What would be your ideal job?

[ofwarren]

Knowing what you know now about your neurodiverse traits, what job or career should you have chosen to do?

At school I always thought I wanted to work with children as I volunteered with disabled kids and really enjoyed it. I've realised that actually I was relating to those kids who would stim and were just so utterly themselves. I felt safe in that group, joining in with the art sessions and the singing. It was lovely.

I went on a childcare course after leaving school and I absolutely hated it. The sound, the structure, the rules.. I ended up dropping out.

If I could have my time again I'd have got a job working with animals. Nothing taxing like being a vet, just something where I could care for them all day.

Instead I'm unemployable because I'm only qualified for office work which I detest and I can't pass an interview. The last job I had was 11 years ago.

I do have a good job and I’m good at it; however, I should have been something where I have to solve problems/puzzles: I pick up on tiny details and can work out patterns and connections rapidly.

. So cghq cracking codes (although I imagine computers do that now so I would also need to time travel), doctor (like a House character) or a police detective.

I was desperate to get a job as a tesco click and collect picker where they scan the stuff but I ended up cancelling the interview as it seemed such an overwhelming process. I wish I could just do a free work trial instead of interviews.
Probably will just be unemployed for life, great 😞
I'd love a job as a tesco trolley collector to, but I never see them advertised at the one nearest to me. I don't think they have them.
I'd love an animal job but couldn't work in a vets.

I've never understood the point of interviews as surely the candidates are just going to tell you what you want to hear.
I agree that a job trial makes much more sense.

Two possibilities for me:
As a child I wanted to work for Disney colouring in cartoons.
As an adult watching ‘Whitechapel’ I thought being the keeper of records in the basement would be fascinating. Dim lighting, lots of cataloguing, left alone for vast swathes of time ….
I have sort of managed to combine the two but I am self employed and can’t imagine a paid job that would satisfy me as much.

I totally understand that. I struggle so much being scheduled by someone else.

I couldn't work with animals as I feel far more empathy for animals than I do for humans so I'd likely spend all day crying.

My ideal job would be as a self employed accountant or book-keeper. Working from home, alone all day working in silence, no managerial responsibilities/no team to manage. Bliss.

Pity I was so crap at maths at school 🤣🤣🤣

I've got my ideal job - I'm a doctor (GP). I also have Tourette's Syndrome and ADHD, although with the Tourettes, although my tics can be fairly severe I don't exhibit copralaia (swearing) or the more alarming stuff like wanting to touch people etc. It's given me more understanding and sympathy for my patients than most Drs I know. Some parents bring their ticcing kids to me specifically so they can talk it through with me.

I'm lucky cos I've never had a problem studying - i've always enjoyed it, even if my concentration sometimes isn't up to the task. I did tend to completely throw myself into my studies, which was the edge I needed when competing with "normal" people. Also, although I'm no good at complex maths, I have a weird thing for numbers and particularly estimation and connecting patterns in my head (I'm sure most of you neurodiversies know hat I mean!). In recent years I've been able to use this to my advantage and do some FOREX trading as a side hustle (evenings / week-ends) and although anyone who knows anything about it has told me I should have lost all my money by now, I'm making a good income from it.

It's never limited me, except for the fact that (even though I prob wouldn't have wanted to anyway) I could never have allowed myself to be a surgeon. Although my tics disappear when I am concentrating hard (hyperfocusing) I just couldn't take that sort of risk. I have heard of a surgeon with Tourette's though.

I have two kids - older teenagers now. One is "normal', the other has ADHD. I think she'll be OK, because there are conventional and unconventional ways through life and unconventional is sometimes an avantage!

I always wanted to be a vet or actress growing up. I think I would have enjoyed both.

I've ended up in an NHS A&E role which I really enjoy as it's fast paced.

Weirdly I joined the military as a teenager, and really enjoyed that too (which you would think wouldn't suit ADHD at all!) But having structure, three meals a day and no bills to worry about I can now see how I fell under the radar for so long as an adult 😂. Things went to pot when I was promoted into a management role and had to start working autonomously!

Botonist! Working largely alone, outdoors in remote locations and getting excited about mosses or different species of willowherbs or whatever would be ideal. Not many jobs though, and travel to remote locations for long periods not really possible with kids.

Or archives, working with old documents, that sounds really interesting too.

I've done gardening before. On the one hand it is stimulating, outdoors and on my own, on the other hand I get bored working in the same few gardens week in week out.

I currently do an office job working from home. It's actually quite interesting but I still find it really hard to concentrate and be motivated and every day is a battle with myself. Hence I am on mn and not writing the report I am supposed to be doing!

I'd quite like to be the person on cop shows that is like the gatekeeper of the evidence room. Mainly on my own, but with some periodic superficial interactions, keeping things nice and tidy and clean, making sure the paperwork is done correctly, following clear policy and procedures. And plenty of time to sit quietly and read. It's probably nothing like that in real life though.

Could you set up your own little business doing dog walking and sitting? Facebook is great for free advertising, you could have a page with lots of facts on how to care for different breeds of dogs and post in all the local groups. Sorry if I'm off track.

I wish I could think of it. My ADHD side always wanted to be a foreign correspondent or a marine biologist or a bush pilot. My autistic side wants to stay at home all day every day, with my environment under total control, and burns out with anything more. Yet, having everything too unchanging (the same workplace, the same commute, the same tasks) drives my ADHD side up the wall, and I get really depressed from understimulation! Lord, just give me one or the other, I beg you!

I'm thinking of something I could do where I can work 100% remotely, and do part time digital nomadism from warmer parts of the world, and part time sitting in my own house with everything nice and routined. Better yet, 100% remote contract work, so I can take a few months off each year to either recharge if I'm burnt out, or give the reins to my ADHD and galavant around somewhere far away, depending on my needs that year!

Of course, my ADHD gets massively in the way of actually doing any training, otherwise I might try to throw myself into coding. I just can't sustain focus on anything that doesn't tickle my brain, and have no idea how I could ever rein my attention in enough to be able to do a self-motivated 8 hour work day sitting at home with the internet at my fingertips. I've never managed anything of the sort.

It's all a bit of a PITA.

I was a teacher - it didn't work out. The kids were delightful - draining on a sensory level but not insurmountable - but navigating the staffroom politics was what finally did for me.

Now about to start as a SALT working in Adult Learning Disabilities - love it, and I definitely fit in that area of SLT more than others.

My ideal job would be in an office, by myself, just doing stuff on a computer. I want to work with no interruptions for 8 hours. I would have my own kettle, coffee and food. And toilet. And no phone. Bliss.🙂

Exactly what I would be doing on the computer, I don't know.

I work in a busy hospital environment surrounded by people and noise 😡😡😡

This is a really good question. I’m currently working as a secretary, part time working from home. It’s only when I’ll be back in the rabble (office) that it will completely drain me! The noise kills me as does the constant interruptions.

Animals I love so something along those lines or working alone but still in admin. It’s finding such a job that’s the struggle though.

I was a nurse. Student, staff nurse, junior/senior sister. I always felt I’d be a good vet nurse/animal rescue worker but actually, I’d be bringing all the animals home!

I was good at my job. Meticulous and very thorough. Wasn’t great at the stuff outside of work. Always last to arrive and first to leave at the Christmas “do”.

Working with animals, but in a non-customer-facing capacity. So the person who goes round feeding the cats in a cattery for example.

Research research research.

From wherever I wanted to work.

Long reports needing detail and 'thinking outside the box'.

Very few meetings except small group situations where I'm doing more research with a sub group.