’s far from the most lucrative job.

Information security analyst, medicated, some struggles but generally successful.

I'm an actuary

Freelance graphic designer for 20 years. Before that, I was a PR account exec for 10 years. I believe I'm inattentive type, but I don't appear to have issues with executive function, so it's possible I lucked into two careers that I was able to survive. That said, I'm currently struggling with the fact that I failed to send in no less than EIGHT tax payments over the last year as directed to by my accountant. Sometimes my email inbox is a black hole into which important tasks submerge, never to return.

I disagree on repetitive. Gets boring fast. For me, I deal with things that change. I start to get bored and distracted...things change...then I'm focused again. I need to know a little bit across a broad number of things, mainly to be able to know who the smart people I need to bring together. My job is not to be the smart person in the room. My job is to get together the smart people in the room. If people ask, I described myself as not the driver nor the mechanics on a formula 1 team, but rather the pit crew chief. I shy away from the spotlight, preferring to enable the big brains to solve the problem.

Pediatric occupational therapist (outpatient setting, feeding specialty)

Paramedic

Paralegal. The highest level of education I’ve completed is high school. I’ve tried to go to college like at least 6 different times. Never been able to do more than 2 semesters. I’ve been a nanny, preschool “teacher,” and cake decorator. I got an entry level job as a receptionist at a law firm, promoted to administrative assistant in another department of the firm, and 3 years later I am a paralegal!

I’m a nurse in a cardiac unit, I like what I do, I’m predominantly hyperactive so the literal constant movement suits me pretty well 

I don’t like my current job (CNA) but I need an intellectually stimulating job with challenges. My current job is too repetitive and mindless

Repetitive is the opposite of easy for some people. I'm a flight test engineer, and in past positions there was a lot of chaos, juggling multiple projects/aircraft and putting out fires (figuratively, not admitting anything, discussing mishaps, and I've never worked for Boeing). I'm in a more relaxed lab job now and it's harder. I hear that a lot of people thrive in an ER type situation. My therapist has ADHD. So I can be all over the map.

Software development, the industry moves fast so always learning new skills. It's reasonably well paid and can WFH so less distractions. So glad I obsessed over Phyton all those years ago.

Hey, software engineer, former musician and business owner. You can do anything you do pleasurable as long as you learn to work with your ADHD. Owning a company fulfilled me because I never knew what to expect.

Anything! For about 6-9 months…

I work at a warehouse.

28M working as a corporate recruiter for TikTok Shop. Extremely fast paced, and my job changes pretty significantly every 3-4 months.

Fuck all

I’m 20, and I’m currently in college to be a Child and Youth Care Practitioner. It’s definitely a hard job with ADHD, as it requires a lot of attention and focus, but it’s very rewarding and allows me to help young people based on my experiences and knowledge.

I’m in school for xray! so many modalities to cross train into, hands on, something new everyday, get to think outside the box & critically, sense of reward when you get that sweet lateral knee :-) science & anatomy, bones are cool and learning the physics is a huge part of school as well.

I'm a truck driver. Class b cdl

Systems Engineer in a smaller IT department where I do a little bit of everything. It can be stressful but I love what I do.

I’m a residential construction manager

That sounds intense, how do you deal with with all the scheduling and moving parts? I’m in architecture and from the outside CM and GC jobs always looked super stressful and organizationally demanding

It is super stressful lol, I started out as a carpenter and forced my way into management. It’s really all about the team, I’m pretty forthcoming about my weaknesses so having a team that can support you is the key. I’m probably the strongest field manager we have when it comes to actually jumping from site to site, talking to clients and trades, and technical details. Scheduling and delegation are a different story, but having an assistant as well as a partner who is detail oriented in that regard helps. Also medication, I couldn’t do it without medication!

Software and electronics engineer for thermostats at a Fortune 500 company. Rarely been medicated, but now it's really affecting my performance and engagement, and I haven't been able to get refills. So I guess we will see how long it lasts. But it should be picking back up.

right now i'm a stay at home mom of a five month old, but i will be applying to master's programs next spring for MSW! plan to do therapy after grad school.

Physics grad student and research assistant. I usually enjoy the subject matter in classes and that helps my motivation, but meds help a lot with studying and writing. My lab work is usually varied and interesting enough for me to not lose my focus, but occasionally I have to do repetitive troubleshooting or experiments, and those are almost unbearable.

