Hi there!
Just found this board and this is my first post. I’m a 40 year old single mom with ADHD. My son, who is 15, does not appear to have it, however. It’s still a challenge to be an ADHD single parent, though!
Anyway, I was diagnosed with ADHD about 8 years ago. I had difficulties focusing and paying attention in school, but despite that, I managed to get mostly A’s and graduate in the top ten of my high school graduating class. I had to work twice as hard as most other students to get things into my head, though. I did complete some college courses, but I stopped taking them after marriage, child, divorce and diagnosis of ADHD.
I have finally decided that I want to go back to college and finish a degree, but I now find myself having a very difficult time trying to decide what I want to do. I have TOO many interests! I have managed to cull out quite a few potential majors because there either are likely to be few to no jobs available after graduation, or because I probably wouldn’t find a job where I’d be making what I’m making now. I really don’t want to waste my time and money pursuing something that I won’t be able to use after graduation; unfortunately, just about everything I want to do would end in a degree that is basically useless in terms of finding a decent-paying job later (i.e. history, archaeology, Native American studies). Unless you want to teach, there really isn’t any use for these majors, and I have ruled out teaching because I don’t have the patience for it.
I work in the legal field as a paralegal/legal assistant and I make good money, but I HATE what I do. This isn’t an ADD-friendly job, even though my bosses seem to like me. I have managed to develop good organizational skills as an adaption to my ADD tendencies, sometimes to the detriment of developing other skills.
I am somewhat dreading the idea of going back to college… I really hope that all of the adaptations and machinations I’ve gone through to learn how to work with my ADHD will pay off.
Are there other ADDers here in their 30’s, 40’s and older who are back in school? How is it going for you?
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im 22 y/o and have add although it is undiagnosed i really just want to know what jobs do you feel are good as far as being add related?[b][/b]
Re: New here!
Hi, I’m changing careers and having to study and take test for it. I’m 34, not married, no kids. I’m so glad that I have been dx and on ritalin. It is helping so much with focus, energy levels, sleep, and just feeling better. As you know the more tired we get the harder it is to focus (for anyone); if you can get your studying done as early in the day as possible will help.
I went back in my 40's to get my BA and then MA
I chose speech pathology. It is great for an ADDer because it is always stimulating as you always have problems to solve, you can be at different locations, the hospital or public schools. If you are in public schools you can go between different schools and kids. I know several other SLP’s who are ADD and they also chose being an SLP because it was challenging but also because there is such a shortage of them and you would have a job no problem in any section of the United States.
I was reading in a book that being and ER Dr, or a lawyer would be good for someone with ADD.
Re: New here!
:) Hi I am 44 y/o and mareed and I have 1 child she is 16 and has (ADHD)
I am Dyslexic. :oops: I was Diagnosed when I was 19 and never received iny help :cry:
ttocs
Re: New here!
Hey Buzzygirl
Congrats, go to school enjoy school for the learning. Just having a degree opens doors you would never believe you would get into. I dont care if you major in underwater basket weaving. You will do good for yourself. I am a former high school dropout at 17 years old, army Vietnam veteran, GED at 21 years old, AAS in Criminal Justice at 27 Years old, BS in Criminal Justice at 47 years old and am now in my last three semester hours of a Masters in Criminal Justice at 54 years old. Yes I have been a Police Officer, and I have taught Criminal Justice at the high school level.
I am now teaching special Eduication reading and English at the high school level. The same high school I quit. What good will my Master’s do me. I really don’t know. I do know it will never do me any harm. So chill out and learn what you want to learn and the doors will open for you never shut a door yourself.
jobs for ADD'ers
I think the most important aspect in choosing a job for any ADD’er is to choose a field that you are VERY interested in learning more about and have a passion for it. It has been shown that those with ADD can hyper-focus on something that they enjoy. I think that is key because we need all the help we can get when it comes to learning and staying focused.
