super achieving people (pretty sure this is a JAWM)

[Tsuga]

The education sounds nuts to me because I don't like school myself, however... I think people think slightly similar things about my CV, weirdly. You can do a lot in 10 years if you don't have kids!

 

"BEng in engineering physics. Ok. 

PhD in Astrophysics.  Of course. Astronauts are super smart. 

 

Basically a PhD. I mean he had to get a baccalaureate first.

 

At Cambridge.  Ok.  Super super smart. 

 

Definitely.

But then, also an MD. Because.  

 

I'm sorry but that IS a lot of studying.

 

Specializes in first line isolated medical practice. Handy for the Cdn Arctic! And hello, oh so convenient for space! 

 

I don't find this hard to believe at all. Why not?

Cycles. Mountaineers. Sails. Scuba. (when, exactly??) 

 

I cycle, hike, ski, run 5ks at random... but not all at the same time.

 

Commercial pilot licence. 

 

COMMERCIAL is what gets me here. Pilot's licenses are not that hard to get. I mean you need to put in the time but if you got it when young and then maintained it, no problem. But commercial, he must have gotten that just for the job.

Fluently bilingual and speaks Russian, Japanese, and Spanish.  Because, of course. 

 

I speak more languages than that... 

Then I thought - aha, probably is a workaholic with no family... nope. Married w/ 2 kids. "

 

Well... yeah, I'm married. Or was. I've been committed to a man TWICE. Take that mr. astronaut!

 

I have way less education than this guy but I am willing to be that (a) his language is much more academic than functional or vice versa (b) his wife stays home with the children OR they have a full-time nanny (otherwise, simply impossible), © his work experience is medical with a specialization, i.e. one career. He's also probably close to my age.

 

While extremely impressive, I don't find his CV impossible.

 

I think the key to this is thinking, "not all at the same time."

 

A lot of women on here complain that their husbands work long hours.

 

Well yeah. If I had a SAHW I'd work long hours too. You would not BELIEVE what you can get done in a day, when you have someone at home taking care of the kids and cooking for you.

 

Me, I have a nanny and Amazon prime, LOL.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Tsuga

[Tsuga]

If she does understand the requirements and experience, why would it strike her as funny or hilarious? What exactly was she expecting to be in the bio? I can understand being amazed, but I just don't get the "hilarious" part. What is the joke here?

 

What is the joke?

 

It's funny because come ON who does that.

 

Humor comes from surprise.

 

Obviously one would expect astronauts to be remarkable individuals, and individuals who like many of us are privileged in many ways. It's still hilarious to see it all written out like that. I have a VERY different CV, but interestingly, people say that to me. Like "how can you be insecure, you did all these things". Well... not at the same time, you know?

 

I do think that it's likely that this guy got most of his achievement done between 18 and 35 or 40 (that is a long time) then married and had kids. Then it was just maintenance. But when you see the list, it's comically amazing. Most of the laughter is directed at one's self...

[Bluegoat]

By "funny" do you mean passive aggressive.... because while Hornblower's original post is charmingly ironic in an over the top eye rolling sort of way... the latter character assassination about money and privilege and  gender roles and not having a job and all the rest is not.

 

The "not having a job" part was a joke.

 

Talking about privaledge is serious.  It makes a big difference to achievement, and that is something worthwhile to think about.  As a more mundane example, I have a friend in ubiversity who was luck enough to do very well.  He worked really hard, but he also never had to work at a job, he always lived in his own apartment - he never had to deal with roomates, he could afford to do things like order extra books and journals.  He even had the benefit of great study skills that came from having gone to a residential private school.  He was really able to devote himself to being a student.

 

A resume like the one in the OP - it isn't something you see from someone who isn't very lucky to have a lot of opportunities.  Learning to SCUBA dive, for example, is expensive, and takes time.  many people never get a chance, simply because of the investment involved.

 

It isn't passive aggressive to talk about such things.

[creekland]

Talking about privaledge is serious.  It makes a big difference to achievement, and that is something worthwhile to think about.  As a more mundane example, I have a friend in ubiversity who was luck enough to do very well.  He worked really hard, but he also never had to work at a job, he always lived in his own apartment - he never had to deal with roomates, he could afford to do things like order extra books and journals.  He even had the benefit of great study skills that came from having gone to a residential private school.  He was really able to devote himself to being a student.

