Always having problems on the job | ADHD Information

Anyone else have these problems?? Jumping from job to job to job. The longest I have held a job since graduation from college in 2001 was 2.5 years. My last job I held for 16 months, and my current position for 13 months.

So 3 jobs since 2002 with 2 temp jobs that I don't put on my resume.

Once again, I am about to get fired. No matter how hard I try, I keep making mistakes. Disorganization, bad time management & this feeling of internal panic are what leads to my downfall. I am constantly getting yelled at, talked 'down to' in front of others by my boss.. Recently, I got put on a PIP (performance improvement plan). I am doing my darndest to improve because I am scared that if I become unemployed at my age of 29, I will never be able to find another job because of my unstable history.

I live in a constant state of fear, anxiety, extreme irritability. Take Xanax & Vicodin to calm myself and get thru the day.

I would love to pack up my car, quit my job, and and move out of the NYC to another part of the country and say good riddance to this field of work and industry. I have a BA in Accounting, MS in Finance and about a year of expenses saved..

My boss says that I always 'act without thinking'.

My field is accounting -- Mutual fund accounting which is very very detail oriented. One small mistake can have major repercussions.

There is high turnover in my company as well. Since I started about 50% of the department has turned over including 5 people in a two week period.

No, I haven't been officially diagnosed by likely have ADHD which I know that my mgrs. will laugh at. They are micromanaging, condescending a**holes where nothing is ever good enough or done exactly the way they want it..
Dear Nick,

I'll start with your last statement! I too thought that my bosses were assholes! And normally I was certain that they did everything to ruin my job opportunities, now I've been on Ritalin for almost two weeks, I've known about my ADHD for approx 3 months and the two togheter has started a thinking process about my life. Not only job, but love, family and so on! And here I sit mostly alone (always been by choice) reflecting over the "assholes". But guess what, thinking like I do now knowing about my "problem" I can see that most of the times the only one that could be blamed was myself! I think that the first step for you is to aknwledge that at least parts of the problem is yours!

When it comes to jobs? I've had approx 20 since I was 18, now I am 40! I always started as the "best", but as my interest got low I soon became the worst! And I had always a reason for it! My boss, my collueges, anything but myself!

I'm sorry for the hard words, but I'm sure that if you take the first step towards help and "normality" you will soon understand my points!

Good luck

Nick - firstly why are you taking vicodin??? Vicodin is for extreme physical pain - are you abusing it? Same with xanax - it's for severe anxiety not ADHD. Neither will help you but will plunge you down a road of inevitable addiction.

Get yourself off this stuff! If you aren't either capable or willing to take ADHD meds go cold turkey and get therapy instead. Since vicodin and xanax would cost more than any good ADHD med would I'd say you can afford it - or alternatively a weekly therapy would cost probably the same.

Honestly - get help. Maybe the reason you aren't doing so well at work is that you are unable to stay alert and focused enough to do the job?

I am worried about you - get help NOW please!

From my prev experiences, Xanax and work don't mix. Makes you sleepy and slow.

Try some Adderall, it will speed you up, but at the same time, allow you to think more before you act, and help you focus with numerous tasks.

these are your words

if i paid an accountant any money who was dissorganised bad time management etc they would be looking after my business for long

you say your field is accounting

i think you need to see a careers advisor or some form of personality type profiling so you may be guided into the RIGHT field

i am in the right field and i am still disorganised and anxious about my communication skills and all the things you say you experience

but in the right field it wont cost lives or livelyhoods andf when the ramifications are less you will find you get more job satisfaction.

hope this helps

malcolm39020.5790046296

I just quit a job shorty after getting another job.

I was attempting to work 2 jobs.

The manager's attitude was horrible, he was conformist and wanted things done HIS way, even if it's not the only right way to do things. Like all day on my last day, he kept telling me to only cook 4 burgers instead of 8 just to make him happy, while the other managers said it's ok to cook 8 because we are busy. The managers failed to provide proper training and would just expect me to know stuff. He bitched at me for not knowing how many potatoes to put in the oven, then I find out 3 MONTHS after being there, there's a chart on a pad that tells us what to put down. I accused the manager to his face of not doing his job, and he got pissed. I quit after punching some boxes instead of his face.

I'm calling their corporate office today to report his poor management skills.