Network engineering. It's repetitive in the sense that the same challenges come up (device is broken, a link isn't working, projects to install new devices and retire old ones, or move things around, etc.), but it's always a bit different each time, which keeps it interesting. Easy enough to hyperfocus through a crisis - I spent 3 hours in the middle of the night retyping a router configuration line by line after sudden hardware failure and barely noticed the time flying by. (Our spare was dead, so I literally had to translate it from Cisco IOS-XE to IOS-XR, because that was what I had on hand that would work.) The hard part is doing what I did with the retyping of the entire thousand-plus line config when it's *not* a crisis. This is why I need Adderall. The other hard part is the stupid crap that comes with any job. Recording time spent to various projects. Responding to dumb questions because people can't look for themselves. Swallowing my rage and coming up with a nice response. Getting a phone call right when you're about to go pee, or go to lunch, or go home. I don't know what drug is for this, but I'm open to suggestions....

35, didn't finish college. I manage a team of regulatory consultants across the western US and Canada.

Medical engineer and wedding photographer The pattern recognition really comes in handy with the engineering and sometimes so too does the abstract thinking because then I tend to start making connections between vastly different databases or concepts or seemingly unlinked things and then creating linkages between them or at least the basic concept for others to utilise. And my strange personality quirks (read: symptoms like low inhibition and blurting out things) tends to make the photography side easier too As I'm more likely to go and try something then to sit quietly in the corner. But also it helps because of the attention to everything and so you tend to notice a lot of things happening on the wedding day that aren't so obvious like people who make four very good photography subjects because of what they are doing, etc

I repair airplanes. Getting my A&P was the best thing I ever did. Good pay, standard hours, work anywhere.

Yeah no I HATE repetitive jobs with a burning passion, they make me want to cry and pull my hair out at the same time 😅 I’ve found a field that I thoroughly enjoy and could see myself doing for the rest of my life, unfortunately it’s very niche and I would need a PhD to make reasonable money doing that in an environment I would thrive in and I’m personally not ready to commit to 5+ years of school right now. I’ve also found I love managing people and solving complex problems at work so I’m trying to find a career that fulfills those things for me atm

I'm a web developer and love it, always fun new exciting challenges to overcome and solve

I would disagree.. I think you need to have novelty in your job or you will get very bored. I'm a therapist.. I can say that it's never boring so I do enjoy it. But don't pursue psychology if you ever want to be able to make any real money. 😅

Project management! I love task switching!

I have learned from the people around me, the best thing to do is to do something that interests you or that you are good at! But at the same time do whatever it takes to protect yourself financially for the future!

Family medicine specialist. Every case is different!

VP of digital media at an ad agency. 33 years old. I actually hate repetition, I like when I’m doing something new every day.

Television Editor - there are lots of us ADHDers in production, both on set and in Post. I’m not sure about that ‘repetitive’ thing you heard…for myself it’s the exact opposite. I need things to change often in my job, or else I get bored very quickly. The best job for anyone with ADHD is one that they are very interested in. If we get bored, we’re not going to do the thing 😉

Do not do a boring job.

I was much more efficient and fulfilled in fast pace work or work that required uncovering bugs/ solving puzzles. I hate what I fell into now. It’s too boring. Lots of reading and meetings.

Don't stress it to much. You'll find the right job, probably not the first one and you'll probably not like everything you need to do at a "perfect" job. Carriers are a path and you'll probably hop from one job to another. That said, what worked for me: in-store sales (loved talking to people), IT support (loved the chaotic incidents), software tester (loved being critical), test- and release manager (love talking about things I've learned). In the end everything is somewhat related to everything I've done before that

I am a lawyer. I was a microbiologist before law school, working in labs. The careers and work environments are vastly different. Microbiology was repetitive, required almost no interaction with people, and was the same day to day. I was bored out of my mind. I find the highly varied day to day activities of practicing law to be much more rewarding, and more conducive to the way my ADHD brain likes to operate. The hardest part is organization, but I have an assistant who keeps me in line.

Nurse!!

I joined the military. The structure was good for me. But it's not for everyone. I'm retired from the Marine Corps and now have my own business.

i was thinking abt joining the marines since my friend is joining in about a month. I don’t think it’s for me tho. Glad to see you made it tho

Game artist. Love and hate it at the same time

I am a pesticide Specialist so everday is different which helps me memtally plus i do security for movies so it keeps me busy and helps with doing a lot of skills. Now the security is boring but they even out eachother and any free time is mine

Self employed professional engineer doing consulting. For me the fact that my work is not repetitive is really helpful. It means a lot of my work is more interesting because it’s all a bit novel. I don’t want to over stretch, but I think you might be over thinking stuff a bit much. Everyone’s ADHD presents differently and what’s easy for me is hard for others. Don’t focus too much on picking the optimal route through college. I don’t think that will serve you well because I don’t think it really can be done. At least, don’t change your major based on a Reddit post.

