4 ms·

Intelligence alone doesn't make you special. I myself have a pretty high IQ, but for the first 20 years of my life, I squandered the time and resources that wer

by phaus 14y ago

Intelligence alone doesn't make you special. I myself have a pretty high IQ, but for the first 20 years of my life, I squandered the time and resources that were at my disposal and now I'm 30 years old, still in college, and in a position that is way below my potential. There are people of average intelligence who have created billion dollar companies because they worked hard, and there are geniuses who never contribute anything to the world. Hard working, intelligent people should be celebrated, not intelligence alone. EDIT: Just to make sure I'm not being misunderstood. Being a member of Mensa isn't a bad thing, it's just not that big of a deal.

michaelochurch 14y ago
IQ isn't a big deal, but neither is degree pedigree. He's making up for a deficiency in one signal by providing another, in effect saying "don't think I'm stupid because I didn't attend college." If you have an elite degree and a technical major, you probably shouldn't include Mensa.
- phaus 14y ago
  I don't disagree with the author putting it on his resume. I probably would have done the same in his situation (if I were clever enough to think of it).
- 001sky 14y ago
  The mensa application is not an IQ based threshold per-se (or at least, not anymore). They basically take any standardized test, and the thresholds are top 5%, not 2%. So mensa just means something like a top 20 school. Seeing the variation of output of even the better half of those schools, it sort of lowers bar for the "Brand Mensa". The 150ish IQ threshold (public imagination) would be a bit more strict in many regards. http://www.us.mensa.org/AML/?LinkServID=005EB3F7-B83A-44BA-B4FFD5114A1AC31D http://www.us.mensa.org/AML/?LinkServID=005EB3F7-B83A-44BA-B...
nantes 14y ago
Didn't see any contact info in your profile. Just wanted to say, keep it up. It gets a lot better if you keep plugging away at it. Was in your spot 7 years ago, finished college at 34 and life is amazing now. Good luck.
- phaus 14y ago
  Thanks. I actually just landed my dream job yesterday, which I'll be starting soon. It's entry level, but it's in the field I want to spend the rest of my life in.
ljf 14y ago
Agreed - and an IQ score is just the result of someone who is able to do well in an IQ test, not a mark of intelligence. I know have fiends who have "very high IQs", and are fully functional adults with full lives - but who would not be able to run a business, manage a team or even remember errands they are sent on. They hold down great jobs, have phd's and are amazing in their fields, but in many parts of their lives you wouldn't consider them 'bright' or 'smart'.
- dkersten 14y ago
  You can also do well on IQ tests by practicing doing IQ tests, though I'd argue that this doesn't necessarily make you much more intelligent over all - certainly not for things that aren't similar to IQ test questions anyway.
B-Con 14y ago
> Being a member of Mensa isn't a bad thing, it's just not that big of a deal. I argue that it kind of is, in that only 2% of the population qualifies for it. And the idea is that it's not something just anyone can change about themselves and achieve. I agree that success is very dependent on many factors, and intelligence is not a required one. But it is correlated with success in many areas (such as intellectually or mentally-oriented fields) and it gives a good base line of potential. Like in your case, you say you are currently working short of your potential. I wonder if your clone, minus, say, 30 IQ points, would be able to say that. It's kind of like being a fast runner (not a perfect analogy, but I don't need it to be perfect here). That will help a lot in some sports, it will help a little in some, and it won't in others. But if you can run the 100-meter dash in a top 2% time, that's a useful bit of information, especially for a prospective coach.
- illuminate 14y ago
  "only 2% of the population qualifies for it" Do you believe that this is true?
- Evbn 14y ago
  More than 2% of population qualify. This is a great interview question for any data analysis related job: Explain why Mensa's brand claims are false, then explain why you thought joining Mensa would impress me.

by phaus 14y ago

michaelochurch 14y ago

IQ isn't a big deal, but neither is degree pedigree. He's making up for a deficiency in one signal by providing another, in effect saying "don't think I'm stupid because I didn't attend college." If you have an elite degree and a technical major, you probably shouldn't include Mensa.

phaus 14y ago
I don't disagree with the author putting it on his resume. I probably would have done the same in his situation (if I were clever enough to think of it).
001sky 14y ago
The mensa application is not an IQ based threshold per-se (or at least, not anymore). They basically take any standardized test, and the thresholds are top 5%, not 2%. So mensa just means something like a top 20 school. Seeing the variation of output of even the better half of those schools, it sort of lowers bar for the "Brand Mensa". The 150ish IQ threshold (public imagination) would be a bit more strict in many regards. http://www.us.mensa.org/AML/?LinkServID=005EB3F7-B83A-44BA-B4FFD5114A1AC31D http://www.us.mensa.org/AML/?LinkServID=005EB3F7-B83A-44BA-B...

nantes 14y ago

Didn't see any contact info in your profile. Just wanted to say, keep it up. It gets a lot better if you keep plugging away at it. Was in your spot 7 years ago, finished college at 34 and life is amazing now. Good luck.

phaus 14y ago
Thanks. I actually just landed my dream job yesterday, which I'll be starting soon. It's entry level, but it's in the field I want to spend the rest of my life in.

ljf 14y ago

Agreed - and an IQ score is just the result of someone who is able to do well in an IQ test, not a mark of intelligence. I know have fiends who have "very high IQs", and are fully functional adults with full lives - but who would not be able to run a business, manage a team or even remember errands they are sent on. They hold down great jobs, have phd's and are amazing in their fields, but in many parts of their lives you wouldn't consider them 'bright' or 'smart'.

dkersten 14y ago
You can also do well on IQ tests by practicing doing IQ tests, though I'd argue that this doesn't necessarily make you much more intelligent over all - certainly not for things that aren't similar to IQ test questions anyway.

B-Con 14y ago

> Being a member of Mensa isn't a bad thing, it's just not that big of a deal. I argue that it kind of is, in that only 2% of the population qualifies for it. And the idea is that it's not something just anyone can change about themselves and achieve. I agree that success is very dependent on many factors, and intelligence is not a required one. But it is correlated with success in many areas (such as intellectually or mentally-oriented fields) and it gives a good base line of potential. Like in your case, you say you are currently working short of your potential. I wonder if your clone, minus, say, 30 IQ points, would be able to say that. It's kind of like being a fast runner (not a perfect analogy, but I don't need it to be perfect here). That will help a lot in some sports, it will help a little in some, and it won't in others. But if you can run the 100-meter dash in a top 2% time, that's a useful bit of information, especially for a prospective coach.

illuminate 14y ago
"only 2% of the population qualifies for it" Do you believe that this is true?
Evbn 14y ago
More than 2% of population qualify. This is a great interview question for any data analysis related job: Explain why Mensa's brand claims are false, then explain why you thought joining Mensa would impress me.