I have ADHD, is Web Development and alike a good career path?
Title says it all, I'm looking for personal experiences if possible, what is it like? I'm interested in Product Design as well, anything that's highly creative.
9 comments
I read your question as: can I learn to manage my ADHD symptoms effectively enough to be an effective web developer?
Try this experiment: get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep for the next 5 days.
Then take a mindfulness course, there are plenty and Google is your friend. I use Waking Up.
To me I don't hear people talk about mindfulness in relation to ADHD enough. Because as you start to use mindfulness you'll find yourself being aware of when your ADHD symptoms start to really kick in and you'll be able to limit them before they put you on crazy monkey autopilot.
If you aren't on medication, do so.
How to adjust sleep (Don't round up from 7 and 1/2 hours either get eight or nine even. The trick is to take a sleeping pill if you need to for the first few nights as well as some melatonin to reset your circadian rhythm then go to bed really early. you know you had enough sleep when you naturally wake up without an alarm clock so go to bed really early and set your alarm as a backup... Meaning if you want to wake up at 8, go to bed at 11 pm, and you'll probably wake up a little after 7. )
Also make sure it is very dark where you are at, use a sleep mask, and make sure you don't have sleep apnea that's pretty important too.
Try this experiment: get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep for the next 5 days.
Then take a mindfulness course, there are plenty and Google is your friend. I use Waking Up.
To me I don't hear people talk about mindfulness in relation to ADHD enough. Because as you start to use mindfulness you'll find yourself being aware of when your ADHD symptoms start to really kick in and you'll be able to limit them before they put you on crazy monkey autopilot.
If you aren't on medication, do so.
How to adjust sleep (Don't round up from 7 and 1/2 hours either get eight or nine even. The trick is to take a sleeping pill if you need to for the first few nights as well as some melatonin to reset your circadian rhythm then go to bed really early. you know you had enough sleep when you naturally wake up without an alarm clock so go to bed really early and set your alarm as a backup... Meaning if you want to wake up at 8, go to bed at 11 pm, and you'll probably wake up a little after 7. )
Also make sure it is very dark where you are at, use a sleep mask, and make sure you don't have sleep apnea that's pretty important too.
>To me I don't hear people talk about mindfulness in relation to ADHD enough. Because as you start to use mindfulness you'll find yourself being aware of when your ADHD symptoms start to really kick in and you'll be able to limit them before they put you on crazy monkey autopilot.
Cannot agree more, mindfulness has really helped me notice when my symptoms start and that I need to start over on whatever I was doing or just refocus. Using the Waking Up app has really helped me and I cannot recommend it enough!
Cannot agree more, mindfulness has really helped me notice when my symptoms start and that I need to start over on whatever I was doing or just refocus. Using the Waking Up app has really helped me and I cannot recommend it enough!
Firstly, that's an impossible question to answer. Having ADHD doesn't make you a better or worse developer than someone with schizophrenia, depression, or someone with no diagnosed psychological condition.
I want to be helpful, so I'm interpreting your question as: "Can you be a successful developer if you have ADHD".
The answer is yes. Full stop. You can be a developer (even a very successful developer) and also have an ADHD diagnosis.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in highschool. This was mostly for disruptive reason (I was a complete dickhead) as opposed to academic (I topped the state in math... English.. not so much). I took the Ritalin for about a month when I was 15. It was horrifying. If I didn't dose on Saturday and Sunday, I would have violent outbursts. Luckily, my parents picked up on this early and took me off the pills.
I don't think I have (or ever had) ADHA in spite of my diagnosis. My career has been fine. Focus is something I've trained and it's not a problem.
I work with a senior backed dev with diagnosed and prevalent adult ADHD. He uses some prescribed stimulates from time to time, but he told me this is rare and not something he "needs". He's an S-tier dev.
If you're diagnosed with ADHD, do what's required to keep your mental condition in check. I have pretty bad depression from time-to-time -- that's my issue and I need to figure it out if I want to have a career.
