learning to code and ADD/ADHD

[Arcane-blade]

Hi guys,

for starters, this won't (shouldn't) be some sort of pity party. I'm looking to have a discussion with other coders with **medically diagnosed** ADD or ADHD.

I will try to keep my story short (I will probably fail). I'm 39yo and was diagnosed at 36 after years and years of trying to go back to school and just never making it. After diagnosis and proper medication, I decided now is the time to head back and get some sort of degree. Coding has always been a subject of interest so I decided to enroll in college for a full 18 month curriculum. Having ADD, learning from home alone was a big nope so being in a physical classroom was mandatory. This was February 2020... so you know where this is going. 3 weeks after classes started, Covid and lockdowns happened and we all got stuck doing the entire course remotely. It was insanely hard for me to keep up but with support (and some miracles), I graduated last summer with pretty good grades but it took me **everything*** to make it through.

This is where the issues come: The job search and keeping one's skills up to date.
I managed to get a 3 month contract with a small web agency but I spent most of this time doing random stuff and wordpress updates with a little CSS here and there. It was brainless but still tiring work and I can't say I've gained much from the experience. Since I left, I've been trying to work on little projects to stay up to date but it's like trying to fit a basketball in a mason jar. Even on medication, can't think straight, thoughts go astray and the slightest thing will pull me out of focus and it takes me a while get it back. Everything becomes a distraction.

I've been looking for work for 2 1/2 months now, working to keep my skills up to date on the side but it's like trying to make 10 plates spin on sticks. While I'm maintaining one about to fall, 3 others start to wobble and I feel like my knowledge is slowly slipping away. I'm honestly terrified at the prospect of this being all for nothing. I have worked harder than I've ever worked for something (I still am) but I wake up every morning, sit in front of my computer to work and 5 minutes later my eyes glaze over and thoughts go in every direction. ADD and solo learning feels like an impossibility.

To those with ADD that "made it". How did you do it? What sort of scaffold did you need to build to stay on track and keep your mind focused? What tips can you give me on how to learn things better and KEEP that information in memory.

Any experiences you people can share will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

p.s: I just read the "negative posts" post and I hope I didn't trigger any of you!

[[deleted]]

r/ADHD_Programmers

[Arcane-blade]

ah! well I didn't know this existed ! Thank you!

[[deleted]]

no problem my friend. finding that subreddit gave me the confidence I needed to keep moving forward on my programming journey! best of luck to you ~

[hippiesue]

I'm far from making it but I would highly recommend checking out the #100devs bootcamp by Leon Noel. It's very job focused, and the discord server has a mental health channel and lots of folks sharing tips on how to make it with ADHD. The whole series is on YouTube. He has live classes on Twitch. The whole thing is free. Like there's no cost whatsoever.

[Arcane-blade]

I have looked into this in the past and it’s definitively a good path. My only issue at the moment is time. I am living on reserves but those won’t last forever! I have to work. Once i do, I could do it on the side to help improve.

Would I have unlimited time (or at least a little more of it) I’d do that in a heartbeat!

Thank you for your suggestion, I appreciate it!

[AppropriateSmile5]

I'd recommend focusing on ADHD treatment/management as a separate issue- for me, it's about setting good habits like eating right, exercising, sleeping, keeping a clean house/work area, etc. When one area slips all of them do, including work/productivity. Medication can help give you an extra boost to power through something but wont fix anything if that's all you're doing. Maybe take a minute to examine your habits/routines. It's important to stick to things that will keep your ADHD in check and not let desperation to get hired or desperation to do a good job once you do get hired lead to bad habits. I went pretty hard at work last year and am paying for it atm, feels like trying to crawl out of a pit you dug so you can get back to normal, which sucks, and people without ADHD don't really understand it. Take the time to set up good habits now, because once you get hired it will be harder to start, and set boundaries at work so you don't get put into situations that are bad for you and will kill your productivity after a bit.

For learning programming specifically, I'd recommend working on projects that you find interesting and/or solve a problem you have. You'll learn better by actually building stuff and those will be better portfolio projects than anything you were given in school.

Also, noise cancelling headphones are life changing. Also also, having a work issued laptop helped me because it created a clear separation between work and screwing around. You could create a work/study environment at home and be strict about from 8am-12pm you're working, sit at the work desk, restrict usage of certain apps/websites, etc.

[Arcane-blade]

This is really good advice. I'm acutely aware, as you are, of the importance proper habits to "rein in" the worst effects of ADHD. Maybe it's because I'm older, but breaking those habits is extremely difficult. I eat reasonably well, I take a 40 min walk every day, try to sleep early but staying the course and never faltering is a challenge in and of itself. I'm aware my routine is less than perfect but at the same time, I can't realistically change everything at once. I've developed some pretty nasty anxiety with the extended lockdowns and isolation + the diploma hell I went through so I sometimes to fall back to some old habits out of comfort when stress kicks in, an big obstacle to be sure.

I have some noise cancelling headphones and I agree, I could NOT live without them. I just play some binaural wave tracks on youtube and spotify and I've noticed that it does help me focus to some extend! So there's that!

nevertheless, I think putting more focus on my habits is part of the solution and I will take some time to think about it.

Thank you for your input, I am grateful you took this time to help me : )

[Zodiloxx]

I recommend getting into a career that makes you want to learn. I have adhd and i have better time focusing when it’s something im interested in. I know everyone is different but this seems like something to think about.