 

A resume like the one in the OP - it isn't something you see from someone who isn't very lucky to have a lot of opportunities.  Learning to SCUBA dive, for example, is expensive, and takes time.  many people never get a chance, simply because of the investment involved.

 

It isn't passive aggressive to talk about such things.

 

It's not passive aggressive at all to talk about privilege or money.  All of us are Scuba certified, even my more "normal" two lads.

 

It's incredibly annoying to hear how super achievers can't be good relating to people or don't have time to clean toilets or change diapers or whatever.  It honestly reminds me of all the stereotypes folks have about homeschoolers - esp since they "know one or two."

 

I know one thing my young super achiever doesn't do much.  He's rarely on the computer on chat boards or games.  ;)  We differ that way, but as a substitute teacher who has no desire to put the effort into a full time job, such is life.

 

Quite honestly, he's a much better "people person" than I am.  I used to be awful with people, but have learned to just pack up my dolls and walk away if we differ too much (IRL).  I consider that a step up.

 

My workaholic (aka semi superachiever) hubby also spends considerably less time having fun on the computer and is a better people person than I am (though I can handle teens far better).  He changed just as many diapers as I did when our kids were young and still put in oodles of hours at work.  He's even starting to cook more now - telling me he likes it.  I can't relate!

 

My youngster is on his way toward getting a PhD and MD and has a serious girlfriend while still getting top stats/grades at college and on the med school entrance exam.

 

Oh, in some of his free time (when not researching in the lab, studying, being active in his clubs, shadowing doctors, or spending time with his girlfriend or other friends - several of them), he's been volunteering at Hospice.

 

He doesn't have a pilot's license...  :lol:  but I think it's ok as I don't think he wants to be an astronaut.

 

He's just an all around great guy who can easily do impressive things most of us would really have to work at - if we could even attain his level.

 

But my other two are all around great guys too, perhaps with slightly less people skills since they take more after me than their dad.  They still have friends and are doing (normally) well in life.  And they're scuba certified, since that's the family they were born into.

[SKL]

(b) his wife stays home with the children OR they have a full-time nanny (otherwise, simply impossible).

 

Not sure why you would say that.  There are many single (and married) moms who work and don't have a full-time nanny.  They only have 2 kids, after all.  :)

 

I agree with most of what you said though.

 

I think most of us could come up with an impressive resume if we picked and chose what to report.  Nobody's resume all happened at the same time.

 

Maybe just for fun, we should have an "awesome resume" thread on WTM.  :P

[Bluegoat]

It's not passive aggressive at all to talk about privilege or money.  All of us are Scuba certified, even my more "normal" two lads.

 

It's incredibly annoying to hear how super achievers can't be good relating to people or don't have time to clean toilets or change diapers or whatever.  It honestly reminds me of all the stereotypes folks have about homeschoolers - esp since they "know one or two."

 

I know one thing my young super achiever doesn't do much.  He's rarely on the computer on chat boards or games.   ;)  We differ that way, but as a substitute teacher who has no desire to put the effort into a full time job, such is life.

 

Quite honestly, he's a much better "people person" than I am.  I used to be awful with people, but have learned to just pack up my dolls and walk away if we differ too much (IRL).  I consider that a step up.

 

My workaholic (aka semi superachiever) hubby also spends considerably less time having fun on the computer and is a better people person than I am (though I can handle teens far better).  He changed just as many diapers as I did when our kids were young and still put in oodles of hours at work.  He's even starting to cook more now - telling me he likes it.  I can't relate!

 

My youngster is on his way toward getting a PhD and MD and has a serious girlfriend while still getting top stats/grades at college and on the med school entrance exam.

 

Oh, in some of his free time (when not researching in the lab, studying, being active in his clubs, shadowing doctors, or spending time with his girlfriend or other friends - several of them), he's been volunteering at Hospice.

 

He doesn't have a pilot's license...  :lol:  but I think it's ok as I don't think he wants to be an astronaut.

 

He's just an all around great guy who can easily do impressive things most of us would really have to work at - if we could even attain his level.

 

But my other two are all around great guys too, perhaps with slightly less people skills since they take more after me than their dad.  They still have friends and are doing (normally) well in life.  And they're scuba certified, since that's the family they were born into.

