Poster Proceedings »
12 Fostering Career Success and Satisfaction for Gifted and Talented Students
As educators, we exert lots of effort to support gifted children but provide minimal, if any, support to gifted adults. This session will discuss strategies to support career and talent development, affective skills such as dedication, risk-taking, diligence, motivation, teamwork, and cooperation; resources for expanding opportunities to learners based on their domains of strength, and suggestions for connecting students with mentors and internships.
Career exposure should begin by middle school if not earlier so students can learn about possible career paths. Opportunities to niche and specialize dependent on student interests and passions must be provided to develop critical talents and support potential eminence. Affective skills around hard-work, inner resilience and fortitude, working with others, taking risks, and giving and receiving feedback must be developed to support success in the workplace. Even if schools cannot provide all opportunities, schools must recognize potential and suggest resources and opportunities that can support student growth in talent areas. Community resources can be located to support the needs of the school and students. Students, particularly females, greatly benefit from opportunities to learn from professionals through internships, mentorships, career panels, and bibliotherapy. A mentor can help teach kids the ropes and provide guidance on life decisions in college or vocational settings to further the career potential and success of the students. Research will draw from George Betts; Rena Subotnik, Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, and Frank Worrell; Noks Nauta and others.