tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42812075721838535522011-04-21T16:58:18.890-07:00Square pegs in round holes - ADHD and INFP people and their career choicesThat guynoreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-17591079144928869012009-03-04T07:09:00.000-08:002009-03-04T07:31:52.182-08:00

I am a huge fan of gothic/horror flicks. It’s not the blood and gore that appeals to me. In fact, I find that the less blood and gore a horror flick displays, the scarier it is. Why? Because I believe psychological fear is stronger than fear brought about by what we can see.So how does my liking the horror genre relate to INFP/ADHD career matters? Well, ten years ago, while still in University, I

kenyarockfilmfestivaljournalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-75842831651925337012008-09-23T09:44:00.000-07:002008-09-23T09:54:46.877-07:00

Today in a staff meeting my boss was talking about some conference he went to, about rubbing shoulders with some sort of entrepreneurs or something. It reminded me once again how frustrating careers are to me.From early on, when society decided to brand me "smart" or gifted or a high academic achiever or whatever, I've always felt that I'd been given a gift by God. Therefore I've always

That guynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-22596674584960665542008-09-18T11:41:00.000-07:002008-09-18T11:51:43.302-07:00

Until very recently, when I came across Robert Kiyosaki’s "Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant", I was completely content with my career. As a freelance writer, I am my own boss. I don’t have to deal with daily traffic jams, rigid working hours and psychotic bosses.So imagine my surprise when I read similar words in Kiyosaki’s book. He writes that the self-employed are: "People who want to ‘Be their own

kenyarockfilmfestivaljournalnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-77059114891393644742008-08-17T15:10:00.000-07:002008-08-17T15:32:29.929-07:00

Lately I've come upon a few sites or items that are more or less related to the subject matter of this site and that I think are worth sharing here.The greatest discovery by far is The Daily WTF. Perhaps it's just that misery loves company, but I find it therapeutic to read about other dysfunctional projects and organizations. Morever, from hearing enough of these stories I start to think in

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-76623680072799674862008-08-11T10:40:00.000-07:002008-08-11T10:48:31.298-07:00

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kenyarockfilmfestivaljournalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-16528415568004234162008-08-05T11:05:00.000-07:002008-08-05T11:59:50.962-07:00

A few weeks ago in a thread on GlobalChatter I asked for some INFP-oriented feedback about this blog. It's a little disappointing that only one person, the thread-starter, actually jumped in. However, that feedback that Tom of Dare2Believe provided was very valuable:I found... the tone of your writings too self-centered. Unsure if people care about our lives enough to invest in frequent

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-43847848389635215192008-06-26T04:43:00.000-07:002008-06-26T05:25:09.719-07:00

Hello. My name is Mildred Achoch. I am a full-time, freelance writer. I love my job. Not many Kenyans can say that. Over fifty percent of my compatriots live below the poverty line. For them, a job is not an avenue for self-actualization; it is the avenue to survival. Two factors allowed me to totally disregard survival in favour of self-actualization. First, I am blessed with a caring

kenyarockfilmfestivaljournalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-86558668987363682092008-06-24T13:47:00.000-07:002008-06-24T14:01:59.602-07:00

First of all, the open call for blog authors is still in effect. I've invited our first author besides me, also an INFP, and I'm eager to read what she writes -- in particular, to learn about career issues in her part of the world, and how they're different from here in the US. So that's what's coming up soon.Meanwhile, if you'd like to write here, just post a comment and I'll set you up.

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-58606043802349055082008-06-19T07:32:00.001-07:002008-06-19T07:35:35.772-07:00

Penelope Trunk seems to think so. I'll need to do some processing here, but I wonder how much applies to me. For one thing, if I want to start working for a college, then I think it is far more of a credentials-oriented world than her very valid points about succeeding in business without an MBA.However, a lot of the points resonate, especially the part about committing to a career for the

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-64771270971214250532008-06-08T19:45:00.000-07:002008-06-08T19:51:03.235-07:00

I do need to think about about its purpose.Look, let's face it. Writing is therapeutic for me. When I'm really frustrated about a certain topic, when I have a lot to say, then blogging about it is easy. I started this blog to write about my struggles as an ADHD adult in the workplace in the hope, possibly a hopelessly naive hope but nevertheless a well-intentioned one, that others facing

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-74484469208947581372008-04-22T13:13:00.000-07:002008-04-22T13:15:56.300-07:00

See this AFP piece: Dull Tasks Numb the Brain, LiterallyNot sure what the practical implication is, except that maybe I'm right to believe that I'm right to flee boredom at work rather than wishing beyond hope I could embrace it.

