Other gifted teens, however, may not have given college much serious thought before their junior year. They may not be giving it much thought in their junior year either. They may not know what field of study they want to pursue. Or they may be an underachiever whose grades are less than stellar.
Some parents begin worrying about their child's future long before the child hits their junior year. Parents will worry every step of their child's way through school. In fact, they may begin to worry before the child even starts school, concerned that their child won't get into the "right" preschool, as if not getting into that school will forever damage the child's hope of a successful future. The worry that their child won't succeed if he or she doesn't get accepted into the school's gifted program. And they really worry if their gifted child doesn't excel in school. They often believe that schools that accept C students are not as good as those that accept only A students. They also believe that any student not going to the best school will not be successful.
Fortunately, that is simply not true. The best example of a successful underachieving gifted teen is Colin Powell. Powell seems to have been a classic underachiever. He was a C student in high school. He attended City College of New York (CCNY), certainly not an Ivy League school. He didn't do particularly well -- except in ROTC. There he found his niche and got all A's. Many people believe that he is a graduate of West Point, but he never went there. He was able to rise to the top military position in the country (Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and later to Secretary of State with a background as a C student at a community college!
The important clue in Powell's story is his love of ROTC. He excelled in that area because he enjoyed it. It challenged him like nothing else had. Powell's story provides some good lessons parents of gifted kids as well as the kids themselves:
- It is not necessary to attend a top rated university to become successful in life
- Being a C student does not prevent a child from being successful
- Finding and following an interest can lead to success
SO what do these lessons mean? Quite simply, they mean that it's important to help gifted kids find their passion in life. That passion can lead to success. It may be that a child who feels passionately about the environment would do well in a school that provides exceptional environmental programs. It may also mean that the child won't go to college. That sounds rather radical in today's economic and social environment, but it's the passion that often leads to success, not the degree itself. If the passion is best served through a degree in college, then that is the right direction for a child. If, however, the passion is best served another way, then that is the path a child should follow.
What that means is that some people can be very successful, and happy, pursuing other career paths, in a trade, for example. Gifted children tend to love solving problems, and some trades will allow them to solve problems, as electricians, for example. We could say that they might better enjoy getting a degree in electrical engineering, that they would enjoy the theory behind the the practice, but that may not be true for all gifted people. People are different, and just because one person has greater cognitive ability does not mean that person wants to learn theory. Some gifted kids may enjoy the hands-on practice and then may enjoy the challenge of starting his or her own business.
Entering the trades is just one example of a different kind of career path, but others are possible as well. The trick, though, is to provide a child with choice. That means, not just that a high school junior, senior, or graduate should be given a career choice, but that those kids should have been given choices earlier in their lives. They should be exposed to a variety of disciplines and be given a chance to explore potential interests in a variety of areas.
Without the exposure, a child may not be aware of a passionate interest. How, for example, can a child with the potential to be a great singer know he or she has the talent -- or the interest -- without ever having the chance to sing?
The opportunities a teen has for the future are determined by a number of factors, not simply grades or attendance at an Ivy League school.
