Codemaster At 13: Realities Of Growing Up As A Gifted Teen

Seth’s 13 now, and he’s a Year 8 student in Melbourne, Australia - the equivalent of Secondary 2 in Singapore. He’s a year younger than his peers because he’s skipped a grade, but far more academically advanced.

In this digital exclusive, Seth and his parents speak candidly about the realities of growing up as a gifted teen, and how being known as the kid with high IQ has impacted his social life.

00:00 Intro & recap
00:52 New school environment
02:56 Seth’s teachers on challenges
05:09 Dealing with fame as ‘high IQ kid’
06:32 A loyal friend
08:04 Programming games on Unity
11:24 What’s next for Seth

ALSO WATCH other young prodigies:

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[Biskwyy]

Nobody talks about how gigachad Dehan is though for speaking up for his classmate

[ivantan]

You don't need a lot of friends.... You just need that 1 or 2 who is willing to stick with you thru thick and thin, people who genuinely accepts you for who you are.

[gusfring]

He's so blessed to have such healthy, responsible and smart parents who doesn't force him to do what they want like most Asian parents. Seth really needs help outside his intellectual pursuits and academic life and his parents seem to know what they're doing. Such a breath of fresh air. Other children as gifted as Seth would have been wasted just having your typical Asian parents.

[rbvp]

Gifted kids need extra support in other areas of life, and it's really important they receive it. As Dr. K says, gifted kids are special needs.

[zyrob]

Seth is amazing but in this episode I was more impressed with Dehan. That kid's got maturity and EQ better than many adults (including myself). The way he handles Seth's temperament, humbly learns from Seth's strength and sees his brilliant side instead of just his "weirdness". He even had the guts to approach his humanities teacher to speak up about people bullying Seth. I know I wouldn't have been able to do that at 13 years old. I think Dehan's parents really brought him up well.

[zemku]

That's a W friend right there. Whatever happens in the future, hope they stick together or at least stay connected

[kuancs]

Quite illuminating that someone so smart can face the same insecurities and struggles that us normal people do

[axbowf]

Every one need a friend like that. Very well done Dehan.

[joshxzy]

I have a "seth" in my school actually, He usually finishes his work in class then side tracks playing games in my school, that was 1 year ago and now hes my friend

[summertech]

The right thing to do for a gifted child is to put him in an environment in which his peers are equally gifted. Gifted children feel bored and are often isolated by others in a normal school.

I'm not familiar with Australia, but I am with the US and also Singapore. There are many programs in the US and Singapore to develop gifted children. These students are very motivated when they grow up with peers of equal talents and given the opportunities to explore the world that excites them.

[DancingMomochine]

I think the comments here are really sad, this young teenager is obviously a gifted child (also watched his 2018 video back then). Singapore is too strict in terms of education for him, he’s miles ahead of his peers! It's not fair for people here to say that he'll never survive in the real world because he can't communicate with others, I believe he is also trying, but it'll be hard to find someone on the same wavelength as him in terms of intellect I suppose. Let us all wish him and his parents all the best, all of them are trying their best to bring the best out of him.

[MJsaBitterLemon]

I have autism, and honestly it sounds like he might have it as well. Growing up, I was also described as "living in my own world" and being content with not interacting with peers. People like us often are very gifted, but struggle to communicate and join the rest of our peers in tasks that many others find easier, like staying engaged with tasks that don't specifically align with our interests.

[franciscoandreatta]

I think he's got very good parents.
One thing I find important to realize is we can't say he's superior to others. He just learned discipline in a loving way from an earlier age, that's something many many parents can't achieve.

[rayngmelb]

Like Seth my son was also an outstanding coder at a very young age, he then went to one of the top selective schools in Melbourne and now at a Go8 University studying Aerospace Engineering, he is also an engineer for the University’s Rocketry team. The sky really isn’t the limit for kids in Australia. They can truly reach for the stars.

[chickenmcnuggets]

It's good to see Seth's parents are giving him the opportunity to take charge of his own life. I'm not gifted or anything and in fact I did badly for my O's. My parents pressurised me a lot during secondary school and I hated studying. When my parents gave up and let me do whatever I want, I start to excel in studies and life. They have no idea what I do for living but they can tell I am satisfied with my current position and that's all that really matters. I believe with such supporting parents, Seth will also excel in life and end up doing something he has passion in. Good luck with enrolling to his dream school!

[retiredspykid]

A lot of child prodigies have trouble socializing and just in general seeming normal because they are so smart. Intelligence is very difficult to mask. It is much easier to just avoid people than dumb down at that level. I'm speaking from experience. I really relate to him. What made me thrive socially was not the fact that I felt like I needed to fit in but truly understanding other emotions. I studied people the same way I studied any other topic then I tested what I learned in real life. Like a social experiment. Now instead of feeling like I don't understand people I realize even most quote normal people don't even understand people and just learning to except them the way they are. The only thing is I expect the same from them. If they can't give me that mutual respect I cut them out of my life. Times were I ignored this rule ended very badly. However, I learned from them now I'm surrounded by very supportive people. Who at the very least respect me even if they don't necessarily like me.

[Dandelion_flight]

Feel sorry for Seth. Hope that he will find some really reliable loyal friends and be a beautiful contribution to this world. 🙏🏻

[Illusion_____]

Imagine being labeled as gifted by not only your parents but the media.. poor kid. That just puts unnecessary pressure and expectations on the kid to do well. A lot of gifted kids have mental health troubles later on in life because of it. Seth please seek help one day if you feel the need to

[RB-rpud]

It would be sad if Seth is not given an opportunity to develop his talents something that many normal schools cannot provide for.

[Happy_coffee]

Aww I hope the best for Seth. Kids at that age can be douchey, I really hope he doesn’t let them get to him :( if anything their actions reflects more about their personality! It’s good that he’s not easily peer pressured and he has a friend and supportive teachers at school. Just keep being you (and not mean) & you will attract the right people ^^