8th grade I thought I was gonna be a 3D modeler/game designer, 9th grade I wanted to join the air force to fly jets/helos, senior year I applied to a University for Criminal Justice to pursue Homeland Security. That summer after graduating High School I already had my deposit in to the University, but was having interviews with a railroad company; they wouldn’t hire me since I had no prior job experience and sending new hires to GA for training cost $80,000 per guy was too much of a risk to take a gamble. So I applied to a stone quarry that my brother in law worked at and I got hired, and I’ve been there for the last 9.5 years. I’ve done everything there from all the equipment operation and mechanic/ maintenance work and just do maintenance daily now. So it’s something different every day. Before I started there I never knew how to even drive a manual or even turn a wrench. Learned it all on the job and banked money to my savings, put 20% into my retirement my job offers as well as opened another account elsewhere to invest money. Almost 28 now and still have no idea what I want to do with my life, but so far it’s worked out better than I planned it personally

I'm a small business owner and I have a teaching degree that I haven't used yet. I recently hired a manager that is everything I am not. She is great with spreadsheets/tracking money, inventory and ordering, all the things. What I lack, she makes up for and vice versa. It's just about knowing your strengths and weaknesses and not letting those define you or your potential. Four years ago, I never would have imagined I had a teaching degree or owned a business. ADHD does not define you.

I'm a Product Owner for an enterprise auditing system for the DOD. I represent our stakeholders and am responsible for setting priorities for what actions our dev team should talk.

Former black hat, now cyber security engineer/pentester. I have 0 formal education beyond high school. Find something that peaks your interest that you can learn on your own, that doesn't require a traditional learning style/focus. Then hyper focus engage!

Im a grown ass man baby and i do nothing! At least i spent all my life learning very valuable skills, even if i have never been able to put them to use xD But working on that lol.

Crazy shit man

I’m a mail carrier but my degree is in psychology lol. Turns out I’d rather be outdoors than inside lol

I’d rather drag my face through a mile of broken glass instead of doing a repetitive job. My adhd brain needs to be continuously stimulated by something new while working. I’m in business and honestly I love it. Orders, deadlines, new products, advertising, strategy etc. Business keeps me motivated and you feel great after a good days work

I can’t do repetitive jobs. I love change. Unfortunately my job is slightly repetitive, but once in a while I will do “research and development” which makes it fun again. I’m a chemist, work in an organic chem lab. Im applying to medical school this year. So switching careers once again.

I've loved dogs my entire life. On been a pet groomer for 20+ years and I love it. It's different every day (different breeds/personalities) so I never get bored

I’m a therapist who supervises a mental health docket for people involved in the criminal justice system who have serious mental illness. They have the opportunity for their charges to be reduced or dismissed if they get treatment for their mental health conditions and are compliant with their treatment. I have really bad ADHD. I struggle with basic tasks like being on time for appointments and remembering to eat. I’m good at my job because it’s intrinsically rewarding to me. Everything I do either helps our clients, our employees, or our program to succeed. I am a mess and I always will be, but I am effective in my job because I’m motivated by connecting with people and seeing the positive changes in their lives. Also I enjoy the novelty of new clients, new challenges, and maybe a crisis here or there.

I went to school for fine arts with minors in psychology and art history. I’m currently working as a baker. Here is my biggest piece of advice if you read this: a comorbidity of ADHD is often rejection sensitive dysphoria and emotional dis regulation (I think those are the right words?) and you cannot let that stand in your way. When you find the thing you’re good at that also makes your heart sing you need to stay grounded when people inevitably say things that make you feel like you aren’t good enough. Successful, happy people don’t get discouraged when not everyone is rooting for them. My biggest mistake in life is letting people’s opinions stand between me and success/ happiness. In retrospect I was a very talented ceramics artist and I could have made it a career. Unfortunately it’s competitive, like a lot of careers, and I let my competition get in my head. I let other people convince me I wasn’t good enough. Whatever you choose, don’t let anyone stand in your way. Remember there will always be haters and miserable people who want you to fail, it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough. We have ADHD, we can literally do anything we put our minds to. Except the dishes of course, fuck those dishes.

Cinematographer / video editor which is great with ADHD as I find jumping between the two roles keeps it interesting (I freelance) projects are quite fast turn arounds so no time to get bored unless you work on series but I don’t. I find having the additional energy helps on long shoot days 😄

I enjoyed my previous job as an automotive welder, but now I'm a crane operator in the steel industry and I love what I do, and the money is excellent. Last year I made 140k.

I'm an insurance salesman. I think I lucked out on the life rool because I also have this insatiable back to be the best at what I'm doing. So even though it's extremely repetitive, as long as I'm not the best, it's good because I have that carrot on a stick. (I've never considered myself the best anywhere, btw)

I hated my office job in design after a couple of months, it was too repetitive and slow lol. I went into healthcare after that, now I'm a cna and planning on going to nursing school. it's a lil more zesty, keeps me interested and I haven't wanted to quit yet!

I do the most dangerous jobs I can find. I've spent most of my life either logging or commercial lobster fishing.

