Wait, They Actually Ranked Life After Being ‘Gifted’ Kids? Yep, Here’s the Scoop!

College taught me that being "smart" isn't the same as being a quick study. I had to learn the hard way to STUDY. Failing a course? Ouch. That was my wake-up call to buckle down.

L0cked4fun:
Turns out brains alone don’t get you through college. Who knew?

Math trophies, early college graduation, and a glow-up from living almost on the streets to chilling in a fancy house with a luxury SUV. Plus, a wife at home, work-from-home gig, and a couple of kids. Life’s pretty sweet, aside from some freak-out moments about job security.

Discovered late in life I’m autistic. Back in the day, they just slapped the 'gifted' sticker on me. I used to survive on 2 hours of sleep so I could code nonstop. Now? Code all day AND sleep at night. Plus, 25 years married to an extra gifted wife. Adulting’s looking pretty neat!

Made it through college and grad school with honors, but boy, adult life? Not so easy. Sometimes I just crave the simple days of school.

nosyNurse:
Same here! Give me a never-ending school life with bills magically paid, please!

Burnout hit hard, and turns out adult ADHD was the hidden guest. Gifted brains can mask ADHD during tests, but hand over a big project and watch it unravel. Report cards kept teasing: "Not reaching potential," leading to self-doubt and blame. Therapy to the rescue!

Also discovered I masked dyslexia and later autism and ADHD. Smart on paper, chaos in real life.

I'm stuck in this annoying spot where people say I'm gifted or even a genius, but I know just how much I mess up. On the bright side, I’m still smarter than the average crowd I interact with. It’s more of a curse than a blessing, really.

Never met a gifted kid who didn’t have some serious emotional or mental baggage. Seems like turbo brain power comes with turbo feelings. Nature’s weird way of keeping things even, maybe?

Hit the dreaded wall and totally burned out. Being a gifted kid is kinda like jumping into a video game with a level-boosted character - you breeze through early life levels but never learn how to actually play! By the time you hit the real challenges, it’s too late.

Oh, and throwing in undiagnosed ADHD? Yeah, that doesn’t help.

Spent 11 years in prison, totally wasted my giftedness until age 28. Then had a lightbulb moment – hey, I can do anything normal folks do! Earned a BA with perfect grades, picked up 5 programming languages plus Spanish.

Reality check: employers don’t love felons. So I’m starting my own business and putting that energy to good use.

Started as a prodigy, took off like a rocket. Then bam! Burnout hit and I rage quit to live as an island bum. Found my real calling there, and while it pays less, I sleep better at night.

Another contributor went the PhD professor route – brains plus migraines and lots of sleep needed, but wouldn’t trade the gifted mojo for anything.

No burnout here, just stopped caring. Graduated with a history degree, flirted with law school but got comfy being *lazy*. Worked random jobs - museum gigs, tux rentals, bank teller, now medical payments. Museum was a dream, but nope, no paycheck or benefits.

Pretty sure I have adult ADHD, but skipping the diagnosis and meds. Life’s fine as is. TL;DR: didn’t burnout, just quit. LOL.

Started off gifted in elementary, but got kicked out for being, you guessed it, too immature. High school had its ups - Academic Decathlon medals and stuff - but GPA? Let’s just say it was a rollercoaster: 1.5 to 3.5 over four years. Did some wild partying, traveled abroad, flunked a bit, then found my groove, graduated with honors, taught myself Chinese, and landed a solid Fortune 100 dev gig. Spoiler: the gifted label didn’t help much - probably just made me lazier. Oh, and childhood drama didn’t help, but hey, we all got baggage.

Turns out I’m neurodivergent (hello ADHD!). Graduated university with honors by cramming the night before, but now as an adult? Totally burnt out, struggling to keep it together.

Killin’ it for a solid 3 years, then burnout hits and I bounce to something new. I’ve tried a bunch of careers and I’m a pro at learning and problem-solving, but patience? Not so much. Social skills? Eh. Common sense? Nope.