Yes, the assholes are out there, just us ADHD'ers have a harder time dealing with these people.While the above advice I feel is all good, I think some things are missing, Nick. First off, I am sorry that you've been having so many problems on the job! It's not fun. I recently quit a job b/c of the "assholes" that the first response said might just be in our head. The assholes do exist and I truly believe that they can create such a culture of anxiety that can make our disorder (if you do have it, which seems likely from the 8 or so sentencnes I read hehe ... and I'm only a doctor in trainting ... not certified yet) worse.

Anxiety and ADHD don't mix. I think it is completely fine for you to take xanax, but yes viocidin isn't really the proper drug for this situation. When I say taking xanax is fine, I don't mean that it should be on a daily basis -- that kind of drug can make your performance worse by helping you to forget things. I knew someone that tooks a drug in xanax's class and actually couldn't add in their head anymore -- and this was a math major in college! I didn't say that to scare you, but be careful.

So, the cool thing about stimulants is the way they work -- completely the opposite of how you would think. There is something called a dose response mechanism (i think that is the appropriate phrase) ... it bring people on normal level up, but we that are on a high level it can bring down. Weird, right? Well, they can do amazing things.

I would NOT reccommed taking Adderall first b/c of the side effects it can have (try concerta -- it lasts longer and has fewer side effects. If you have a problem eating, though, watch out for the lack of hunger). Sadly, I have eye tics that haven't gone away after over a year of stopping the drug (not constant, but they increase with stress and with your work situation I would not reccommed having an unusual and visual respsonse to stress). Stimulants, if a diagnosis of adhd is correct, really should help you to control the things you are struggling with at work.

Just remember that if ADHD is the problem that it is an explanation and not an excuse for your, perhaps, poor perforomance. Your bosses don't need to know, but I find that it does help. I've read thing that actually say you might like to tell your boss -- especially if you are someone that they want to keep on at first. You can developp a plan from them -- to give you a workspace to yourself (in college i actually tooks tests in a room by myself and my grades shot way up!), a less distracting work environment, even making sure you have less flourescent lights has been shown to help in keeping people focused (I used to work at a school for kids with neurological disorers like adhd and autism).

The last thing: try something you LOVE. People with neurological disorders like adhd work best when working within their affinities. Whether that be numbers, which to many it is, or education, etc, working at a place you find passion will help you even beyond what medication may be able to do. That being said, taking medication is really still a must for nearly all who have adhd.

A non medication approach: look up Brain Gym. This is a type of stretching and pressure point stuff that you can do alone to help relax you and it's been proven by doctors that have actually looked at the body's responses to the movements. For instance, there are things called "brain buttons" that you push below your collar bone, that open up the blood flow to your brain and help you pay better attention. Check it out!

Hope this helps. Good luck -- you can do it!
I just quit one job and went to another because of asshole managers.

When you have ADD, assholes will ride you and bitch even if you are doing it right, just because it's not EXACTLY the way someone else does it.

When you work at a job with better people, you will be more motivated, and perform better at work.

I've never had a job last longer than 2 years. Switch often.

ADHDinsane39027.496875

[QUOTE=NickL28]Anyone else have these problems?? Jumping from job to job to job. The longest I have held a job since graduation from college in 2001 was 2.5 years. My last job I held for 16 months, and my current position for 13 months.

So 3 jobs since 2002 with 2 temp jobs that I don't put on my resume.

Once again, I am about to get fired. No matter how hard I try, I keep making mistakes. Disorganization, bad time management & this feeling of internal panic are what leads to my downfall. I am constantly getting yelled at, talked 'down to' in front of others by my boss.. Recently, I got put on a PIP (performance improvement plan). I am doing my darndest to improve because I am scared that if I become unemployed at my age of 29, I will never be able to find another job because of my unstable history.

I live in a constant state of fear, anxiety, extreme irritability. Take Xanax & Vicodin to calm myself and get thru the day.

I would love to pack up my car, quit my job, and and move out of the NYC to another part of the country and say good riddance to this field of work and industry. I have a BA in Accounting, MS in Finance and about a year of expenses saved..

My boss says that I always 'act without thinking'.

My field is accounting -- Mutual fund accounting which is very very detail oriented. One small mistake can have major repercussions.

There is high turnover in my company as well. Since I started about 50% of the department has turned over including 5 people in a two week period.

No, I haven't been officially diagnosed by likely have ADHD which I know that my mgrs. will laugh at. They are micromanaging, condescending a**holes where nothing is ever good enough or done exactly the way they want it..
[/QUOTE]

Even though Vicodin is used for pain. I will agree that it works wonders for the ADD person. I took it for 2 weeks, and I had never been so happy, calm and organized before in my life.

