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Comment by numbers_guy | Hacker News Reader

Those working environments already exist, but maybe you are not interested in them. People with ADHD are advised to do jobs that require one to be on their feet. Sitting behind a desk is unfortunately one of the worst things you can do if you cannot focus easily.

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Easier said than done. Outside of sales, what job on your feet pays 200k+/year?

Hate sitting at a desk, been diagnosed, and not into sales.

Not trying to be combative, would love suggestions. I partly want to go bar-tend or be a plumber, but the wage isn’t there.

I should have gone into medicine, but it’s too late for that at this stage.

While being a plumber may not pay much, owning a plumbing company could.

Owning a plumber company does not translate into work on the foot. Probably it will be sitting job

I imagine a high quality plumbing company requires someone inspect the quality of work, discussing with potential clients in person, and other such non desk work. Perhaps even getting one’s own hands “dirty”.

This is what the three people I have known that owned umbing companies did. They had someone they paid to handle a lot of the simple repetitive computer stuff (probably could even automate a lot of that now but I don't think they were people who would have though about that) and they would hop to different current job sites to check on work being done, check in with contractors to make sure work is good and employees are good, go to potential new job sites to meet with contractors or home owners, etc.

Yep.

Spent a summer working in a blue collar fashion for a small company. It was fun-ish, but the owner was at a desk all day.

Actually, it does still involve lots of on your feet work. The owner is more often going between current sites to check work that's being done, going to new potential sites to talk with contractors and/or potential customers, etc. Yes, they also are handling the business end but for a plumbing company that doesn't mean you are at a computer all day, there isnt enough atuff for you yo donin that aspext to keep you busy.

You could get a standing desk.

Have one. Doesn’t solve the problem. I need to move and context switch (ideally).

Management worked for me for a while. I'd sit on my ass all day and context switch via email, intra company phone and at desk convos.

I got involved in myltiple geoups at work. I support several of them with the same domain expertise, but a few others are related or even unrelated donains. I write software for several of them. I don't wfh so this involves walking between areas or buildings on the campus to be with those groups. The complete context switch does help. It is all I had for many years. But Vyvanse has helped a lot too.

Running restaurants was GREAT for this but it was the abolute fucking worst ever. Lol

Exactly. Doing all my life software development, since I was kid. I don't have any other skills. I have been considering becoming a cook, or going into the military tho. But it's hard to do when your personality wired around computers, and you have to change it.

Same issue, except the cook part. The only viable option is building a product in a niche not yet bastardised by corporate. There are some out there just need to dig hard.

I feel it. I’ve been looking at the FBI. It would still be 80% desk work, but better than 100%.

Wage is still a step back and I’m nearing the age cut-off, so would have to jump on it pretty soon.

I would love to get in with the CIA. Truly. But I made some bad choices when I was younger so I am disqualified out the gate. Same with FBI.

Favorite job I ever had was managing this small country store gas station when I was like 19-21 years old. Also managing a coffee shop. If I could do one of those and make a real living wage and be able to save for retirement and life stuffs I would do that RIGHT now. But.... That ain't happening. So. I sit at my desk yelling at my code. Man it is so hard to get started each day though. Some days it takes a couple hours to really get going on my actual work. And it isn't for lack of trying. It's so infuriating, wearing, and disheartening.

It's a good thing that ADHD has nothing to do with "not being able to focus easily" then.

ADHD means "I don't choose what I focus on", which poses some management challenges, but in an environment where there's always a lot of various interesting tasks to choose from and a team of people where others can take care of things you end up neglecting because your focus has changed, one can still thrive sitting behind a desk. In fact, my ADHD barely ever takes me away from my desk (unless making it too cluttered to sit there and moving with a laptop to a couch counts).

Maintaining your health, house and relationships is not as easy though.

I mean you can absolutely work behind a desk in certain setups where you dont have that many distractions. Also tech jobs are becoming increasingly less desirable and i also encourage people to consider alternatives.

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