What a wonderful story Isvari, and as a fellow baby genius your accomplishments are quite impressive! I started college at 15 and graduated with my Master’s at 19. I was also tutoring adults in math (stats) while in high school.
Fortunately, I didn’t have a lack of friendships during that time in school, probably because I wasn’t going “above and beyond" except in academics. My friends were always super supportive and great.
When I got into an Ivy League PhD program, though, I ran into the wall and only lasted a year. Like you said, adults were treating me like a kid, and only open-minded professional colleagues took me seriously. Everyone else had a chip on their shoulder to put me down and prove me wrong, which was exactly unlike my previous experience.
Meanwhile, instead of just launching a fulfilling career as a web developer, I thought academic achievement was the end-all and be-all. I bought into the achievement fallacy, hard: I’ll be happy when I get there.
I switched careers into massage therapy, but the pressure to perform (and “be a doctor”) came back. Also I found myself frustrated that I couldn’t help people eliminate pain with only massage, since rehabilitation requires corrective exercise and neuromuscular stabilization. I went to PT school to be able to get a “real" job instead of pursuing my entrepreneurial pursuits.
Once in the real world I started to see the results of not having common sense and self-awareness. When I wasn’t surrounded by other high-achievers, I struggled to make friends and succeed at work, particularly when I had to spend 4+ hours daily documenting patient care. I would get offended by slackers in the workplace, causing additional conflict.
I wouldn’t trade in my intelligence for anything. That said, it is isolating, since most adults perceive someone “bragging” as being arrogant and off-putting. When the level I operate at makes others think I’m a braggart, it’s alienating. That reinforces that I need to keep work and friendships separate, something our society hardly promotes for adults.
Thankfully, I’m back to entrepreneurship and no longer have to deal with those aspects of work that don’t fit my personality or ability. The best tip we can give baby geniuses is to trust yourself and ignore others, even if makes you “different” in the eyes of society.
For me, at least, I thought I would be rewarded in my career by being a young academic, but I wouldn’t have succeeded in a PhD program until my 30s or 40s. Plus, if I’d had work experience and financial savings, I’d have been much more comfortable with that career path. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