I was always tagged as “talented” and “gifted.” Then YouTube happened and I realized - oh no, I’m actually pretty average. Comparison can really kill the vibe.

Got into the gifted program way early at 5, but burned out big-time by 15. The struggle is real.

Graduated near the top without lifting a finger, then college hit and I realized everyone else was super smart too. Had to actually study and manage time - a rude awakening! Made smart moves to better-paying careers, got married, had a kid, and life’s pretty good now.

I’m a dentist, and last year I made a cool million. No burnout here, just straight-up winning.

Doing okay, but feeling like a big faker. In school, skating by with minimal effort to keep my sanity. Worst part? Feeling responsible for solving everyone’s problems. Some days, wish I could just change my name and start fresh.

littleorangemonkeys:
Same! Gifted because I was a super early reader (aka classic ADHD sign). Recently switched jobs to ditch some responsibility and my anxiety improved heaps. Still searching for the sweet spot between boredom and stress. Maybe I'll figure it out before I retire.

At first, studying was for other people. Took a break, worked a bit, went back, crushed a 4-year degree in 2 years, became the go-to troubleshooter at work for a decade. Then, brain self-destruct – had a stroke. Now relearning how to walk every morning. But hey, I’m good at it.

spammmmmmmmy:
Wait, stroke?

ChemistryPerfect4534:
Yep, a little hole in the brain, literally.

Being gifted made early wins easy, but learning to work hard? That was a whole different beast. Turns out, hard grind beats natural smarts every time. Whether you’re a genius or not, if you can work methodically, you’re in the winner’s circle.

Brain never stops. Ever. If I’m awake, it’s like a million thoughts charging through - from equations to aliens, politics, gardening - all racing at lightning speed.

I just want to hit pause and chill, but no clue how to do that.

I’m 51 and have never kept a full-time job for more than a couple months. Luckily, my wife’s job keeps us afloat.

I teach gifted kids and was one myself. Depression, anxiety, impostor syndrome, perfectionism, and burnout? All super common.

Now many schools include social-emotional learning goals for gifted kids alongside academics - because brains need feelings too.

Also, lots of overlap between giftedness, ADHD, and autism; giftedness is its own flavor of neurodivergence.

Totally burnt out and quit my executive gig at 33. Now, I’m moving back home to take care of my grandparents. Life’s full of surprises!

A teacher bullied me, pushing Ritalin when I didn’t want it. Then I got labeled gifted, made honor rolls and all, but my dad crushed my college dreams and pushed me into dead-end jobs.

When I succeeded despite him, he claimed the credit and forgot what I actually do.

I feel at least a decade behind. My friend says, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” so I’m trying to find my own wins.

They wanted me to skip 2nd grade but my parents said nah. In 6th grade, a few of us got special Tolkein reading time. High school AP classes? Pressure to take them but I didn’t.

I coasted through college too, barely scraping by without AP credits. Loved reading but turns out book smarts aren’t the whole picture.

Now disabled due to illness, so no regrets. And hey, I ace Jeopardy questions.

Wrapping up my 2nd Masters and chasing a PhD while juggling family. Feels like I’m pulled in every direction and yet taking downtime feels... wrong. Therapy? Done enough to know I seek validation, don’t know from who. Adulting is weird.

Gifted all my life, but college’s organic chemistry and physics hit me hard. Had zero study skills and had to grind to catch up. Graduated with a 3.9 GPA and enjoy picking up new tech fast.

I kinda regret gifted programs - they gave me a false sense of entitlement and didn’t teach me the grind. Participation trophies, anyone?

My ‘gift’ didn’t quite fit school’s box. Creative thinking wasn’t cool back in the 80s.

Had a rough ride finding a career that fit. Advice? Find a creative outlet to keep sane, but don’t make it your job - it kills the fun and invites burnout.

For me: roleplaying stories and leathercraft. Find your own thing and rock it!

Smart kid problems: never learning how to study because stuff came easy. College? A total bust because I had no clue what to do when things got hard. Sounds nuts, but it’s common.

