Software engineer is my title but my actual role is much more .. chaotic.
I love it
this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2024
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ADHD
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Same, more or less. I work with self driving cars, in software integration (for people not familiar, that is putting together the software components other teams make, and solving the interactions between them).
It's supremely fun. Constantly changing, chaotic, requires me to see the whole picture and never keep detailed focus on a specific part for very long. I love it.
Tech lead here, but same idea. The chaos and variety is exactly what I love about my job too.
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Software engineer. I swear half of us are on the spectrum.
Same. And, to be fair, it's a fairly well-paying field that requires some amount of specialized knowledge, but many applications of that knowledge are usually pretty easy to find with a bit of Google know-how, and use of Google as a resource is not only acceptable, but expected. I feel like that meshes relatively well with how ADHD brains work.
I used to do a bit of Help Desk in IT, and one of the "open" secrets of that field (and later I learned that it's for all tech fields,) was that a lot of the job was knowing how to find the solution online. Next, was how the heck you install/apply it.
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I’ve had lots of jobs, but not as many as my (untreated, but diagnosed) father.
Currently I’m working in a bakery while getting my master’s to be a German as a second language teacher for adult immigrants to Germany.
Previously I’ve been a waitress, insurance adjuster, litigation manager (fun, but soul-sucking, because it was for an insurance company), tutor and I’ve worked at a call center, shisha (hookah) bar, and tobacco farm.
The important information from this is: I need something stimulating, that can involve lots of different types of activity, otherwise I’ll get bored and either quit or slack off. Too much control of my own work is also not a good thing for me (it’s straight up illegal to not answer certain types of email as an insurance adjuster- terrifying). Physical activity helps keep me on track as well, but that’s mostly correlated to low pay jobs (hopefully I can pace enough as a teacher).
Additionally: see if you can check your boxes outside of work. I was much happier dancing and playing dnd while working in a call center (it was a bad job) than trying to make data entry work physical and involve problem solving.
dancing and playing dnd while working in a call center
This sounds like a sitcom. Hahaha.
I realize now that it was also potentially misleading! I was dancing and separately playing dnd outside of work while my job was in a call center.
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DevOps / Linux sys admin / user support / "it has buttons and plugs into a wall socket" support guy
Holy dang man! All of that sounds big brained to me.
How did you get started?
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Tech support, get that dopamine solving new problems everyday
All the previous jobs were in the vein of either huge risk (pizza delivery) or puzzle solving. Got quite disheartend doing anything less demanding.
Dito, fixing interesting problems is fun. My main issue is that we have had a caroucel of bosses (4 in the last 4 years) and the current one gets a C-. Half the team does not trust them due to drama with the previous manager and the they keep trying to make it so the different team members specialize in different tasks (everyone used to be trained to do everything). I like the job and the company, but its one or two step removed from "Office Space" levels of corpo whohash.
In my office the only issue is admin stuff, time tracking, emails, case updates that sort of time sucking boring nonsense, found a way around, train the new guys, tell em' contact me if you have problems, so now I fix their stuff and they do the emails/notes :D
I have to convince mangement I'm doing work every yearly review, so far so good!
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I loved doing tech support when I worked in a Verizon store. I was supposed to sell stuff, but I'd rather solve problems.
Network engineer. Aka systems engineer troubleshooting expert.
Pro tip. if you are ever in the situation where you think the problem is the network, think again. By all means ask for our help troubleshooting, but don't blame us when you cant find what is wrong with your app.
Except when it's DNS
Sounds like the sysadmin who is running the DNS server's problem 😉
I work disability support..
I find the nature of ADHD can really help some people with other mental health issues as I tend to think about all the things, all possibilities etc and my guys are well looked after because of this
What kind of disabilities are you handling? Physical or mental?
Either way, I'm glad there are those out there willing to do that kind of job for those people. I surely couldn't do it for long or well.
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I'm an engineer. I don't usually spend more than a few hours on a single job, and there's always something to do. My favorite thing is finding out how to do an unusual job and becoming the go-to guy for it.
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I'm a waitress. A lot of bartenders and waitresses have ADHD or are undiagnosed but share symptoms.
Previously I've been a teacher and worked in childcare.
In my experience the healthcare system would collapse overnight if we ran out of Adderall.
I'm one half of a small college's Conference & Event Services team. We're essentially the campus party planners, and I admin their space reservation software.
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My day job is engineering in tech. My night job is in the circus. Fire and knives are my favorite fidget spinners.
Exactly what I'd expect from a Tiefling!
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Software Controls Engineer, I develop tools and templates for automation.
Oh, man. A few years ago I thought about getting into that. Seemed really cool but also a bit overwhelming.
I love to make sense of how things are connected and flow in a system.
