Like many people my age, I am currently looking for a job. Over the past 18 months, I’ve dedicated nearly 12 of them to finding a job. This is a particularly tough pill to swallow considering I did nearly everything right; I went to university, got two masters by age 25 and after all that, I struggle more to get a job now than I did at 17.

I’ve had exactly two traditional 9-5 jobs in the past. The first job was for a year and the second for about 4 months. I understand how things are supposed to flow in those environments, however, as a neurodivergent Black woman, I understand that I am not made to flow in those environments. Whether it be not fitting into the unspoken social expectations of British work culture – examples being “friendly” banter with colleagues and binge drinking at socials – or the fact that I simply don’t have much in common with a lot of people I’ve worked with, my inability to fully integrate has always been a sticking place wherever I’ve worked.

Over the years I have become more confident in my ability to advocate for myself. This is a direct result of coming to the realisation that often, my self interests frequently are at odds with those of the company. As someone who is very open about having ADHD I regularly run into issues as a result of asking for accommodations. My self-advocacy has led to me being perceived as a hindrance in both of my workplaces.