From ADHD Chaos to Technical Solution Architect — The Messy, Beautiful Truth

I’ve been sitting with this for a few days, trying to find the right words.

So here it is:

I’ve been promoted to Technical Solution Architect.

Even typing that still triggers the usual voice in my head: “Did they really mean you?”

That’s imposter syndrome doing its thing. It has popped up at every stage of my career, but this time it doesn’t get the final say.

I have ADHD. Combined type. The whole package: inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive, and sometimes hyperfocused to a level that should probably come with a warning label. But there’s another part of ADHD I don’t talk about enough in the context of work: RSD, or Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria.

For years, RSD quietly shaped my decisions. Not the ADHD itself, not the focus challenges, but the fear. Fear of putting an idea forward and hearing “no”. Fear of applying for something and being dismissed. Fear of being seen and then judged. It kept me quiet in rooms where I had something to say. It made me talk myself out of opportunities before anyone else even had the chance. Looking back, I can see how much that cost me.

I’ve shared bits of my medication journey before, including the ADHD360 Right to Choose route, the titration, and the long wait that turned out to be worth every minute. What I didn’t fully understand back then was how much it would unlock. Now, with enough distance, I can say it clearly:

Medication has been the single biggest enabler of my career progression. Not because it changed who I am, but because it finally let who I am show up.

The RSD isn’t gone, but it’s manageable.

Feedback no longer wipes me out for a day.

Thoughts don’t spiral like they used to. I don’t shut down ideas before they’ve had a chance to breathe. I raise my hand. I speak up. I stopped waiting to feel ready and started acting like I already had what I needed.

My ADHD360 letter summed it up better than I ever could: I went from 17 out of 18 positive ADHD screening markers to just 2. That isn’t a small shift. That’s a turning point.

And then there’s the Power Platform. It clicked for me instantly. Visual. Fast. Iterative. Creative. It rewards exploring patterns, diving deep into a problem, and resurfacing three hours later with ten tabs open and something you’re proud of. That’s an ADHD superpower when it’s supported, not fought.

A Technical Solution Architect needs to hold complexity in their head, break it down, and guide people through it. An ADHD brain that’s understood, supported, and medicated can be brilliant at that.

If you’re neurodivergent and working in tech, and you feel like one day someone will tap you on the shoulder and say, “We’ve realised you don’t actually know what you’re doing”, I see you.

If RSD is the thing holding you back from applying, speaking, or stepping forward, please know it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Medication isn’t for everyone, but for me it changed the trajectory of my life. I wouldn’t be writing this post without it.

The non-linear path is still a path.

The messy journey is still a journey.

If you ever want to talk about ADHD, RSD, medication, career progression, or the Power Platform, my inbox is open.

And as always, thanks for reading.

Jon