A great advantage of an IQ in the gifted range (≥ 125) is that it enables you to pursue almost any career you choose with a high chance of success if you combine it with hard work, commitment and intense curiosity. In your voyage through life, you have the opportunity to make groundbreaking discoveries that change intellectual paradigms or create new technologies. Nickola Tesla, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk all had IQ’s in the gifted range and they all changed human perceptions and practices.
Of course, many gifted people do not make any significant contribution–sometimes owing to lack of opportunity and sometimes to lack of the personality attributes required to turn their potential into achievement. During their formative years, the gifted are often seen by their classmates as different, odd or “weird.” This often makes them vulnerable to bullying or ostracism. Elon Musk was hunted down by his classmates and pushed down a concrete staircase, smashing his nose and face. If a gifted individual believes that their difference from others is a personal defect, they may retreat from social interaction and enter a life of isolation. Alternatively, they may bond with other gifted people and find a comfortable niche outside the mainstream of humanity where they can communicate with people of like mind.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of high intelligence resides in its potential to provide deeper insights into science and existential issues than most others. However, it does carry some burdens. The world is constructed to serve the 98% of the population that is not gifted, and it’s the gifted who must struggle to understand the norms if they wish to function in society.
