I'm in a pretty similar position though I'm nobody's idea of "the best programmer they've ever seen". I currently have a low-grade contract with some old friends. They generally accept that I'm pretty erratic schedule wise. It pays enough to help with my expenses though I'm still mostly prematurely spending my retirement. Ultimately I think the only solution for me is to get the ADHD meds, which I understand there is a shortage of now, thanks to the war on drugs or whatever, in addition to the existing shortage of doctors in my area that could actually prescribe them. Hate the US sometimes.
Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
41–50 of 87 posts
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#42You could certainly look into temp or contract work for very short duration one-off projects, etc. That kind of work is out there, but setting up a pipeline to get it reliably is probably hard. > Programming is the only thing I can do - and the only thing that makes me enough money to survive. I think you may want to re-evaluate this. Some people with ADHD do better in environments where they are on their feet, activ…
Have you actually tried this? To me this creates an enormous liability of doing a horrible job at whatever 1 week project is received.
Is there actually 1-2 week projects?
If they end up not getting done, are they really going to be happy with a “Sorry it didn’t get done and I’m out of commission for a month”?
The up and down trends don’t really happen on a schedule. I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a surprise 2 day productivity boost and then can’t work for 3 weeks. And then this contract explodes.
I know my tone is like I’m trying to pwn your advice. I am skeptical, but if anybody has more to say about these concerns, I would like to hear them.
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#43people here will give you advice on how to deal with this issue with good intentions, even from personal anedoctaol experience, but sometime advice given with good intention might lead to inaffective outcome or even end up making things worse, for you.
if you feel this issue is harming you even after seeing professional than you might have to switch who you are seeing.
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#44Are you sure, this is really ADHD and not something else, hardened by ineffective measures?
I mean, I spent half of life deal with non-competent medics, to finally understand, what I really have and how to deal with it (yes, my condition serious).
And I must admit, I still have very similar to your issues, but at least, now I can make plans for future.
We could talk more later. Now try to minimize pharmaceutics, ideally to zero, control your condition only by natural products and psychological training (also, may help yoga or eastern things, like kung fu or tai-chi), and find part time work, to pay your expenses.
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#45One option is get a job at a company where the expectations and pace of development are so low that it simply works with your current paradigm. Think big corporation with legacy software that needs to be maintained, and the work just is t that hard. Boring? Yes. Stable? Yes. The pay can be relatively good & interaction is often at a minimum. It also doesn’t have to be a long term solution. You can take a less than ex…
This was part of my solution after burning out at a previous job.
The other part was getting more sleep and preferring to socialize with people I met independently. Sounds rude but yes that means genuinely new people. Not your family, old friends from school, coworkers, ex-coworkers, or anyone you met through any of those people. Keeping your social life fresh has huge benefits across the board really.
The slower paced job made all this much more realistic. Work-life balance is important for your mental health. I used to scoff at the idea, but I don't anymore.
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#46Quite honestly, programming doesn't sound like a good fit. Have you tried doing something physical? Like post office delivery or something.
These jobs don't pay enough to afford housing and food around here... It's done by older people who got their real estate when it was still cheap 10-20 (or more) years ago. Younger people have absolutely no chance of making enough to get by from this job. There's also huge competition on these jobs - older people who want to supplement their pension income, etc. I'm not averse to physical work (I like working on my g…
Construction trades like electricians pay really well these days (>100k with a few years of experience). I have a similar issue and I’m trying to learn in case I can’t figure out the software development thing. I definitely don’t feel the same attention issues doing more hands-on work.
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#47Are you sure, this is really ADHD and not something else, hardened by ineffective measures? I mean, I spent half of life deal with non-competent medics, to finally understand, what I really have and how to deal with it (yes, my condition serious). And I must admit, I still have very similar to your issues, but at least, now I can make plans for future. We could talk more later. Now try to minimize pharmaceutics, idea…
And I must say, such rhythm is totally normal for large projects and for real life businesses - they usually first half of month do nothing, and after 20th, spent weekends and even nights at work.
Looks like managers have some condition and live under their rhythm, force other people to synchronize to their rhythm.
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#48So many things to try. Many good suggestions already. A couple more:
I meet with an adhd coach, he essentially plans my week for me. The plan often falls apart after the first 2-3 days but it is enough to keep my life from falling off the rails. Something to consider.
I see in some of your other comments that you have a caffeine sensitivity — I do too; I started diluting coffee to something like 1:50 and taking 2-3 sips in the morning. Otherwise I get in a stress spiral all day.
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#49I also have ADHD/depression and go through similar cycles to you. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I’ve gotten to the point where it’s more like 50/50 on/off which seems to be fine with the people I work with.
The trick is to realize that staring at your computer while your mind is not ready to work is not the fastest way to getting the work done. Understand the things that bring you back into this state of mind.
It sounds like exercise is one of those things, but can also be unachievable sometimes.
Figure out something that’s even lower effort that brings you to the point where you can exercise. For me, this was cooking. For whatever reason, cooking doesn’t require a lot of mental energy for me, and puts me in a better state of mind consistently. There’s also a good reminder 3 times a day to do it, which helps.
Maybe your thing is walking, meditation, tending to plants, whatever. The important thing is that you nearly always have the energy to do it, and that it gives you a good, accomplished, positive feeling.
It also helps to be honest with the people you work with that you’re taking breaks to do this. If they’ve seen you during your 1-3 weeks, then they’ll want that version of you back.
Re: Ask HN: Experienced software engineer – but unable to consistently work
#50No post body was provided.