No, not intimidated. Thank god for high acheivers, we need them, they are the groundbreakers and thanks to their efforts we've had some amazing advancements in knowledge, medicine and technology. Some will be nice, some will be arrogant, some will be happy with their lot, some will be high achievers to fill some sort of void or sadness in them, some will work very hard at it, for some it will come easy to them. They will be s diverse as the rest of us. Whatever they are like and however they have gone about it hail and thanks to the high achievers. :-)

Hey wowzers,

This is an interesting thread you've found and bumped! Were you specifically looking for it? I have been a long time lurker of this forum and I often just come in to use the search function to find answers to specific questions I have at the time, which has been invaluable throughout my phd process!

To return to the topic, I agree with a lot of what's been said already. I used to be what others would call a very high achiever until recently - full-time phd, part-time work, founding my own charity, multiple high profile leadership positions etc. But then I had an epiphany which you could also describe as being a combination of a burn-out, an existential crisis, or just being brought back down to earth. I realised I was doing all of the above at the expense of spending quality time with my family, friends, and above all, myself. Although my phd was supposed to be my top priority 'on paper', it was my last priority, which built-up inner guilt and stress which affected my health conditions and happiness levels.

I've been so much happier since I've given up several of the high profile roles, handed over my charity to much more competent and energetic successors, and dramatically reduced my work hours. I am only now just beginning to find balance with family, love, and reignited passion for my phd.

Suffice to say I don't miss my old workaholic-self! :)

I need to get the "don't feel knackered" part into my head. ;-) My friends call me a overachiever from time to time, I have managed to get 10 years of working experience, a Bachelors Degree in Genetics, a Masters Degree in Biomedical Science, a house (including husband, kid and cat) all while working 40 hours a week in my day job as Technician and before getting 32. Next step will be a Phd. And yes, occasionally I also bake cookies in the evening or do some social stuff as well ;-)

But nothing comes for free in live. I have to fight some severe depressions from time to time and constantly feel like I have achieved nothing so far and everyone around me is always better, smarter and faster than I am. There were times when i wasn't happy with a good result in one of my courses but thought that the subject was to easy to understand so it was inavoidable to get a good mark ;-). So yeah, dont feel intimidated by the overachievers. Try to look closer and sometimes you will be surprised.. ;-)

HI, no, I wasn't looking for anything in particular, it came up on the thread list like it was a new thread?. I didn't relise it was from so many months ago! RinalL, that's one busy life you have! I hope you find your balance :-)

Interesting how the more you achieve and learn in life, the more you feel like that. The better you get at your job, the more you realize how many things you have yet to master. The more you read, the more you realize how little you've read, etc. So, weirdly enough, you should be pleased with yourself for feeling that you can still improve, because the only people who think they are the absolute best at something and know everything there is to know are the ones who, in fact, know so little that they haven't even discovered their ignorance yet ;)

You sound like my english teacher who told me the exact same thing only with sligthly different words. ;-). I was hoping it's a kind of illness that will vanish with getting older ;-)

Hi, I had forgotten about this thread, and just reread old messages and new and thought about some things.

I think there is a difference between 'achievers' and 'very high achievers'. (I always hate the term 'overachievers' but perhaps that is because my PhD topic is on 'underachievers'-academic underachievers to be precise). I know with my own topic, the definitions are multiple, contentious and not always very clear. I think 'over achiever' tends to be used by another to downgrade someone's personal achievements.

I agree with Delta's earlier comments in that hardwork and perseverence will get you the PhD in the end, but if you think of a bellcurve and average intelligence being around 100 IQ points, then no, I don't think this 'average person' is going to get a PhD no matter how hardworking they are. In fact, the way the rules work in Australia, generally to qualify for entrance to a PhD, you have to have a H1 or H2a in your honours or a Masters equivalence of those results. And to get those sorts of results, you have to work hard but you also have to be pretty smart-at least within the subject area you are studying. But you don't have to be an Einstein.

I think there is a difference between the majority of people on this forum-who probably qualify for 'high achievers' or 'achiever' status. After all, most of us would hate to believe that achieving our PhD is going to preclude us from also having a house, sound relationships, children, professional work and the possibility of contributing in some way to our community. These are things most of us expect to achieve-and the PhD is simply a course of study for those who qualify, so they can enhance academic or professional status and do a type of work.

It's healthy to be awed by very high achievers-genius, outstanding contributions, your Barrack Obama's or award winning scientists, who have also led outstanding lives of contribution-these are our heroes.

Phew. Made it to the end of this thread.

What an achievement!

At 32, I seem to receive some stick for my studies (BSc, MSc x2, PGCert, PhD, current professional psychology doctorate), particularly from some of my friends who dropped out of their undergraduate degrees. I've occasionally struggled with my postgraduate studies, but I've also undertaken several part time and full time jobs throughout so not strictly an 'eternal student' which some of them seem to imply. Despite the above, I always make time for my friends and family who remain an important part of my life.

I guess some people may consider me to be a 'high achiever' and may even feel intimidated. However, I'm keen to develop professionally and I'm interested in learning new skills and I don't think there's anything wrong in that. I'm motivated to establish some kind of security, career for myself and to eventually have enough capital to buy some properties for my family and would also love to have a family of my own one day. I've also suffered deep depression following from an end to my 6 year relationship during the first year of my PhD, so there has been some really sad times along the way.

In person, I'm the sort of person who tends to shy away from the limelight and centre of attention. I'll only discuss the above when asked and try to be as considerate and open minded as I can whilst interacting with people from different backgrounds. I'm well aware of my limitations as an individual and still have lots to learn, but I'm happy to encounter various hurdles and difficult times along the way, if only to prove to myself that I've accomplished something.

I have to agree, my parents never pushed me in terms of school. My dad had only a high school diploma and my mom has an associates degree in business (my grandfather was a physicist through and science was unfortunately something I never was never interested in or understood well). I was diagnosed with a minor learning disability in the 4th grade and put in some special ed classes through the 8th grade with only a study period in high school. I chose to take the hardest classes I could in high school and finally made the honor role in the last semester. In high school I had some great teachers (math and business). Going to college was my own goal (though my grades were mediocre as an undergrad they improved in graduate school). Ten years ago I graduated with my MBA and I'm now 2 1/2 years into working on a DBA.

I don't think I'm overly ambitious at all, but I am willing to work my heart and my ass off to do something I only dreamed about.

Now, if you've read through this long diatribe here is the kicker. I had a math teacher in the 8th grade tell me mother I'd never go to college. Talk about betting against the wrong horse.