 

There are generalizations, but really, do you think someone working in a job that invilves insanely long hours and leaving the planet is managing to have children without someone else doing a lot of the child-care?  I can't think of anyone I know with that kind of career where there are not sacrifies or decisions of that nature.  People in politics, executives. even highly competitive athletes you cannot do those kinds of work without significant time spent.

 

I always remember various people freaking out when in interviews Sean Bean and Gordon Ramsey said they didn't change diapers.  I thought - well, really, they are in careers where they travel constantly and have weird hours.  What do people expect?  There is a reason they have stay at home partners.  (And nannies, in the case of GR.)

 

As for being people -persons - I think Sadie pointed it out - psychology suggests that people who are on-the-go achievers tend to have less need for/interest in a lot of deep relational time. It just isn't their focus. I'm not sure why that would be either particularly controversial or offensive. 

 

People look at those kinds of lists of accomplishments and feel inadequate or ask why they can't do that, but the truth is one reason is that for many it would mean giving up other things they value.  It's useful to realize that.

[Bluegoat]

Not sure why you would say that.  There are many single (and married) moms who work and don't have a full-time nanny.  They only have 2 kids, after all.  :)

 

I agree with most of what you said though.

 

I think most of us could come up with an impressive resume if we picked and chose what to report.  Nobody's resume all happened at the same time.

 

Maybe just for fun, we should have an "awesome resume" thread on WTM.  :p

 

Yes, but his job involves him being away for long periods, and long hours.  My dh had a job a bt like that - he was away for three months at a time, 6 months a year.  I stayed home.  If I had worked FT they would have had to have either daycare, or a nanny would have been a requirement and probably cheaper if I was also working longer hours.  A helpful grandmother might have worked as well, but the point is someone needs to be doing things with the kids.

[flyingiguana]

The guy has not been an astronaut his entire life (one would assume).  Therefore, the lack of any other job experience in the posted resume is interesting.  And a bit funny.

 

Anyone who didn't get that joke is trying awfully hard to be offended.

 

I will point out that the number of degrees I have is higher than the newest astronaut.  And yes, I could make my resume look good too.  Perhaps some of the humor comes from knowing exactly what lies behind that sort of resume.

[creekland]

There are generalizations, but really, do you think someone working in a job that invilves insanely long hours and leaving the planet is managing to have children without someone else doing a lot of the child-care?  I can't think of anyone I know with that kind of career where there are not sacrifies or decisions of that nature.  People in politics, executives. even highly competitive athletes you cannot do those kinds of work without significant time spent.

 

I always remember various people freaking out when in interviews Sean Bean and Gordon Ramsey said they didn't change diapers.  I thought - well, really, they are in careers where they travel constantly and have weird hours.  What do people expect?  There is a reason they have stay at home partners.  (And nannies, in the case of GR.)

 

As for being people -persons - I think Sadie pointed it out - psychology suggests that people who are on-the-go achievers tend to have less need for/interest in a lot of deep relational time. It just isn't their focus. I'm not sure why that would be either particularly controversial or offensive. 

 

People look at those kinds of lists of accomplishments and feel inadequate or ask why they can't do that, but the truth is one reason is that for many it would mean giving up other things they value.  It's useful to realize that.

 

The point is that it's not just highly accomplished people who are or aren't people persons (diaper changes, time spent, etc).

 

The point is these are totally unrelated personality deals.

 

I can point you to oodles of folks spending hours and hours in a bar or on a hobby or with video games, etc, who also don't do anything with their kids and only have superficial relationships with people.  No scuba or degrees needed.

[Bluegoat]

The guy has not been an astronaut his entire life (one would assume).  Therefore, the lack of any other job experience in the posted resume is interesting.  And a bit funny.

 

Anyone who didn't get that joke is trying awfully hard to be offended.

 

I will point out that the number of degrees I have is higher than the newest astronaut.  And yes, I could make my resume look good too.  Perhaps some of the humor comes from knowing exactly what lies behind that sort of resume.

 

I'd say he would have been a funded student for the Phd, and possibly for the MD - in any case he would likely have been working for part of that time in some sort of residency program.  Doctoral work IMO is a job, he likely taught.

 

His hobbies do suggest though that he had some disposable income, and time to travel. 

[Bluegoat]

The point is that it's not just highly accomplished people who are or aren't people persons (diaper changes, time spent, etc).