I want to be helpful, so I'm interpreting your question as: "Can you be a successful developer if you have ADHD".
The answer is yes. Full stop. You can be a developer (even a very successful developer) and also have an ADHD diagnosis.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in highschool. This was mostly for disruptive reason (I was a complete dickhead) as opposed to academic (I topped the state in math... English.. not so much). I took the Ritalin for about a month when I was 15. It was horrifying. If I didn't dose on Saturday and Sunday, I would have violent outbursts. Luckily, my parents picked up on this early and took me off the pills.
I don't think I have (or ever had) ADHA in spite of my diagnosis. My career has been fine. Focus is something I've trained and it's not a problem.
I work with a senior backed dev with diagnosed and prevalent adult ADHD. He uses some prescribed stimulates from time to time, but he told me this is rare and not something he "needs". He's an S-tier dev.
If you're diagnosed with ADHD, do what's required to keep your mental condition in check. I have pretty bad depression from time-to-time -- that's my issue and I need to figure it out if I want to have a career.
Related: Peter Shankman interviews successful people with ADHD from all walks of life... > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/professor-johan-wiklun...
I have ADHD and have been working as a full stack dev for the last five years. If it's something that you find stimulating, being a programmer can be a good career choice.
At least for me, I find that the combination of logical and creative skills needed as a developer allows me to stay stimulated and focused more than I've been able to at any of the other jobs I've had in the past. And since I interact with computers far more than people, I'm in a fortunate position where I can throw my headphones on and dive into a project 100% without worrying about having to talk too much with others about it or do something else to take my focus elsewhere.
That said, I do take medication so I'm definitely being helped along in the focus department.
The only downside that I have found is not specifically programming related, just the realities of working in an office. I find myself easily distracted by others in the workspace, and since I work at a big company there's always a lot of people moving back and forth going to meetings and stuff like that. I have headphones on 99% of the time and have a desk facing out a window and away from the rest of the office, but as anyone with ADHD knows it's impossible to NOT notice things, especially if it's someone/something moving at the edge of your peripheral vision, so I still find myself becoming distracted from time to time. But as time goes on I get better about being more disciplined and snapping my focus back to the screen when these distractions pop up.
I sometimes cut out early during the week and come in on a weekend to make up the hours. I find that I am much more productive when I am the only one in the office and there's nothing to distract me.
At least for me, I find that the combination of logical and creative skills needed as a developer allows me to stay stimulated and focused more than I've been able to at any of the other jobs I've had in the past. And since I interact with computers far more than people, I'm in a fortunate position where I can throw my headphones on and dive into a project 100% without worrying about having to talk too much with others about it or do something else to take my focus elsewhere.
That said, I do take medication so I'm definitely being helped along in the focus department.
The only downside that I have found is not specifically programming related, just the realities of working in an office. I find myself easily distracted by others in the workspace, and since I work at a big company there's always a lot of people moving back and forth going to meetings and stuff like that. I have headphones on 99% of the time and have a desk facing out a window and away from the rest of the office, but as anyone with ADHD knows it's impossible to NOT notice things, especially if it's someone/something moving at the edge of your peripheral vision, so I still find myself becoming distracted from time to time. But as time goes on I get better about being more disciplined and snapping my focus back to the screen when these distractions pop up.
I sometimes cut out early during the week and come in on a weekend to make up the hours. I find that I am much more productive when I am the only one in the office and there's nothing to distract me.
It depends. I've been a developer for a long time, as well as suffering from ADD, not so much hyperactive. Doing dev triggers hyperfocus for me, allowing me turn out impressive amounts of work relatively fast, then crash hard and be useless for a while. That's why we have so many meetings, isn't it?
I have to keep going..keep a to do list... tell persons I hang with about my ADHD...difficult to keep a job/relationships...my mind is always thinking yet I sleep with not problems...read a lot I mean really a lot...the internet keeps my mind occupied I treat it as vast info/library not into online social apps...Working on my personal memoirs
It's mostly a matter of finding the right environment and developing strategies to stay on track.
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