I coach a lot of ADHD clients who are unhappy at work. They come to me feeling drained, stuck, or worse: like something must be wrong with them. Maybe they’ve been unemployed for a while and are starting to lose confidence. Maybe they’ve bounced from job to job, always hoping the next one will finally be the right fit. Or maybe they’ve tried their hardest to make a job work, only to be let down by burnout, bad feedback, or workplace misunderstandings.

When I was a professor at a private university in the U.S., I was in charge of our Master’s program in Translation Studies. Alongside teaching courses on translation theories, one of my core responsibilities was preparing students for life after graduation and how to find jobs they actually enjoyed. Every year, I ran career seminars, and again and again, I came across one major point of anxiety: informational interviews.

When I worked as a professor in the States, I often felt like I was barely keeping my head above water. I loved teaching. I was interested in my field of German Studies. I enjoyed doing research, working on collaborative projects and was eager to support my students. But at the end of the day, I was constantly exhausted.

Two weeks ago, I wrote an article about the challenges of reading social cues when we have ADHD. Today’s post takes that conversation in a different direction. A direction that’s equally important and equally challenging: networking when you're neurodivergent.

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?

Many years ago, when I was as an exchange student in Copenhagen, Denmark, I met a number of Danes in my dorm who were a little older than the average student in my academic program in the US. I was curious and wanted to know what they had done before college - and received the same answer again and again: a gap year – or sometimes even two.

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.

Chris is in high school, and he enjoys learning. It’s not always easy because of his ADHD, but he is curious about many different fields and wants to know more. College sounds like a great idea to him, especially since he is fantasizing about becoming an architect in the future.  

The need to find your passion or purpose in life is something you might hear often these days – especially if you are in the process of choosing a college program or what type of job to apply to.