ADHD friendly jobs might seem elusive and hard to come by. If you think primarily of office jobs, this might actually be the case. If you broaden your horizons, though, you might actually surprise yourself.
There exist quite a few ADHD friendly jobs outside of the regular 9-to-5 office pace. With more and more young people entering the work force each year, and more and more of them with ADHD, more non-traditional jobs and workspaces emerge everyday.
Maybe you have ADHD yourself and you have started to feel that your current career might not fit just right. Possibly, you have had the thought that you might be in the wrong job or career.
Or, possibly, you have a friend or spouse with ADHD thinking of a career change. What should you look for? Where can you find ADHD friendly jobs?
We want to give you a brief guide on some avenues to pursue for finding dream jobs for the ADHD mind. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it hopefully will provide you a place to begin. Read on to find out more opportunities for ADHD friendly jobs and careers.
ADHD Friendly Jobs in Creative Fields
First, as you may know, ADHD and creativity often go well together. Many people with ADHD tend to move towards more creative pursuits. Additionally, many people with ADHD like to think outside the box, they liking creating things with their hands, they like originality, and they like challenging the status quo.
With such a natural connection, it’s not surprising that you can find many ADHD friendly jobs in creative fields. Jobs available include journalist, copy editor or writer, restaurateur, beautician, artist, music producer, actor, chef, or entrepreneur, among many others. Not surprisingly, the good thing about creative fields is that they include so many types and varieties of jobs from art to performance to writing to being a chef.
Attributes that unite many people in creative fields include possessing a need for originality, liking fast-paced environments, being flexible, and wanting to always try new things.
Do you find these attributes align with your personality well? Any of these creative type jobs perk your interest?
If you find yourself interested and wanting to know more about possible job opportunities in the creative fields, we recommend starting your search with one of the following resources:
ADHD Friendly Jobs in Tech
Secondly, many people with ADHD, especially children, love technology. Oftentimes, people with ADHD find themselves drawn to video games or computers or different aspects of technology. Not surprisingly, evidence even shows that video games might help increase memory for ADHD.
Again, due mostly to the natural connection between ADHD minds and technology, ADHD friendly jobs can easily be found in tech. Technology jobs you might look for include software developer, video game tester or designer, computer programmer, and database administrator. Similar to creative jobs, tech professionals typically possess attributes of curiosity, wanting to create new things, flexibility, and a desire to problem solve and find solutions.
If technology interests you and you want to find out more information, we recommend checking out the following sites for starting a search into tech careers:
- Infographic on Finding a Job in IT
- 12 Job Search Sites for IT Professionals
- Identifying Which IT Career is Best for You
ADHD Friendly Jobs in Healthcare
Beyond creative fields and technology, healthcare also might be a good fit for many with ADHD. About the furthest thing from a desk job, many healthcare jobs tend to be fast paced and constantly moving.
Many adults with ADHD find a perfect match in healthcare because they see opportunities to find new challenges each day. In fact, one word no one would use to describe healthcare jobs would be boring. Sounds perfect for ADHD minds, doesn’t it?
ADHD friendly jobs in healthcare might include nursing, being a doctor or surgeon, or being an EMT first responder. In line with both the fields already discussed, important attributes of healthcare professionals include flexibility, being able to multi-task and work in fast moving situations, and possessing problem-solving skills.
Reading through this description might have you thinking that healthcare might be a good bet for your perfect job. If that matches you, we would recommend starting your search with the following resources:
ADHD Friendly Jobs in Education
Finally, many people with ADHD might find a good fit in education. Sometimes as fast paced and hectic as healthcare, education also provides many opportunities for ADHD friendly jobs.
Working in education requires a lot from a professional. Educators must be able to manage classrooms, must be able to think creatively and problem solve, and must be able to engage their students. Many people with ADHD find a home in education because they like the problem solving involved and flourish in the often hectic and fast moving environment.
Jobs available in education include teaching, childcare worker, paraprofessional, or coach. If you believe that working with kids or young adults might be right for you, a job in education might just be the right fit.
If you want to pursue more information on education jobs, we recommend starting with the following links:
- Tips on Finding a New Job in Education
- Education Employment Resources
- Six Steps to Landing Your First Teaching Job
Discover The Right Career Path for You
Hopefully, we have given you some ideas on different career possibilities for finding ADHD friendly jobs. Finding the right job or career can be challenging. For many of us, we work most of our lives before finding the job that fits us best.
If you read this and still don’t know where to begin, we recommend starting with yourself. You know yourself better than anyone. Identifying the perfect job starts with finding what makes you excited and pursuing it.
Before you start a job search, sit down and do a personal inventory. Identify your ADHD weaknesses and make a list of your strengths as an ADHD adult.
Match your strengths and weaknesses with your passions and see where that path takes you. Use the resources outlined here to research opportunities that pair your strengths and passions well to help find the right career path for you.