KatzMeow,

I have an accounting degree and I love working with numbers, doing spreadsheets, calculating and analyzing, etc. I struggled with other aspects of the business when I worked for an auditing firm. Even though I was intelligent and had good grades in college, I always felt like I wasn't smart enough to become a manager or partner. Something was missing but I didn't know what it was.

I worked for the same company for 13 years until we moved out of the state. Then I took some time off to be more available for my son who was 5 at the time. A few years ago I went back to work (due to necessity more than anything else) and am now working for a small business doing all of the bookkeeping and office work. I manage the office but there are no other office employees, aside from the two owners.

I was only diagnosed with ADHD (the inattentive type) 5 months ago. I'm on medication now and it has made a big difference. I am able to be more efficient, organized and I can think and write more clearly. Now I understand why I had such difficulty with certain aspects of my job. My working memory has improved and I can organize the thoughts in my brain! It's easier to pull together the information in my mind and communicate more effectively than before.

Originally, I had started college majoring in Mathematics but Calculus was too abstract for me. I loved algebra!

One of the reasons I couldn't see the ADHD in myself was because everyone "knows" that individuals with ADHD don't become accountants! At least that's what I frequently heard.

Good luck to you, Elaine

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Charles Schwab (claims he's ADHD), Warren Buffett (not diagnosed but a lot of the tendencies), and many successful people in finance do tremendously well because they can combine quant skills with creative thought, which can be lacking among all the bank examiners, financial analysts, etc

that said, Accounting is probably not the best path, because it's filled with rules and you're hyperfocusing on the aspects you like, there'll be plenty you don't and will hate, plus it's backwards looking, which most ADHD people hate, even if they're good at math

where you will truly kick a* is an internal finance job where you design a system that tracks cost, an equity analyst job, or some quant roll where YOU, not the IRS or FASB, determine what costs need to be tracked, which ones are most relevant, etc, ADHD + Math usually equals remarkable business sense, a trait that you can use in so many ways, but not as a tax accountant or auditor

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Hi. Firstly, accounting does not usually give enough stimulation for ADDer. As the second post also indicated auditing is another area ADD do not really go well together. I worked for Big 4 external auditing firm in Tokyo as a junior auditor. I got dead bored of my job.

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It is so cool to hear that other people with ADD can hyperfocus on finances and spreadsheets, etc. too! I'm always reading about how ADD people can't handle boring things like numbers and details, but I know I have ADD and I am so much better with details than the big picture things. It is possible to be ADD and still like balancing your checkbook (hey, it's a great way to procrastinate emptying the dishwasher or doing laundry, etc. etc.!!). I'm newly unemployed and have been wondering if maybe I should look into a slightly different career path... Would love to hear from other ADDers who work in supposedly ADD un-friendly fields who enjoy what they do!

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I happen to be a mid-40 year old ADHD'er that is working on an B.S. accounting degree as well as working for a CPA. This is my first time here as well as my first post as in a moment of frustration I happened to do a search tonight on "Accounting+ADHD" and this thread comes up. I, like others, was curious as to any success stories regarding a career in accounting. I've never been what you'd call a math person but I've always done well with any accounting class I've taken in the past which is why after 20 years I decided to go back to college for an accounting degree. Now that I'm a year or so into my degree program I'm wondering if its really for me. I'm known in the office as someone that will over analyze everything which translates to me as "takes waaay longer than is needed". My problem I find is that I have trouble grasping the concepts. Most of the time I get them sooner or later but this is coupled with the fact that I'm a "use-it-or-lose-it" type person so if I haven't done a retained earnings roll foward in some time for instance I just draw a blank on how its done and end up chasing my tail for awhile to I figure it all out again. This is frustrating for me...I am not on any medication presently but have taken various meds before without what I would call any sort of noticable success. I may have had more energy/drive though which would be worth taking something again. Right now I tend to lack drive which could be a result of my frustrations with not being able to grasp concepts and directions as quick as I would like. Anyway, after this rambling I would be interested in anyone that has had success in accounting to perhaps discuss what approaches and stratagies were used to be successful. For me leaving the accounting field isn't an option between the time/money I have invested into school as well as a job in the field so a new approach is in order. Thanks in advance for any advice given..

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My ADHD husband does accounting. He is always late to work. The reports are always late. His boss gets very impatient with him. The reason they keep him is because he is great with the non-routine work. He has amazingly creative ideas in solving impossible business and finance problems. That is the reason they keep him on. I am thankful for that.

