I am currently enrolled in college online and studying to receive my B.S in criminal justice with the focus of cybercrime and security. I have been coding and working with HTML for most of my life. I am finally making the leap to pursue security as a full time career. Due to my hyperactivity, it is so hard for me to focus on actually sitting down and getting things done. There are times where I am completely motivated and then there are times when I just want to sleep all day. Does anyone know if seeking a mentor of some sort would a good idea? I sometimes need someone to give me that extra push of motivation.
Thank you all.
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It never hurts to have a mentor, or at least a study buddy/group. I recommend asking your academic advisor for further advice on the subject. If you don’t have an advisor, just visit your favorite professor during office hours.
College is rough, especially for someone with ADHD, and your story of uneven motivation is very familiar to me. I would advise you to make a schedule, blocking out certain hours for study, and stick to it as much as possible. There’s an old saying: “Motivation is for amateurs. Professionals have discipline.”
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Hi CyFlyGirl007,
That sounds like an interesting study!
Maybe this course could help you focus:
It’ll teach you how to focus in short cycles, which helps to get things done if your mind keeps wandering off from studying to other interesting things.
Also, don’t study too much or too long. You need to do other things as well to keep your brain in good condition. Things like a hobby, sports or whatever, as long as it’s something you love doing and has nothing to do with your study.
You brain will keep learning during those hours, without you noticing it.
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I have ADHD and after a long period of feeling I’m messed up I try to consider it my super power. If you feel burnt out, focus on something you love doing that’s productive and then hop back to coding. Sometimes fighting our inattention backfires and as for coding the beauty is you can break it up into several components and that also helps for those who suffers from an inability to do things in a linear fashion.
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Omg yes! This is exactly what I need to hear. ADHD is something that makes getting things done so hard. It helps sometimes, but focusing on just one thing is so difficult. Thank you for the advice
Thank you. I will look into those resources. My thing is trying to stay focused on just one subject at a time without getting bored and watching 70s and 80s music videos on YouTube for the next 5 hours. Lol
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Yes, I love that quote. I need to build discipline. Do you know of any sites where you could find mentors for coding or IT?
thank you
That Learning how to Learn course is about watching YouTube when you try to focus on online courses. It explains why that happens and what to do about it.
Many people who study online have the same problem you have. I’m one of them and I don’t have ADHD.
I guess there are many like us on this forum, with or without ADHD.
Watching YouTube video’s to avoid getting bored is only human. And studying online isn’t as easy as it sounds. Time flies when you’re procrastinating. 
Don’t worry too much about the discipline. Find a way to study and work with your creative and associative mind, not against it.
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I don’t personally know of any sites offering online mentorship, though that’s largely for my lack of seeking them out. If I were you however, I’d seek out some mentors or study groups that you can meet with face-to-face, and your academic advisor should be able to give you some pointers on this. There’s no better setting than a college to make this sort of thing happen, after all.
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