 

The point is these are totally unrelated personality deals.

 

I can point you to oodles of folks spending hours and hours in a bar or on a hobby or with video games, etc, who also don't do anything with their kids and only have superficial relationships with people.  No scuba or degrees needed.

 

Um, no, that isn't the point at all.  That is the thread about people who like to hang out in bars or spend time on hobbies.

[flyingiguana]

Yes, but his job involves him being away for long periods, and long hours.  My dh had a job a bt like that - he was away for three months at a time, 6 months a year.  I stayed home.  If I had worked FT they would have had to have either daycare, or a nanny would have been a requirement and probably cheaper if I was also working longer hours.  A helpful grandmother might have worked as well, but the point is someone needs to be doing things with the kids.

 

Even using a nanny or day care takes a lot of organizing and time from the person responsible for lining that up.

 

Even just "dumping" the kids in school for six hours a day still requires a fair amount of parental involvement.

 

Any parent who is taking care of the childcare (however they do it) deserves a fair amount of respect.  And it isn't something that generally ends up on a resume.  At least, not without risking an "isn't that cute? we can't take her/him seriously" response

 

[SKL]

We're talking like kids need 24/7 hands-on care for their whole life.  Actually it is more than possible to parent a child without being in physical contact every time they pee.  Do we know how old this guy's kids were when he started going away from home for long time periods (and not bringing them along)?  Old enough to benefit from long-distance communication?  Or have they been in diapers for his whole adult life?

 

I don't understand the focus on who changes the diapers.  I've changed thousands upon thousands of diapers and I still wouldn't put that on my resume, because who cares?  My dad never changed a diaper for his first 4 kids despite having a very down-to-earth career.  While it may have irked my mom at times, it didn't matter one bit to us kids.

 

And in all likelihood, the dad has had significant chunks of time when he could focus on his kids.  It's not like he's in outer space for years at a time.

 

Really I smell sour grapes around here.

 

And I'm not talking about the OP.

[SKL]

Yes, but his job involves him being away for long periods, and long hours.  My dh had a job a bt like that - he was away for three months at a time, 6 months a year.  I stayed home.  If I had worked FT they would have had to have either daycare, or a nanny would have been a requirement and probably cheaper if I was also working longer hours.  A helpful grandmother might have worked as well, but the point is someone needs to be doing things with the kids.

 

It's not that different from the typical dual-earner family though, and probably less challenging than a single parent family.

 

Again, there is only a short window when kids need a lot of hands-on care.  If you have 2 kids close in age, that is just a blip on the screen of life.

 

[SKL]

Even using a nanny or day care takes a lot of organizing and time from the person responsible for lining that up.

 

Even just "dumping" the kids in school for six hours a day still requires a fair amount of parental involvement.

 

Any parent who is taking care of the childcare (however they do it) deserves a fair amount of respect.  And it isn't something that generally ends up on a resume.  At least, not without risking an "isn't that cute? we can't take her/him seriously" response

 

 

Parenting doesn't get big space on your resume because you don't want your prospective employer to think, "this person is going to take off work every time her kid sneezes."  Often people put their # of kids in the personal section.

 

You don't need to tell people how much work parenting is, because most people past a certain age are also parents.  Those who choose not to be parents really don't care to hear all that they are missing.  :P

 

I'm sorry, but I would not hire a person whose resume focused on how many times she changed her own kids' diapers.  Unless the job was chief diaper changer at a daycare.

[flyingiguana]

My guess is that he's had jobs that someone didn't deem worthy of his resume -- working in the local scuba shop for example.  Perhaps even what he was doing in grad school didn't make the cut as being high class enough.

 

I'm imagining his resume got approved by some sort of committee.  And summers spent working in a scuba shop (as a hypothetical example) would come off as looking a bit beneath the image they were trying to portray.  It conjures up an image of scruffy beach bum, whether it was true or not.  I find it interesting that they didn't even list any medical work as a job.  Did he never do a residency?  Did they fold that into the rest of his educational experience?  Or did he work as a doctor in some dull job and they didn't think it worthy of listing?

 

I mean, I can do funny -- but you have accept where I'm coming from:  that is, that I know all this between the lines stuff, but it is still somewhat amusing that someone decided to leave it out.  And leave him looking like a spoiled rich kid who now gets to go to space.

