Brett Ahmed, who just started a new job as an IT technician, is unsure whether he should demand more accommodations from his boss or if he’s just bad at his job.
“My work requires keeping track of a lot of details about different projects at once,” Ahmed tells us. That’s a tough task for people with ADHD who often struggle with executive function. But Ahmed isn’t sure if this is the main source of his problems at work.
“I’d like to see if my employer would cover a new project management system that would make it easier for me to stay organized. But maybe it’s possible that a lifetime of struggling with basic daily living tasks means I just didn’t develop the skills I need to do this job efficiently.”
Since beginning work last month, Ahmed has been struggling to keep up. He’s considered asking his manager if he can get an exception to the “no headphones except for calls” rule so he can listen to music, which helps him stay focused, but he isn’t confident that would solve the problem. “This is the most boring ass shit I’ve ever had to do. It’s an inherently boring job. I don’t think someone without ADHD would find it any easier, would they? I don’t know. Maybe they would!”
Ahmed’s boss thinks he’s building a trusting relationship by allowing Ahmed to self-direct and organize his own priorities at work, despite Ahmed repeatedly asking for clear deadlines so he knows which tasks to prioritize. But Ahmed isn’t sure if he should press the issue. “Maybe I don’t prioritize well because I don’t really understand what the job entails or care about the work. Would more dopamine help me? It’s impossible to know what the root cause of my incompetence is.”
It’s caused an existential crisis for the 29-year-old who’s keen to get into the workforce and move out of his parents’ basement. “It’s just so hard to know if it’s my ADHD that’s keeping me back or a general lack of employable skills,” Ahmed told us, explaining that this was the fifth career he’s tried since finishing his undergraduate degree seven years ago. Due to the state of the economy, a lot of people live with their parents well into their 30s, and job-hopping isn’t uncommon even amongst Ahmed’s dopamine-rich peers.
“Also I just, like, generally don’t understand what’s going on with computers and how they work,” which is an essential skill for the job he has.
When asked if he would request more accommodations from his employer or look for another job yet again, he said, “Honestly, I’m just hoping AI replaces me soon. If robots want to do this really boring, detail-oriented job, I say let ’em.” Before the dreaded return to his computer, Ahmed added, “I just hope our new logic-based robot overlords will do a cost-benefit analysis and give better disability benefits, anyways.”