Tagged gifted from K-12, rocked some classes, bombed others depending on interest. Socially awkward and youngest in class didn’t help.

Burned out hard around 22 - DUI, lost friends, deep depression. Work saved me. Rose through ranks, went back to school part-time, met my wife. Now? Balanced and happy. Success is fishing with grandpa, not degrees. Life’s funny like that.

Told I’m a genius but feel like a total idiot inside. Still somehow smarter than most people I meet daily. Spoiler: it’s more curse than gift.

Wore out my welcome with life by junior high. Surprise! It wasn’t just the pressure, it was bipolar.

Being smart didn’t get much support. Instead of help, I got told I wasn’t as great as I thought. Lost faith in those around me. So no burnout, just a big trust gap.

Burned out in high school, took senior year easy with art and cooking classes. Chose elementary education instead of engineering because the workload terrified me.

Six years later, make 6 figures designing military medical textbooks. Not an engineer, but happy and making bank.

Failed some classes, dropped out, worked at Target as a security guard for a while. Stayed active with creative hobbies.

Went back to college, rocked straight A’s, made Dean’s list, bagged a Bachelor’s in IT, got married, cleared student debt with wife’s help, and now making $130K/year while renting out properties. Hard work plus luck equals success!

Always told I’d be working for others one day. I’m great at solving problems but clueless on how to make money outside getting a job. Not a millionaire but average earner who knows how to save. Not rich, but not struggling either.

My best friend and I started in gifted programs, both screwed around in high school. He dropped out, made money early, I floundered and struggled financially.

Eventually pulled myself together, built a good life and career. He sadly passed away after stagnation.

Lesson: Everyone’s journey is unique, and success looks different.

Bullied in grade school for being smart and 'gay,' broke the bully’s nose, then worked hard to be top athlete and student. College was a mix of parties and focus.

Now an expert in my field, traveling internationally, with a fantastic family life. Social skills took work, but worth it!

Could read at 5th grade level in first grade but never learned to study. Peers passed me by when school got tough. Test scores don’t always mean street smarts.

Had perfect grades until a B+ in gym ruined valedictorian dreams. Imploded afterward, lost college scholarship, struggled for years.

Life turned out good, just not the rich and famous path everyone expected.

Geared up for a chemistry PhD, switched to medical school to impress a girl. Now burned out from practice. Sometimes life throws unexpected curves.

Senior developer in AI at a big tech company, married to a doctor. Nerds totally win in the end.

Dipped out of college with honors but salary sucked. Switched to construction and much happier. Sometimes the less “prestigious” route rules.

Kicked out of gifted program for distractions, dropped out of high school, spent years surfing and retailing.

Went back to college, transferred to Berkeley, worked Silicon Valley tech jobs for over a decade.

Now living in Japan, happier than ever, making less but loving life.

Got the PhD, met cool people, have a solid, technical, well-paying job I enjoy. Life’s good - breaks the ‘gifted-kids-fail’ narrative!

Hit bottom after honors, made some bad calls, then met someone who helped me turn it around. Now masters degree in hand, killing it and rocking confidence.

Gifted label followed me early, smashing through classes. Had high anxiety, tough time connecting deeply, and sometimes wondered if I’m on the spectrum.

Good at coping with work stress, but home life stress? Not so much.

All A’s and top of the class until the burnout happened hard. Diagnosed with bipolar, ADHD, panic disorder, and anxiety.

Brain battles make life exhausting. Dad’s pressure didn’t help.

Honors student in school, but now just work a regular, non-fancy job. Giftedness faded once I left academia, replaced by burnout and mental health struggles. Maybe we just speak up louder.

Stopped caring in high school because classes felt dumb. Went from a 3.85 in middle school to a 2.01 GPA in high school. Spent 8 years hopping colleges before finally landing a BA.

Joined the Air Force, did well in technical schools, then settled into stay-at-home dad life. Life’s chill now.

Burned out during high school and college, did the bare minimum. Later divorced, then magically got my smart groove back. Guess brains never really left me.