The 8 Best ADHD Careers
About 10 million adults in the U.S. have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that decreases one’s ability to concentrate and focus on the task at hand while increasing their activity levels. If you have ADHD, you already know how sitting still and staying on topic can be a major challenge to your daily routine.
These symptoms can affect each part of your life, especially your work, but struggling at work does not have to be your destiny. To improve your chances of success, consider moving to a career where ADHD is a strength rather than a liability.
Below you can find the eight best ADHD careers worth looking into.
1. Artist
People with ADHD are often wildly creative, so there is no better way to channel that creatively than a career in the expressive arts. By exploring an artistic venture, you can not only get paid to pursue your passion, but you can also reap the therapeutic benefits of expressing yourself through your chosen medium.
Whether your interests carry you towards painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, or music, there are plenty of ways to make money being an artist. If a career in the fine arts seems a bit lofty and unobtainable, you can hone your skills towards professions like graphic design or interior design that marry the pros of creative freedom with the stability of a steady paycheck.
2. Chef/ Food Service
ADHD gives you a short attention span and a powerful need to stay moving, which makes it hard to sit still. A great way to combat these symptoms in the workplace is with a job that offers rapid-fire changes and nonstop action.
As a chef, cook, or other food service professional you can be on the move constantly while serving your customers something unforgettable. With the fast pace, teambuilding with coworkers, and frequent opportunities for menu changes, ADHD can be an asset in the foodservice industry.
3. Cosmetologist
If you would rather serve up fresh hair, makeup and styles than salads and sandwiches, a career in cosmetology could be a great option. In this line of work, you get to work with your hands with the potential drastically changing someone’s appearance, their mood, and their self-esteem.
Each person who sits in your chair will be a new challenge to face, but with the relatively short time needed for each appointment, the steady movement, and immediate feedback, ADHD will not prevent your success.
4. Teacher
People with ADHD regularly despise school with the constant need to sit still, be quiet, and pay attention. With this being true, why would someone with ADHD actually choose a career involving more school?
Being a teacher with ADHD might seem like a stretch, but this path can do wonders for the individual and their students. Being a teacher provides you with an opportunity to address the unique needs of all students, including those with ADHD, through a more engaging and interactive environment.
This way, the next generation of kids with ADHD can have a positive role model illustrating that school can be fun, no matter their limitations.
5. Landscaper/ Contractor
Sometimes, being stuck inside all day can make a person with ADHD feel trapped, restless, and hyper. These people may succeed in by breaking free from the four walls of an office and seeking the fresh air and stimulation of the outdoors.
With a career as a landscaper, contractor, or similar field, you can spend your days planning, creating, and completing projects with freedom and independence. By moving around, staying active, and feeling the sunshine on your face, work can feel more like an adventure and less like a prison.
6. Skilled Trade
Expanding beyond the landscapers and contractors, there are countless skilled trade professionals perfectly suited for people with ADHD. Professions like mechanics, welders, and carpenters, let you work with your hands while constantly engaging your brain.
Providing great income without the need for much schooling, these careers let you live out your childhood fantasies as an adult. As a heavy equipment operator, you get to crumble buildings with a wrecking ball or clear a path in a bulldozer – perfect for someone with ADHD.
7. Professional Gamer
What do people with ADHD love more than almost anything else? What offers the endless stimulation and control that people with ADHD yearn for?
Video games.
What if you could turn your lifelong hobby into a viable money maker? In the 21st century, this dream could be a reality.
So, there may not be a huge market for professional video game players just yet, but the category is growing. With streaming apps, tournaments with prize money, and online videos, people are making a comfortable living by playing video games.
As long as you are realistic about your skill level and the income possible in this line of work, a life as a professional gamer could be your future.
8. Self-Employed
What do you like to do? What are your passions?
The truth is – any profession can be obtainable. You do not have to let your ADHD exclude you from your calling.
By being self-employed, you get to make the schedule, the rules, and the routines to guide you throughout your day. Rather than having a boss telling you how, when, and why to do something, you are the one in charge.
With the right levels of flexibility and modification, even the most mundane and monotonous profession can provide you with excitement, opportunity, and a healthy paycheck. The only limit to your career is your creativity.