Newbie here. Like others here, you (grjeremy) have experienced some of the same things we have. I have a younger brother who is even brighter than I am and he married a woman who is likely smarter than both of us put together. During a recent conversation with my sister-in-law, I expressed surprise that she had grown tired of the "sophisticated" entertainment of the symphony and the ballet, and instead found it refreshing to go to a Utah Jazz game and get rowdy. My sister-in-law first earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and then decided that she liked to argue and so went on to earn her J.D., passing the bar on her first try. She will soon make partner in her law firm.
The point of all my rambling is this�my sister-in-law (and to a considerable extent, my brother) have been, for most � if not all � of their adult working life, in what seems to me the enviable position of working with and for people who are more or less their intellectual equals. That being the case, I can readily see the appeal that less �elite� or �highbrow� forms of entertainment would hold, and I am sure I would feel the same had my life followed a path similar to her and that of other members of this board.
As things actually turned out, I spent the first 20 years of my adult working life as an enlisted member of the U.S. Navy, largely working with and for (with some notable exceptions) people who may well have been the real-life inspiration for Beavis and Butthead and could not figure their way out from underneath a wet piece of single-ply toilet paper. I, like you, have been intellectually starved for most of my life and would love to work in an environment where others did not expect someone else to do their intellectual �heavy lifting� for them. After my workday is over I want to be as far away from such people as possible, which means I eschew the more �blue collar� forms of entertainment that those I encounter during my normal workday prefer.
On the other hand, Wren is right, and you must pull off the trick of lot letting the mis-perceptions of others hold you back and simultaneously not feel like you are entitled. Admittedly, that "trick" can be difficult in a culture that often seems to award mediocrity rather than excellence. For my day job, I work in the field of employment services, i.e. "Job Service," for my state. You may want to get in touch with your state's department of labor or social services and look into what kind of vocational rehabilitation services they may offer. Key to your journey will be the documentation, by qualified professionals, of both your unique aptitudes, and the unique hurdles, you face.
Best of luck in your quest.
Last edited by PolymathMark; 11/21/10 08:15 PM.
