4 ms·

For much of my career I fell into the incompetent but nice bucket. It turns out it was/is ADHD. I would be very interested in my new job, but after a few months

For much of my career I fell into the incompetent but nice bucket. It turns out it was/is ADHD. I would be very interested in my new job, but after a few months I'd make no progress, have no outdoor and couldn't really put my finger on why. After multiple such jobs I ended up quite depressed, that certainly doesn't help with productivity. Unfortunately, ADHD is not temporary. Most places will eventually let you go when you don't perform. The article is extremely generous in stating that firing is not the right choice, but for someone who is severely and permanently impaired I don't really know what the solution is either...

tgaj 4y ago
For me solution was to always seek something new. For now is product management - I think it's a good choice for ADHD people. And yes ADHD is permanent but anxiety and depression can be treated - and often they are bigger problem than ADHD itself.
uneekname 4y ago
I can relate to this. I know people who might call me "incompetent but nice" after having worked with me when my mental health was really bad. Figuring out how to work through my ADHD (and, manage to get real work done even when things get rough) is a constant battle.
ryanstorm 4y ago
To expand on this, part of ADHD is a disorder in "executive function". Attention, focus, impulse control, working memory, and flexibility are all part of that. Those are also all the things that make someone a worker with reliable output. (Or in different contexts: a competent student, parent, or partner) And like you mentioned, it's not that folks with ADHD don't want to be reliable, it's that their brains are fundamentally different. They might not be informed about any of this either, and are then left to wonder why they can't do the things they want to do. There are things that help though, similar to the way insulin helps those with diabetes, or how glasses help those with bad vision. There are medications, therapy, and mental tools. I'd recommend those that may suspect something like this in themselves to talk to a doctor about it. A diagnosis and treatment could change your life. It changed mine.

tgaj 4y ago

For me solution was to always seek something new. For now is product management - I think it's a good choice for ADHD people. And yes ADHD is permanent but anxiety and depression can be treated - and often they are bigger problem than ADHD itself.

uneekname 4y ago

I can relate to this. I know people who might call me "incompetent but nice" after having worked with me when my mental health was really bad. Figuring out how to work through my ADHD (and, manage to get real work done even when things get rough) is a constant battle.

ryanstorm 4y ago

To expand on this, part of ADHD is a disorder in "executive function". Attention, focus, impulse control, working memory, and flexibility are all part of that. Those are also all the things that make someone a worker with reliable output. (Or in different contexts: a competent student, parent, or partner) And like you mentioned, it's not that folks with ADHD don't want to be reliable, it's that their brains are fundamentally different. They might not be informed about any of this either, and are then left to wonder why they can't do the things they want to do. There are things that help though, similar to the way insulin helps those with diabetes, or how glasses help those with bad vision. There are medications, therapy, and mental tools. I'd recommend those that may suspect something like this in themselves to talk to a doctor about it. A diagnosis and treatment could change your life. It changed mine.