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The average software developer does not have an average IQ. Look at the figures at the end of this paper[1]. Even professions like nursing have IQs averaging cl

by ggreer 5y ago

The average software developer does not have an average IQ. Look at the figures at the end of this paper[1]. Even professions like nursing have IQs averaging close to 110. "Science and engineering occupations" are around 115 average, with nobody below 90. If you look at college majors, you'll get similar results. Our occupations and interests cause us to self-segregate into cognitive strata. For the same reason you don't know many Trump voters or young earth creationists (despite the fact that they're 1/3rd of the US population), you probably don't know many dumb people (or many super-geniuses). Individual differences in cognitive ability are far greater than our personal experience indicates. 1. https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2002-hauser.pdf https://www.gwern.net/docs/iq/2002-hauser.pdf

sudosysgen 5y ago
According to the paper you linked, right around 20% of people in IT, materials engineers, and even people in the natural sciences have an IQ in the 80s or lower. (under 90). Wouldn't you believe that, that's only slightly less than the general population which is at 25%, or right around what I predicted above :) The median IQ difference between college professors and service workers is not even a full standard deviation. Beyond that, I said average IQ100 programmer, of which there are many that can do a perfectly serviceable job in many sectors. Individual differences in cognitive ability are great, yes, but they are not even close to being perfectly represented in IQ. I don't know many Trump voters or young earth creationists because of where I live, but I know quite a bit of their relative equivalent where I am right now. Yes, there are a lot of differences, but I know enough young-earth-creationist and far-right engineers/stem people to know that it's not that simple. Anyways, I think I made my point clear, IQ is not a very good predictor of job performance, you can definitely be a programmer with IQ85, and a great many are.
- ggreer 5y ago
  You misread the figures. The bottom of each bar is the 10th percentile. If you draw a horizontal line, "Natural science - physical, life, and math" has its 10th percentile around 92.
  - sudosysgen 5y ago
    It seems my vision is skewed. Opening it in paint, that is correct. Still, 85 is within the bottom tenth percentile for programmers/technicians and material scientists, and the median for farmers and say engineers is only around a standard deviation.

by ggreer 5y ago

sudosysgen 5y ago

According to the paper you linked, right around 20% of people in IT, materials engineers, and even people in the natural sciences have an IQ in the 80s or lower. (under 90). Wouldn't you believe that, that's only slightly less than the general population which is at 25%, or right around what I predicted above :) The median IQ difference between college professors and service workers is not even a full standard deviation. Beyond that, I said average IQ100 programmer, of which there are many that can do a perfectly serviceable job in many sectors. Individual differences in cognitive ability are great, yes, but they are not even close to being perfectly represented in IQ. I don't know many Trump voters or young earth creationists because of where I live, but I know quite a bit of their relative equivalent where I am right now. Yes, there are a lot of differences, but I know enough young-earth-creationist and far-right engineers/stem people to know that it's not that simple. Anyways, I think I made my point clear, IQ is not a very good predictor of job performance, you can definitely be a programmer with IQ85, and a great many are.

ggreer 5y ago
You misread the figures. The bottom of each bar is the 10th percentile. If you draw a horizontal line, "Natural science - physical, life, and math" has its 10th percentile around 92.
- sudosysgen 5y ago
  It seems my vision is skewed. Opening it in paint, that is correct. Still, 85 is within the bottom tenth percentile for programmers/technicians and material scientists, and the median for farmers and say engineers is only around a standard deviation.