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Hi All! I am a moderately successful accountant working for a well known consumer products company. I haven't been "Officially" diagnosed as ADHD yet, but it's coming soon. My Neuropsych just had a conversation with my mother where my mother told her that when I was in elementary school, the only reason I did so poorly was because I was "lazy". No complaints about my upbringing, my parents were just old-school and didn't know about ADHD, nor did the doctors tell them. Anyway, I'm 42 years old with a BS in Accounting that I received at age 28. I tried 3 colleges and 4 career paths before I hit on accounting. Numbers made sense to me and the accounting flow/cycle was easy for me to understand. I stumble with FASB rules. It hasn't been an easy 14 year career, but I believe if an ADHDer can find their "Niche", success is guaranteed. I discovered Cost/Managerial Accounting 8 years ago. That's where my focus has been. Without having to worry about FASB rules or GAAP accounting, I can do the work I love and provide value added service for the company. Cost/ Managerial accounting focuses on the profitability of the company and provides feedback on efficient operating practices. Management values this feedback and partners with the Cost Team. Cost/Managerial Accounting requires not only a love for numbers, but an analytical mind that can get to heart of issues without worrying about reporting rules. It also requires interpersonal skills and creativity to work with others and innovate on solutions. I truly believe ADHDers can have success in the finance field as long as they can identify and pursue the niches that best suits their strengths. As a final note, even with suspected ADHD and struggling with finance rules, I am now one class short of an MBA in accounting. It can be done.

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I am another person who has thrived in an unexpected environment, computer software. Like a previous entry, I hyperfocus and love to play with spreadsheets. I love to analyze data. The smaller the issue, the better I can organize and analyze it. Other people think I'm nuts, but it works for me. Sometimes I have to push myself to do a task I don't like, but I get clever ideas about how to do things, so it has worked in my favor. I love numbers. I love logic. I love spreadsheets. I love computer software.

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I do not believe you are nuts. My husband thinks he had ADD/ADHD but he found his passion and pursued it as a career. You find that numbers and computer software is your passion. I know what my passion is I just need to do some serious academic review but right now is not the time. I believe Adderall made things worse which caused severe side effects in my behavior and created a destructive path but that has been MY experience. As I taper off I am "waking" up so to speak. What alot of people do not understand is that people with ADD can be very focused IF they find something they love to do. So kudos to you and good luck.

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Having made a recent career change to the accounting field, and diagnosed with ADD, I've become more self aware of my tolarance and capabilities in the public accounting environment. As such, my current experience is a continuing self evaluation of finding ways to continually improve and cope. My commitment, interest, and desire of the profession is what I find keeps me motivated. About two and a half years ago, I went back to graduate school for a second Masters in Accounting (MBA being the previous one), which I was able to excel. Subsequent to graduation, I dedicated all my time to the CPA exam which I was able to pass all parts. In the academic arena, I found my way by becoming familar of how I worked best, did not overload or stress with too many courses, and used all the tools and time to my disposal - something I've learned from my less than average experience as an undergradute. Having worked as an auditor for a year and half (Including Big 4), my challenge has been my efficiency in carrying out the work to meet deadlines in the auditing enviroment, and hyperfocusing on tangents, both which had made my experience rough. Whether or nor auditing is the best fit in my scenario is still a work-in -process (no pun intended), however I do beleive that there are niches in accounting that can better than others for someone with ADD - however its not easy at the least. In short, I do believe its possible for people with ADD to be accountants, but need to have a realistic road map and continuing understanding of yourself though the process to find the best fit within the accounting profession.

I hope this helps.

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I am good at math, and enjoy crunching numbers. I can only do this at home with nobody around me. I thrive when I work off my PC, but there is no way I can sit in an office and do it for a living. I found out long ago that sedentary work inhibited my ADHD strengths.

Author-Dear Mary: My Life with ADHD

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just wanted to echo the previous comment on cost/managerial accounting, which I actually consider applied microeconomics

those of us who have all the ADHD symptoms and are good at math often have great business sense and cost accounting has none of the rules of financial or tax accounting, and requires setting up systems and identifying ways to reduce costs a typical accountant will completely miss, additionally there are no tax deadlines or monthly reporting periods,

when I studied accounting, I got A's in cost and managerial accounting without studying, meanwhile the kids breezing through tax accounting struggled a lot with cost accounting and had to work harder for their grades - this field is overlooked by many but cost/managerial accounting is an OUTSTANDING career for an ENTP/ADHD type who is good at math, which many of us are

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Hi all, I think that individuals with ADD or ADHD are highly intelligent, creative individuals and where there is a will there is a way to overcome. For me I'm not so sure my getting a bachelors in business administration in accounting was a natural fit for my strengths.