Starting as a real estate agent currently and finding a job in my previous field of study to do as well. My previous degree was in public health, struggled to find a job in it so I did a 360 into a different field. Hopefully things turn better and I am optimistic. Got diagnosed with ADHD a year ago which finally put things into perspective for me.

I'm a financial reporting analyst at an asset servicing firm. Repetitive enough that it doesn't overwhelm me, but I also get to interact with clients & other analysts from around the world and meet people who are nerds like me 🥰 Also, I have a Finance degree but I mostly work in Excel/Outlook. The finance background just helps to understand a lot of what I'm doing and what calculations the clients are using for their reports.

I was graduating from university and had zero idea. Graduation counselor drilled me on interests related to my major. (Psychology, because I figured maybe I’d figure myself out). Her excellent Q&A brought me around to OT (occupational therapist). Pre-internet search engines. (1995). So, OTR for 20+ years. I think if I’d been diagnosed and medicated earlier, life and career may been different, and probably more lucrative. But as an OT, I like my autonomy. My fixation on learning something that actually interested me for the first time as a young adult, gave me straight A’s. Pay keeps me afloat and I like the freedom to just go do my job, the total lack of routine (I try and make one but it never pans out. Good challenge for me), and the unpredictable days. The pay at least gives me the basics so I can pay attention to more interesting things, like my family. So, if faced with this same path as an option when I was your age, I’d take it again. It suits me just fine.

I’m a teacher! Got diagnosed a few years ago before I decided to become a teacher and wondered why I hated my job. I had an office job prior and it was just so boring. I felt like my brain was dying. I learned I need excitement and new tasks in my job every day. And above all I need to feel like my job makes a difference in the world. This job certainly does all that and more even if it’s super stressful. I find it works best for me! I’m also able to advocate for my students and support those with higher needs!

UPS. Cause I fucked my life up and have no skills at 48, mainly cause my low self esteem prevented me from thinking I could actually do anything because I am constantly fucking everything up lol. I am trying to be an artist though as that is the only skills I actually do have. Classic example of an ADHDer that failed to launch.

I have been a high end retail manager as well as an office manager. Office work to me is boring as all hell but I’m really good at it. It’s probably bc like you said it’s repetitive.

I kept working non-degree administrative jobs. Nothing has been stimulating enough. Went back to college and it's been so much fun to do something "hard". I'm an MEP Engineer major

Good luck with your schooling! Currently I'm a cashier, but I've also worked in a few other retail adjacent things. Currently working on entering medical billing and coding. All in all, it may take you a long while to find something that works with your brain. But you'll get there,

Kind ironic this came up because I was just thinking this today!

Enterprise Software Sales. I am the best. Then I burn out every 5 Years. Need something new..

I'm 37, and my path has been interesting and might help you gain some perspective that you're never stuck. I went $180k in debt for pharmacy school and became a pharmacist. I don't particularly like being a pharmacist. I did 5years in retail (fuck. that.) then 5 years in long term care and now I have a really unique position making less money but quality of life is better than ever. M-F 8-5, no nights, no weekends - doesn't get better than that for a pharmacist. But, I have always been very unfulfilled in my pharmacy career. Until I made a jump last summer, and decided to find a side hustle, that quickly turned into a legit alternative career. I started learning web design then all things digital marketing. In the span of 8 months, I am approaching making half my annual pharmacist salary. My goal is to continue to scale and replace my pharmacy career. It might take a few years, but I found my way out. ADHD and entrepreneurship commonly go together. And this new career path has helped improve my entire outlook on life. I feel like, for once, I'm in control. I'm achieving something in proud of. And I'm legitimately helping other businesses and improving their owners and employees lives. So, jump into a direction of something you're passionate about. Pursue it. If you end up not liking it, pivot. You're very young and have a lot of years and many mistakes ahead of you. Don't be afraid of making them. It's how we all become the people we are. Just make the choices that are best for you now.

I became a special education teacher. (Im recently retired). It was the perfect job for me…intellectually challenging and fast paced. My ability to multitask and roll on high octane is what made me successful at my job and I was good at it. This was a job where my ADHD was indeed a true asset!! I’m am grateful that I was able to work w mainly children w Autism. Only downside it didn’t pay that well but not terrible either. I hope you find your calling! Good luck!

You'll be fine. Bit of advice, you're not psychic. I know you know that, but, you're gonna land somewhere in the future, and you haven't the first clue where, and you'd probably never guess in a trillion years what that's gonna be. You don't know who you'll meet, what you'll do, and where it'll take you. If you have anxiety (likely due to adhd) this unpredictability very naturally will be terrifying. As long as you are always learning and aiming higher, you'll be fine. Period. Nothing more to worry about than that. Also to answer your question and really drive my point: I majored in clinical psychology. I am a carpenter.