As for me, I was a graphic designer in my first career, but found that I hyper-focused too much and was always at my computer designing which caused a lot of tension for me. Sometimes I would be clenching my jaw all day and not notice until I was at home trying to relax and wondering why my jaw hurt so much!
My second career as an academic counselor works MUCH better for me as it requires that I be interrupted several times a day which provides me with a variety of tasks. For me, if I deal with students all day… it is quite draining for me. If I deal with paperwork all day… this to is quite draining for me… but if I have a good mixture of both I am able to leave my office every night with a greater amount of energy!
Within any profession, you simply need to identify where you will or are having issues and try different accomodations to help solve them. There isn’t any clear accomodations for ADD’er that work for everyone… you need to find what works best for you. It is good to find someone in your life or work who can act as a ADD coach for you… or you can hire an ADD coach also.
Whatever you do, don’t allow anyone to intimidate you into accepting “their” way of doing something because it works for them… accomodations for us is a very individual thing. Don’t be afraid to be different. That is your individual right!
-raed8:-)
Re: New here!
I’d like to stress the need for a happy medium on the question of doing things “your way” or “their way”. Often when people want you to do things in a certain way, they have reasons that you don’t know about. And it’s not always possible to explain all the reasons — either too time consuming, or you need to know the process before you understand the reason.
In school OR in job training courses, people want you to learn a certain skill; you may do a math operation or whatever a different way and get the answer in the back of the book, but the goal was NOT the answer which we already knew anyway, it was learning the skill that you avoided learning.
I use the analogy of a swimming race: is the goal just to get to the other end of the pool fastest? Well, if that’s true then the obvious way to win is to run around the pool and never go into the water at all. Is this a reasonable accomodation? NO, because the real goal was to learn to swim, which is what you did not do.
Similarly in my algebra classes I’ve had a few students who had their own way of doing the problems by estimation, guesswork, and arithmetic. They refused to ever write an equation.
They got the answers the same way the kid got to the end of the pool by running — but they did not learn any algebra any more than that runner learned to swim, and algebra which they refused to do was the subject of the course, so I had to fail them. This is not fun and doesn’t need to happen.
When someone is trying to teach you how to do something, before you jump in and say that you have a way to do that, *stop* and look and listen — what is it that is the *real* goal you are supposed to learn?
On the job, certain procedures are necessary for a number of reasons. Some paperwork has to be done for legal reasons. You can find a faster, more efficient way to work by omitting all sorts of stuff — and get your company in trouble with the law, not a profit.
Some information has to be laid out in particular ways on paper or in the computer because other people pick up that information. If you find what you think is a faster, more efficient way and change the system, you can botch up everybody else’s work because they can’t do their jobs without the information that you omitted.
The same thing applies to many other issues on the job. Think twice and find out why things are set up a certain way before you make changes. Changes CAN be good, but plan first.
Hi Buzzygirl,
I am new here also. I was diagnosised with ADD when I was 28 and in grad school. I am currently 35 y/o. And like you, I have a child who is 11 y/o and doesn’t seem to have ADD or ADHD. I am also an academic advisor and work in the field of education so if you have any direct questions about post-secondary education please let me know.
As for my education… my undergrad was difficult, but I would have failed big time in grad school had I not been diagnosised and started taking Rx to help me concentrate and focus. I have also found that with being a single parent, I need to keep a detailed schedule and a strict morning routine to get out of the door on time. Nothing is ever perfect, but I do the best I can, sometimes it isn’t good enough… but I still continue to do the best that I can.
In regards to the career choices… I have also worked as a career counselor… and I know that if you study what you love, the job will come along with the money. Have you taken any interest assessments? Some community colleges provide career counseling for free and will help you narrow down some possible major choices.
You are the first person I have met or read about who is close to my age, a single parent and has ADD/ADHD. THank goodness! I thought I was the only one! Maybe we are all buried under dust bunnies and junk mail at our houses??? HA!