When Work Feels Wrong: How ADHD Shapes Our Career Choices

What do we do if we’re stuck in a job that isn’t right for us? If we feel miserable day in and day out because we struggle at work and can’t figure out how to improve our performance? Do we look for a new job? And what if that new job turns out to be as hellish as the previous one, with us feeling constantly overwhelmed, frustrated or downright depressed?

Over time, we might start to believe we’re a complete failure, unable to do well no matter the job. Doomed to misery, our poor job performance slowly impacts our entire life and the image we have of ourselves. We feel helpless, hopeless and our self-esteem plunges to an all-time low. What is going on here?

More often than not, when job after job doesn’t seem right for us, we might simply be in the wrong line of work – work that stresses our weaknesses instead of our strengths.

Let’s take a look at our executive functions and the way they impact our success in the workplace. Our executive function skills help us focus, meet deadlines, organize our day, remember appointments and prioritize urgent tasks over less important ones.

Those are all key components of many jobs, highly valued by employers and essential for productive teamwork with our colleagues. Yet, for people with ADHD, these tasks can be extremely difficult to execute with a brain that isn’t wired in a neurotypical way. Planning, organizing, scheduling, filing and prioritizing are oftentimes not part of our strengths – and if that’s what our jobs entail, we’re clearly setting ourselves up for failure on a regular basis.

So, why do we end up in jobs that aren’t right for us?

One possible answer may lie in our academic performance in school and higher education. Since both institutions prioritize those executive function skills we tend to have trouble with – like following instructions, performing well under pressure, remembering numerous facts, sitting still or learning what is put in front of us – our grades may not be up to par with other neurotypical students.

And the strengths we might possess, including creativity, unconventional problem-solving skills, empathy, spontaneity, helpfulness or the ability to hyperfocus on things we are truly interested in, are usually not considered important enough to factor into our grades. Thus, our report cards may not reflect our unique talents and disadvantage us on the job market.

As a result, we may not get hired for higher-level positions where independent thinking and innovative ideas are required – things we tend to be quite good at - but end up in administrative jobs we’re utterly unqualified for. And so our misery begins.

Another reason why finding the right job can be quite difficult is our history of alleged failures and our subsequent low self-esteem that prevents us from going after those jobs we truly love. Since we lack confidence, we satisfice and target only lower-level jobs that unfortunately don’t bring us any happiness.

Instead, we end up deeply frustrated when filing documents, sending out emails, scheduling appointments or submitting reports drives us to the brink of insanity – and we begin to wonder whether we have any useful skills at all.

In addition, as we just discussed, the administrative tasks lower-level jobs often require can pose a huge problem for people with weak executive function skills. By continuously opting for positions that highlight our weaknesses we set ourselves up for failure – especially if we believe we should be able to overcome our shortcomings and compare ourselves with neurotypical employees for whom organizing and scheduling tend to be less of an issue.  

Ironically, the less demanding jobs we’re tempted to pursue are actually more demanding for us than we think!

Instead of going for allegedly less demanding jobs, we should figure out where our strengths and interests lie and then set out to find employment in those particular areas.

As William Dodson, renowned American psychiatrist and ADHD specialist argues, the nervous system of neurodivergent people is based on interest. We’re are motivated by projects we deeply enjoy doing. If administrative work bores us to death and, in addition, our brain is not wired to do those tasks well, we’re in for trouble. However, if we’re in a job that caters to our strengths, is interesting and allows us to delegate those tasks we do not do well, we truly thrive and grow.

The less time we spend on tasks we have problems with, the better for everyone around us, including ourselves. Thus, choosing the work we apply for wisely can make or break our success.

We also need to pay attention to our work environment. Doing the right type of work is essential but so being in a place with people who understand and listen to us. Since neurodivergent people tend to need more support compared to their neurotypical counterparts, a positive and friendly atmosphere is the prerequisite for a good work performance. We do so much better if we’re surrounded by kind colleagues who encourage us and cheer us on rather than being competitive and arrogant.

If you are miserable in your current job, take a moment to find out what the reason for your misery could be. Does your job involve too many tasks that cause you trouble? If so, your first step could be to figure out what you’re really good at (you might find this article about discovering your strengths helpful) and what you need in your work environment to thrive. Work takes up most of our day, so we’d better make sure we are in a job that appreciates our talents and lets our strengths shine.