Too bad it's so damn addictive.

I loved it.

Mia

[QUOTE=NickL28]

My field is accounting -- Mutual fund accounting which is very very detail oriented. One small mistake can have major repercussions.

[/QUOTE]

If this is a problem for you, maybe you should try to find a line of work that suits you better.

Hi Nick,

Well thank god I am not alone! Every problem you have decribed on the job is what I suffer from! I have been sacked twice, had 4 jobs in two years plus about another 4 temp positions that I don't mention on CV.

I am disorganised, impulsive and I make silly mistakes. I was always late and often called in sick cos I got so bored and the thought of going in would make me anxious!

So I have decided to go to Uni and do a degree and then I may consider becoming a teacher! It's motivating, fun, hard work but rewarding and you don't have to sit at a desk being watched all day!!!

I really think you should consider a career change. Accounting sounds good and I am sure it'svery well paid but is it really for you? If it requires attention to detail then you are going to struggle your whole life as you have ADD. I mean all jobs require some level of attention to detail but accounting seems to be serious and minor mistakes can cause major problems.

I know how you feel though, I have felt this way for some time now. I get so much grief from my family for not going to work, changing jobs etc... I think we need to find something we really love and want to get up for in the morning! We don't need to work with these arseholes who are judgemental and do not understand anything but their own job!!

Hope it all works out, please talk anytime you need to!

Just a PS! To the assholes exist, but why do we with ADHD/ADD quit and "normals" stick to the job? I didn't say that they are not out there, but "we" often exagerate the problem so that it becomes unberable, others go out the door and forget about the asshole boss! Thats what I was saying even though not clearly!

Some things that help me but I struggle making myself do are: regular exercise, lay off sugar and caffeine, and get plenty of sleep. Yeah, I know, that involves self discipline and takes at least a week before you start feeling better. It's worth a try don't you think?

Something else: have you considered finding a government job? At a university or government agency? I used to work for a private sector financial institution and found the pressure, lack of flexibility, and pickiness to be unbearable. I found a job at a government agency and though it's not easy at least the pace and expectations are less. The deadlines are more reasonable and there is more flexibility and my coworkers are great. Job security is greater, too, especially if you have a health disability.

The problem with this job is the very reason it is great. Very little urgency and outside stimulus. In other words, no adrenaline stimulus. It's really hard to motivate yourself when you reach the boredom stage and have to push yourself anyway. Similar to what you are experiencing but without the bosses yelling at you, I guess.

I've been at my current position for a year now. I was at my previous position for two years. At my old job things were a mess. I had no organization what so ever and had frequent arguements with my boss. Why did he keep me? I was dependable.

I started this job that I have now and the people I work for were very detailed and organized and that made a difference in my life. The lady that is over me stays on me about specific things because she knows my weaknesses when it comes to organization. I do financial work such as payroll, taxes, etc., so I have to make sure that the check book is balanced properly and everything else is done properly. I was out for two weeks recently due to surgery and came in here with so much behind that I didn't know where to start.

I was finally diagnosed with ADD last week and the concerta has made a great difference. I've finally gotten caught up and am now running smoothly into the current week. Which is a huge step for me because I'm always lagging behind.

Before all of this, I jumped from job to job. I had a good career going once as a dental assistant but blew that because of my disorganization and my lack of focus. My boss was on my arse constantly there.

I guess you just have to find the method that works for you. If I didn't have such a great support system here I would be out on my arse again.

Ive been at the same job for what will be 2 years in March (if I make it that far) and I am on my SECOND PIP (performance improvement plan) and everyone is telling me I can do it and I will be fine. I know its easy for THEM to say because they arent in the same predicament. On my first one I did really well (BTW I work at in Ivestment Firm and Im not dealing with stocks and mutual funds DIRECTLY. Just a lot of other 398458934 things that of course either I have never done before, or just cant remember.

Im so afraid of losing my job, I also have stayed late to double check my work to make sure its been done correctly (not putting the extra time on my timesheet of course). What I decided to do now is take the updated manual (I printed all 156 pages) and Im going to go through it all today/tonight and all day tomorrow. I will also put tabs on each section that I tend to forget the answers to.

The upside? Is that my boss has been really lenient with me and even researched for info on ADHD/Manic Depression/and Bi-Polar disorder. Which amazed me. Most bosses (as clearly stated in this post) wouldnt give a sh*t and just want you to get your work done!

I have more to say but usually after I post, the post dies so RIP post!!