 

 

[SKL]

And for the reason I mentioned above, Mr. Astronaut may or may not be a very involved father.  He isn't going to list whether or not he was his kids' assistant scout leader or how much time he spent fishing with his kids.  He's going to assume most professionals his age have kids and know about that stuff.  It isn't relevant to outer space.

Edited May 20, 2016 by SKL

[SKL]

I don't list all my past jobs on my resume.  After some time, you let the less relevant / less impressive / shorter-term jobs drop off.   Less is more.

[flyingiguana]

Parenting doesn't get big space on your resume because you don't want your prospective employer to think, "this person is going to take off work every time her kid sneezes."  Often people put their # of kids in the personal section.

 

You don't need to tell people how much work parenting is, because most people past a certain age are also parents.  Those who choose not to be parents really don't care to hear all that they are missing.  :p

 

I'm sorry, but I would not hire a person whose resume focused on how many times she changed her own kids' diapers.  Unless the job was chief diaper changer at a daycare.

 

When people spend time out of the paid work force, they do have to explain it somehow.  And yes, explaining the high level of organization it takes to keep a family running can actually be used effectively on a resume.  There are people I know who have gotten jobs because of it.  So there is a risk from saying it, but if you've got no other choice, it can be done.  It would not, however, focus on the number of diaper changes.

 

I would probably not want to be hired by someone who didn't take the job of parenting seriously.  Or by someone who made jokes about it.

 

[flyingiguana]

The other thing I don't get about this thread is why people keep agreeing/disagreeing with me.  I'll say something and then someone will feel the need to come in and imply that I was wrong, that it's really THIS -- while proceeding to say what I just said.

 

Is there a general need to be snarky this month?

 

 

[SKL]

Well, the moon is full.

[SKL]

How can we not make jokes about parenting?  I thought it was necessary to sanity.  But maybe that's just me.

[mom2scouts]

On a related note, I was looking at something on a NASA website and noticed a job opening for "Astronaut Candidate"  It said "frequent travel required". :lol:

[creekland]

Um, no, that isn't the point at all.  That is the thread about people who like to hang out in bars or spend time on hobbies.

 

I'm guessing you're joking?  If so,  :lol:

 

If not... sorry, but I don't think it's ever right to stereotype groups of people with things that aren't correlated as "fact," esp on an education forum.

 

My guess is that he's had jobs that someone didn't deem worthy of his resume -- working in the local scuba shop for example.  Perhaps even what he was doing in grad school didn't make the cut as being high class enough.

 

I'm imagining his resume got approved by some sort of committee.  And summers spent working in a scuba shop (as a hypothetical example) would come off as looking a bit beneath the image they were trying to portray.  It conjures up an image of scruffy beach bum, whether it was true or not.  I find it interesting that they didn't even list any medical work as a job.  Did he never do a residency?  Did they fold that into the rest of his educational experience?  Or did he work as a doctor in some dull job and they didn't think it worthy of listing?

 

I mean, I can do funny -- but you have accept where I'm coming from:  that is, that I know all this between the lines stuff, but it is still somewhat amusing that someone decided to leave it out.  And leave him looking like a spoiled rich kid who now gets to go to space.

 

My guy who just finished the first four years of college is already dropping stuff off his resume.  What looked good and filled space to get into college is not up to par (or needed) for med school or PhD. A bit of the stuff dropping off was also impressive.  One can't keep everything on there.  Resumes would be way too long.  One keeps on what is important for that job.

 

I'm impressed with the guy and bet he'd be fun to have as an IRL inner circle friend.  "Spoiled rich kid who now gets to go to space" never even remotely entered my mind looking at that resume.  Jealousy didn't either.  "Wow, it'd be nice to know him IRL" did.

[wintermom]

By "funny" do you mean passive aggressive.... because while Hornblower's original post is charmingly ironic in an over the top eye rolling sort of way... the latter character assassination about money and privilege and  gender roles and not having a job and all the rest is not.

 

:iagree:   I question the intent of the OP as well.  What is with the eye rolling and laughing at people who work hard and have a goal they work decades toward, never knowing if they'll ever get a chance at it. In the meantime, they are up north helping remote communities. That job alone should tell any Canadian that this person is not a selfish, rich brat. People don't go up to work with northern communities just to look good on the resume. It's got to come from a genuine desire to help others. It's not a glamour job, that's for sure.