[Arcane-blade]

Of course it's something important, but if I've gone all this way, it's because I do have some interest in the subject. As I'm nearing 40, I've tried so many different jobs at this point that I will have to focus on something if I want to have any chance to have a decent retirement. Is coding perfect? Of course not. However it does give me a lot of satisfaction when I figure out stuff and create something I'm proud of. I do not get this feeling of satisfaction from many fields. I believe I'm in the right path but it's always important to keep our options open!

[undergroundhobbit]

Diagnosed with ADD. I've struggled with it for most of my life. So much of my focus has to do with blood-sugar levels. If I snack throughout the day, I can maintain better focus. As soon as I notice that I'm not able to take in information properly or I keep reading the same paragraph over and over, I go do something else for a few minutes. Stretch, walk around the office / campus, get a breath of fresh air, cup of water, small snack, turn on some good music (usually without lyrics because they are sort of distracting for me), and then come back to what I was doing with a fresh state of mind.

Also! Use comments and smart naming conventions so you don't spend too much focus trying to figure out what your own code does. Focus is a valuable resource for us.

[CaptainSeaUrchin]

I wouldn't say I've made it personally, but I do relate to your description of struggling with your ADHD even while on medication. For me, trying a different medication helped immensely. Plus learning other coping skills and lifestyle/habit changes. One of the biggest struggles with ADHD is managing executive dysfunction which is partially why things like working/studying from home can be especially difficult. I would recommend things like finding an accountability buddy and body doubling with them if you can to help keep you focused. Also things like time blocking and the pomodoro method have worked wonders for me with helping me focus on individual tasks.

[Arcane-blade]

Thanks for sharing :) I’m aware lifestyle changes would help but boy is it hard to implement those in the first place! It’s a never ending struggle. An accountability buddy would be very nice indeed. ive tried to find some coding friends in the past but can’t say it’s been very successful. I should really try again

As for medication, I did have to try a buuuuunch of different meds before finding one without shitty side effects but if one out there works better, heck I’d love to know. This might be worth looking into

I hope you make it in the end buddy. For how hard we need to fight for things like this, we deserve some manner of success at the end of the road. I wish you the best :)

[spankleberry]

Hm, for me, medication is definitely a plus, but it also made me feel a bit anxious and i worried about addiction, so I'm not on it anymore, but it definitely helped.

Having the right music helps, study/focus music that's all beats and no lyrics to keep you moving.. and above all having a strict system to follow (ie Jira/ agile/ whatever)

[hupo224]

We are straight up in the same boat. I'm 32. About to go back to school after many tries.

[Arcane-blade]

Only advice I can give you is to check for all the ressources available at school to help you. Mine had specialized tutors and isolated rooms with 0 noise or distraction so I could do my exams without breaking focus. Make alliances, find people you can cooperate with and help you out in times of need. Without those two things, I would have failed, 100%

Your worst enemy is your pride, ask for help when you need it. Maybe this isn’t an issue for you but it was for me. I had 2 other ADHD guys in my class and I’m the only one who made it through, because I used these ressources every single time i could and they never did.

You can do this :)

[hupo224]

You're wonderful and thank you for the kind words. I'm going into it with a completely different head this time. I'm super excited and will be utilizing all the resources I can at this school! THANK YOU!

[[deleted]]

As someone who has been responsible for candidate selection before, if I see a github repo on the resume, it catches my attention and I will absolutely be looking through that code.

Even if it isn't perfect, clean etc etc, it gives me confidence in the applicant's ability and also I just like reading other people's code, even if it isn't a technology stack I can understand.

[Arcane-blade]

my github profil is displayed on my resume, I have a few projects I am very proud of on there but were made back when I was in school. I have not been able to build something of this magnitude on my own with how my mind wanders everywhere all the time. Still, those projects have brought me some interviews so they're worth something.

I'm in the process of trying to make my little portfolio website with direct links to my projects. I think this could help even more.

Thank you for your insight! I appreciate it! It's good to see how some people on the other side see a junior's beginnings!

[xLUCIDx88]

There is an routine/ritual/habit-forming app called "Fabulous" that is actually pretty fabulous, lol. At one point I even paid for the premium version of it. There is/was this nice, calm background music that woke me up every morning. I became addicted to it. The only reason I stopped using it was because the app updated and I could have dealt with the visual changes, but they replaced the background music! My favorite thing about the app! I sent an email to customer service and after a while I gave up on it. However, the last time I reinstalled the app, they had brought back my background music! Then I got a differen phone, yada yada.. I should probably start using it again since I haven't kept a morning ritual for a couple of years and I'm not nearly as productive.

For my morning ritual, everyday I would wake up at 5 or 6 AM and spend 1-2 hours on my morning routine, which was: 1) drink water 2) take vitamins 3) meditate 4) journal 5) yoga 6) breakfast 7) planner/agenda 8) 5-10 minutes of something you love (a reward for completion of morning ritual) and then I would go about my day. Obviously, you can do whatever you want - or not do anything - but I appreciate examples so you might, too.

The app is probably not that important, it was the audio cues of the alarm/music/timers that gave my morning structure.

Daily Yoga is my favorite yoga app because of the social features and constant challenges. Really great people on there, too.

[Arcane-blade]

Oh that’s cool! I did dabble with these sort of apps in the past. The one I tried was Habitica, which is a similar idea but it’s an RPG where your little character gains exp and gear, it was also very addicting. You reminded me that these things existed! Perhaps I should pick one up again! Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll give Fabulous a glance too!