4 ms·

I think the way more interesting thing in this is buried in the table of correlations for study 3. - the positive correlation between intelligence and income a

by abeppu 4y ago

I think the way more interesting thing in this is buried in the table of correlations for study 3. - the positive correlation between intelligence and income at 30 is 0.11, and highly significant, p<0.001 - the positive correlation between intelligence and income at 42 is 0.05, highly significant, p<0.001 - the positive correlation between income at 30 and income at 42 is 0.11, highly significant, p<0.001, and this was the strongest correlation of any variable with income at 42. I.e. what you earn when you're 42 is more tied to what you made more than a decade ago than it is to how smart you are. The strength of that link between income over time is the same strength as the influence of intelligence on income at 30.

Jensson 4y ago
> the positive correlation between income at 30 and income at 42 is 0.11 I'm surprised this correlation is so low, most people have already started their main career at 30, do people really change career that much between 30 and 42? Only reason I see it can be that low is that they have women who quit work or something, otherwise I'd expect high earners to continue to be high earners at that age and vice versa.
- selimthegrim 4y ago
  Workplace politicking and climbing the career greasy pole does not always correlate with intelligence.
  - pedrosorio 4y ago
    The comment you replied to does not mention intelligence
- thwayunion 4y ago
  I'd guess voluntary career phase transition. Women is a really good guess. 30 is sort of a terrible age to choose for this sort of thing... Another possibility: lots of high earners are "done but not retired" by 40. They have a big enough nest egg to step off the corporate ladder, but not enough of a nest egg to stop working entirely. So they have part-time income from teaching university courses or consulting, but it's nowhere near their highest-earning years (which wouldn't been in their 30s).

by abeppu 4y ago

Jensson 4y ago

> the positive correlation between income at 30 and income at 42 is 0.11 I'm surprised this correlation is so low, most people have already started their main career at 30, do people really change career that much between 30 and 42? Only reason I see it can be that low is that they have women who quit work or something, otherwise I'd expect high earners to continue to be high earners at that age and vice versa.

selimthegrim 4y ago
Workplace politicking and climbing the career greasy pole does not always correlate with intelligence.
- pedrosorio 4y ago
  The comment you replied to does not mention intelligence
thwayunion 4y ago
I'd guess voluntary career phase transition. Women is a really good guess. 30 is sort of a terrible age to choose for this sort of thing... Another possibility: lots of high earners are "done but not retired" by 40. They have a big enough nest egg to step off the corporate ladder, but not enough of a nest egg to stop working entirely. So they have part-time income from teaching university courses or consulting, but it's nowhere near their highest-earning years (which wouldn't been in their 30s).