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-67193338800381699372008-04-18T20:00:00.000-07:002008-04-18T20:15:42.259-07:00

I had a great day today. I finally worked up the courage to approach my boss -- well, finally worked up the courage on a day he was there! -- about going part time and working off-site. It sounds like this is really going to be doable. So I'm awfully enthused about that and thanking God that it looks like things may work out for me to stay sane without having to leave the job just yet.

That guynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-58023410190186588602008-04-17T09:46:00.000-07:002008-04-17T10:01:25.491-07:00

It's been a really strange week, with a mix of eager anticipation about finally shaking up my routine and paralyzing fear about shaking up my routine. I was hoping to talk to my boss about an idea I had, but.... well, here's what I posted on a message board:*sigh*I'm about to try to bring this to a positive resolution by approaching my boss about going part time and off-site. I think that will

That guynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-51811398253225587382008-04-10T13:46:00.001-07:002008-04-10T13:46:24.900-07:00

Apparently the boss knows I'm looking to get out. Hmm....

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-47973675149153845122008-04-10T10:50:00.000-07:002008-04-10T10:51:13.334-07:00

I had my seventh career counseling session yesterday, and this one went 45 minutes. I had several successful informational interviews to report on, but by my request we also spent some time talking about my plans to transition out of my day job. At this point I'm emotionally committed to leaving pretty soon, most likely end of May. I'm open to continuing to work on a contract basis if I can

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-4158350629893418772008-04-02T18:56:00.000-07:002008-04-02T19:37:44.394-07:00

Things are sorta looking up as of Monday, for a couple of reasons. Keep in mind that I'm INFP with an emphasis on the N, intuitive, obsession with how everything fits in the broader context. So the big reason is that, after a bit more of this informational interviewing, I'm finally starting to see the patterns that unify the baffling gamut of degrees that I could be pursuing.In short, pretty

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-9663135578894721052008-03-27T14:51:00.001-07:002008-03-27T14:52:37.827-07:00

That same depressing ennui has returned. My mind is just so understimulated right now. I feel like I'm just voraciousy running around the Internet looking for something, anything, some bit of novelty to hold my interest for 15 seconds and get me that much closer to the end of the day. It's awful.I am trying very hard to make progress on the informational interviews. It's a little hard,

That guynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-81933468296343068782008-03-24T08:55:00.000-07:002008-03-24T09:20:58.176-07:00

I'm only now writing about my career counseling session last week because I was out of town for a long weekend.I've been trying to do informational interviews with college career counselors, but so far it's been slow going. Granted that this is partially because I haven't felt really motivated in the past two weeks, but it's also been because of some hiccups along the way. One woman from my

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-17964383180866382692008-03-11T14:00:00.000-07:002008-03-11T14:02:41.970-07:00

As I mentioned last week I need to blog here more when I'm not desperately unhappy. Actually, having a blog as an imaginary friend to help you cope is probably healthy, if a little scary when I put it in those terms. But I'd like this to be more, something more generally interesting.I want to share more good resources for INFPs. So far the one I've used most frequently is a really excellent

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-8154833672198049252008-03-07T10:32:00.000-08:002008-03-07T10:36:33.100-08:00

Yesterday was my fifth phone conversation with Debbie my career counselor. I would have previously labeled this session 4B, meaning that it was the second half-hour piece of the fourth hour out of the six that I've paid for. However, we only went for 15-20 minutes before she assigned some work for next time and ended the meeting, in essence declaring it a success. So I guess I'll go back to

That guynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-40910741248527026042008-03-06T06:50:00.000-08:002008-03-06T06:51:51.292-08:00

