Intellectually Gifted Individuals' Career Choices and Work Satisfaction: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

This study set out to study which career path a group of intellectually gifted individuals chose, if any. How did they actually like their work, and which were the reasons for satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their chosen career? In all, 287 Mensa members (216 men and 71 women) constituted the research group. Average age was 34.4 years (SD = 8.8). All had obtained IQ scores equal to or higher than the 98 th percentile. The study was designed as a survey operationalized as anInternet-based questionnaire using the SPSS Dimensions software. A shortened version of the Work and Life Attitudes Survey (Warr, Cook & Wall, 1979) was included as part of the questionnaire.Quantitative data were analyzed as dispersions within the research group whereas qualitative data were content-analyzed using the so-called VSAIEEDC Model. Results show that participants tended to pursue careers mainly in Technology, Science and Social Work and to a lesser degree in Practical and Aestethic work. For all these fields work satisfaction was shown to be average. For individuals choosing to start their own company and/or who end up in leading managerial positions, however, satisfaction with work and career is very high. Possible reasons for these difference between subgroups in the sample are focused, and in conclusion a possible way forward to improve

Impact of Digital Media on Gifted Students’ Career Choices

“…They avoid unnecessary interaction in social media content. The same results were reached in some studies, as well (Güzel, 2017;Persson, 2009). This leads them to spend their time efficiently.…”

Ability climates in Europe as socially represented notability

“…As has been shown in several studies over time (Persson, 1998(Persson, , 1999a(Persson, , b, 2005(Persson, , 2007(Persson, , 2009a(Persson, , b, c, 2010Persson et al, 2000), above all, intellectual giftedness has been difficult to argue as valuable and useful in Northern European cultures. High ability and achievement in sports, by contrast, has been valued and easily promoted at all levels of society.…”

“…As the systematic study into the dynamics of Scandinavian egalitarian policies and their effect on the life and mind of intellectually gifted individuals commenced by the mid-1990s, it was assumed that the well documented and quite formidable resistance against introducing and implementing gifted education into the national educational systems, was mainly caused by current lack of knowledge and available information of the special needs of gifted students (Persson, 1998(Persson, , 1999a(Persson, , b, 2005(Persson, , 2007(Persson, , 2009a(Persson, , b, c, 2010Persson, Joswig, & Balogh, 2000). After well over a decade of efforts in trying to fill this void by making information and research publicly and widely available to educators, policy-makers, as well as the general public by media and the Internet, contrary to expectations, there has been little change in any direction as to the interest in and general acceptance of intellectual giftedness and gifted education particularly in the Swedish societal context.…”

Authenticity at Work: A Matter of Fit?

“…For example, highly gifted workers may be easily bored because they are overqualified for their job, they may constantly seek new adventures and challenging activities (which may not be appreciated by their colleagues and supervisor), and need to experience freedom (which is difficult to achieve in the presence of all sorts of organizational procedures and protocols, cf. Persson, 2009). Such individuals may therefore experience a poorer fit with their jobs than other employees.…”

“…We believe that these recommendations hold for workers in general, but especially for highly gifted workers such as the group employed in the present study. Due to their intellectual abilities this group is more vulnerable for experiencing misfit and psychological and/or social maladjustment than other groups of workers (Persson, 2009;Powell & Haden, 1984). The strategies mentioned above for identifying and addressing low-fit situations may therefore be especially relevant (and, hopefully, useful) for this particular group.…”