I’ve had an introspective few days, taking stock of life and whatnot. The recent IQ tests (and first set of results) played a part in this renewed self-examination, but it’s been brewing for a while. I stumbled on this page and it was as if someone had been following me around for the past 15 years or so. I’m self-diagnosing as a “TMA” using the article’s terminology – TMA meaning someone with “Too Many Aptitudes”.
From the article:
“Among the clearest psychological effects of having many talents are problems of focus. TMAs are drawn in many different and conflicting directions. It is like being an engineer, a lawyer, a cook, a teacher and a musician–all at once, with all of them demanding their share of time and energy. Self-structuring thus becomes a major problem for TMAs. Unable to use themselves well, they usually end up as employees–and resent it.
TMAs often become job hoppers, instinctively trying to satisfy their diverse needs. Job hopping rarely leads to financial success. It also doesn’t lead to the consistent building of knowledge, expertise and reputation that is necessary for significant success in any area.”
This has summed up the last 5 years of my life for sure, but even the decade before that had strong echoes of these two paragraphs.
The problem, as I see it, is that the article just describes what’s going on, but not how to fix it. I kept reading on, hooked and fascinated, but ultimately disappointed, as there’s no ‘cure’ to speak of. How do you focus? How do you fix this? In rather stark terms, the author goes on:
“TMA is not something that can be ignored or cured. It is something that has to be worked with. For most multi-talented people, it is likely to cause problems at one stage of life or another. Many TMAs never learn to use themselves well. Usually their worst problems are associated with lack of financial or professional success.”
Again, like this person’s been following me around for some time now. 
This was probably not the thing to be reading right before going to bed, as it’s put me in a rather sour funk. If you’re a “TMA” (as described in this article) how are you getting along?
This page also seems to have a lot of good info. The HRIP description fits me eerily well too. Most people I’ve worked with will attest to that one 100%. Off to bed now…
Hey Mike – chin up, mate!
I agree the description fits you, but I disagree that having many talents is really such a terrible thing. Many great geniuses were “TMA’s” – DaVinci and Einstein come to mind. Sure, at some point, one does need to focus long enough on *something* to do well at it. For you, it seems, that’s been Web Development, and you’ve arguably done quite well at it. You might not be creating the Next Big Thing or whatever, but that usually requires taking a huge risk, which most folks aren’t really in a position to do. As for the “job hopping” issue, I think that has more to do with the fact that most work environments generally suck, rather than your lack of ability to “fit in”, or suck it up & stick with it. Like you, I have multiple talents (music and computers chief among them), and I’ve changed jobs quite a bit in my career, and I know what kind of job makes me happy: one where my talents are recognized and put to good use, where I’m allowed to speak my mind and where my input is valued, and where management makes good decisions that efficiently drive the company toward success. Unfortunately, such opportunities are few and far between. In general I’ve found that companies focussed on building a *product* as opposed to a “web site” or “web service” tend to work best for me. I also need to have a really good relationship with the management from the get-go. But there *are* good jobs out there for folks like us. I have faith that you’ll find your place in the sun soon, or perhaps create it yourself!
Oh, and one other piece of advice – I’m not sure who originally said this, I think it was Aristotle or one of those ancient Greek dudes:
“The under-examined live is not worth living, but the over-examined life cannot be lived.”
It took thousands of years of human evolution for Nike to shorten this to 3 words: “Just do it.”
I had a slight uplift when I got results from second test. Overall score/s was somewhat higher, though there was a marked low score in the area of ‘processing speed’ – I was only in the 66th% percentile. That certainly explains some of my problems in previous positions. I’ve sometimes been thrown in the deep end with little or no explanation on things. I typically do well, but sometimes need more intense and in-depth explanation of an issue or technology to really ‘get’ it. When that’s not there, I can flounder. Looking back, that’s happened on a few occasions that spring to mind, and I can look at that and say that the “processing speed” was probably one of the key factors at play. It’s not that the concepts were necessarily too hard to comprehend, but I can’t understand them all in just a few seconds – I needed more time to digest things.
To be certain, I may be misreading what “processing speed” means – it may *only* be referring to immediate at-hand situations, not issues scoped out over days/weeks. But it feels like a correct assessment overall, so that’s what I’m sticking with until I get more clarification. http://www.psychpage.com/learning/library/intell/wais_history.html has more description of the ‘processing speed’ component of this particular test, which I’ll delve in to later.
I know you’re reading my book, Refuse To Choose, on Kindle right now, and this was months ago, but let me say this anyway (for anyone else who reads it): The book is set up to give you solutions. I’ve found about 9 rough divisions/types of people w/ TMA (I call them Scanners). The types are roughly drawn, and I never met anyone who was only one type, but it’s a start.
In each of those 9 chapters (That’s Part II of the book) there are are variety of schedules that make it possible to do everything you want, and at the times you want to do them. (I think you’ve already gotten through the Panic chapter where I first introduce the concept of a ‘calendar.’
A 6 year calendar, for instance, each year broken into 4 sections (1 for each season), will allow you to schedule many things you thought — without thinking — had to be done at once or not at all. It can change your viewpoint radically.
Scanners live in the present, the Now everyone is dying to live in. They’re trapped in the present, actually, and have to remember that there will be time. The simple 6 year calendar wakes them from the dream. It’s fun to watch when I do it in workshops. People almost shake their heads to clear the clouds inside and say, ‘Oh, right!’
But there are other models for scheduling. I, who am a ‘Sybil’ — meaning I have a large but limited number of interests/talents and though I may put them down in favor of something else, sooner or later I want to pick them up again. Often, within days. Without examination, it feels like I want to do them all at once — but none of them forever.
I use the Schoolday model – copying what we all did in high school and college: 9am: study the history of the Silk Road. 11am: Answer emails, do home business. 3pm: write new book. 7pm: photography or drawing or one of the other interests that takes my fancy.
I know a woman — I describe her in Refuse to Choose — who was a programmer by day, but gave herself a ‘quarterly creative project’ to complete in her evenings and weekends. She wrote, illustrated and self-published a children’s book – once. Never wanted to do it again. Moved to African dance, etc. In 4 years she gave her full attention to 12 different interests (aka talents).
When it comes to careers, each of the ‘Types’ chapters suggests a number of careers that are good for that kind of Scanner. But I also advise that everyone, Scanner or not, gets a Good Enough Job to pay their bills and leaves their talents and the things they love doing most, for their own time (a la the calendars and schedules above)
I won’t describe a Good Enough Job here – this comment is long enough — but if you get one, a tolerable job, but one that uses some of your skills (like organizing or communicating, or problem solving), you will do well, and probably get rewarded for your good work. You’ll enjoy it too, enough to keep you from being miserable. But not enough to work at it more than 40 hours a week — preferably less.
Okay, I shouldn’t rewrite the whole book here, but have hope. Refuse to Choose might have the solutions you’re looking for.
I know exactly how you felt when you read that piece on TMAs. It’s me to a T. Like you, I was hoping for some sort of guidance. I am an extremely bright guy with myriad interests who is incapable of finding one to stick with. And I’ve hopped around from job to job and graduate program to graduate program for over 20 years. Hope you post any new leads here! I’ll do the same.