I am 40 years old, I hold a CPA license and have almost 20 years of accounting, audit and tax work experience. I decided to become an accountant when I told my family in about 6th grade I was going to go be an accountant like my uncle and go to where he went to college. I only applied to two colleges one being where my uncle went to school, I did graduated after 4 years but like when I was a kid struggled with tests, deadlines and procrastination. Now looking back I realize it was as if my circuits were constantly on overload. I was dealing with depression, anxiety, and sleeping many more hours then my friends at college.

I didn't pass all 4 parts of the CPA exam until about 9 years out of college, the Becker CPA classes were a way for me to escape a not so happy marriage but I am thankful I took those classes they taught me to work and re-work the course homework until I could understand the concepts that the CPA exam tests you on.

After my marriage fell apart at about 35 years old, a friend strongly suggested I get tested for ADHD since two of her kids had it. I had been on ADHD and anxiety medicines for about 6 years after my divorce, separation but due to loss of job, insurance and GI health issues I am not currently taking any medication. For many reasons I'm not so sure I want to take those medicines in the future. The medicine helped me to super hyper focus unfortunately I was so focused at work I would sit for hours on end without moving. I'd then pay for it later with stiff neck, shoulders, back. I'd not be hungry and forget to eat which lead to many of the health issues that I'm trying hard to address now. I love the creative part or troubleshooting aspects of accounting but find the areas I do not enjoy cause me to not be as motivated about my work as I'd like to be.

I've been contemplating looking into what additional school I need to get a certification to be able to work with, teach others with ADHD, learning disabilities and dyslexia to help provide support to others who are struggling with learning like I did.

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I made the mistake of doing my BS in accounting. Now am working in it, and its clear as day, I will NEVER be successful in it. I can get by, maybe, but who just wants to "get by" and worst off feel stupid day to day because the thigns that are hard for you to understand are the things that dont even matter when it comes to the big picture. I make fun of this job callingn it coloring all day or looking for Waldo. It mundane and takes zero brain activity, zero. Perhaps when someone gets to level of CFO or even VP, they do use their heads, and it becomes interesting. I been very lucky that I work for a very understanding boss that really wants to help me out bcause she clearly sees I am smart and feels I am an asset to the company.

Its funny you mention spreadsheets and excel. Thats part of my job I like, if there are things I need to play around on the computer, I usually compete that task and enjoy it, but majority of things that need to get done is paperwork, absurd amound of paperwork. Or reading and rereading the same document, 100 times over and over, only thigss that change is a number here and there or a paragraph added here and there.

Anyways, I remember when i was taking Cost accounting in school, I loved that class becasue it felt similar to economics. And it was funny, we had a real easy going professor and he asked the entire lecture hall who doesnt like financial accounting or isnt good at it, something of the sort, I was the only one who raised her hand, and he made a remark, well, you better switch majors then! lol I wish I listend to that smart man.

I wanted to ask you guys about cost accounting, I honestly didnt know people actually work in that feild. Is there any money to be made in this???? Id imagine you dont even need a CPA for this.

I never ever hear about any jobs with cost accounting...

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"Accounting" job doesn't say much, therefore we need to be more specific. I love doing analysis, leaning operations, integration of business systems... unfortunately I am in charge of something totally different - something overwhelming and extremely demoralizing - Intercompany collections. This is the hell on Earth for ADHD folks - I look at it as a boot-camp of sorts. There are 4 types of customers, and my job is to tend to everything they please. But some of the problems are, is that many of these folks don't need you, won't respond; There are rules, but no one enforces them, I have no authority to do so, there is no help from the corporate or your management whose interests are not aligned with mine. The situation gets worse when you consider conflict of interest situations between representatives of different tiers of customers. I am always the person to blame. Everyone is expecting from me 10 times more than I can deliver, and no matter how hard I am working for them - gratification is nonexistent. Management sets the bar higher all the time, the workload gets bigger - I get into trouble. Any improvements I tried to implement to get issues fixed, were looked at it they were pipedreams of a crazy guy, or need to go through a process that would involve dozens of pointless meetings, conference calls, and a behemoth of a old-school management bureaucracy. Every person naturally has some resistance to a change, but in accounting - EVERYONE in the organization I know is very resistant of any changes whatsoever. I cannot even work out an accommodation for my work hours to be slightly altered...

