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Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

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Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#161

Post by skinkestek »

iovrthoughtthis wrote: post #36
skinkestek wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For many it helps to be clear about what deadlines are real. From what I see the worst there is seems to be "you can do this anytime you like". That means never, because an ADHDer, helpful as they typically are will be busy from now on until eternity with whatever seems to be more urgent. Some ADHD-ers are amazing at meeting deadlines as long as there is one at a time and they are somewhat realistic.

people need a "how to work with me guide".

I kind of like the idea, but at the same time it is something I would be ashamed if people needed to work with me.

I definitely have my own issues but I try to present a standard reliable interface outward, hiding my weaknesses and instead encourage people to let me help them using my strong sides.

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#162

Post by Mockapapella »

jacek wrote: post #43

I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult in my thirties and I have been taking medication for the last two years. I am also in EU. I would recommend two things (YMMV). First, use ADHD to your advantage. People with ADHD have tendency to be inquisitive, but easily bored. Because of this I have become a jack of all trades. Although I have my specialty (ML), employers really appreciate that I also able to do Linux administ…

> First, use ADHD to your advantage.

Agree with this 100%. While I've never been formally diagnosed (and have no intention to be), I definitely have some tendencies that align with people who have been formally diagnosed with ADHD. The way I see it, this is a part of me anyways, so I might as well lean into it and milk it for all it's worth, which has led to me being in a similar "jack-of-all-trades" position. If anything, I view it as a tremendous advantage being able to dive into new projects/topics, learn what's interesting about them, then move onto the next shiny thing that catches my eye. With each new thing I get into, I'm able to pull from a vast trove of knowledge spanning many different subjects, which lets me think about old problems in new ways.

Even so, I can see something like ADHD being an issue for people who aren't necessarily driven to succeed beyond a baseline, and are just interested in having a more structured life.

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#163

Post by karpierz »

JohnBooty wrote: post #132
karpierz wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me, it feels similar to when I'd go cold turkey from 2-3 daily cups of coffee (before I started taking medication). 2-5 days of shitty mood, then back to baseline pre-coffee. It sucks, and it will sour your mood when your ability to function drops significantly for a few days, but it passes.

cold turkey For the life of me, I have trouble understanding why folks would do "cold turkey" for stimulants rather than tapering their dosage off over a week or two!

Personally, I have a hard time with moderation, and doing things gradually. I'm very much all or nothing, so it's easier for me to say "no caffeine in any circumstance!" than "okay just a little caffeine each day", because at that point it's easy to convince myself "well half a cup was fine, so just a sip more won't really make a difference."

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#164

Post by jacek »

carlmr wrote: post #74
jacek wrote: post #43

I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult in my thirties and I have been taking medication for the last two years. I am also in EU. I would recommend two things (YMMV). First, use ADHD to your advantage. People with ADHD have tendency to be inquisitive, but easily bored. Because of this I have become a jack of all trades. Although I have my specialty (ML), employers really appreciate that I also able to do Linux administ…

Regarding freelancing, how do you deal with the multitasking related to getting the next project while working on the current project? Did you outsource this? The organizational work, the back and forth, the scheduling of interviews, etc. It seems like something that's very difficult to do with AD(H)D.

So far I have had breaks after every project, so I did not have to look for a new one while I work. But recruiters keep calling. These conversations can be wrapped up in 5 minutes.

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#165

Post by jacek »

mijoharas wrote: post #81
jacek wrote: post #43

I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult in my thirties and I have been taking medication for the last two years. I am also in EU. I would recommend two things (YMMV). First, use ADHD to your advantage. People with ADHD have tendency to be inquisitive, but easily bored. Because of this I have become a jack of all trades. Although I have my specialty (ML), employers really appreciate that I also able to do Linux administ…

Out of interest, how did you get into your freelancing? how did you start off? Do you work with a company or agency or something?

I signed up with a few agencies (some required interviews and a small project or a test), used local sites connecting workers with employers and improved my LinkedIn profile. So far agencies work best for long term, well paid projects, sites for smaller, short term. From LinkedIn I am getting lots of spam from recruiters and calls that usually lead nowhere.

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#166

Post by gnicholas »

Check out WildCardPeople, [1] a specialized job board that should fit your description. While it is not "an ADHD job board", my understanding is that they care about the ADHD community, and they seek out employers who would benefit from the strengths that many ADHD people exhibit.

1: https://wildcardpeople.com/

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#167

Post by sosuke »

erinaceousjones wrote: post #139
sosuke wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a correlation between ADHD and doing better with a late start?

"Delayed Circadian Rhythm Phase: A Cause of Late-Onset ADHD among Adolescents?" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6487490/ "Up to 75% of adults with childhood-onset ADHD exhibit delayed circadian rhythm phase, including a rise in salivary dim-light melatonin onset (DLMO) and alterations in core body temperature and actigraphy-measured sleep-related movements occurring approximately 1.5 hours later in the n…

Thank you for digging that up for me. The more I understand myself the better I'm able to adapt.

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#168

Post by simplyinfinity »

pliptvo wrote: post #52
simplyinfinity wrote: post #6

I'm not diagnosed with ADHD myself, in fact today is my first day of ADHD eval by a doctor. What you write is exactly how experience work. One thing that came to mind is contract/freelance work. Go to a contracting agancy and tell them you want to work on 3-6 month contracts. I'm currently in the process of doing this. I hope few things come out of this. 1) my brain stays engaged 2) my happniess increases 3) my savin…

This sounds like a pretty good strategy for me too. I'm completely ignorant about consulting agencies though - I assume there good ones, bad ones, etc? Can anyone recommend ones in the UK?

Look around on LinkedIn and ask your tech friends/(ex)colleagues. A friend of mine works at EPAM and is extremely happy there. That's the only recommendation I can make, based on their feedback, I'm even considering joining them.

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#169

Post by simplyinfinity »

efficientsticks wrote: post #98
simplyinfinity wrote: post #6

I'm not diagnosed with ADHD myself, in fact today is my first day of ADHD eval by a doctor. What you write is exactly how experience work. One thing that came to mind is contract/freelance work. Go to a contracting agancy and tell them you want to work on 3-6 month contracts. I'm currently in the process of doing this. I hope few things come out of this. 1) my brain stays engaged 2) my happniess increases 3) my savin…

Related question: I think I’d really like to work part-time so I can properly multi task on my personal projects and for-money work, rather than have this all-or-nothing choice every 3+ months. Do you have any advice you could give me about that?

Ask around recruiters on LinkedIn they would know for sure. Freelancing is also an option for short term projects. I know a couple of local companies that offer 4-6 hour work contracts, but it's hard to find. Ask your current employer if they are willing to do this. Something in the line of "Hey X, I want to pursue my passion project, so I Am willing to take a paycut and work 4hrs/day (3 of 5 days is also an option), can we arrange that as I like working with you"

Re: Ask HN: Neurodiversity/ADHD Friendly Companies

#170

Post by throwaway6532 »

Well... I work at a company that makes a bunch of noise about neurodiversity and my honest opinion is it's been one of the worst experiences of my life due to certain elements of the structure/culture. I don't think it has anything to do with whether they are big on neurodiversity or not, just that it's no guarantee that you're going to be better off at a company that is. Us ADHDers are incredibly sensitive to the environment and if the environment is wrong then things don't go well for us. You need to optimize for environments in which you personally function well and not environments that virtue signal about neurodiversity.
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