Imagine this scene. You're in high school shop class -- I've never actually been in one of these classes, but I can imagine what it must look like from TV or somewhere -- and the class is practicing drilling holes in a board. Each of your peers is sitting merrily, two to a desk, each with a drill and a piece of wood.Only, you don't have a drill to go with your board. You have an Intel Pentium

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-42592259674507406552008-03-03T13:47:00.000-08:002008-03-03T13:53:02.792-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been sick with some sort of flu or other virus that's just totally sapping my energy. I've slept the past four days straight, and this is the first time I've felt well enough to go sit in a coffee shop and write.Before last Friday, well, I don't have much excuse for not writing. It's just that last week at work was somehow painless, a fairly new

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-9091087979846278212008-02-21T12:28:00.000-08:002008-02-21T13:32:13.820-08:00

Yesterday was my fourth career counseling appointment of six. However, Debbie ended the appointment after half an hour and said that our next appointment will also be 30 minutes, so I infer that I should consider the two together as session number four.At the previous session she had given me the assignment of looking up various candidate careers in the Occupational Outlook Handbook and

That guynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-62556580809867488012008-02-19T16:32:00.000-08:002008-02-20T07:36:53.653-08:00

To try to motivate myself to concentrate on work that doesn't inherently inspire me, I make up a lot of games and challenges. The most consistent one is to keep a daily count of the number of times I consciously shut down superfluous stuff like Web surfing and make myself focus on whatever I'm supposed to be doing, or at least what I think I'm supposed to be doing. Then I reward myself,

That guynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-59518849099614697882008-02-18T13:32:00.000-08:002008-02-18T13:38:23.968-08:00

I’m struggling even more than usual to concentrate today, for a couple of reasons. One is that one of our co-workers left the company. She was pretty much the person here with whom I most identified, and the operation was six people, so it’s hard not to let that distract me. Secondly, I had a conversation at lunch that really confirmed and even expanded my sense that I work on a site without

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-83518512985399350372008-02-14T09:09:00.001-08:002008-02-14T09:27:33.739-08:00

I'm trying to cut down on the mopey, "emo" posts here. I have multiple motivations for blogging, but the biggest one is to document my feelings and actions for the benefit of others in the same boat. Ranting repetitively about how I feel at work probably isn't that helpful to that end. (However, the second-biggest motivation for blogging is to use it as a coping mechanism, and repetitive

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-69056885009875707932008-02-11T08:44:00.000-08:002008-02-11T09:09:23.360-08:00

Need stimulation.... badly. Blue Valkyrie is about to die.No joke -- sometimes during the day I just start clapping my hands because I feel the incredible need to do something. I'm sure my coworkers must wonder what that's about. A saner alternative that I've tried a couple of times is to bring in a few poker chips to stack and play with, but they became such a conversation piece that I

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-52372729590987445602008-02-07T12:49:00.000-08:002008-02-07T13:29:25.436-08:00

One of my coworkers is convinced that I need to be more direct in expressing my views to our boss. I've been trying for, well, for the better part of the last six months to suggest that we need to think more about the content that's lacking on the site I work on, and less about writing code to produce bells and whistles. I've been suggesting this diplomatically, and it hasn't gained any

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-77569538382121745402008-02-07T08:54:00.000-08:002008-02-07T09:08:26.613-08:00

Teenage Rebellion Has Become a Mental Illness by Bruce LevineI found this article a few days ago reposted here and it reminded me of fairlane's Jonestown blog -- thanks for the link by the way -- in its theme of suppression of those who question the status quo by labeling the mentally ill.Throughout American history, both direct and indirect resistance to authority has been diseased. In an 1851

That guynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-33680614246402746042008-02-07T08:27:00.000-08:002008-02-07T08:37:04.402-08:00

In a message to a fellow INFP approaching career change, I wrote down a few thoughts that I think are worth posting. The premise is that I like some things about my present field, software development. In fact I like just enough to keep bringing me back to it, even though another career would probably be better suited.As long as I'm learning something new, actually software is kind of cool.