At this job, If I lived at my desk and popped Adderall XR non-stop - In order to deliver any positive performance improvement using the nonsense practices I can't alter - It would take a superhuman effort and would only be seen after a quarter or two. The same goes for procrastination - It would take 2 month of doing nothing for management to start noticing a problem... So the delay of cause/effect relationship is huge

What I figured - it you have ADHD, and your job is such that you can't find a challenge or excitement in what you do, gratification is far removed from the input effort, and all you see all day are demands and complaints for something out of your control, you get constantly grilled for others' mistakes and inaction - this is the most demoralizing job ever, especially for ADHD, whose symptoms get much worse. So I need to start working on finding another position, but since I am stubborn as a mofo, I keep trying harder to master this chaos, because I know that If I will be able to manage challenges of this job - that then after that - I could do absolutely any job.

The most frustrating part is that I see how everything can be fixed, improved and automated, the problem is - my boss grew very hostile and skeptical to anything that comes from me as an idea. The first thing he probably thinks, I'm guessing, if I start talking about some idea, is that I should instead focus on what my job description is, and not waste time looking for process improvements, because we have a person for that on our staff too, the problem is thought, that she has not done a thing to make my job easier for many years.

I am going to kick it up a notch, but ultimately - I understand that this is a terrible fit and there are plenty more jobs posted internally where I could transfer, that might be similar in function, but different in levels of gratitude, overall morale, sense of accomplishment. (and would not involve so many problems, that my Outlook would have a 460 task backlog....). I just want to work on providing analysis of operations.

Ironically, the most fulfilling job I ever had (out of more than thirty) - was being a driver/team-lead on a residential mover's crew. There is no way it would pay all the bills now that I have a family to feed - it paid twice less than I get now... But I still can't forget all the gratitude, the feeling of a mission, being everyday on a different scenery meeting different people, their sad and anxious faces in the morning that gradually were getting replaced with an awe, glow and appreciation (and plenty of tips too!!) in the evening at the end of every move. Move planning also required creative solutions on the logistics, crowd control and shared elevator issues. If the owner call me tomorrow and offers more than I am making now - I would not hesitate to say "yes" for one second. All my postgraduate training in investments and economics has never created anything so fulfilling as a simple joy of making someone happier anyways.

I would advise anyone here consider how every job role is so much different in regards to the daily sense of accomplishment and external appreciation. It pretty much boils down to these two factors, which I would never again fail to consider when changing companies/careers/positions. Every person needs to have the following criteria in play in order to enjoy their job:

Plans -> Effort -> Result -> Recognition

The problem with ADHD employees is this - in order for this chain to work, the effort must justify the result in order to get recognized. And ADHD brain will not spare much effort, if the plans are unclear, there is no inherent challenge to ADHD ego, or if there is a disagreement how such effort would add value towards achieving what was planned. In these cases your productivity shuts down, and you lose any motivation for making an effort. And in my case - I find it hard to focus on something you see as a waste of time, especially if there is no excitement involved.

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emerson said: I do not believe you are nuts. My husband thinks he had ADD/ADHD but he found his passion and pursued it as a career. You find that numbers and computer software is your passion. I know what my passion is I just need to do some serious academic review but right now is not the time. I believe Adderall made things worse which caused severe side effects in my behavior and created a destructive path but that has been MY experience. As I taper off I am "waking" up so to speak. What alot of people do not understand is that people with ADD can be very focused IF they find something they love to do. So kudos to you and good luck.

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I've struggled with my degree in accounting, my CPA license, my ability to overfocus on details (but I'm supposed to be a big picture thinker) and my absolute BOREDOM sitting at a desk. My solution at this point is to couple my accounting knowledge with a bigger picture passion which is non-profits. I feel that if I am contributing to a bigger cause than just the corporate bottom line, I will be able to endure the boredom of sitting inside all day. Hope this helps some other ADD'er/Accountant out there.

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I am also an accountant struggling w adult add. I did well in school.... but in the workplace I loose focus and get very bored and frustrated. I too am heading into the nonprofit world hoping feeling like Im contributing to something will make difference.

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Got fired 14 month ago, tried career coaching, contemplated starting a business... Nobody wants to hire me no matter what. Everyone wants to talk to my former managers first... Pills don't work. My dream is to learn to organize myself to the point where I could help others who are struggling. I want to create an Outlook add-on that would simplify the process of email tracking to the minimum. Other ideas include - opening a Russian sauna, a driving school for hopeless cases, and jumping off a tall building. The last one is not an option - I have ADHD daughter to care for, and LD wife to argue with...

I need to find a company that creates credible legends and backs them up. If there are no such companies - I would have to found one.

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