We all complain that stupid people don't realize they are stupid. Well, suppose there is a man who is stupid and he wakes up one morning and realizes he is stupid. He's been faking competence with random success [i.e., he fools other stupid people some of the time, fails to fool other smart people some of the time.] Furthermore, suppose that this stupid man is not exceptional in any way; however, he is not physically deformed or handicapped in any way. What job should this man take in order to become reasonably wealthy? Or is it even possible? Is being stupid or unexceptional so damning that the man, without outside assistance, is generally a victim of his environment? (There's a tie in to trading, since traders often don't really realize they are stupid until after the market gives them some kind of feedback.)
What a stupid question. if your trying to figure out what kind of a job to apply for ...forget working. Any one who asks such a stupid question doesnt need to be working. They need to be baby sitted.
Accept a position as a CEO of a too big to fail investment bank, insurance company, mortgage company or a job as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Some background: I once had an interview where the guy basically told me I was an idiot and should never be near finance. Technically speaking, I'm very educated. But we all know this means nothing, as there are educated fools everywhere. I may actually -be- a total idiot, and am willing to consider it as a possibility. Let's assume this guy was right (and you are welcome to assume his assertion is fact.) I now have no applicable skills to another field and am, for all intents of purposes, unskilled labor. If I pursue another path initially starting out as unskilled and actually happen to be an idiot, then where should I look? Clearly, a failed trader and a failed individual has to do something. The question is what? I don't see much literature on what you do when you are a complete failure, just a lot of literature on how not to become a complete failure. Clearly though, the case exists where one can be a total failure. Where to go? Where does one get the most return for being dull and unskilled? A government job?
Political office is the ideal choice. Academics in a "soft" subject area is another good place (most idiots can't get a Ph.D. in Physics, but can in something like Sociology). If you really want to climb to the top and are nice looking and articulate, but an incompetent faker with zero executive experience, U.S. President is always a possibility.
He is most likely right. Why do we have to dredge through stupid posts like this? This board is as bad as Yahoo.
There's a guy who lives near me who started working at a window factory when he graduated high school, and picked up every extra shift and every opportunity for overtime he could get his hands on. He was able to retire with a nice home, family, and a nice nest egg in his late 40's. Turned out he was fairly nimble in this last crash, so he's still ok. The problem is, he doesn't fit the stereotype for this thread. He's not stupid because he was able to see the value of working extremely hard, and how it would pay off far into the future. Your average moron nowadays wouldn't work extra hours even if it paid double or triple time, much less do they even consider how their current actions will effect their future. So I guess if you know you're stupid, you might want to plan on staying poor.