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-50782136718670910322008-02-06T11:03:00.000-08:002008-02-06T11:26:32.969-08:00

Yesterday was my third one-hour phone session of six with my career counselor. I came out of that very enthusiastic and excited about writing up a post about it, but in true INFP+ADHD form I got busy with other things and am only getting to it now.The first session was mostly me telling her my work history, and the second was largely her reading and "interpreting" the fancy reports from the

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-43849277015485206202008-02-04T14:07:00.000-08:002008-02-04T14:17:40.100-08:00

For work I'm learning about Google Analytics, and that's lead me to start checking these metrics on my own site to see who's out there reading this blog. One great thing GA lets you do is see those search terms that lead people to your site, and by running those same searches you can find some fun and quite relevant content.Apparently a couple of people have found my blog partially using the

That guynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-45102809370767163402008-02-04T06:53:00.000-08:002008-02-04T06:55:45.702-08:00

Feelings of worthlessness and self-pity are strong today. Trying to trust God with it.

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-79956777452042609252008-02-01T14:09:00.000-08:002008-02-01T14:10:34.587-08:00

I started to entitle this "OK-ness", which would be ironic since the overuse of the suffix -ness is one of my millions of peeves. Then I wanted to entitle it "Hope," but I got off topic.Yesterday I had a session with another counselor, not the career one, and I kept trying to present a balanced view between the fact that I'm incredibly frustrated during my workday but generally optimistic about

That guynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-12698842254231291242008-01-30T07:50:00.000-08:002008-01-30T07:51:00.596-08:00

It's funny how tiny, insignificant events can trigger strong emotional reactions. Today on the way out the door for work, I happened to glimpse on the kitchen table the US road atlas that I study obsessively. This atlas reminded me of my desire to just get in the car and drive to all kinds of places I've never been, and that reminded me that I can't do this because I'm shackled (however

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-42539153161856117342008-01-29T11:12:00.000-08:002008-02-11T08:54:30.726-08:00

Imagine this scenario: [Anecdote removed. Although losing my present job wouldn't be a terrible setback in the long run, I'd prefer not to risk it or make myself subject to blackmail by getting too specific here. The point of the story was, the boss asked for some feedback, then embarrassed a person who gave it in a meeting because she gave not quite the precise feedback he wanted. This

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-18017932652075941042008-01-28T08:16:00.000-08:002008-01-28T08:25:42.347-08:00

Check out the number of threads on the ADDForums career forum that are essentially the same theme: I have ADHD, somehow I didn't fit in the paradigm expected in my job, so I got fired.Now, lest you think I'm just endorsing whining, no, I don't know the specifics of every situation, and I don't know those where some accommodation could have been made versus those where the person wasn't fit for

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-22829218086761131912008-01-24T07:40:00.000-08:002008-01-24T14:55:40.525-08:00

I haven't blogged here for several days, for a couple of reasons. Mostly it's that I'm less inclined to write when I'm not suffering, and I've been working hard on leaving my career dissatisfaction to God and coping with the suffering (but not denying it!). That seems to be going relatively well.Likewise, moving forward with the counseling has really helped. I still have issues, and indeed,

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-5056054960568565032008-01-18T07:26:00.000-08:002008-01-18T07:27:20.500-08:00

Yesterday was supposed to be the second session of my career counseling. I was really anticipating it: I made sure to charge my cell phone the night before, and I bought a new notebook to write down my notes. I made sure to download my test results onto the laptop so I could have them at hand during the call.What I forgot to do, however, was bring the laptop with the test results to work.

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-56843755617745961512008-01-16T16:50:00.000-08:002008-01-16T17:03:41.580-08:00

I omitted a few details from my earlier posts today, in part because they're specific to my situation -- I'd like to focus more on general ADHD-in-the-workplace issues -- and in part because I was writing from work and didn't want to get into gory details.We had a company-wide meeting today (less than ten of us) that confirmed some of what I've suspected about, um, let's call it a disconnect in

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-13387702652408452252008-01-16T12:19:00.000-08:002008-01-16T16:50:37.213-08:00

I'm finding myself starting to worry about the same things that worried me before I got sick. Does software development interest me enough to keep doing it? What would I rather be doing all day? How can I keep solvent long enough to learn to do what it is I really should be doing? What exactly do I aspire to?I wish I could keep the concern for the big picture, but not as worry per se.

That guynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-80354947334973946542008-01-16T09:41:00.000-08:002008-01-16T09:42:12.718-08:00

I feel lost today. But that's OK. It's OK to be lost.

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-118977879688458332008-01-15T11:13:00.000-08:002008-01-15T11:19:45.049-08:00

I've been home sick the past two days, with something that might be just a bad cold or something flu-like, I really don't know. All I know is, I'm sleeping like 14-16 hours a day, and when I'm awake I feel totally incapable of any sort of rational thought beyond, "I really want to sit up now; therefore, I should move the cat off of me." I know from experience that trying to write code when

That guynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-663465245485694262008-01-11T12:29:00.000-08:002008-01-11T12:33:07.784-08:00

Actually, last couple of days I had forgotten that I had a rush of things I wanted to learn more about in my spare moments here, possible career stuff. Things like, can you take an undergraduate course in organizational behavior? (Some places, like U of North Texas, you can. Now to find one in a location that appeals to me, and preferably in an extension school.)It sucks that I don't get

That guynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-57418528047252791172008-01-11T12:06:00.000-08:002008-01-11T12:17:05.530-08:00

I'm feeling oh so very understimulated at the moment. Hard but instructive to try to put my finger on why. I mean, I do have work to do. Some of it really needs to get done, and some of it is like, OK, I'm rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, adding features to a site that no one ever sees that don't happen to be features any of the public cares about, but hey, it's what my boss wants.I

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-31991747816214543962008-01-11T08:49:00.000-08:002008-01-11T08:51:38.376-08:00

Just realized that I was set up to require a Google ID to comment. I absolutely HATE going to someone's blog, trying to comment, but seeing that I'm going to have to register to do so!Mind you, I don't think that's the reason there are no comments. I think the reason there are no comments is because no one knows I'm here. But now it's easier for you to prove me wrong, Dear Reader.

That guynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-21042519283920625412008-01-11T07:40:00.000-08:002008-01-11T07:44:38.144-08:00

On one hand, I'm told God wants me to learn to be content despite the circumstances, to just trust him, to rest in him, to accept my time in the desert no matter how long it may be, and never despair, and never question that this time of not being where I want or doing what I wish is meant for my own benefit and refinement.On the other, it seems God made me like this, ADHD, restless, easily bored

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-55955191535715975662008-01-10T13:57:00.000-08:002008-01-10T13:59:25.080-08:00

As I've embarked on career counseling the last couple of weeks, I've compiled a list of every even remotely viable career that catches my fancy -- not because Debbie asked me to, but just because I think it would be fun. Here they are. I'm sure there are more that I'll add as I think of them:Faith-based outreach worker / "missionary"High school guidance counselorTeacher (HS, MS, ES)ADHD

That guynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-14908246911520879512008-01-10T07:44:00.000-08:002008-01-10T07:50:30.864-08:00

I came in this morning determined not to repeat my unfocused yesterday. And mercifully, I can still do this for short periods of time. The first 1:15 of my day, I've been pretty focused, largely cleaning up some messes that have been screwing up our database.I'm trying to quit a lot of the Web surfing (or, let's be honest, looking to fill my intellectual stimulation deficit) but I am letting

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-79020314430907873622008-01-09T13:12:00.000-08:002008-01-09T13:32:28.027-08:00

In abstract terms, I know that my life would supposedly be better if I'd stop surfing around the Internet looking for stuff to make me think during work hours. And indeed, I try to give myself rewards when I do settle down and focus, e.g. counting up the times I shut down unrelated Web sites and giving myself 20 cents per occurrence toward some book or something that I'd like to buy.But the sad

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-11808276948997843762008-01-09T11:02:00.000-08:002008-01-09T11:06:57.919-08:00

Decent day today.... not too depressed.... also having the usual concentration problems. Really drives home how software is interesting enough to catch my attention at times, but not always stimulating to keep me going all day.I'm finding some useful inspiration on that Christine Kane blog, even though it makes me slightly cynical. On one hand, it's easy for those who've gotten a break or two

