Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion IQ phobia

Wesupportgifted: You're just advancing the nonsensical notion that the highest in ability will necessarily be the wealthiest, the leaders of companies, entrepreneurs, etc.

Numerous scientific studies have been performed which consistently prove that the single best predictor of future wealth is the socioeconomic status of the parents. Not IQ.

Some HG+ people are introverts, who have no interest in leading companies.

Some HG+ people are risk averse, and prefer a steady job to entrepreneurial activity.

Some HG+ people reject the Wealth = Human Value paradigm, and find other, more meaningful ways to contribute to society. For example, Ben Franklin gave away the intellectual rights to the lightning rod. Jonas Salk did the same with the polio vaccine.

Many HG+ people seek employment that is intellectually satisfying rather than wealth producing.

And finally, many HG+ people fail to actualize their talents due to the challenges of low SES backgrounds, poor community understanding/support for gifted education, etc.

Finally, considering the size of the US labor force (approx. 155 million), there are plenty of available employees for Google in the top 1%.

ROFL. Ah, me too.

Yes, and this is a real problem over here (sigh) Read: mom needs to contribute more financially... how do I rewire my brain so that I'm motivated by money?

LOL I used to rent a basement suit (this was yeeeears ago) from a co-worker of mine who owned the house. We are the same age. He is NT and attaches his self worth to his income, as many NT males do.

He didn't believe that I have a high IQ - he needed to see my test scores... the first words out of his mouth were "why aren't you rich?"

sigh

how do I rewire my brain so that I'm motivated by money?

Ahhh.

That is the million-dollar question, isn't it?

This logic doesn't compute for me. My husband was working part time with for one of those tiny tech companies in the early 80's, that went huge with the tech boom. If he had taken a full time job with them instead of going to graduate school at a young age. He might have been rich.

I value intellectual stimulation more than expensive cars/clothes/homes, but I have tried to explain why making money is virtuous in

http://giftedissues.davidsongifted....ving_the_Gifted_book_Tho.html#Post182703 .

Earning a lot also enables you to afford a large family. Society needs smart children.

Other companies are using metrics like test scores and grades:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303636404579395220334268350
Job Hunting? Dig Up Those Old SAT Scores
Employers Still Want Candidates' Test Results—Sometimes Decades Later
By MELISSA KORN
Wall Street Journal
February 25, 2014

...

Proving the adage that all of life is like high school, plenty of employers still care about a job candidate's SAT score. Consulting firms such as Bain & Co. and McKinsey & Co. and banks like Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ask new college recruits for their scores, while other companies request them even for senior sales and management hires, eliciting scores from job candidates in their 40s and 50s.

A low score doesn't necessarily kill a person's chances, hiring managers say; instead, they say they believe SATs and other college entrance exams like the ACT help when comparing candidates with differing backgrounds or figuring out whether someone has the raw brainpower required for the job.

But some companies do set targets, particularly on the math section. Mark Rich, managing director of consulting-industry recruiting firm Whitehouse Pimms, says clients often tell him to screen for candidates whose SAT scores placed them in or above the 95th percentile. Investment firm D.E. Shaw Group asks candidates to break out their math and verbal results.

Boston Consulting Group Inc. has long used SAT scores as a factor in its hiring process. The firm doesn't set a minimum score for applicants, said Jennifer Comparoni, head of Americas recruiting. But candidates with weak math results would need to demonstrate other strengths, such as subject-matter expertise or leadership ability, she added.

BCG managers won't say that SAT results predict job performance, but Ms. Comparoni said the company uses the test as a standard measure of "the basic building blocks of success," such as critical thinking, problem-solving skills and quantitative abilities.

Cvent Inc., a McLean, Va., event management software company, asks all job applicants to provide SAT or ACT scores, results from graduate-school entrance tests and grade-point averages along with their work history. Scores count most heavily for candidates in their first years out of college, though the company has received scores from applicants well into middle age, said Eric Eden, Cvent's vice president of marketing.

Never been lucky enough to have someone request my SAT or ACT scores as part of a job application. Though I did have a pre-IPO internet company that gave an IQ-esque test and did personality profiles, pity it was 2000 when they hired me.

I definitely value a strong work ethic, and see virtue in that. While some may see money as a proxy for hard work and/or intelligence others may primarily see character as the indicator of work ethic and/or intelligence.

Character cuts through all cross-sections of SES and IQ to connect people. Regardless of wealth or credential all have the ability to uplift, enlighten, and encourage others.

Money is neutral. A level of money which can be called wealth is also neutral. As Bostonian points out, it is what one does with money/wealth that matters. Entrepreneurism, benevolence, endowments, philanthropy... many of us know someone who has benefitted in some way. We may also know someone who has been scammed on some level and suffered a loss.

Intelligence is neutral. A level of intelligence which can be called gifted is also neutral. The value lies in what one does with intelligence/giftedness. Gifted kiddos often pursue scratching the itch of their curiosity as this may be a soothing balm. Self-directed learning and experimentation, applying out-of-the-box creativity is intellectual freedom and may provide the ultimate motivation. Being a life-long learner and/or gaining credentials through formal education may sometimes align with acquiring wealth, and often does not.

A difficulty arises when a person sees a path, or probes for a path, and is shut out from receiving the information, advice, or mentorship needed to position themselves to complete their efforts, and reap a benefit for themselves and society. Posts on this forum provide considerable help in finding a known path, forging a new path, learning what lies ahead on the path, and removing roadblocks. I appreciate the many wonderful articles and posts contributed to the forum by Bostonian.

With the gifted being a minority 1%-10% of the population, there is a huge population out there staring slack-jawed in incredulous amusement and resentful schadenfreude at the "first world" problems of the gifted, perhaps because in some minds giftedness is bundled with wealth, power, and a sense of superiority. This simply ain't so!

Stepping down from soapbox.

Making money is neither virtuous nor evil. Money is a tool. It's how you seek it, and what you do with it, that defines you.

For example, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was brought up before, as a virtuous use of wealth. Well, 5% of its assets are distributed in the form of grants each year, some of which do some good (and some of which do significant harm, see recent "reforms" in US education, in which the Foundation has been a huge player), and the other 95% goes to investments in businesses that do a lot of harm, with profit the sole objective.

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