I do wonder though, if it isn’t the same people who fell through the cracks as gifted kids who struggle with underemployment and underachievement as adults. If so, it seems it would be especially unkind to simply kick them to the curb at midlife and tell them to get over it.
Or ones that didn't fall through the cracks. I'm a weird case where I was identified and had a lot of resources and opportunities in grade school, but the geographic relocation de-emphasized that kind of program. I think maybe there is still an assumption that gifted kids will "figure it out," but really it took me a long time to realize that the things that caused me problems in work were the same thing that caused problems in school. Part of the problem is there's much more emphasis on finding the right job than on finding the right school. So it's easy to slip into the habit of job hopping to find the better job.
I think what's missing is creating support structures for adults similar to structures for gifted kids. It's like needing to identify where I'm maladapted and create counteracting adaptions.
If you are a gifted adult, what would you put in your plan?
If you are a parent, what would you want your child to carry into an adult plan?
