at what point in your life did you realize that you aren't smart enough?

[jingramm]

I'm talking strictly about academics.
You know you met many in college. Your friends in pre-law had ambition and dreams of attending a top 20 law school. I distinctly remember one telling me that everyone has a limit and the LSAT showed his. He ended up at a Tier 2 no name school (even with a 4.0 GPA) like the majority. Not everyone can get into Harvard Law.
Those with medical school dreams, you meet them freshman year boasting about how they are going to medical school, you see them a year later and they changed into nursing.
Those in business dreaming of joining top tier firms or those wanting to pursue graduate studies at ivy league univs. Whatever the case may be.

I am a full-time employee in the corporate world looking at career direction (where I want to vs. what it takes) and starting to realize it now.

 

[Dirigible]

WTF is this nonsense? I went to an ivy undergrad, top ten law school, and now earn hundreds of thousands a year while sitting around in my pajamas just like every AT poster is capable of doing.

 

[reallyscrued]

When I clicked on this thread.

 

[Gibson486]

WTF is this nonsense? I went to an ivy undergrad, top ten law school, and now earn hundreds of thousands a year while sitting around in my pajamas just like every AT poster is capable of doing.

LOL....you went to school? I got my own degree in gibson486conomics. No school needed.

 

[Heller]

When I clicked on this thread.

My penis started to hurt:twisted:

 

[Dirigible]

LOL....you went to school? I got my own degree in gibson486conomics. No school needed.

D:

Damn you Gibson! Thanks to your post I just now realized I'm NOT quite smart enough.

I'll just need to comfort myself with all these hotties and money that litter my house.

 

[rcpratt]

I've never felt like I wasn't smart enough. I've often felt like I didn't work hard enough. Probably too smart for my own good.

 

[Six]

I was under the impression that everyone was created equal and that through hard work, you'll get to where you want to be. That was until my junior year in college. I realized that most people pretend to be gifted through hard work, but some people are truly gifted - can grasp a whole lot of things in a much shorter amount of time.

 

[speg]

In second year of university. Watching this one kid discuss with the prof, I was in awe. (this was in quantum physics and I had no clue what they were talking about)

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm talking strictly about academics.
You know you met many in college. Your friends in pre-law had ambition and dreams of attending a top 20 law school. I distinctly remember one telling me that everyone has a limit and the LSAT showed his. He ended up at a Tier 2 no name school (even with a 4.0 GPA) like the majority. Not everyone can get into Harvard Law.
Those with medical school dreams, you meet them freshman year boasting about how they are going to medical school, you see them a year later and they changed into nursing.
Those in business dreaming of joining top tier firms or those wanting to pursue graduate studies at ivy league univs. Whatever the case may be.

I am a full-time employee in the corporate world looking at career direction (where I want to vs. what it takes) and starting to realize it now.

I think I was smart enough, but not ambitious enough. I think in many cases, the people you refer to above might have been smart enough but as they got older, they started setting different priorities in life. Of course, it is also easy to say "I'm going to be a doctor working at NASA in research on the effects of spaceflight on human physiology" when you're in high school and have no real clue about the real world.

College ended for me nearly 20 years ago. I can tell you now that I wish I could go back. It isn't that I think I failed, but as I've gotten older, I can feel the memory slipping a little and I can tell that I don't think as fast as I used to. It is a sad part of aging, I guess. I think back to how I was and sometimes, I'm amazed at how smart I really was.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

2005
Physics 415 - Thermal Physics

 

[HardcoreRobot]

i have never really encountered anything academically where i thought to myself - this is beyond me. but there have been quite a few things where i said - its not worth my time to figure this out. so its more like finding the boundaries of my patience and motivation, not actual brainpower

 

[AlienCraft]

I'm reminded of that every day.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2093438

 

[OCGuy]

When I shit in the sink.

 

[IronWing]

Arguing with Spidey

 

[Ronstang]

I'm 47 and have not reached that point yet, sucks to be you.

 

[TheVrolok]

I don't think it's always an issue with intelligence, but often an issue with drive, work ethic, and other intangibles. On pure intellect alone, I most likely could have ended up at a top tier medical school, but I didn't. I simply do not have that necessary type A personality, and quite frankly, I'm a massive slacker/underachiever. So it was at some point in college that I realized I do not have the necessary motivation to go "top tier" and to be honest, I never really had a desire to anyway.

 

[Kanalua]

Early on, during undergrad when I couldn't just skate by with good grades and I was too lazy to actually apply myself for the good grades.

I remember one day in one of my poly sci classes, this was during the Clinton scandal, I went to class and the professor was leading the class on a discussion about Pres. Clinton and the accusations, etc. I remember being woefully unprepared I was for the discussion as some in the class were really on top of what was going on, knew all different issues and perspectives i never thought of and knew so much of what talking heads were talking about, long before our current 24/hour news cycle and endless parades of blogs...

Now that I'm an attorney, I'm realizing that more is about being prepared, experience and being able to resolve complex ideas/issues on the fly. I do labor arbitrations against named partners from large law firms, and I find that for the most part i can keep up and do well against the big names because they are relying on their experience and I can counter with preparation. Though...I am still taught a thing or two by the guys with their names on their building's...that's probably the best thing to learn...

 

[MotF Bane]

I don't think it's always an issue with intelligence, but often an issue with drive, work ethic, and other intangibles. On pure intellect alone, I most likely could have ended up at a top tier medical school, but I didn't. I simply do not have that necessary type A personality, and quite frankly, I'm a massive slacker/underachiever. So it was at some point in college that I realized I do not have the necessary motivation to go "top tier" and to be honest, I never really had a desire to anyway.

Mostly this, except it's taken until college to realize that I'm not smart enough to get by on intellectual talent alone.

 

[TallBill]

I realized freshman year that I didn't want to dominate academia, I was certainly smart enough to do big things though. I could hang with everyone but the super geniuses.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

College

 

[Taejin]

graduate thermodynamics (solutions thermo) started to show me my limitations

 

[CRXican]

high school

I can't do math

 

[Numenorean]

Never. I am plenty intelligent enough.

 

[mizzou]

my education only went as far as my wallet