[Arcadia]

Perhaps even what he was doing in grad school didn't make the cut as being high class enough.

My hubby was on a scholarship for grad school. He was a full time student, change diapers, did housework and paid the close to $3k monthly mortgage out of his scholarship stipend. I was a SAHW working whatever temp jobs I liked in the tech sector and paid above minimum wage.

 

Both my boys were born while hubby was on his grad scholarship. He started his PhD course after our engagement. It was common for people pursuing phds to be sponsored by an organization and the stipend was enough for the spouse to not work. It would be weird to put phd scholar on the resume even if his job was literally to study and complete his phd.

[flyingiguana]

My hubby was on a scholarship for grad school. He was a full time student, change diapers, did housework and paid the close to $3k monthly mortgage out of his scholarship stipend. I was a SAHW working whatever temp jobs I liked in the tech sector and paid above minimum wage.

 

Both my boys were born while hubby was on his grad scholarship. He started his PhD course after our engagement. It was common for people pursuing phds to be sponsored by an organization and the stipend was enough for the spouse to not work. It would be weird to put phd scholar on the resume even if his job was literally to study and complete his phd.

 

Most people have jobs when they're working on a PhD.  It's part of the support.  They are definitely the sort of jobs you would list on a resume.  In fact, many depts will encourage students on full scholarship/stipend to still take on some of those types of jobs just so they won't have an empty resume.

 

For one thing, no one is going to hire a PhD into a teaching position if they haven't TAd a few classes.  It's less important to have added research experience beyond what the student was doing on their own, but probably still valuable from the standpoint of getting a job.  It would show one could work in a wider variety of areas as well as give more letter of recommendation possibilities.  You'd also get experience in more techniques.

 

Perhaps things worked out well for your husband, but not having any pertinent jobs in grad school is not something I would recommend to a student. 

[Tsuga]

Not sure why you would say that. There are many single (and married) moms who work and don't have a full-time nanny. They only have 2 kids, after all. :)

 

I agree with most of what you said though.

 

I think most of us could come up with an impressive resume if we picked and chose what to report. Nobody's resume all happened at the same time.

 

Maybe just for fun, we should have an "awesome resume" thread on WTM. :P

You're right about full time and I am not sure why I wrote that. Part time child care with support for kids' activities though, that is necessary for HIS level of activity with travel. So I should have said substantial help at times if she works.

 

I do not know any dual income families with CVs like that (particularly with travel and sports that kids can't do to that level right away) who don't have some help. And that includes us.

[Tsuga]

I think this is a major factor. If we didn't have to take turns with tuition dollars and I could hire out household tasks and chauffeuring, I may not have a rained like his but I bet I'd be closer to it. I mean, when does he stop and do laundry?

These do take money but not the kind of money you cannot earn.

 

He is an MD by profession so he is not poor, no, but I could have his hobbies (in theory) on my income. I did not see where he is from (I.e. Near the sea) but it is possible to do these things at community college or rec centers.

 

My BIL is not at all rich (at. all. ) but he spends at least as much as needed for SCUBA on his hunting hobby and gun sports. I know because I looked into SCUBA.

 

I think the real amazing thing here is the MD and PhD personally but that is because I don't like school, LOL and I just did the bare minimum of higher Ed required to get a job that will support my family in the area I want. Two doctorates sends my head spinning.

[SKL]

Most people have jobs when they're working on a PhD.  It's part of the support.  They are definitely the sort of jobs you would list on a resume.  In fact, many depts will encourage students on full scholarship/stipend to still take on some of those types of jobs just so they won't have an empty resume.

 

For one thing, no one is going to hire a PhD into a teaching position if they haven't TAd a few classes.  It's less important to have added research experience beyond what the student was doing on their own, but probably still valuable from the standpoint of getting a job.  It would show one could work in a wider variety of areas as well as give more letter of recommendation possibilities.  You'd also get experience in more techniques.

 

Perhaps things worked out well for your husband, but not having any pertinent jobs in grad school is not something I would recommend to a student. 

 

Sure, you would list it on your resume for some time.  But after you had a list of more serious work experience and credentials, the grad assistant stuff would fall off.

 

Mine certainly did!

