Anyone have experience with ADHD?

I've done pretty well up into this point in my life (20 years old) but in the back of my mind I've always wondered whether I have ADHD because of how hard it is for me to focus on things. This reached a new level of frustration as I was supposed to be prepping for IB interviews this summer and couldn't focus enough to get the prep done. I'm having a hard time telling whether I'm just a very bad procrastinator or I have ADHD.

If anyone with experience with ADHD can speak to their experience + give advice to me I'd greatly appreciate it

 
Most Helpful
:
I've always wondered whether I have ADHD because of how hard it is for me to focus on things.
No that just means you're trying to focus on boring shit

Pick your poison:

  • Amphetamines (Adderall, Vyvanse)

  • Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta)

  • Modafinil, Armodafinil

 

Caffeine, Alcohol, and a job that thrills you.

Ritalin fucked me up as a kid. I never used Adderall regularly, but it didn't seem like it was any better. If I had a bigger budget I might have tried cocaine.

Seriously, if you enjoy what you do, then you're never working. My biggest problem is shutting off.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 
Prospect in IB-M&A:
Can you explain how Ritalin fucked you up?

You can work just fine, but you become a social zombie. A guy I went to grammar school with said that I was really cool until the middle of first grade (when I was put on it) then nobody wanted to be around me for the next seven years.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

Not me personally, but a good friend from college had it bad and I witnessed all his antics for 4 years.

ADHD, according to my knowledge about what the medical community says + my friendship with the said friend, is far worse than just not being able to focus.

From the best of my knowledge, it's about constantly doing new things and never being able to commit to a single objective. The said friend of mine would come up with a new "on campus business idea" or "some cool idea for his frat" every week. Most of which he worked on for the first couple hours then forgot about, got bored, or moved on to a different thing to do.

If you're not this bad, might be better off just having a good daily ritual that makes you focused, healthier lifestyle, etc...

 

That's right. I am that bad. What is the best job for someone with ADHD in finance?

 
Intern in IB-M&A:
That's right. I am that bad. What is the best job for someone with ADHD in finance?

Honestly, I'd look at smaller firms. If there are 10 people at the company you'll get thrown into more varied situations. I've survived as we grew by getting known as the guy who'll throw himself into any project, especially if there's nobody designated for it. Honestly, it's rather entertaining that my company keeps on trying to figure out what my title should be, as opposed to trying to slot me in a role.

The TL/DR is that you shouldn't try to find a role, you should try to make one. Unfortunately this is difficult to do even as a senior employee.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

yeah i was diagnosed with that as a kid and put on pills which gave me migraines and i threw out. you should lean into it. whatever the current iteration of the DSM and the amalgam of current social consensus calls "adhd" is essentially just a super broad boat of spectrum of personality traits. but we cant admit that we dont know so here's some letters for ya. but umm... i'd lean into it. it's not a problem. just do what interests you. people who they call add tend to do well when they focus on shit they actually find meaningful. i'd use this as an opportunity to listen to your soul.

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 
Pierogi Equities:
GoldenCinderblock:
you should lean into it.

what do you mean by this?

lean into the distractions. allow yourself to be distracted. allow the excitement and energy to build. and then once in a while, you find something that's interesting that can hold your focus and that focus is a very intense and sustainable focus if you sort of train yourself to not break it and get distracted by minutiae. and then you have this ability to get really good at stuff really quick. it just has to be stuff that genuinely interests you. so idk gl trying to monetize surfing or woodworking. you can just end up as a person with a lot of half-started hobbies...

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 

Is RE a great place for someone with ADHD? How did you figure out that you wanted to go into RE?

 
Intern in IB-M&A:
Is RE a great place for someone with ADHD? How did you figure out that you wanted to go into RE?

Entrepreneurship is a great place for someone showing as "adhd" because we do well at task completion as opposed to "do this for X amount of hours." So like I can get more done in 3 hours these days than I used to get done in 3 days at my office job. And no dude fuck the business world and fuck real estate but fuck a cubicle way harder. I don't wanna do any of this shit.

heister: Look at all these wannabe richies hating on an expensive salad. https://arthuxtable.com/
 

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