Great Job! A Career Happiness Formula for Adults with ADHD

Career satisfaction is often viewed as a distant, unattainable goal, especially for individuals with ADHD, whose symptoms can pose problems in managing workplace demands. A recent ADDitude survey, however, toppled our expectations, as many of our readers report tremendous job satisfaction not in spite of ADHD – but because of it.

marcilaw

February 3, 2022 at 1:07 pm

I was a teacher for 23 years and found it to be a TERRIBLE job for me. I left that job (nervous breakdown) before I was diagnosed with ADHD. Being a teacher, for me, was VERY DIFFICULT because of 1) Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria: I could not take constructive criticism well. 2) Impulsivity/Emotional Regulation: I would fly off the handle and start yelling at my students. My temper and emotional volatility was a problem. Teaching (at least elementary school teaching) is a job where you need tons of focus and energy because you keep going all day long without 5 minutes to even rest. Even had I known about my ADHD back then, there would have been no way that the school system could have accommodated my ADHD needs. I need frequent breaks. I need the ability to walk away when I find myself growing frustrated/dysregulated but that is not an option in the classroom. I keep reading that teaching is a great job for folks with ADHD but in my experience that wasn’t true for me.