Wasted Intellect

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I'm in the same boat as you. If I gave you a penny for every time someone told me they have concerns about my lack of interpersonal skills I might just be able to fund your college tuition.

I found elementary and high school boring so I never developed study skills. This screwed me over big time in uni when I didn't do as well as I could have. I got flat- out rejected from 3/4 med schools for "serious concerns about my interpersonal skills". WTF I was on my best behaviour!! ! Honestly had I not let my insecurity, lack of study skills, and easy distraction get in the way of my studies I would have gotten more interviews and probably not wound up at a school a zillion miles away from civilization, even though my fiancé and I want to live in a city. Poor guy can't get a job in my area even if he wanted to. But who knows how long I'd last in med school with my AS.

I got lucky though. I'm a determined person, which helped. My fiancé is very studious and has way better grades than me, at an ivy (whereas I'm at a state school). It is because he is majoring in his special interest and has always been a genius at it. He even took all his electives in his special interest! Problem is, he is not a well-rounded person and that, coupled with his AS, has made it impossible for him to get a job post- grad. It's really wasted potential.

Edit: my boyfriend has an IQ in the high 150's and was the youngest person in his state to get into MENSA. When he was 12 he took classes in his special interest (not an easy field, but not many jobs) at Stanford and got As.

Edit: one of the most brilliant people I know has an IQ of 88. Goes to show IQ is bullocks. She has a PhD in cogsci.

I can definitely understand your standpoint. I think this is probably my biggest hindrance in terms of doing something more like holding a job. I have what I like to call "action protocols" which are procedures that I follow when they are prompted by other rote-memory events or needs. I do not Stimm a whole lot, but sometimes, especially in crowds, I do. Such as smacking my thighs or shaking things. caught myself using a candy box as a sort of rattler yesterday night. Most of the information I collect does not have fiscal applications (although they are mostly academic in nature).

I think on the one hand having a strong intellect is a very beneficial attribute. On the other hand, I think that not using it is a waste. But the idea of how something is used productively can be extremely subjective and generally seen in terms of fiscal applicability. Thus, this was one of the main reasons I withdrew from college again. I at least have an associate's degree. Enough paper to get a job in a clerical field if I so chose. But at thirty, this is very unappealing. My gf thinks I should try to get disability again, because she does not think (regardless of my intellect) that I will be able to handle the pressures of the average work environment. She has no problem with me being a house wife.

And to be honest, quitting school will give me more time to dedicate to my drawing.

I don't think that you are wasting your intellect as long as you are doing something like creating art or developing art skills. Besides being fun, that is something that you might be able to use in the future, should you find an opportunity.

Wasting your intellect is more like playing computer games all day eberryday and developing no skills in anything else.

I have an IQ of 154 and am an electrical engineer and can run circles around most EE that have a PhD. But am I working at an R&D lab working on the next greatest thing. Noooo! . I am at home sitting on my ass and living off SSI. Go figure!!

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It's not the smartest nor the strongest that survive. It's those who are willing to adapt. - Darwin.

I feel very much this way. The society - at least in the Netherlands - is heavily NT-based. If you are autistic you are out. The skills are less relevant. If you are good at something there will always be an NT witth the same skill and the preference will go to him, and not to you. This is even the case when they prefer an NT with a lower skill than an autistic. They will still prefere an NT.

I could possibly be a good musical artist, but I am afraid how the public will judge me, so I keep the musical skills for myself. I once sung in public but that was in a somehow protected environment.

I have to face the reality that the skills of autistics are underrated and there is nothing else to cope with that. I have once fought against it, but it is a waste of energy because the NTs are stubborn and never want to learn. Then so be it.

I find it really hard- I'm doing a PhD and an MSc atm which I love (both part-time so not much social contact), but I know I probably won't get to use them because most jobs involve a lot of people contact, especially in the areas I'm studying (creative writing and psychology). In theory, I'd love to be a clinical psychologist and I think I'd be OK with one-to-one work and the research side, but it's everything else that goes with it that I'd find hard, and there's no way I'd even get through the day long interviews to get onto the clinical course. I also love working with children but failed teacher training because I couldn't stand in front of a class or cope with the noise in the classroom. Feel like I'm going to be babysitting forever!

Perceptual, because who determines the direction or value of your life besides yourself? If what you want to do is what you have been doing, you are a success, in my definition. If there are things you still want to do then try to do them.

