A message to the square pegs: When the fob doesn’t jit

When the Fob Doesn’t Jit: My Journey from Educator to Unemployed to Entrepreneur with ADHD

Working in education, you collect moments that stick with you. Like the time I sat across from a parent whose child had ADHD. I gave them advice I thought was solid at the time: 

“Let’s help your son find a job that fits his strengths, instead of pushing him toward a job that tugs on his weaknesses.”

Little did I know, I wasn’t just changing their perspective—I was unknowingly setting the stage for my own transformation.

Spoiler alert: that advice turned out to be prophetic.

For many people, a traditional 9-to-5 job can feel like a cozy, well-worn sweater. For me, it felt more like an itchy wool turtleneck in July. Working in schools, I wasn’t thriving. The constant deadlines, rigid schedules, and endless stream of opinions (so many opinions) drained my energy faster than my morning coffee could refill it.

It wasn’t just about the environment. My ADHD brain wasn’t built for all that structure and monotony. I’m wired for innovation, problem-solving, and the occasional (frequent) inspired side quest (I love my side quests), none of which were on the job description.

At first, I thought the problem was me. “Why can’t I just make this work?” I wondered. But then it hit me: the problem wasn’t me. The problem was the job.

The Aha Moment

My ADHD diagnosis was like getting the decoder in the game of Outburst: all the fuzzy red dots became words I could read (sorry to everyone born after 1990 who doesn’t get this reference). All those struggles started to make sense. As I reflected on milestones and roadblocks, one memory replayed on a loop: that conversation with the parent and her son. That advice was as much for him as it was for me: I wasn’t thriving because I was stuck in a job that tugged on my weaknesses.

It was time to take my own advice.

When my husband’s job moved us across the country, I saw my chance. I left the classroom behind. Overnight, I went from educator to unemployed to entrepreneur and I haven’t looked back. (Okay, I do look back sometimes. I miss my colleagues. You know who you are!)

Building a Business That Fits

It’s been more like a roller coaster, complete with moments of exhilaration, flashes of terror, and the occasional feeling that I should’ve skipped the funnel cake.

Starting my own behavioral health practice hasn’t been easy. It’s been more like a roller coaster, complete with moments of exhilaration, flashes of terror, and the occasional feeling that I should’ve skipped the funnel cake. But it’s been worth every nauseating twist and turn.

Now, I’m doing work that lights me up: creating programs that helps people navigate life with ADHD. I’m the designer of my destiny. I create the job to fit me. No more itchy sweaters. I’ve finally found work that feels right—not because I found the job that fit, but because I created it.

A Message to the Square Pegs

If you feel out of place in your job, you’re not alone. People like us, the neurodivergent thinkers with ADHD superpowers, are everywhere. The world isn’t designed with our brains in mind, and that gives us a competitive advantage.

You don’t have to force yourself into a role that doesn’t fit. Whether you find a better fit or create your own, you deserve work that aligns with your strengths. For me, that meant entrepreneurship. For you, it might mean something else entirely.

So, if the job doesn’t fit, don’t settle. Take it from me: sometimes, the best path is the one you carve yourself.