Leisure activities in adolescents as a predictor of occupational choice in young adults: A longitudinal study

Leisure activities in children may be a valid predictor of talented accomplishment in adults (Milgram, 1989, 1990a, 1991, in press). Lei- sure activities are intrinsically motivated out-of-school hobbies and activities that young people do for their own enjoyment and by their own choice, and not in order to fulfill school requirements or to earn grades or credits. Even though they are not related to school they may be highly intellectual endeavors (e.g., computer programming, working out mathematical solutions, conducting scientific experi- ments, composing music). One reason why these activities may in- deed predict adult accomplishment is because their performance require not only intellectual abilities, but also task commitment, per- sistence, and other cognitive and personal-social attributes that strongly determine life outcomes. Super (1984), a leader in the area of career development, claims leisure activities can be valuable explora- tory experiences which provide the opportunity to experience occupa- tionally-related activities. A series of innovative studies of intrinsically motivated creative activities and accomplishments in adolescence were conducted by