I have seen this problem in my family. My mother's brother was a gifted artist, loved to travel, very charming and articulate, and because he got bored so easily, he couldn't keep a job for more than a year or so. I know he was capable of doing so much more than he did. It is too late for him to do anything now. He had a stroke and retired with very little montly income because he didn't work anywhere long enough to earn a decent retirement.
My highly gifted stepson was smarter than a lot of his teachers in high school so he dropped out and got his GED. He took a few college courses but dropped out of college. Even though he dropped out of college he usually managed to make higher scores on tests than the colledge graduates and had no trouble finding IT jobs even though he didn't have the degree. He has had so many different jobs and he didn't keep any of them for very long. He had jobs that paid well enough to pay his bills, but he kept getting bored with his job or he said he hated dealing with office politics, so he kept changing jobs until there were no good places left for him to work.
One thing that worries me about the idea of changing jobs is the fact that when companies lay off employees, the last people hired are usually the first people to be laid off. I once worked for a manufacturing company in the accounting department where I was just a number. I was out the door when they had a lay off not because of the work I did, but because of my number. I had only worked there five years and had just bought a new house. It happened right before Christmas when I was a single parent. Things I have heard recently on the news about the economy and loss of jobs are bringing back bad memories.
My highly gifted stepson has been working at a convenience store for over a year now because he couldn't find the right job when there were jobs available and now nobody is hiring. He is 34, can barely pay his bills now and he is afraid his hours are going to be cut. I worry that it will be even more difficult for him to find a good job now because he will have to explain why he worked so many different places and why there were times when he wasn't working at all for months at a time. The years between ages 34 and 40 go by way too fast and I know it will be harder for him to find a job even with a degree after 40.
I also think the average employer has about as much sympathy for people who are bored with their jobs as the average teacher has for gifted kids who are bored in school.
Our family has talked a lot lately about this "problem" that often comes with being gifted. At least my 10 year old is learning something from it. He sees the difficulty that his older half brother is having and is motivated to get a college degree no matter how smart he is and he is already listening to advice from his dad who has to hire and fire people as part of his job and his grandfather who worked his way up in the military, retired, went back to work as a low level clerk and worked his way up again as a civilian government employee. My son heard his brother tell us about not being able to go to the doctor because he couldn't afford the co-pays even if he had insurance. He heard him talk about not having money to go to a movie or even enough money left after paying bills to buy the gas to get there. So my son thinks it might be a good idea to get more than one college degree so that he will be qualified to do more than one type of job. He wants to have the education necessary to write a book, design video games, be a psychologist, and maybe do a little acting on the side.
Several members of my family worked for the federal government where changing jobs and working up the ladder was expected. They always found another job before they got bored. I have a younger sister who was gifted in math. She works for the federal government and she makes over six figures a year as a supervisor but she is at a place now where she feels stuck. She would have to take a cut in pay and a lower level position to change jobs now and she is having a hard time with this. She has to decide if the stress she is feeling is worth the money she is being paid.
One of my uncles, an engineer, had so much energy after working all day that he enjoyed working on televisions, electrical appliances, all kinds of things just for fun.
My husband once hired a woman who had earned a law degree but decided to work as a librarian for a while before she looked for a job where she could use her law degree. I noticed her when she worked at the library. She moved very fast and efficiently compared to the other employees and when she spoke it was obvious that she was very intelligent. I remember that she didn't find it the least bit strange that my son was reading things at a very high level for his age.
I am not so gifted, don't have all this surplus energy that a lot of gifted people seem to have, and I haven't felt bored or unchallenged since I had my son, quit my job, and started homeschooling. If had any more challenge in my life I am afraid I would be increasing my risk of a stroke so I look for ways to find challenge and fun at home.
