Career Resources for the Highly Gifted

When I was growing up I had a friend who wanted to be an electrician.  For as long as I could remember, Sam talked about this goal.  He wasn't particularly gifted and school, but he knew what he wanted to do with his life.  When he got out of school, he went to vo-tech, got his degree, got his license, got his union card, and 25 years later still works as an electrician.  He enjoys his work immensely!  So much so that he often takes on side jobs on the evenings and weekends.  He gets enthusiastic when he tells stories of his work-day events.  It's really a pleasure to be around someone who enjoys his work so much.

For a long time in my career I envied Sam his contentment.  We both knew I was way smarter than him when it came to school and even when it came to most skills needed to be successful in a career.  So why wasn't I happy with my work?  What I lacked was the direction and focus that Steve had - and I couldn't seem to find it.  I was years into my career wanderings before I came to understand that people who are highly gifted academically often have more challenges in sustaining career focus and momentum and may need to approach their career differently.

I am by no means an expert on this topic but I have found some folks who are.  Check out these articles on Career Development for Gifted Individuals (note - scroll about halfway down the page to find the links).  There are many different perspectives offered by this collection of career experts - you're bound to find an article that speaks to you and gives you the encouragement you need today!

Comments

[almostgotit]

I think there are huge benefits to believing (albeit with all humility :) ) that one is gifted. In fact, I read somewhere recently that 90% of us believe that we are!

Additionally, as I've read somewhere else, (& all of these vague referrals are surely making me sound very "gifted" myself, NOT!) experimenters have found that if you tell a teacher his/her students are "gifted," s/he will believe and thus act as if they are... and the students, in turn, will begin to test higher on all tests designed to measure "giftedness."

All of which is to say that *all* of us can benefit from reading these articles (I enjoyed perusing them -- thank you!) and take to heart what they say: that it is good to be exactly who we are; that there is a place for each and every one of us in the career world; that careers (and life) often take strange and circuitous paths; that we should take heart and stand fast, trusting that we'll figure things out eventually if we do.

Because believing it helps make it so!

[MMG]

I don't think I can thank you enough for this posting. I found an interesting article on that list (ok, several, but one in particular--"Understanding Empathy") that has opened my eyes and provided validation, education, and insight for my seemingly "over sensitive" nature. The author also points out many strengths about it, too!

Thanks to this much needed information (it would have been helpful growing up), I will be much wiser when job seeking, knowing what will provide a good "fit", and understanding to a greater degree what I have to offer.

Thanks again so much!