Article: A college education is not for everyone, and some students with ADHD will be happier avoiding it and seeking a trade school or other career path. But having ADHD does not mean college is out of the question. Depending on the severity of your ADHD and your coping skills, you could excel in a regular collegiate program as well. There are also many specialized programs that support students with various needs. Several highly respected institutions have deliberately developed strong structures to guide students with ADHD and learning disabilities not only in achieving academic success but in learning more about themselves and how to excel in their chosen career fields after college.  Consider submitting an essay with your application that describes what you’ve accomplished in light of your disability.  Locate your college’s student support services. It’s up to you to initiate contact with this office. This can be helpful in getting accommodations or other supports.  Think about attending a college close to home. Most students with ADHD may find attending college less stressful and more successful if they do not have to move too far from home.  These students also benefit from a strong, supportive structure at their college that helps them compensate for their disorder. A smaller college may help you feel less overwhelmed. Take a look at College Academic Support website for a list of 40 colleges and universities that provide specialized programs for students with ADHD. Trying to discover one’s life avocation is daunting enough without piling the challenges of ADHD. Interest inventories attempt to gather information about your likes and dislikes as well as aptitudes and characteristics that determine your suitability for a particular career.  Even students who have a strong sense of where they want to end up should take a career interest inventory. This may point them in a more focused direction or open their eyes to previously unconsidered careers that may better meet their needs. For example, one young man who felt destined to become an architect said he’d always been drawn to horticulture as well and felt it would be a lifelong hobby. After taking a career inventory, he learned that he could combine these two paths in a career in landscape architecture. Talk with a guidance counselor or college career center to obtain a career inventory questionnaire.  You may also find them in libraries, bookstores, or online. Some require assistance in decoding while others are self-guided. This inventory will help you find a career that takes advantage of your unique qualities. You may be exposed to careers that require creativity, thinking outside the box, hyperfocus, and high energy in an intense, constantly changing work environment.   Despite common misperceptions, adults with ADHD can be successful professional leaders in industry, politics, and science as well as music, art, and entertainment as well as everywhere in between. Vocational schools (also known as trade schools or career colleges) provide hands-on, technical training and certification in a variety of fields. These options may give students the qualifications they need to work as electricians, plumbers, mechanics, veterinary technicians, graphic designers, secretaries, X-ray technicians, certified nursing assistants, travel agents, or dental assistants as well as in fields as diverse as viniculture, childcare, cosmetology, culinary arts, data-entry, aircraft maintenance, and more.  Vocational training may be the answer for some individuals with ADHD who do better at learning hands-on than from traditional academic teaching. Many community colleges offer the same vocational training in short certification or longer two-year associate-degree programs. This option can also work for individuals who feel they can complete a two-year program but doubt they could pursue a four-year university degree. Some of these programs, once completed, may be credited by some universities toward a four-year degree. Work with a guidance counselor when choosing vocational programs. Entering the military may be a viable option for some adults with ADHD who thrive under tight structure and who would benefit from the vocational training and college opportunities made available by their service. In the past, ADHD was an automatic disqualifier for U.S. military service. But new guidelines allow adults with ADHD who have not taken meds in a year or more and who do not “demonstrate significant impulsivity or inattention” to enlist in the U.S. military. Every U.S. state offers vocational rehabilitation (VR) services for persons with disabilities who need assistance in getting or maintaining employment.  Sometimes VR helps with financial assistance to a college or vocational training school,  such as sponsoring clients in attending truck-driving school to obtain a CDL license. In other instances, VR will cover the expense of a job coaching service. Check with your state government to find your local VR office. If you’re looking for a job (or you want to get a new job), get help with the application process from a career center or your local employment office. There is a lot to job hunting, from finding appropriate positions to the ins and outs of completing forms, including the right attachments to your application, writing your resume, practicing for interviews, and dressing for success. Job coaching is a service frequently underwritten by vocational rehabilitation services. It can also be hired independently, often through a non-profit community agency.   A job coach will walk with an employee through his workday, noting potential problems and designing solutions. The coach may also provide training to strengthen the employee’s potential to retain that position. Some issues may be relatively simple fixes that an employer will arrange, while others may require extensive training for the employee.  For instance, a supervisor who wants to meet with a particular staff member once a week may be used to asking, “Hey, is this a convenient time? Let’s meet in five…” which can be nerve-wracking if the staffer has ADHD and struggles with irregular schedules and routines.  A job coach might request that the supervisor establish a regular day and time for that meeting. An employee with ADHD may find himself overwhelmed by the myriad small details of his position. Time management is a common issue for people with ADHD, so a job coach can help the employee devise a weekly schedule that breaks down his tasks into blocks of allotted time. The coach can also teach the employee how to break large projects into a series of smaller steps. The job coach may be hired for a matter of a few days or weeks, depending on the situation, then withdraw for consultation as needed. Employers can be quite receptive to having job coaches on board. This individual can help the employer avoid turnover and run a more organized workplace. Some people with ADHD might benefit from having certain accommodations on the job. Employers are prohibited from asking employees or requiring applicants to disclose if they have disabilities. But if you have significant ADHD impairment, you may choose to be candid with your employer about your ADHD. The decision rests entirely on you as to if and when you might notify your employer.   Applicants might be afraid to share such personal information, but there may come a time that the truth needs to come out.   For example, if you struggle with time management, you may be chronically late to work or miss meetings. In this case, you may choose to explain in order to obtain grace or assistance.  If your employer notes that you’ve been falling behind or making too many mistakes, he might have more compassion if he is aware of your disability. Your employer may shift your tasks to ones that suit your skillset. People with ADHD should seek ways to make small changes that will resolve certain problems. One man explained that, at staff meetings, he used to make his supervisor angry because he would hyperfocus. It appeared to the employer that he was not paying attention or that he was staring at people. This individual resolved that he’d take notes at the meeting. That way, he could “multitask and still hyperfocus, but in ways that don’t bother anyone.”

What is a summary?
Think about finding a suitable college for yourself. Take inventory of your career interests. Look into vocational training. Consider joining the military. See if you’re eligible for vocational rehabilitation services. Visit a career or employment center. Work with a job coach. Think about whether you should ask for accommodations. Identify small changes you can make.