There are some great articles about 'being gifted' online. Many people with high IQ, high or higher than 145 for instance, work 'menial' jobs, the key in my opinion is, are they enjoying their life? In the end after all your life is lived by you - no one else.

I have a friend who has an IQ of 181. He and I get along I guess because we're both odd. He was into female impersonation and works as a sound engineer/music producer. In his spare time for fun he used to write computer viruses. He is by no means a major success in his field but he does support himself and live day to day. I used to think that if I had an IQ like him I would be out there finding a cure for cancer. But I am realizing now that high IQ does not equal to success and often quite the contrary. Many of the "successful" people are average intellect and are good at generalizing.

I used to be able to memorize pages upon pages of text. I did this because I didn't know how to figure out which parts were important to study for, so I memorized everything. In fact that's how I passed all my tests in school. I did not always understand the context (especially in history/social studies) but managed to get straight A's this way. That capability has severely diminished as I've been out of school for so long and simultaneously been trained on more NT skills in life, which I think has changed my brain wiring. I really miss being able to memorize bulk material. I'm also mentally lazier because of Google. I can look anything up online at the touch a keyboard!

Same here! For A level English (closed book exam), I memorised all the set texts and can still recite most of Shakespeare's Henry V and Mamet's Oleanna!

Yes, if it weren't for my debilitating health issues, I would have been a world famous classical musician right now. I have that music gift. However, it didn't happen. In fact, little has happened in my life other than obtaining a bachelors degree.

What my intelligence has done is attract me to other intelligent people and so I've learned a lot and been to some beautiful places in the world.

I'm working on getting surgery so I can finally get my health under control. I'm turning 32 next month, but I don't think it's too late for me. Sure, I won't be a child prodigy, but I'll definitely still be a success on a smaller scale and live every day doing what I love most.

It's never too late. Besides, I'm always learning new things on my own. I can't keep my hands off of books and the Internet is like an endless encyclopedia.

I don't think AS means a life sentence of not being able to use one's intellect. The tricky part is finding out where you feel comfortable doing so (and making money at the same time). And yes, that can be a challenge.

I think my ADD, and possibly dyslexia, have held me back my educational attainment. I'm not sure about Asperger's. I performed poorly at primary school, doing very little work, before my diagnosis and support. Then have struggled with concentration issues and some difficultly with writing throughout my academic study. This has, for instance, stopped me going to a top uni and getting a good grade and instead getting consistently significantly lower grades than reflect my level of intelligence. I also have a poor employment record, despite having good social skills for an aspie.

I have stated this before on this forum and I feel the need to do it again.

Even though my highest european iq score was a 137 I find iq tests totally ridiculous. People take them far too seriously.

The outcome of an iq test depends on a lot of different factors.
For instance: the culture you where born and/or raised in, your education level, your mental state, your level of concentration during the test, did you get enough sleep or are feeling tired, your family circumstances when you where growing up, even your fysical health can play a part in the eventual score. There are numerous other factors that can be named which means that iq tests are by no means objective.

Besides, there are many forms of intelligence that can't be measured by the average iq test because they are far too superficial to do that.

I don't see myself as intelligent at all. I even think that my my mind works a bit slow and there where times that I messed up my life bigtime. I have always earned a reasonable income but I don't even have a job right now which doesn't even bother me. On the contrary. Maybe that's a waste of intelligence, I don't know and I don't care.

I agree with you pokerface. For instance there are math formulas (well, at least one) in the Mensa Workout test. If the person isn't in school or doesn't remember those formulas...does that mean they are stupid or simply uneducated/innumerate/forgetful?

Other IQ tests rely heavily upon spatial reasoning - but many are bad at that and males tend to do better (why is debatable.) There is the Miller Analogy Test but it like the Mega test, relies upon an excellent education (and memory of course.)

I don't know if there is really a completely fair, cross cultural way to measure intelligence potential. And as you said there are different types of intelligence as well.

The original IQ tests were designed to measure how well a student would perform in a given school district, I think? Such limitations seem inherent if so.

Doesn't your religion encourage compassion for the difficulties that she has experienced? I hear judgement coming from you.
Is that the way your creator wants you to treat her?

You have shared your perspective....can you not let her share hers sans the judgement?

And I agree with you popsicle.

I find this notion to be quite valid. "You have something [talent] there, but we don't like you, so F**K OFF / we have enough friends / we pursued a different job candidate." Apathy and superficial happiness are the only ways I see to avoid total defeat in such a situation. Any other methods?