How did you get started? =)
I actually started as an electrician, I was installing hardwire motor control systems. I was terrible at running conduit though, so I only did that for half a year.
Was hired as an entry level Controls Engineer for a small company that does automotive manufacturing systems. They weren’t a great place to work mostly throwing bodies at problems, but it got me started and gave me experience.
Turns out I really enjoy PLC programming and made Sr Controls Engineer in 3yrs. It is a steep learning curve, less so if you have any kind of programing/automation experience. At first it was a lot of travel, part of that was just the automotive industry. Though most places put their new employees on site a lot to get experience.
Since covid remote work is more prevalent and a lot of my coworkers work from home when not onsite. Now I am in R&D, I work remotely and haven’t been onsite in over a year and half.
It’s a constantly changing field new technologies are being introduced all the time, it definitely keeps me interested.
Wow, this sounds rad as a job and career.
How much has the tech in your field changed since you started?
Also, would you mind giving an example of what kind of R&D you do? Like where is the industry needing to head towards and what kind of things are you working towards.
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Same here! Controls engineer with software background and BA in ChemE, just in the misguided company part of the growth spectrum, 3 years in.. Etc description all matches.
At a fork here though deciding whether I move to a bigger company (PENA) as a Sr or start my contracting life.
Too early to go mobile? How was the travel, I'm being offered lucrative contracts for 5-6 months at a time, but away from my partner. Talking with them and still thinking it over, but if you have any insight I would appreciate it. :)
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I work at a small company where I wear a lot of hats.
I audit chats, supervise a team of agents, answer billing and sales tickets as well as the phone for sales.
When theres downtime i also work on spreadsheets which we use to track agent performance and make tools to help us work. Thats probably the msot fun part. Its a good job.
Pay is way under what we should be getting but i like the company and they treat me well. Plus wfh so cant complain too much.
I’m an environmental scientist in applied research. Started as a technologist where I was handed experiments to plan and execute. Every project meant learning/creating at least new work flows, processes, instrumentation in different environments (lab, field work, greenhouse). I often had to learn new but related areas of expertise. CONSTANT troubleshooting and creative problem solving. All that chaos and stimulation was perfect for a brain that needs lots of novelty, pressure, and stimulation. Any time I started to get bored with the work I was doing, something completely different came up.
My employer sent me to grad school so I can lead some of research we do. I’m now figuring out how to make this work with my ADHD.
Data Architect... also management at the moment.
Holy moly. I fantasized about working that job many years ago. From what I gathered from job research sites, it takes many years of college to get into it. That's just not a path I can take as the way I learn isn't very cohesive with textbook learning, lecture note taking, and the like.
Am I wrong about this?
And how did you get started?
I tripped into it... I have always been database/persistence focused and joined a rather young small company so I became THE expert - years pass and I'm now managing persistence and design for a modestly sized team.
I do water maintenance. Flowing hydrants, turning water valves, leak detection etc. I keep the water in city pipes doing it's job.
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Sound Designer/Creative Director. Audio post production for TV. Mostly commercials but some film and TV.
Aircraft Maintenance Controller, I coordinate and advise on the maintenance operations for a fleet of cargo 737's and 767's. It's a lot of auditing and making sure everything is done right, but also troubleshooting advice and on the operations side it's a lot of making a plan to keep the flight schedule as intact as possible while still handling maintenance issues.
tl;dr: software developer
Software developer. Unable to thrive at school or university, I had phases ever since I had a PC where I self-improved with more or less intensity. A few years where I had neither energy nor motivation, but discipline to do a little bit most days. Just a solid hobby-level.
Then out of nowhere It became an obsession for 5 years, like it usually does for a substance or gaming addiction. Just wake up, immediately study, trying to get everything perfect, to understand all the competing approaches and their reasons to every problem, only sleep when I can't keep my eyes open.
Finding mentors online, big names in their niche. Most people think that these people are annoyed from hundreds of "fans" who want to learn, but actually, that rarely happens, and when they see how much effort you put in, they are happy to help. One day, the phase ended as quickly as it had started. But I still had the knowledge.
That was 20 years ago. Much of the stuff from back then is still relevant, but there are the massive changes to web clients, and there are "clouds". In relation to relevant frameworks and standards, I'm far less skilled now, but I have two decades of reference projects which make me LOOK better.
A problem is that working away from home really doesn't work for me, thus having to refuse > 95 % of offers (they just come, I don't apply). But since 2020, that is no longer an issue.
Packaging engineer! Foam is fun!
Do me a solid and see what you can do about NEVER using that Styrofoam that makes my bones itch when it squeaks.
I actually don't design with Styrofoam (EPS, Expanded Polystyrene). It's mostly polyethylene in various forms, or polyurethane. EPS is a terrible product!
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