Why Identifying Your ADHD-Strengths is the Key to Success in Your Job
You have many great career options when you have ADHD. Sometimes it might be hard to see them, especially if school was a struggle for you.
All the little mistakes we can make during school – difficulties focusing, missing deadlines, forgetting textbooks or being late to class – might have gotten to you over time and made you feel small. And now, you may be wondering what you’re good at – or even if you’re good at anything at all. Is there a career path that will cater to your needs and make you feel happy?
Even if you feel discouraged, take heart. Lots of people with ADHD find fantastic careers, excel at what they do and even become world famous. Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Emma Watson, Justin Timberlake, Bill Gates or Albert Einstein come to mind – among many other neurodivergent celebrities. No matter the field or the subject matter, you will most likely find an ADHDer who truly likes what they do and is quite successful at it. So how can you approach the career question?
To start with, there is no ideal job description for someone with ADHD, as the examples above demonstrate. You can succeed at a variety of different jobs. Yet, you might be happier if you think outside the box. While a regular 9 to 5 job with job security and stable income might be what many of your classmates are striving for, it might not be the best fit for you.
What you might want to look for is a career that plays to your strengths and talents and doesn’t highlight your weaknesses. If following instructions, being on time and pouring over documents is something you strongly dislike, then your future career should not emphasize those skills too much. Here’s why:
When we think of ADHD, the term “executive functions” comes to mind. Executive functions are our cognitive abilities that are responsible for how well we manage our lives. They help us focus on a task, plan, organize and structure our day, regulate our emotions, control our impulses and remember important meetings. When we are neurodivergent, our executive functions are oftentimes weaker compared to our neurotypical fellow humans, which leads to difficulties with the above skills.
We usually try to strengthen those skills we aren’t good at or come up with strategies to work around them. But instead of focusing on what we cannot do well, we should build on our strengths and talents instead. Focusing on strengths and talents will lead to much less frustration and give us an edge over other people who might be competing for the same job. But how do you know what your strengths are – and how do you use that knowledge to find a job you are good at?
You can find out what your strengths are in a number of ways. One way is to use online tests such as the VIA Character Strengths Survey and see what comes up. The VIA Character Strengths Survey is free and gives you a first idea what you are good at. The free version provides you with 24 character strengths, ranging from creativity, curiosity and gratitude to leadership, honesty and love of learning. The survey is available in several languages and differs slightly depending on the age of the participant. Even children as young as 8 can take the survey.
Another way of homing in on your strengths is to recall memorable moments or previous accomplishments – big and small. Did you excel in school? Did people praise you for a particular skill or ability? Do you remember in what situations you received positive feedback from your friends? Take a few moments and jog your memory. What comes up? If you struggle to remember anything, ask your parents, siblings or close friends if they can help you out.
Method #3 entails a closer look at your current interests and passions. What do you like to do best? How do you prefer to spend your time? What do you get excited about? What makes you happy? Do you like to play sports, practice an instrument or bake cookies? Do you love video games, learn about the planets or draw comics? You can also focus on your personality traits: are you helpful, imaginative, spontaneous, empathetic or inquisitive? Again, take some time to think about it and write down everything that comes to mind – without any judgement.
How does it feel to find out about your strengths? Does it make you feel good? Or do you feel a little shy about it? Now that you have found out more about your strengths and talents, you might want to know how those strengths can be translated into the right career for you. So how do you find a career that you love?
With your strengths identified, you need to pick a career where you can use those amazing skills you already have to your advantage. The first step in your job search could be to find something that caters to your passions. Most people with ADHD have unique interests and spend a lot of time pursuing them. You may not be able to spend five minutes on your math homework but can spend several hours reading about animals, doing woodwork or playing soccer. Sometimes you get so engrossed in an activity you forget everything around you – something we call “hyperfocus.” Harness that interest and understand what you can do with it professionally.
If you love computer games and spend a lot of time playing them, don’t dismiss your passion as unimportant or unrealistic. Edward Hallowell, American psychiatrist and public speaker, poses the question as to “What would you do if you knew you could not possibly fail?” which could open up new perspectives and help you get over your fear of following something you truly love – even if it sounds far-fetched at first.
Thus, if computer games are your passion, look into the field of gaming and find out what types of jobs exist. Is it possible to pursue your passion and make a living? How do people go about doing so? Can you find those people and ask them for an informal interview of 15-20 minutes? How exactly do they spend their time? Does their job description appeal to you? Find out as many details as you can so you can make an informed decision.
Apart from your true passion or interest (and you might not have only one but several strong interests – see my blog post here), the website healthline lists a few other job traits that “may complement the strengths of some adults with ADHD” such as “high-intensity, ultra-structured, lightening pace, hands-on creative or independent risk-taker.”
But those are generic attributes that may or may not describe the job you are looking for. You need to pursue your own path and follow your unique talents. Look at your list of strengths and try to find out, how many of those skills are relevant – or essential – in a particular job. What other skills, besides creativity, do you need if you want to work in advertising? What do you need beyond medical knowledge and a good bedside manner if you want to become a doctor? Does being a medical doctor only mean seeing patients or does it entail doing lots of administrative paperwork as well? If that’s the case and you hate filling out documents, try to pick something where that task is minimized.
Yet, do not dismiss a field just because there are certain aspects of a particular job you do not like. Be creative and think about ways to tweak it to make it more appealing to you. If you are interested in soccer but aren’t a great soccer player, what about becoming a sports journalist, a fund raiser for a soccer team or even a soccer coach? How can you match your skill set with your interest and find the perfect fit for you? There might be more possibilities than you are aware of – so don’t give up prematurely!
Remember that you do not have to get it right at once. Do an internship and see how a job makes you feel. If it’s not the right fit for you, reflect on the reasons why it doesn’t make you happy and move on. You may find several jobs that might work for you and that you could do in the future. I wish you lots of luck on your exciting journey!