 

It's really fun to look back at old resumes from younger years.  The old food service jobs, nurses' aide, factory work, my used book store, my TA job, summer internships, volunteer tutoring - all made the cut when I was a young adult.  Some more things that were temporarily on my resume were a controller job I quit after 7 months, and the factory I co-owned and managed for a year before we sold it for a 100% profit.  Now even the job that I worked at for 13 years before kids is reduced to a short blurb, just enough to show I was gainfully employed, at a certain managerial level, applying skills relevant to my current career.

 

I was advised that you don't want to have a resume over 1 page, because nobody wants to spend an hour reading about your life history while screening candidates.  You highlight the most recent, most relevant stuff, and unless you're <25yo, people will assume you have done other things as well.  Some people even make different resumes for different types of jobs.  :)

[SKL]

You're right about full time and I am not sure why I wrote that. Part time child care with support for kids' activities though, that is necessary for HIS level of activity with travel. So I should have said substantial help at times if she works.

 

I do not know any dual income families with CVs like that (particularly with travel and sports that kids can't do to that level right away) who don't have some help. And that includes us.

 

The amount of help that would be needed, assuming the kids don't have unusual special needs, would not be more than what is needed for any average family where the mom works outside the home (which is very common).  So I'm not sure what the point is.  I mean, we all use helpers.  Most of us don't cart our own garbage to the dump.  Most people don't home educate their kids.  Many of us use daycare before our kids are school-aged.  Many of us hire someone to mow our lawns and plow our snow - it isn't very expensive for a professional family.  So no, I don't think that argument can be used to discredit this guy's individual success factors.

 

Anyhoo, do any of us even know enough to talk about his personal life one way or another?  "Wife and 2 kids" doesn't tell much.  Did he just get married last year and adopt two teens?  Or did he have kids when he was 20/21 and launch them into the world decades ago?  Is his wife a career woman or a SAHM or a disabled person?  Perhaps she herself is an astronaut?  :)

[Arcadia]

A 12 year old who wants to get his MD by 18. He has been accepted to UCD and UCSC.

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A 12-year-old Sacramento student who already has three community college degrees and has been accepted to two University of California campuses says he plans on studying biomedical engineering and becoming a doctor and medical researcher by the time he turns 18."

 

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/12-year-old-Sacramento-student-ready-to-start-7938823.php

 

 

For one thing, no one is going to hire a PhD into a teaching position if they haven't TAd a few classes.

TA was part of the requirement of the scholarship, kind of like community service quota. All the postgrads students at my alma mater had to do a minimum amount of TA hours per term so no one thinks of it as resume worthy I guess since it was assumed. Internship at the bachelor degree level was compulsory too and graded. He wasn't looking for a teaching position though as his aim was R&D. He did get interviewed and hired at a tech conference while attending as one of the presenters at the conference. He worked for 4 years, was self employed for a year before applying for the PhD scholarship, so his resume wasn't empty anyway. Programming and testing the chip on the credit cards was what he did at one of his job more than 15 years ago.

[sewingmama]

Whatever...I could also do all that if I had a wife...but unfortunately...I only have a husband :(

[creekland]

I think the real amazing thing here is the MD and PhD ... Two doctorates sends my head spinning.

 

This is fairly common TBH.  My super-achiever is heading that way through special annual programs to do it offered by several med schools.  There are generally somewhere around 1800 applicants (all high achieving) and roughly 600 acceptances making his odds around 33% of getting into the program.

 

Then there are those like a young friend of ours who opted to go into cancer research due to his dad passing away from colon cancer.  While doing the research (getting his PhD), folks he was working with suggested he also get his MD in order to research with patients.  He's applying to med schools this coming year too.

 

Lest anyone think this is only for the wealthy, that latter lad is a minority immigrant from Cameroon.  His family has worked and is self supporting, but they're hardly wealthy.

 

Fortunately, grad school is paid for.  With the program my guy is applying for, med school is too.  I'm hopeful there will be scholarships for my Cameroon friend.  He's another that has plenty of friends - and time for them - while still accomplishing amazing things.  Anyone on here would love him if you got to meet him - very intelligent and just plain nice.

 

I was advised that you don't want to have a resume over 1 page, because nobody wants to spend an hour reading about your life history while screening candidates.  

 

They still recommend this.  It's why middle son is already pruning his resume, just keeping the most recent and most major stuff even though some semi-impressive stuff is also dropping off.  (It's too old - back to his high school years. He's finished his 4th year of college now.)