Checkered Work Histories | ADHD Information

I'd love to hear suggestions.

Between graduation from university, until I was over 23 (period of approximately 3 and a half years [I finished university at 20]), I worked over a dozen different jobs. They were all minimum wage, part time, and I kept feeling that I could do better. I quit every one of them except two - one I was laid off from after a month, and the other I was fired from.

For the past three years I have been at the same company. A slightly-better-than-minimum-wage paycheck, full-time hours, and sheer determination are all that have kept me here this long. I hate it here. I want to cry when my alarm clock goes off in the morning.

My trouble with jobs was the main reason I decided to talk to my doctor about ADD. My home and social life are fairly manageable, but my innatentiveness, restlessness, and low tolerance for boredom is killing me at work. When asked what I would rather be doing, I swear to God I have no idea. It's like I want to do everything and nothing!

Dr. Hallowell said on the Jane Pauley show last month that ADDers should "do what they're good at, and stop wasting time trying to be good at what they're bad at". It kind of struck a chord with me, but I still don't know where to start.

Thanks for letting me ramble.

 

I have noticed a few people on the board - including myself - mentioning problems with jobs - checkered work histories - etc. 

I thought I'd start a string to see if there are suggestions for people.  After we finally get our medicine and understanding of add, etc - so we can be a "desirable" employee if we choose to be, how do we get that chance -- when so many bridges have already been burned..

What I've done is to go back to graduate school and I am now in my second "work experience"...  They are work expreriences set up by the school so I didn't need a good work history or references etc - and, now that I'm in them, I'm doing pretty well. 

However, there must be other ways ...

Count me among the lucky ones who can put "diversity of experience is one of my key strengths" on my four-page resume. I have been fired more times than most people have filled out applications.

It is not an issue of skill or desire.

It was the result of poor self image, poor planning, and ADHD.

I found myself repeating this cycle..  I would look for a job that was "respectable" $$, I would find one, take it, then hate it or would not be able to actually do it, things would go bad and I would repeat the cycle. 

Burned bridges can be a problem. You can move to another city, fake the resume, find a job where they dont do a major reference check, get lucky and find something you like/can get or take what you can and try to suck it up --      while understanding that we are not exclusively defined by the jobs we have to do

Being confident, selective and patient... within the bounds of reason ($) is the way to go.

 

 

 

 

I get around this for the last three years or so by listing my job in certain periods as stay at home dad. It's true to a point but it can be stretched to cover some bad employment gaps.

TR!

I am in the same situation as everyone else.  Since I graduated college 3 years ago, I had no idea what to do.  I tried the office job, I could not handle the boring parts <which was all of it>  Now I find waiting tables works for me.  Sometimes I like it, other times I hate it - like when I have an idea and find it annoying to talk to people.  As a whole, its a pretty good job for an ADHDer...you are constantly running around.  The only problem is when you forget things.  I find this happens more when its slow than when its busy.  I guess the ultimate plan is to get into grad school.  My big problem is how to make up for a splotcy accademic record. The even bigger problem is getting organized enough to apply to something that does not start right away.