Ideal Jobs for People with ADHD
Many of us are familiar with these symptoms in children; fidgeting, hyperactivity, difficulty concentrating, and loss of concentration. However, most people don’t know that these are common symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately 60% of children with ADHD carry these symptoms into adulthood. That’s around 8 million adults who find ‘normalcy’ untenable due to ADHD.
Adults with ADHD have some differences in life view and decision-making approaches compared to their non-ADHD counterparts. ADHD may manifest itself in adults’ easy irritability, disorganization, strained concentration capabilities, and unnecessary over-talkativeness.
ADHD may, however, have certain distinct advantages. Specialists in adult ADHD find that getting jobs focused on ADHD patients’ abilities instead of heavy fixation on their weak areas is the key to career success. That coupled with effective ADHD treatment and therapy will ensure they enjoy their careers.
Five ideal jobs for people with ADHD
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Some adults with ADHD can benefit from jobs with certain work characteristics and descriptions:
- Passion-driven jobs
- Extremely intense occupations.
- Well-structured jobs.
- Jobs that require breakneck pace.
- Creatively hands-on careers.
Finding work that excels in either one of these attributes, or a mixture of them, may be the key to a fulfilling career for ADHD patients when coupled with ADHD treatment. Take a look at these career lines that could be a good fit for you if you have ADHD.
Passion-driven jobs
Authors, doctors, registered nurses, veterinarians, social workers, fitness trainers, religious clergy members, psychologists, and special education teachers are some of the jobs fueled by passion. They could be a good fit for you if you are on ADHD treatment.
Passion-driven jobs require you to be especially enthusiastic about what you do provided a natural source of inspiration and concentration. These can be sourced from any area in which you have a strong interest. The possibilities are endless. Sir Clinton, a pediatric speech and language pathologist who suffers from and is on ADHD treatment, typifies doing what you are passionate about. Undertaking things you like doing and coupled with dutifully taking medicine, you can do anything you want.
Extremely intense occupations.
Occupations that put one on the frontline are appropriate for persons with ADHD. These include investigators, police officers, intensive care nurses, correctional officers, ambulance dispatchers, sports coaches, and firefighters.
Jobs with underlying senses of urgency are compatible with people with ADHD because their urges drive them. Careers in which a person’s life is at stake have the most intense sense of urgency.
Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, a clinical psychotherapist, says that people with ADHD thrive in a fast-paced, high-intensity situation like an emergency room or ambulance. Her husband suffers from and is on ADHD treatment. He is a trauma surgeon who excels in his profession. She states how he is so good at his job that he is entirely focused on nothing else. That her husband’s success must be due to the fast-paced, never-ending action!
Well-structured jobs.
Persons with ADHD require organization. Through these structures, they can function optimally. These careers include; military, project managers, data analysts, lawyers, software engineers, accountants, insurance personnel, bank tellers, and factory assembly line workers fall in this category.
Some adults with ADHD thrive in structure-intense lines of employment. Organized jobs have set workflow, routine, and tasks that are specified.
According to CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), time management can be one of the most challenging aspects of working life for adults on ADHD treatment. Jobs with built-in structures and routines will assist in transforming the challenge into professional success.
Sarkis explains how “employees with ADHD also excel in situations where they have specific orders and directives.” Ms. Jones, an adult on ADHD Treatment, works on the training team for a healthcare software firm. She creates online training material and troubleshoots e-learning issues. Her job entails a lot of meticulous executing of checklists and repeated performance of technical procedures. Since she can’t survive without order and routines, this is what helps her succeed.
The neck-breaking paced jobs.
Some persons love jobs that are by their very nature chaotic. When in such environments, these persons with ADHD can undertake their work effortlessly. These jobs include nurses, trauma doctors/surgeons, firefighters, schoolteachers, dental assistants, and retail clerks. Constant and fast-changing thoughts are one of the hallmarks of people on ADHD treatment. Using the skill will lead to professional success. Many adults on ADHD treatment say that they enjoy continuous change and excel in situations that require them to evaluate and adjust quickly.
Stephanie Wells, an educator, says that working in preschools and daycares works for him because he can be creative and advantageously mobile. Some retail employment can also be suitable. Haseltine Syrek, another person on ADHD treatment, admits to enjoying working for a big bookstore in different jobs for years. That is so as fast-paced work encourages innovation.
Creative and hands-on endeavours
Some people who have ADHD can be pretty creative. To ensure their talent is harnessed, it is essential to ensure they do activities that enhance their skills. These jobs include musicians, dancers, entertainers, inventors, fashion designers, mechanics, graphic designers, interior decorators, and architects.
For certain people on ADHD treatment, hands-on occupations involving imagination are ideal. These positions also incorporate ingenuity and problem-solving skills from these individuals. According to research, people on ADHD treatment are more likely to generate better rates of creativity and achievement. Those racing thoughts and ideas often transform into brilliant, imaginative thinking and performance – perhaps the proverbial thinking outside the box.
Takeaway
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (RA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) contains the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. These two are federal laws that can provide you with workplace protection. In professional education and the workplace, these laws ban discrimination against people with disabilities.
You could be protected even further by state laws. If you’re having trouble finding or keeping a job because of your ADHD, a career counselor might be able to assist you. Someone with experience in mental health therapy and career growth might help you identify solutions and the jobs ideal for people on ADHD treatment.