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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,639
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,639 |
I'm naive but I really think personal happiness comes from pursuing the things you love, both personally and professionally. If you want to be a high energy PhD in physics, go for it! I love being a physician, so the long hours and all of that didn't bother me.
I do think that if you are ambitious and have some talent, as most gifted kids probably do, the sky is the limit! There is a perennial overproduction of PhDs compared to the number of jobs available for researchers and academics. In your early 20s you may be guided primarily by intellectual curiosity, but when you are older and need to support a family, a string of 2-year post-doc positions or being paid $1000 to teach a course as an adjunct stinks. I suggest that only the very best college graduates -- people who were stars in their department as undergrads -- should try to get a PhD.
"To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle." - George Orwell
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 83
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 83 |
In my opinion the general thinking is that a gifted child will do alright in the world no matter what (I don't personally think that's true and I think a lot of people are also suddenly realizing it may not be true either), whereas a child with special education requirements may stand a good chance of not ever becoming an independent person without that extra assistance in childhood.
Yes it breaks my heart that my daughter isn't offered the chance to develop her abilities more in school time because she's meeting all the benchmarks they need her to, but I know that the people of this country aren't willing to pay more taxes for it to happen. I mean a good amount of people don't think we should even be able to get healthcare if we aren't multi-millionaires.
If there is only going to be a certain amount of money to spend, it should go to those who need it more. My daughter will be fine if they never give her a single day of differentiation. My autistic brother who did receive special education would not have been.
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 83
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 83 |
On PhDs, personally I think you should have to have a certain number of years working in the field of study before you can study for one. The perspective that life experience can bring is invaluable in my opinion.
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 757
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 757 |
I think simply being a gifted child isn't enough- they need to have a good work ethic to harnass that vast potential. I don't think they will do alright no matter what- but I can see why so much of our school's resources go for the kids who are below grade level and not above grade level.
That is true about PhDs. There was an interesting thread here a few months ago about having a PhD in Chemistry- apparently that used to be a great job but now that has been largely outsourced to China/India/etc. and there is alot of job insecurity there.
I do think talking to gifted children about the reality of the work world is important.
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,007
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,007 |
There is a perennial overproduction of PhDs compared to the number of jobs available for researchers and academics. In your early 20s you may be guided primarily by intellectual curiosity, but when you are older and need to support a family, a string of 2-year post-doc positions or being paid $1000 to teach a course as an adjunct stinks. I suggest that only the very best college graduates -- people who were stars in their department as undergrads -- should try to get a PhD. I think in my early 20's, I was primarily guided by "how much money do I need to become economically and politically relevant later in life?"
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 312
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 312 |
I mean a good amount of people don't think we should even be able to get healthcare if we aren't multi-millionaires. Political hyperbole or complete straw man? I can't decide.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,689
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,689 |
A little off topic. Seeing all this political stuff about low tax rates on the rich etc and the haves and have nots, it seems difficult to enact on a big scale when in DD's class at school, bidding for extra gym time in the school auction, I ran into such dynamics, I felt I was back in high school, instead of dealing with parents. We have the best elementary school in all of NYC (Blackboard award 2011) and people complain about donating $73. Just want someone else to pay for it. I ended up underwriting one girl because the parents were just too annoying.
I just basically expect that you have to pay for it and push and push, to give your kid options in today's society and hope my kid figures it out. Seeing that she has learned my bargaining techniques from the markets in Egypt, I am gaining confidence. We watched Eye of the Leopard on PBS again. And I am reminded that you teach your kid to survive and hope they do. But you have to teach them everything.
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,007
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,007 |
That is true about PhDs. There was an interesting thread here a few months ago about having a PhD in Chemistry- apparently that used to be a great job but now that has been largely outsourced to China/India/etc. and there is alot of job insecurity there. This was kind of my point. Even back in the late 1990s law looked like the better financial option than an engineering Ph.D. If I could actually get into the highest tax bracket with a Ph.D. that would be kind of nice.
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 7
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 7 |
The statement is inaccurate, or at the very least overgeneralized. My personal experience = husband with a PhD in high energy physics, highest tax bracket (through hard work, not inheritance), and an effective tax rate in the teens. If I thought high energy physics Ph.D. could obtain "highest tax bracket", I would have probably pursued that rather than a legal career. But we all make financial assumptions when strategically planning our career arcs. In fact, that would probably be much easier for me than law, being that it was actually an area where I had actual talent. Well, he's obviously not working in academics  My point was that high IQ is in no way tied to some kind of high tax rate "punishment." One problem with the way the current system is set up is that judging from the CEO's I've met, a high IQ is far less important than a low golf handicap when it comes to who they listen to concerning major business decisions. Sadly, a bachelors in PE might have been the ticket in your quest for wealth.
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 868
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 868 |
... judging from the CEO's I've met, a high IQ is far less important than a low golf handicap when it comes to who they listen to concerning major business decisions. Sadly, a bachelors in PE might have been the ticket in your quest for wealth. Generalizations and blanket statements drive me crazy. Perhaps you should meet more CEO's. I'm one, and I don't even play golf.
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