Sunday, January 31, 2010

The AD/HD Resume. Part II

Continued from here.

One way to solve the problem is to find a job that requires a certain level of distractibility. It would also have to have enough novelty to be consistently stimulating. One example that springs to mind is software programming or any job that requires a lot of problem solving and creative thinking in order to get a major task done. The distractibility is often channeled into creativity. An AD/HDer may break the big project down into bite sized chunks and hack away at it piece by piece so it doesn't overwhelm them. Eventually, someone with treated AD/HD could get the job done just as well as any equally skilled programmer.

But another problem might arise - often times when a project is completed, someone with AD/HD may experience depression. The task is done, there's no more stimulation. Maybe they're dreading having to go through the whole process again, now that the problem is solved it may become unbearable to have to repeat the process with the added degree of monotony.

This may not be true for all AD/HDers - an AD/HDer with a flair for development and an encyclopedic knowledge of programming languages may be able to use their skills creatively enough to be able to take on a project in limitless ways in order to circumvent boredom. But without that passion, the AD/HDer is pretty much screwed in a job they're not suited for.

An AD/HDer in an unsuitable job will cost their employers a lot of money. I can think of one case where, in one night, I cost a restaurant I worked for more money than I would've earned in six months. While I was locking up, I once forgot to close the door to the cool room and destroyed all of the stock. Oops. I could've been working at a stockbroking firm, only after one long day I might've forgotten to backup essential databases on the eve of some corporation destroying virus epidemic...

So is there a solution? Of course there is! Why would I shoot myself in the foot like this and expose all of our shortcomings? Especially after there have been cases where employers have discriminated against people with AD/HD. Find out in Part III, where I attempt to summarize my hyperfocused research on the subject. Hopefully I can figure out how to apply it too (maybe I'll cover that issue in a seperate post).

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