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IQ is only a minor factor in success

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Re: IQ is only a minor factor in success

#112

Post by wslh »

sofaofthedamned wrote: post #95

I always retell this story when this subject comes up: When I was 17 in 1989 I was desperate for a job in 'computers' as it was all I knew, I was damn good at programming etc, but had the usual experience trap - no experience equalled no job. Being naive I paid attention to one of those adverts in the back of the weekend newspapers. I don't know if they were a UK only thing but they had a puzzle and stated that if yo…

One of the members of our team is in charge of a Mensa group in our city, and he always tells us how difficult is to agree on basic organizational issues, just like in a condo.

Re: IQ is only a minor factor in success

#113

Post by cryptarch »

zeroer wrote: post #103
eterm wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But I enjoy work. I'm happy that I'm well compensated for the work I do, but even without that I fundamentally enjoy my work. In fact work is preferable to how I spend a lot of my free time. Would I like to work more flexible hours and get paid the same to work 30 hours instead of 37.5 a week then sure, but otherwise what would money be buying freedom from? I suppose owning a house out-right would be freedom from wor…

Holding cash on purpose is a pretty terrible idea in just about every political environment. Nobody who's rich actually does this, unless is specifically earmarked for an upcoming purchase or an emergency fund. You're better off with stocks and metals.

How is holding large amounts of cash bad? I don't understand, could you elaborate on that?

Re: IQ is only a minor factor in success

#117

Post by arethuza »

Becoming successful in lot of fields appears to be less about doing challenging stuff (where raw intelligence is perhaps most applicable) and perhaps more about scaling an organization to manage other people doing the challenging stuff.

Most of the brightest people I know have either no interest in, or an active aversion to, "managing" people in any sense whatsoever.

Re: IQ is only a minor factor in success

#118

Post by qazpot »

It is so nice to see that Money is now the only criteria for success.

By that logic J.K Rowling is a more successful author than the Hemingway, Eliot, Fitzgerald, Joyce, Tolkien and the entire Beat generation plus several others put together.

Re: IQ is only a minor factor in success

#119

Post by RyanZAG »

Noseshine wrote: post #88
nl wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

William Henry Gates III made his best decision on October 28, 1955, the night he was born. He chose J.W. Maxwell as his great-grandfather. Maxwell founded Seattle's National City Bank in 1906. His son, James Willard Maxwell was also a banker and established a million-dollar trust fund for William (Bill) Henry Gates III. [1] However: Several writers claim that Maxwell set up a million-dollar trust fund for Gates. A 19…

Is the existence of a trust fund actually relevant for the story? Whether there was one or not, as you already said, Gates didn't have to fear failure. I doubt the family would have let him live in poverty on the street if he had failed. I don't think it changes the narrative. But it's bad that - if you are right - the wrong story is out there because it gives a convenient escape to get sidetracked and be able to ign…

No single guy with no family to support has to fear failure though. It only becomes a fear once you have a wife and children to support - but that's why it's generally accepted that you first get financial stability before starting a family. Some people choose differently as people are always free to make terrible life choices - but they need to face the consequences then.

Even someone with a $1mil trust fund can make terrible enough choices to end up homeless.

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