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-71801134689947550382008-01-08T13:38:00.000-08:002008-01-08T13:44:57.439-08:00

I'm not going to write at length about poker on this blog, but one of my thoughts has been making a go of playing live full-time. In this post from the ironically titled "law school dropout's poker blog", I think he gets to the heart of doing what you love rather than accepting societal expectations for you:I used to think that my dream job would be as a writer for The Daily Show, or some other

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-151892818001339932008-01-08T09:02:00.001-08:002008-01-08T09:07:38.145-08:00

Christine Kane's tour schedule. Looks like she just goes around the country giving "Corporate Creativity Training". I mean, I sound cynical, but it's really a serious question, because I think I would love a career like that. So how do you do it? Get a PhD in creativity? Acquire years of experience becoming creative? I'm really serious. Anyone know?I surfed over there because of an

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-18195594342516000372008-01-08T08:37:00.000-08:002008-01-08T08:47:38.422-08:00

How ass-backwards is it to make the development staff into receptionists and customer support agents for your store because you don't have anyone else to answer the phones?I'm trying to be less critical of stuff at work, and when I started I accepted the occasional interruption as just part of working for a small company. But it's getting a little out of hand. I'm already easily-distracted as

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-78985109379773569322008-01-07T17:50:00.000-08:002008-01-07T18:03:49.412-08:00

I had my first phone conversation with Debbie, my career counselor, today over lunch. This one was mostly me talking, going through my resume with great candor. Honestly, it was a very difficult conversation, even though I'm happy this counseling is taking place. Moving the conversation from one personal failure to another is damned hard! I actually thought I might burst into tears a

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-22058396171052759262008-01-07T09:02:00.000-08:002008-01-07T14:07:38.534-08:00

While just googling , I found a couple of things of interest. Actually several, but i don't have time to explore it all right now.blogcatalog adhd tag -- I suppose this is no different than Technorati or any other metablog site, but I should keep an eye on those.What really caught my attention there, though, is: Is there such a thing as an ADD-friendly career? I'll have to check out her "Best of

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-22192448844045884002008-01-07T07:27:00.000-08:002008-01-07T07:32:50.774-08:00

Today is my first phone session of career counseling. The counselor, who lists both an MBA and MSW on her resume, tells me that she has experience working with ADHD people. If the session today works out, I will end up having a total of six sessions plus related testing, etc., for about $1000. That's a bargain if it ends up putting me on some reasonable path where I feel like I'm using my

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-15913342768565236222008-01-04T13:26:00.000-08:002008-01-10T14:04:04.636-08:00

I like the way this person thinks about work, boredom, ADHD, and how the American Dream often fails to live up to its promise.On my better days i figure so many of us feel this way that someday, the dam will break and we'll just have to start creating institutions that let us do better.

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-69574946196869496592008-01-04T13:02:00.000-08:002008-01-08T08:52:57.118-08:00

Now that I'm no longer emotionally "hung up" about the carpal tunnel issue -- although it hasn't exactly gone away yet, not physically -- I can turn my attention back to the real root problem. I don't find sitting and coding for 8 hours a day to be stimulating enough to hold my interest.I'll have much more to say about this, but I'll just introduce this insight I've had recently. My brain is

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-4733279982509533322008-01-04T08:25:00.000-08:002008-01-08T08:50:52.267-08:00

Boss noticed my carpal tunnel splints; gave me some suggestions on adjusting my desk.The problem isn't that he doesn't care. The problem is that I don't know how to communicate my needs to him before they get to be a crisis.

That guynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4281207572183853552.post-79470894263033094412008-01-04T07:47:00.000-08:002008-01-04T08:13:56.099-08:00

I already blog a lot. I have a couple of blogs more-or-less associated with my real-life identity. I'm going to talk about things here that, for obvious reasons, I don't want associated with my name in real life.It's not so much that this stuff is private. My closest friends know that I have these struggles. And I very much want to make my thoughts about this stuff publicly accessible, so

That guynoreply@blogger.com0