Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
1–10 of 178 posts
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#2From a limited dataset:
They get by. Find balance. When you ask them for a coffee, they tell you they don't have the $5 to take the subway to meet you and are very sorry for that.
Some have other problems they are trying to work around, and all their energy goes to that and not inventing the next quantum equation.
They drop out of being the hottest developers in the software industry, they stop being the top performers in the financial sector.
They can get back, but it requires support. Our western society isn't optimized for such support but for grinding the rest down.
So, it's not where they go, it's how do the rest of us, help them?
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#3From a limited dataset: They get by. Find balance. When you ask them for a coffee, they tell you they don't have the $5 to take the subway to meet you and are very sorry for that. Some have other problems they are trying to work around, and all their energy goes to that and not inventing the next quantum equation. They drop out of being the hottest developers in the software industry, they stop being the top performe…
Author of the article here: yes, the most interesting question is, what can we do to help?
The article makes some suggestions. Short version:
Spread awareness, especially among professionals (medical doctors, psychiatrists, etc). I have seen lots of high-IQ/highly sensitive people who got terrible advice from psychologists and psychiatrists. Educate those professionals, so at least they don't do any damage.
Also: a communication platform for troubled high-IQ folks would be great! I would do it myself, but I'm bad at both, IT and social networking.
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#4I hate to sound trite, but intelligence (for which IQ is a proxy) is not only factor for success. Social skills will always be required - it seems like your two examples lacked these.
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#5[deleted]
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#6Many of the symptoms described there looked like ADHD (of course I am not making a real diagnostic). High intelligence and lack of motivation leads to underachievement.
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#7The paper says, "Of course, high-IQ societies exist, but then most of their members appear to be rather successful and hence limited in their understanding of people who never achieved much, if anything, in life."
Some people join high-IQ societies because they haven't achieved a lot, and any society where they share an important attribute is a place where they can fit in. And Mensa, at least, has a good deal of support for gifted children.
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#8That high school drop out story hits close to home.
My advice is to get a low level job at a smaller company that has a department which does interesting or highly technical work. Start talking to their IT/Technical/Whatever staff and let them know you work on x/y/z in your free time.
In my case I did a good deal of free work after hours (100+ hour weeks) before actually moving to a full time programming position (50 hour weeks), but it was worth it considering it completely turned my career prospects around.
Being on the other side of things now, most companies are starving for good people.
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#9I hate to sound trite, but intelligence (for which IQ is a proxy) is not only factor for success. Social skills will always be required - it seems like your two examples lacked these.
Yes, but this is not the case here. In particular, the author tries to solve the lack of social skills between people sorted in categories (thus by IQ in this case). So it's not that important whether they are 'intelligent' or not (the definition of 'intelligence' is controversial) but their integration into society (very poor so far, as the author shows). That's the problem the article aims to share.
Re: Where Do the Failed 0.1% Go? (2015) [pdf]
#10The paper says, "Of course, high-IQ societies exist, but then most of their members appear to be rather successful and hence limited in their understanding of people who never achieved much, if anything, in life." Some people join high-IQ societies because they haven't achieved a lot, and any society where they share an important attribute is a place where they can fit in. And Mensa, at least, has a good deal of supp…
Right; Mensa demographic is high-IQ non-achievers. Kind of the point - a club where you can feel appreciated even though you don't find that anywhere else.