The Chronic Job Hopper: My Ongoing Battle with Attention Deficit Disorder 1969ý2005

by David R. Wilkowske

In The Chronic Job Hopper, author Dave Wilkowske pulls down the curtain on the mythical American dream and reveals a jungle of wrong turns, lions, and bloodthirsty insects. Wilkowske's life story is a riveting and insightful portrait of the American workplace-like Barbara Ehrenreich's wildly successful Nickel and Dimed-with one essential Wilkowske isn't pretending to be a laborer. This is his real life.In more than thirty-six years of chronic job-hopping, Wilkowske runs the gamut from high-buck corporate tech assignments to wading through raw sewage. And he tells it all-comic and tragic-with a striking balance of irony and rage. While Wilkowske's undiagnosed attention deficit disorder pulls him senselessly from one career mishap to another, he deftly recounts his debacles against the backdrop of emerging American history and culture from the 1960s to today.The Chronic Job Hopper is an eye-opening examination of the plight of the middle-class laborer, as well as a potent argument in favor of early screening and intervention for attention deficit disorder. It's a must-read for anyone who has or is facing the jungle of career transition without a map, a guide, or even bug spray.

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2006

Reviews

[Nix · Rating 3 out of 5]

I commend anyone with ADHD who has managed to publish their experiences and David Wilkowske is no exception. This book is a mixed bag though and I think it would have benefitted from a stronger editorial hand.

I enjoyed the photos, taken by the author himself, which accompany many of the memories in the book. I also enjoyed the 'Wonder Years' feel to the earlier memories. However, I found the backwards skip from the first part to the second a little jarring. I also felt that it descended into bitterness and unnecessary naming and shaming for a protracted amount of the book. I was also disappointed that the author didn't give more insight into his thought processes alongside his experiences. Anyone sharing this disorder is likely to recognise the actions, but I read this book to glean an insight into the workings of author's brain, but didn't find it.