I have this question which comes up in my mind every time I read about ADHD in tech (here, Twitter, blogs etc), which is really genuine and with no second intentions: my feeling is that ADHD seems over represented in tech, but I don't know if it's because ADHD is more invisible in life outside tech jobs, or because people with AHDH in tech are "louder", or because there is a relationship between ADHD and being good at software engineering, or if it's an American thing (I'm European), or what else?
I know the topic might be delicate, but I would really like to understand better.
> my feeling is that ADHD seems over represented in tech
We are overrepresented in tech, relative to the general population.
In the most recent StackOverflow developer survey, respondents self-reported at a rate about double the global average.
> but I don't know if it's because ADHD is more invisible in life outside tech jobs
You almost certainly know or have met people in other industries with ADHD and didn’t know it. Masking is an unfortunate survival skill for most. It’s mentally taxing, and can take hours to recover from after doing it for a day.
There used to be a thought that people grew out of it as they got older. They don’t, they just get really good at masking anything that might indicate they have it.
We’re seeing an increase in adults with ADHD, not because more people now have it. They had it all along (by definition, ADHD is symptomatically present before 12).
> or because there is a relationship between ADHD and being good at software engineering
Software engineering has some of the fastest feedback loops of any creative endeavour, and that really helps keep ADHD brains on task. But I don’t think there’s a relationship between the two, other than people with ADHD have a tendency to go really deep on things they’re interested in—and then subsequently drop it and move on to the next thing.
Software always has a next thing.
People with ADHD thrive on novelty and external consequences.
Agile software teams, infra/ops roles provide both. See also fighter pilots, firefighters, ER nurses, as well as outdoor jobs like landscaping (exercise is very good for ADHD brains).
We also really hate being told what to do, but will gladly solve a hard problem given the opportunity. Software enables that in a way many other jobs don’t.
> I know the topic might be delicate, but I would really like to understand better.
I really hope it’s not a delicate topic. Our brains work differently, but with some accomodations we can fit well into a team. I think there’s a very complimentary overlap with teams composed of neurodivergent and neurotypical people.
There might also be a relationship between those quotes about great software engineers being lazy and ADHD often looking like laziness from the outside...
I know the topic might be delicate, but I would really like to understand better.