In grade school, Rob Surratt was the kid who wiggled, squirmed, and "kicked the legs of the desk. I always needed to move around." Today Surratt, 21, a communications major (and part-time surfer) at the University of Hawaii, knows one thing for sure: "I don't plan to get a job where I sit in a cubicle all day."

Surratt, like an estimated 5 percent or more of Americans, has attention deficit disorder (ADD), a condition that makes it hard for people to concentrate, sit still, get organized, or finish the tasks they start.

High school was a tough time for Surratt, but over the years--with help from parents, teachers, and an ADD coach--he has learned "what works" to help him stay focused and organized at school.

Now he's starting to think about his career. Surratt has worked at an auto body shop and for an inner-city youth program. What he's learned is that he would not last in a job in which he'd have to sit still and do the same thing all day. Instead, Surratt is at his best when he can "interact with people, be creative, move around to different places, and learn new things."

David Neeleman also found it hard to sit still and took off in a career that utilized his restless creative energy. Neeleman, 45, who was diagnosed with ADD about six years ago, was tired of getting to the airport and finding he'd lost his ticket. He channeled his creative energy into inventing Open Skies, the world's first "ticketless" system, and the forerunner of all the e-ticket systems used today. He went on to be the founder of the airline company JetBlue. Today, Neeleman often talks about his experience with ADD and links it to his success in business. "If I could take a magic pill that would get rid of it, I wouldn't," he told USA Today.

"Having a job that interests and engages you is important for everyone," says clinical psychologist Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, author of ADD in the Workplace. "But it is critical for people with ADD, because they have much less voluntary control over their attention." People with ADD have real trouble doing the work in a job that doesn't engage their interest. "But if they find something they really love," says Nadeau, "they bring an intense focus to the work and can become top employees."