If you have autism and/or ADHD and are happy in your job (if you work) what do you do?

ADHD and maybe also autism (definitely autistic traits). I've had lots of different jobs, but am currently very much enjoying my current one in a somewhat geeky admin role in a cultural/heritage organization with a very neurodivergent team. My job is actually three different roles stitched together, so there's plenty of variety, and my office (and workplace in general) is full of fellow weirdos, so we don't have to mask much at work, which makes work a lot easier.

I work in a library 12 hours a week. I enjoy it and one of my special interests is books. I couldn’t work full time though. I applied for pip and didn’t get it. I have reapplied though due to having chronic pain. (Separate condition) My interview is this week. It would be helpful to have the extra money as it could pay for physio etc. plus some support at home. But last time the assessor tricked me (my communication skills are not great) so I will see .

Autistic LSA.

I understand children much better than adults; they make sense to me, in away I just don't get one people have developed their social masks. The team around me are well trained on ND, so are understanding.

There's an incredibly fixed routine to my work and to my year, which I love. I also get a minimum of a week off every 6 weeks which prevents burn out. I also get a strong sense that I am good at what I do and am very obviously valued by the children, which I've never had in different jobs - previously just a sense I've annoyed everyone.

Offering Lego after school clubs maybe? As you know from the other thread I am a huge fan too, and I often think about this.

I was diagnosed with ADHD about 5 years ago but i chose not use medication, and im an A&E staff nurse. Its the best job ive ever had, i feel it works for me as its like having 5 jobs in one, each shift we are placed in a different area, so resus, minors, majors, triage, ambulance assessment area, plus a few others occasionally. I used to work in other areas, but doing the same thing day in day out id get itchy feet quickly and want to change jobs after 12/18 months. A&E is unpredictable, i meet amazing interesting people every day. I very much depend on lists on shifts, i write down almost everything i need to do or i am asked as it can get overwhelming very quickly as its so busy, but i feel i thrive in situations where im constantly reprioritising more than routine.

ADHD and a secondary school teacher. Love it - the switching focus between classes and age groups, the very structured day and plenty of ridiculous deadlines to get the hyper focus hit going!
It’s also a really creative job. I am middle management, too, so lots of interesting problem solving and ‘what if we did this…?’ thinking, which I am very strong at.
However - I do only work part time now and I think that really helps with the burnout. Now that I understand my ADHD brain better (late diagnosis) I have no shame in using my non-working days to recharge and decompress.

I'm autistic late diagnosed in my 30s. I work in Data Protection for a local government.

AuDHD. I'm a doctor, training to eventually be an A&E consultant. I love it because I really like people but my ASD means I can struggle with unstructured interactions - the doctor-patient interaction is very structured/ scripted which helps a lot. I'm good at the pattern-seeking element of diagnostics, and also like the constant variety/ never knowing what is going to turn up, and A&E in particular suits a short but intense attention span. If I was hunting for another job I'd look for something that ticked those three boxes:

1. Lots of interaction with new people but in a scripted or structured way.
2. Problem-solving and pattern-recognition
3. Variety and a fairly pressured environment to get the ADHD hyperfocus going!

Also, I really love my job but cannot work full time, as when I've tried I burn out very quickly- not with the job but with trying to manage the rest of life 🤦🏻‍♀️.

Awaiting ADHD assessment
I'm a chef.I love cooking a variety of dishes and the time pressure.
The hustle and bustle appeals to me.i used to do 12 HR days now just regular hours.
I rush around and when I get home hyper focus on Instagram reels or restaurant reviews.
I really did make my hobby my job.

Posting here for ideas.

I'm v well qualified in some senses but falling through he gaps in my 40s work wise. Dropped out of teaching as too overwhelming and now dropping out of my current role as I stuck in a toxic place far too long.

I originally tried to retrain as a psych but not practical where I live.

Would have done far better training as an OT OR MHN...

Need something new now. I feel such a failure.

Autism/ADHD. I love what I do, but it's fairly niche and I'm in the US, so I don't know if there's a comparable position there. I conduct public assistance appeal hearings.

What I like about it is that it's fairly self-directed. I'm scheduled for hearings by the agency, but on days I don't have hearings and I'm writing decisions, I am pretty much able to complete my work at my own pace.

Admin in HE but mostly short term assignments. I don’t do well in permanent roles.

Asd
data scientist

Autism Adhd Data AI pays good offers full remote working of you want but you need to converse with collegues on teams and it's important to turn your camera on, bit weird my mother is NT she said just go with it lol. I think nurses are amazing btw more patient centered then Dr.

You could do landscape gardening local authority hires gardeners.

You could also look at working at lego world or in the lego company.

See if they have programs for ND people. What do you like about lego?

I'm an analyst in the public sector. It's my perfect job. Job is extremely process driven which suits me. I have the autonomy to be creative with the way I analyse or visualise the data but it's still within limited parameters.
Its very busy (but not unmanageable). I can only really complete work with a deadline, so again this works as Im always on a deadline.
I interact only with my immediate team/project team (no networking or client meetings).
That being said I'm not sure if choose it again as a career as I dont see it being very AI proof. I'm training to be a health economist now to give me another skill and hopefully can delay this a bit longer

ASD and ADHD. Doctor, in acute/emergency setting. I love it. There's something about the mix of routines and protocols, and variety and adrenaline/dopamine hits that just really works for my brain.

I teach English in FE, mainly to teenagers, mainly students with SEND. Love being with the kids and I think they enjoy it too and they are achieving. ☺️ Less so the admin, (hopelessly disorganised and so so easily distracted - no shit!! I’m only a 0.5 and end up bringing it home to do) the politics and the unwavering commitment to doing the best for my learners despite all the shite that goes down around me.

I'm self employed as a traditional signwriter. I love it because it's full of variety (just have to remember whether I'm working on the village war memorial or touching up the lettering on a superyacht tomorrow) which keeps me interested, and there's a good balance between being hidden away in my studio in solitude and out in the public gaze painting a shopfront or something. And of course, it's using my creative skills.

It also means I can manage my time to avoid burnout- so, if I've had a full on week driving a 2 hour round trip every day to signwrite a vintage van in a lockup full of mechanics revving car engines for hours, under the eye of a client prone to micromanaging, which has left me so depleted I can hardly see straight, I can shut myself in the house for a couple of "admin days" to recover.

Communication with clients is my least favourite part- I manage it, but it's a strain sometimes.

I work in pharma and there are a huge amount of rules and they absolutely must be followed. There are some roles whose entire purpose is to make the rules into company policy and ensure people are following the rules (QA, Regulatory etc). It’s not Lego, but with a nursing background perhaps something in pharma or clinical trials/research might work for you.

Registered nurse/Nurse unit manager/clinical nurse consultant. Hate it with a passion. I don't hate it because I have autism I hate it because nursing sucks!

OP- What about a play specialist in a paediatric A&E or paediatric ward? Your lego skills would come in handy.

I’m autistic and run my own dog-walking business. I absolutely love it but only manage part-time as otherwise I go into burnout.

DH has ADHD and works as a self-employed builder.

Strategy manager at an investment bank. Has been tough at times but generally have thrived with understanding, supportive managers who are willing to accept my quirks for my straightforward delivery which is appreciated in my industry, and ability to see the consequences of actions and predict outcomes (to me a lot of stuff is just obviously logical but NT people can’t see it). Have had periods of finding it really stressful with less supportive managers but luckily my firm is large enough that I’m usually able to orchestrate a sideways move in the name of gathering experience or progression!